So, I figured I would finally break down and rip into Pink Floyd's greatest album, or so they say. I understand clearly why it has become as huge as it has, but I personally will throw on the movie most days before I put on the album. I can also understand why this was pretty much the album that ended the band's run with Roger Water. I mean I know they did do another album together, but if you read about it, it was mainly left overs from this one anyway.
The Wall is, and forever with be Roger Water's shining master piece. I hope that one day it becomes a broadway musical sensation, as it should be. I hope it is performed much like Roger performs it now. However, this is about the album, just the album, and nothing but the album.
The first side, of the first record, of the original vinyl release of the two album set, which is also a two compact disc set, begins with In the Flesh? This is a very strong and positive start to the album. It gets a vibe established right away, and draws you in. It does exactly what the first chapter in any story should do, it grabs the audience. I do find it interesting how heavy this track is, for a Floyd song.
There is one thing I notice right away when I start listening to the album, after listening to the remasters, I need to get the remastered version of this album. The original CD release is just so quiet.
The Thin Ice is the second track on the album and it's a nice little song, but only works when listening to the album in it's full story. As it's own song I find it decent, and enjoy David Gilmour's guitar work, but that pretty much is it for me.
I can only imagine what it would be like to grow up without a father. Thanks to Another Brick In The Wall (Part I), I can tell how much it ripped apart Roger Waters. As for the song itself, it's never been much in the grand scheme of things. It's a very essential part to set up the story of Pink Floyd (the character) as he's growing up, but like many I prefer the childhood anguish of the next two tracks.
The Happiest Days of Our Lives and Another Brick In The Wall (Part II) are one song as far as I'm concerned. I don't think they should ever be played separate especially since I prefer the first song over the second one, but it doesn't work without Pink Floyd's most radio friendly and commercially successful Another Brick In The Wall (Part II) which is pretty much nothing more than an on running chorus. The thing is when the two parts are played together it creates one great song that every child should learn and be taught.
I understand Mother, I get the point to the track, and it works very well within the story. This is what it was like growing up for a fatherless child in the 1950's. As long as they aren't bastards. "Mother do you think they'll drop the bomb / Mother do you think they'll like the song / Mother do you think they'll try to break my balls / Ooooh aah, Mother should I build a wall / Mother should I run for president / Mother should I trust the government / Mother will they put me in the firing line / Ooooh aah, is it just a waste of time / Hush now baby, baby don't you cry / Mama's gonna make all of your / Nightmares come true / Mama's gonna put all of her fears into you / Mama's gonna keep you right here / Under her wing / she won't let you fly but she might let you sing / Mama will keep baby cosy and warm / Ooooh Babe Ooooh Babe Ooooh Babe / Of course Mama's gonna help build the wall / Mother do think she's good enough for me / Mother do think she's dangerous to me / Mother will she tear your little boy apart / Oooh aah, mother will she break my heart / Hush now baby, baby don't you cry / Mama's gonna check out all your girl friends for you / Mama won't let anyone dirty get through / Mama's gonna wait up till you get in / Mama will always find out where / You've been / Mamma's gonna keep baby healthy and clean / Ooooh Babe Ooooh Babe Ooooh Babe / You'll always be a baby to me / Mother, did it need to be so high." I must say that I don't care for this song though. I find it very slow, depressing, and from a vinyl listeners point of view, I would have prefered that this song came before the last two, because I would have liked a more solid ending before having to flip the record over. For the sake of story flow with the way Waters chose to tell it, it does make more sence this way. I just would have changed the story myself.
As I stare at the track list for side two I notice that the bulk of this half of the first album contains the bulk of my favourite songs. If I were to go just on the pure numbers. This would be my favourite section of the double LP story.
I would not call Goodbye Blue Sky my favourite Pink Ployd song, but it would be in the top ten. I'm pretty sure my top five is mainly sucked up by the Whish You Were Here album, but this song is top ten for sure. It's also my favourite song to perform live, aside from karaoke. To this day it's still my go to Floyd track for live performance. I love every word, every syllable and every strum of that accoustic. "Oooooooo ooo ooo ooooh / Did you see the frightened ones / Did you hear the falling bombs / Did you ever wonder / Why we had to run for shelter / When the promise of a brave new world / Unfurled beneath a clear blue sky / Oooooooo ooo ooooo oooh / Did you see the frightened ones / Did you hear the falling bombs / The flames are all long gone / But the pain lingers on / Goodbye blue sky / Goodbye blue sky / Goodbye / Goodbye". This song paints the true horrors of war, while doing it in meloncholy manner befitting of a child torn up by living through such a hell.
I love Empty Spaces. They are short and sweet, and right to the point. In retrospect it seems like the whole world has turned into Pink. "What shall we use / To fill the empty spaces / Where we used to talk? / How shall I fill / The final places? / How should I complete the wall..." I personally wish the extended movie version of this track was on here, but I love this one's quick cut to the next track.
Young Lust is the true reason why every boy dreams of being a rock star. This song is all about the town to town and woman to woman. However, when they mention dirty, they don't mean skanky.
The next track is one of those songs where I never know the name of it. One of My Turns is a great track for the purpose of telling the story. I love the spoken lines, that help produce the vibe needed. I also like how this song is the truth of how you become after so much time on the road, being dragged from one town to the next, begging to find anything to help fill the void. If you've ever been the storm in the last track, you understand Don't Leave Me Now that much more. My biggest complaint about this track is the vocal performance. I would have prefered that the first half had been more sung.
Another Brick in the Wall Part III is my favourite brick. It's the only other song on this album I have ever wanted to do live, with a band. I think it would be a great opening to a set list. Also I dig and relate to the words so well. "I don't need no arms around me / I don't need no drugs to calm me / I have seen the writing on the wall / Don't think I need anything at all / No don't think I'll need anything at all / All in all it was all just bricks in the wall / All in all you were just bricks in the wall".
Goodbye Cruel World is just too short. If you blink it's gone, and it's just such a pretty track, considering how sad it is. If side three is my song for song favourite, then side three would be it's opposite. The only song I truly like on this side is the last one.
Hey You opens up the album, and has a wicked solo. I mean David Gilmour lays down a beauty of a solo, a ray of shining light in an otherwise very depressing song. I so also enjoy the classic Pink Floyd exploration like section just slightly after that. This does help continue the story, but my problem here, is the underlying wallowing in self pity that is found in Is There Anybody Out There? Once again it's the music that saves this track for me. Were it not for that I would pretty much feel a need to skip it. Nobody Home is pretty much rock bottom. It's when you can't fall any further from grace, and realize that the rock star dream isn't so fun anymore. Then you try to call home and well, when you need to hear that voice the most, it's not there.
Vera is the song I care for the least on the entire double album set.
Which is followed by the most useless song on the album as far as I'm concerned. Bring the Boys Back Home, is just an over indulgence in Roger Water's personal issues.
When I was in my teens I pretty much had no use for this entire section of The Wall. Comfortably Numb I even found bothersome. Once I got a little older I grew more of a liking for it. However, I do hold to the fact that if it were not for the music I would have no use for this song.
The biggest problem for me when it comes to side three is that it's just Water's sitting there feeling bad for himself, and disconnected from the world. Nice for the story, but way over drawn.
Side four starts off a little slow with The Show Must Go On. It's a continuation of the disconnect, but the disconnect looking the audience in the face and saying "You bore me."
This is the song for that freak out on stage. In the Flesh is when the vocalist finally has enough and goes off on the crowd for being unruly little bastards. The problem with this song is how the general public perceives this song. They miss the underlying concepts and meaning. The words being used, are being used as profanity, they aren't being used as an expression of opinion. When those vulgar terms are spit out, they are being spit out to be vulgar, not to be a biggot, or prejudice.
At this point it's become a call to arms to strike down the tyranny and wretchedness that plagues modern day man (1978) in England. However, Run Like Hell is such a monster of a beastly song that all areas of Rock can dig into it. This song, while not being Metal, is bloody Heavy.
Waiting for the Worms is one of those songs that I just love. It's seriously what it's like, when you feel like you are losing your mind. I feel this song captures the peferct meaning of a man marching towards the abyss.
Stop, is that moment right before you step into the previously mentioned abyss.
The Trial is my favourite part of The Wall. I love the dramatic performance, as man reflects over everything he's done, had done to him, or should have had done to him. I love the choruses, and the gentle madness of them, and how it leads into my favourite part of the song. When the Judgement is passed down and the wall comes crashing down and the man is forced to continue performing for the world because that is the life he fought for and chose to pursue over and over. Oh, yeah the Judgement is also some really heavy Floyd. I mean wow, very surprising for them.
Outside the Wall finishes off the story by pretty much making it very clear that because Pink put up the giant wall in the first place. Now that it's down, not everyone has been able to hang on, or hang around.
I can see why this album ended Pink Floyd (the band). The problem is the times really. People from my generation on the whole, have no clue what it's like to grow up without a father. Even those with divorced parents still tended to at least have weekend dads. It's even worse for boys. This isn't the first album to touch on the subject either. Tommy, from The Who used a very simular idea the whole way around, a decade earlier. Seriously, if you can't find it listening to the albums, go watch the movies. Same basic themes and concepts. But you have to take into consideration the state of affairs in the U.S. and U.K. at the time.
To me this is a once in a while album, but for the most part I find it carries on for too long. If it was cut down, like it was recorded in the days of the compact disc, and was only one album. I think it would be much better. This is one of those times, when having to fill two records is a problem, because the artist demands that they fill it.
From an artistic stand point it's a fantastic album. It really is. The Production is beyond amazing and is put together in a beaturifully seemless fashion. Then again, Bob Ezrin pretty much perfected the art of concept album production by this point. When you consider he just finished From The Inside with Alice Cooper the year before. At least going by release dates. If I could afford Ezrin as a producer I would hire him in a second. He makes a story come to life.
8/10 - content
10/10 - production
6/10 - personal bias
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