THE WALL

Well, the sensation after re-hearing "THE WALL" is just the same I had more than 25 years ago when I listened to it for the first time: it reminds me a fair, neat, honest movie but perhaps you won't see it again at least for a good period of time. Unlike other Floyd's works something here does not run accordingly which means not the train derailed although it was close. Maybe the over worn theme - school and childhood problems, parents' absence, madness; all look recurrent in band's output or maybe the pomposity, the same noted in "Dark Side of the Moon" but thankfully not observed in the two previous albums.

Considering "THE WALL" as a movie soundtrack then all tracks have a reason of being but evaluating it as a musical feature then the filler is notorious. However, some filler tracks have better tunes and solutions than those one could call main tracks. The general feeling toward the short (filler) tracks may vary according to the moment and also from hearer to hearer.

Interesting to notice are the common places surrounding "THE WALL": the last output of prog's golden era, the nail in the prog-rock coffin, the ultimate Floyd's work. None of these urban legends proved to be correct. Prog's first golden era had finished a couple of years before album's release; there wasn't and still isn't any coffin prepared for prog-rock facing the issue that it is still alive and well (even with some periodic medication); Pink Floyd was able to release other fair productions in the following years.

"In the flesh", the opener, has a kind of thunderous motif providing great expectations for things to come, hence it promises more than what's really supplied. "Another brick in the wall" is really album's main theme, repeated in three different parts along the album, being the so-called 'part 2' the most well-known, video-clip included. This song was so exhaustively played that we forgot sometimes that it sounds great, catchy, intense - one of the best in the album. "Goodbye blue sky" is probably the most beautiful of the short tracks, with fine acoustic guitars and Beatle-esque vocals. Keyboard background brings some comparison to old Floyd stuff and some Moody Blues tunes."Hey you" is a well-known song, very emblematic of that Pink Floyd era, in the turn from the 70s to the 80s, but it's a good and pleasant song, being not its guilty the fact it was so much radio friendly. "Comfortably numb" is another well-known song that has been since then radio and TV aired in a frequent basis, in spite of or even so the music quality is great, with fine arrangements and almost certainly the best album track. Other tracks are hearable, no need for skipping here - if you're in a mood to hear the album with a considerable time gap from another hearing. Pay attention to "Run like hell", a really good rock.

Fair to mention that band member's musicianship was high and album production was great, since at this time Pink Floyd had reached the peak of their fame and label treated them quite distinctively. It's also good to remember that the year "THE WALL" was released (1979) was not properly the most adequate for a progressive work - someone could claim that this is not a real progressive piece, and the courage to release it, during those dark times, shall be permanently enhanced.

An important note: "THE WALL" is comprised of a double album or a double CD, and it's quite noticeable that disc 1 is a bit superior than disc 2, but the result is more or less balanced, with the good and bad parts well distributed.

Overall, a classic and essential album, compulsory at any music collection, but not truly a masterpiece. Final rating: 4.