THE WALL

I am a level 3.5 on this. The only reason I don't say level 4 is that I haven't listened to it straight through for quite a while. Probably like the majority of people in my age group who were teenagers in the 1980s, this was an almost mandatory album to have in your collection. So I had it on LP, probably by no later than 1982, I have also had it on CD. It was my introduction to Pink Floyd. It inspired me to go back and get DSOTM, WWYH & Meddle (I've never actually owned a physical copy of Animals, more on that in an upcoming review). While some of the tracks on the album are among my favorite PF songs, the album overall is probably only around my 5th or 6th favorite PF album now. But as I've said it's been a while since I've given it a good listen, so let's give it a fresh set of ears.

Incidentally, Wikipedia has a great synopsis of the storyline, if anyone wants to read it.

Disc 1:

Track 1 - In the Flesh?

We begin with the end? a bit of the final tune, "Outside the Wall" connects the beginning of the album with the ending, suggesting that the album is a cycle that never ends. The proper start of the song hits with a powerful rock introduction at 16 seconds. Gilmour's guitar and Wright's organ fit nicely against Waters' and Mason's downbeats. At around 1:30 Waters begins singing, "So ya?thought ya?might like to?go to the show." This is our main character "Pink" starting a concert where he is going to tell his life story. Pink, by the way, is both autobiographical of Waters' himself, but also incorporates some of Syd Barrett's traits. After a short verse, the riff rocks out again. We end with a big power chord and war planes.

Track 2 - The Thin Ice

This begins with the sounds of baby Pink crying. His mother is singing a lullaby to the baby. At around 1:00, the rhythm becomes a 50's style 6-8.At 1:45 the full band kicks in with a big menacing riff and glorious Gilmour guitar fills.

Track 3 - Another Brick In the Wall, Pt. 1

This first part of the trio of songs bearing this title begins with Gilmour using a delay effect with a syncopated repeated note (a D, if I remember correctly) embellished with occasional additional notes. The effect is very eerie. The song refers to the death of Pink's father in WWII. I love the harmonies on the word "memory" at the end of the first phrase. The vocals sing that "All in all, it was all just bricks in the wall." The lyrics end before the halfway point of the song, leaving Gilmour to continue the atmospheric guitar with some subtle bass & keys underneath. It leads us to?

Track 4 - The Happiest Days of Our Lives

This one deals with the abusive nature of "certain teachers" in England at the time of Pink's youth. However the teachers get back what they dished out by being "thrashed to within inches of their lives" by their "fat, psychopathic wives." It begins with the sounds of a helicopter and someone shouting for a laddie behind the grandstand to stand still. I love the connecting bit toward the end of the track as the song serves as a prelude to?

Track 5 - Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2

The big hit single with the disco beat (this was encouraged by producer Bob Ezrin). Gilmour plays a funky riff against the rhythm section and Roger Water's melodic bass line. The children's voices in the second verse were from a nearby school, and recorded somewhat sneakily, as the band & Ezrin didn't think the school administration would be favorable of the anti-educational lyrics. Controversy brewed when the press learned that they kids were not paid. Eventually, each or the children received a copy of the album and the school received a donation of 1,000 pounds. The highlight of the track, in my opinion, is Gilmour's guitar solo that begins at around the 2 minute mark. Wright has some nice organ swells behind the solo. Of course, at the end we learn that "If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding! How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat!?!?" And they are still after the kid behind the grandstand, being told to stand still. Presumably, the kid in question is Pink.

Track 6 - Mother

This is a beautiful acoustic guitar based ballad about Pink's overbearing & overprotective mother. It begins with Pink asking his mother questions such as "Mother, do you think they'll drop the bomb?" and "....try to break my balls?" among others. "But the key part is "Mother should I build a wall?" Mama answers all of Pink's questions in the following verse with somewhat disturbing answers, concluding with "Of course mother's going to build the wall." just before Gilmour takes over with a beautiful, melodic guitar solo. Following that, Pink is asking for relationship advice. Of course, Mother has more answers, which again are rather disturbing. The song ends with Pink asking "Mother, did it need to be so high?" This concluded side one of the original LP release.

Track 7 - Goodbye Blue Sky

This song, a haunting acoustic-based track, is adult Pink's remembrances of being brought up during the London Blitz of WWII. It fades in with birds chirping and an adorable child's voice saying, "Look mummy, there's an aeroplane up in the sky." Beautiful vocal harmonies singing "ooh's" join at 50 seconds into the song. The first verse continues in harmony, "did, did, did you see the frightened ones?" and ends with by singing "Goodbye blue sky, goodbye." It leads to?

Track 8 - Empty Spaces

This dark & foreboding song asks "What shall we use?to fill?the empty?spaces" in his psychological wall. The upcoming songs answer those questions, beginning with?

Track 9 - Young Lust

A funky hard rocking tune about having lurid sex with a groupie after discovering his wife is cheating on him while on tour in America. "Oooh, I need a dirty woman!" There is a killer Gilmour guitar solo in the middle of the song with some nice keyboard work along with the rhythm section underneath. The song ends with the attempted phone call where he discovers his wife's infidelity.

Track 10 - One of my Turns

Another very disturbing song in which Pink brings the groupie back to his hotel room, only to have a mental breakdown and trash the place. This, obviously, terrifies the young woman into fleeing from him . The song ends with Pink asking "why are you running away?" Incidentally, this was the flipside of the Another Brick?, part 2 single, which was the first Pink Floyd record I owned. My 11 year old self truly did not comprehend the song. Is this perhaps a reference back to the early PF tune, "Be Careful With that Axe, Eugene?"

Track 11 - Don't Leave Me Now

Perhaps the darkest sounding song, in an album full of dark songs. The minor key synth sounds and anguished vocals about wanting to be violent with his unfaithful wife, make the song almost painful to listen to. Pink again asks "Why are you running away?" as the song transitions to the guitar solo. Sound effects and a scream lead to?

Track 12 - Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 3

This one is much harsher sounding than the first 2 parts as Pink swears off human contact and completes the wall. This takes us into?

Track 13 - Goodbye Cruel World

In which Pink is completely behind his wall and says goodbye to the outside world. This is a very short song at 1:15. This ends the first LP/CD.

Disc 2:

Track 14 - Hey You

As we begin the second half of the rock-opera, we find that Pink is regretting building his mental wall, but can't figure out how to tear it down. This song begins with shimmering 12-string acoustic guitar, courtesy of Mr. Gilmour, of course. This is one of my favorite tracks on the album. Wright provides electric piano during the first verse, sung by Gilmour. The rhythm section joins for the second verse. A guitar solo, built over a theme that will recur at various parts of the album. A bridge happens following the solo, ending with the lyric "and the Worms ate into his brain." The Worms are not wiggly little things, but a fascist Neo-Nazi group that Pink will imagine himself the leader of later in the story. The 12=string from the intro returns this time with fretless bass, chimes, and a buzzing sound. The final verse is sung by Waters. The song ends with the words "we fall" echoing repeatedly and leading up to?.

Track 15 - Is There Anybody Out There?

In this part of the story Pink has isolated himself in a hotel room and falls into depression. There are sound-effects and droning keyboards while the title of the song is repeated several times, as a plea. At 1:25, the track turns into a classical guitar solo from Gilmour with subtle backing.

Track 16 - Nobody Home

Pink is now trying to find solace in his possessions. Some of the references in this song refer more to Syd Barrett than to Waters; especially "the obligatory Hendrix-perm" and "wild staring eyes". Whenever he tries to call home he finds there is nobody home. The song ends with the unresolved line, "I've got fading roots."

Track 17 - Vera

Apparently the roots he was referring to are the roots to his past as he finds himself reminiscing about the WWII era. Vera Lynn was a WWII era singer who sang "We'll Meet Again," which is referenced in the song.

Track 18 - Bring the Boys Back Home

A brief song of people singing the title phrase, and urging for the return of the soldiers from WWII. Among a montage of sounds that we have heard throughout the store, we begin to hear knocking on a door and someone saying, "Come on! Time to go!" and then the return of the phrase "Is there anybody out there?" This takes us to?

Track 19 - Comfortably Numb

I am sure that I am not the only one "out there" who finds this song to be the masterpiece of the album. If you love the song I highly recommend finding Rick Beato's "What Makes this Song Great" video about the song on YouTube. You'll notice things that you may have missed before. As I am sure most know, the song is based on an incident that happened to Waters on the Animals tour where he had to be injected with medication in order to perform a concert that night. Additionally, it recalls a time when Waters had an illness as a child. This is the last great collaboration between Waters and Gilmour, as Waters wrote and sang the minor key verses, and Gilmour wrote and sang the choruses in a major key. As far as the story goes, the Waters situation from the Animals tour is happening to Pink as he is being roused to perform a show. There is a melodic guitar solo in the middle of the song, before the second verse enters. Gilmour has another chorus, this time extended, then he launches into what many consider the greatest guitar solo ever recorded. The nearly 2-minute solo is simply sublime. He extends it in live performances much to the audience's delight. And thus concludes side 3 of the original LP.

Track 20 - The Show Must Go On

At this point Pink has begun his performance but begins to hallucinate due to the drugs he's been injected with. This song has a cheerful doo-wop feel with harmonies and slow, easy-going beat. This song is very short at 1:35.

Track 21 - In the Flesh

A reprise of the album's opener with far more disturbing lyrics than the first one. Pink is hallucinating that he is the leader of a Neo-Nazi organization called the Worms, referenced in the song Hey You earlier. His demented visions have him turning his imagined brownshirt-type thugs on minorities and homosexuals. Some of the lyrics use racial epithets that can be offensive to some.

Track 22 - Run Like Hell

In this song the minorities are "Running Like Hell" to avoid being attacked by the Worms. Gilmour uses his delay to great effect. This is one of the bigger radio hits from the album. There is a big synth solo at 2:50.

Track 23 - Waiting for the Worms

The Worms are now holding a violence-inducing riot in suburban London. This song begins in the happy style of The Show Must Go On, but changes around 1:20 into a sinister beat with Pink shouting orders to the crowd over what sounds like a bullhorn. But by 2:15 the music turns pastoral again with the lyrics "Would you like to see Britannia rule again, my friend? All you have to do is follow the Worms." Following that the musical theme heard in parts of Hey You returns (interrupted once by the more peaceful tune). As the song reaches the end, the crowd breaks into a chant that I can't make out. Some say it is "Hammers!" but it sounds more like "Down" or "Stop" to me?.

Track 24 - Stop

There is a piano part, and Pink says "I want to go home?" as he breaks out of his hallucinations. The shortest track at 30 seconds long.

Track 25 - The Trial

Pink is confronted by his "inner judge" as the mock trial drama with full orchestrations and characters proceeds. The courtroom door creaks as the trial participants enter, then the prosecutor begins his opening argument and calls witnesses including the schoolmaster. Pink sings a refrain of "Crazy, toys in the attic, I am crazy." to be echoed by a choir of sorts. The guitar theme returns at about 3:25 as the Judge colorfully announces his verdict, resulting in a chant of: "Tear down the wall!" Then we hear the wall crumble as the song ends and transitions to?

Track 26 - The song is very quiet as Pink re-enters the outside world. As mentioned earlier the close of the album connects with the beginning.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

While I listened to it quite often in my teenage years, It is not a go to PF album for me anymore. There are some great tracks peppered throughout the album, mostly in the second half of the track list? Hey You, Comfortably Numb & Run Like Hell?Although Mother and some other songs are good from the first half. Getting through the album can be a bit of a chore to me, these days. The story is a bit dark for me, but it is well realized & performed. I also get a sense of the end of the classic PF era on this album as Waters seems to have exerted almost full control over the project, even firing Rick Wright for "not pulling his weight." (Maybe there wasn't enough for him to play?) So I'll give this a 4 out of 5 although some of the tracks are among my favorite Floyd tunes. The overall album just doesn't do it for me anymore. (Sacrilege for some, perhaps.)