Thursday, May 11, 2017

Throwback Thursday: The Wall, by Pink Floyd



In 1979 English rock prog rock icons Pink Floyd put out what many people consider to be their magnum opus: The Wall. The Wall was a double album that was also a concept album. It did so well that it stayed in the Billboard 200 for 15 consecutive weeks, is placed at 87 at Rolling Stone's 500 Best Albums of All Time list, and even spawned a feature film. Needless to say, this gigantic theatrical album propelled the band to new heights and earned them a place in the pantheon of the all time greats of rock n' roll.

The Wall is a concept album that follows the story of a fictitious rock star named Pink. Many of the songs and parts of the story are based off bassist and vocalist Roger Waters's own personal experiences as a youth and young adult and somewhat on former singer Syd Barrett. It is definitely dark in theme as it ranges from topics like war, to drugs, to rockstardom, to isolation (hence the metaphor of the wall), to abandonment, to so much more. The album spawned hits like Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2, Mother, Hey You, Comfortably Numb, Run Like Hell, and more.

Comfortably Numb in my opinion is one of Pink Floyd's grand masterpieces. It is filled to the brim with intense emotion and the music truly reflects that. When combined with the lyrics you can feel that overwhelming sense of anguish and emptiness. David Gilmour's guitar solo in this song in my opinion is probably one of the single greatest guitar solos ever put to tape despite the fact there is no shredding or complex technique whatsoever. Just goes to show you that you don't need flash and dexterity to be able to do great things on a guitar.

Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2 is also one of the greatest things to ever happen to rock n' roll. Even if not all of us can directly relate to the kind of cruelty from educators that Pink or the people he is based on went through we can all relate to the fact that as youths we always wanted to burn down the school establishment because we hated how it treated us. We all connect on that raw emotional level when this song comes on the radio for the 1,000,000th time.

The Wall is a must have for not just fans of Pink Floyd, but rock music in general. There is a reason this album gets overplayed and overhyped. It deserves every last bit of it. It is musical, lyrical, and story writing genius. Even with the grand production value it is every bit as raw, honest, and real as anything done by just a couple of guys in a basement. I guarantee if you listen to this from start to finish your life will never be the same ever again.

The Wall, by Pink Floyd receives 5 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

Disc 1:

1. In the Flesh
2. Thin Ice
3. Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 1
4. The Happiest Days of Our Lives
5. Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2
6. Mother
7. Goodbye Blue Sky
8. Empty Spaces
9. Young Lust
10. One of My Turns
11. Don't Leave Me Now
12. Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 3
13. Goodbye Cruel World

Disc 2:

1. Hey You
2. Is There Anybody Out There?
3. Nobody Home
4. Vera
5. Bring the Boys Home
6. Comfortably Numb
7. The Show Must Go On
8. In the Flesh
9. Run Like Hell
10. Waiting for the Worms
11. Stop
12. The Trial
13. Outside the Wall

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Wall-Pink-Floyd/dp/B019HKKVDE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494562389&sr=8-1&keywords=Pink+Floyd+The+Wall

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