Review 72, The Wall, Pink Floyd, 1979,
double-album
(ooooh....)
There are few albums that inspire as
much of a mixture of feelings in me as The Wall. On the one hand, the
heights are absolutely brilliant, and some signature characteristics
are used immensely well, on the other, there is nothing remotely
memorable about several of the pieces, some leave me completely
uninspired and some of the 'filler' (will explain what I mean by this
later when I come to them) is really nothing more than that. In
addition, the ending is feeble
and so utterly unconvincing to me that it alone brings down the album
somewhat. I'll try to explain the pluses and minuses in a bit more
detail:
On the
positive side, the inclusions of phone calls, voice clips, film
moments and sound effects is generally very, very nicely done. It
fits into the pieces very well, keeps up album flow and adds a bit
more interest. Equally, the guitar work and vocals are generally
quite clean and forceful, and is responsible for most of the album's
real high points. Lastly, when everything does come together, which
isn't often enough for my liking, it comes together magnificently.
On
the minus side, there are plenty of individual tracks that draw my
finger towards the dreaded skip button. More generally, the lyrics
don't really satisfy me that much overall, being very
self-referential, a bit ridiculous story-wise, but without the clever
allegorical style that made albums like The Lamb and A Passion Play
so enjoyable from that perspective. Additionally, a few of the pieces
seem lyrically so un-needed as to make me cold to them by default.
Finally, Wright and Mason are mostly boring on this album. At times,
they do make valid contributions, but nothing remotely comparable to
their roles on, say, Meddle or Wish You Were Here.
In The
Flesh (I), after the light theme of the opening (echoed in the
closer) provides a relatively effective start to the album with
superb hammond sound from Wright and really grappling guitars from
Gilmour. Mason, also, is on top form, with bass pedal throbs and very
fitting clear percussion sounds. The vocals and lyrics, equally, are
pretty good ('If you wanna find out what's behind these cold eyes/
Then you'll have to claw your way past this disguise!'). A superbly
bombastic start to the album, with taste moderating the intentionally
overboard sound.
A baby
wailing brings us onto The Thin Ice, another solid cut, with some
really haunting work from Wright's swirling synths and cautious piano
as a highlight, and excellent vocals from Gilmour, whether or not
they stretch the 'oooh'ing a bit too much. Waters' more aggressive
vocals contrast neatly, and a fine snarling solo from Gilmour also
marks the piece. The end segues through a thunking, almost electronic
bass beat...
to
Another Brick In The Wall pt.1, which is the first of the few really
fantastic songs on the album, with extremely well-written and
accusing lyrics, as well as a brilliant harmony of empty menace over
the minimalistic electronic bass-line merging with some little guitar
and keyboard effects. Children's voices and the occasional shout
punctuate the background.
The
Happiest Days Of Our Lives is a moderate mix of biting anti-school
aggression and the defiant mockery of these oppressive figures. The
rhythm section, unusually for Floyd, takes a really dominant part and
handles it finely, and the screeching segue is almost unmatched...
Unlike
the following Another Brick In The Wall pt. 2, where, simply, not a
lot is going on. The guitars and riffs are very much repeated, the
loud children's chorus is simply irritating, and so horrifically out
of tune that I usually end up skipping. The lyrics are solid, and the
bluesy solo in the middle ain't bad, but those are the only nice
things I'll really say about it. The first of the 'let's throw in a
few vocal loops' things flops a bit. A phone segue takes us onto...
Mother,
which is one of the most lauded songs of the album. Unfortunately, it
bores me. A couple of the creepy lyrical lines and deliveries are
pulled off with great menace ('ooh ma, is it just a waste of time?',
but the acoustic theme is simply un-interesting to me. The additions
are mainly propping that up, and since I'm not too keen on it, they
don't really help... equally, the self-referential lyrics are a bit
of an irritation for me, but that's just preference speaking. The
final couple verse and answer are a bit of an improvement, but still
not so incredibly fascinating that the words 'classic' come to my
mind.
Goodbye
Blue Sky has a much stronger and more interesting acoustic, with some
haunting background bass supplementing it as well as dark and fairly
assertive additions. Much as a couple of the lyrical lines feel a bit
basic, it works, and the piece is overall quite enjoyable while
handling a psychological menace.
The growling aggression of
Empty Spaces is a complete and delightful contrast, with wailing
guitar, psychedelic force added by Wright's effects and the German
distorted spoken additions, and a forceful and compelling beat. The
vocals have this guttural, probably distorted, power behind them, and
the piece as a whole, though brief and mainly intended as a lead up,
is very effective.
Unfortunately,
the following Young Lust is simply not a piece I enjoy. The rhythm
section is pretty basic, Gilmour's guitars have such a synthetic edge
and the plain rock ends up mainly being plain, without quite enough
action to keep me interested. Wright's chords on the hammond have a
simply bored vibe, and
the lyrics are for the first time a bit of an insertion, rather than
a necessity. Not as awful as I'm making it sound and it does at least
do the decency of being memorable, but it does nothing for me. Noch
ein phonecall-based segue...
Straight
into One Of My Turns, also sometimes lauded as a highlight, with a
bit more plot-exposition and some very disjointed keyboard work,
which I can understand, even if it doesn't hit me. The vocals for the
first time feel a little too vulnerable and empty, much as that is
the only real option for the piece, and the lyrics do have their
moment in the opening section. The musical side... well, it's just
not especially fascinating for me.
The
breathless and dark Don't Leave Me Now is another very Wright-driven
track, even if it's not quite as fascinating as some of the previous
ones, and, much as the lyrics are horrific and dark, the rather thin
delivery simply doesn't quite work out the way I think it meant to.
Three minutes I didn't need to spend, and one superb conclusion, with
a whirling guitar, some moving piano touches and the 'oooh babe'
motif being used really well.
The
biting and hammering aggression of Another Brick In The Wall pt. 3 is
the real highlight of the first side for me. The lyrics are
brilliantly written, and the forceful, striking electronic-ish beat
backed up with little band additions is incredibly compelling.
Vocals, effects, guitars... everything works.
Goodbye
Cruel World ends the first disc in a subdued way, with a fairly
feeble two-note bass thing over some repeats of the organ riff from
Another Brick pt. 3, and a simple lyrical set to signify the
completion of The Wall (a theme which I've stopped following mentally
by Young Lust, anyway...). It doesn't make a great impression.
The
second disc starts out promisingly, with the exceptional Hey You. A
more medieval-feel guitar theme holds up neatly by itself, giving
enough space for the other additions to really hit home. Simple
though it is, everything fits neatly, and emphasises the emotions of
the narrator. More importantly, we get the amazing guitar theme
(diao-da-da-dao...) that will be repeated in the second side in its
purest and most stunning form. The vocals also express themselves
much more clearly and freely than I feel they've done on the majority
of the first side, and the lyrical content is again quite impressive
('Hey you! Would you help me to carry the stone/Open your heart, I'm
coming home'). Superb in and out of context.
Is
There Anybody Out There is another menacing piece, with just one
repeated, maddened line arranged precisely and a mass of psychedelic
keys with a couple of guitary and bass sounds, even reminiscent of
Echoes. A really pretty acoustic solo from Gilmour highlights the
second part of the piece, and much as I'm not the biggest fan of his
acoustics in general, this one works beautifully.
Nobody
Home features some fiddling with a vocal repeat, as well as a
generally good vocal side. The orchestra feature for the first time,
if generically, and Wright's piano gets a little space to expand. The
first half of the lyrics I really enjoy, the second... don't really
impact on me. Overall, however, it is a satisfying piece overall.
Vera
is the first of two lyrically pointless pieces. There is absolutely
no conceivable reason for it to be where it is,
in my opinion. Perhaps on the first disc, it would have fit a lot
better, with the touching vocal from Waters and the lush cello not
dragged down by plain irrelevance.
Bring The Boys Back Home is
the second. The bombastic orchestra is pretty generic, but the
highlights of the song is in the vocal wailing accompanying it, truly
bizarre. Unfortunately, the segue has the worst of the vocal loops
overuses, despite the menacing Is There Anybody Out There?
reprise.
Comfortably Numb is a piece I have mixed opinions on.
The lyrics are great, but clearly a complete insertion. Equally, the
music is fine, but it doesn't match the album, which, at its best is
downcast and sullen... the rather upbeat themes of this one have
never fit for me. The orchestra inclusions irk me a little, as does
the chorus-dragging-on-so-much part. The guitar solos... well, I like
them enough, the second much more so than the first, but wouldn't
really consider them mindblowing, especially since I'm not the
world's biggest guitar person. It's understandable why it is so
popular, but I feel quite confused as to why I'm listening to it in
the middle of a clear concept album, which it isn't an integral
part of.
The
Show Must Go On, comparatively, is a piece that was clearly
well-meaning, but simply feels like a bit musically invalid to me,
especially the vocals. It's clearly trying, but I simply don't like
the harmonies and Gilmour's voice on it. The lyrics... equally, feels
a bit fill-up inspired. The only substantial plus is the semi-yodel
thing handled in the opening harmony.
In
The Flesh (II) echoes the first one pretty precisely, in terms of its
musical content, albeit acoustics and slightly more stretchy choral
things feature prominently. Lyrically, however, the altered context
and vocal performance really does give it a fair bit of validity. The
lines are again well-written, and quite neat, albeit I completely
fail to understand why Pink (erk!) decides he's being Hitler for the
evening... The conclusion is, however, great.
Run
Like Hell features another more basic beat, and some guitar 'waves'
(I like to call them) that, while perhaps interesting to a guitarist,
don't get me. The vocals, while experimental and cleverly arranged,
also have no effect on me. So we have. a song where I really feel
either of the leads and the rhythm section is pretty basic. A
slightly redeeming synth solo from Wright marks the end of the piece
and returns of the Another Brick 3 theme work, but that's all I can
really find to like.
Waiting
For The Worms, after a slightly slow opening, features a kicking
guitar theme from Gilmour as well as menacing multi-tracked vocals
and vicious lyrical madness. Repeats of the godly guitar-theme of Hey
You are like ambrosia for my ears, and the overall piece is a very
impressive and compelling one despite a vulnerable beginning.
Stop
is a deliberate, short anti-climactic break, with really nice high
piano playing from Wright.
The
following The Trial features the orchestra in its full role, really
arranged for maximised effect, and an array of the bizarre characters
involved in the album arrayed against our protagonist. The vocals
around the line 'crazy... toys in the attic, I am crazy' are
wonderfully supplemented by the harp playing. Meanwhile, however, the
refrains on that just don't work for me. Though it features again
that phenomenal guitar theme, added to the judge's blustering, the
piece could have been so much more enjoyable for me with a tiny bit
of trimming, and the 'tear down the wall' shouting, while really the
obvious way to do it... feels so obvious that it's almost out of
place.
Outside The Wall provides possibly the world's most
ineffectual conclusion, especially in the context of such a dark
piece. With a really light sax theme echoing the opening, and a
slightly irritating light vocal complete with daft refrains not
really doing anything for the lyrics. An instrumental repeat... well,
why bother. Doesn't work for me.
So,
individually, a lot of the pieces are alright, a few are really,
really strong, and not a huge number really fall flat horribly.
However, as a whole, it simply doesn't feel quite there to me, and it
falls down to aggressive examination. I'm not that keen on the
concept, and I really do not like the ending. Also, I really don't
have the money spare to do what some have suggested and head for the
film just to understand the concept a bit better... if I'm not the
album's greatest fan, and I think the concept is basic, I'm not going
to splurge on it, to be honest. It is quite an interesting album from
a few perspectives, but the interest... it passes too quickly, and
one listen will generally give me just as much information as ten on
any individual feature.
Two stars is admittedly a bit harsh,
but I simply don't find it entirely satisfying, and that's even as
someone who's generally positive towards Floyd.
If you're not a fan of the band, it is admittedly so big and
influential a recording that it's probably a necessity. Equally, it's
interesting to look at why this album succeeded so highly, but in and
of itself it isn't, in my view, the masterpiece some proclaim it to
be.
Rating:
Two Stars
Favourite
Track: Another Brick In The Wall pt. 3/Hey You
--
OK, well, I think that rating alone would be a cause for trolling/discussion aplenty. Questions aren't needed :p. Well, let's try it.... (see bottom of post)
IIRC, I'm the only collab to give that less than three stars, though that may have changed since I looked over the reviews a while back. I tell a lie. there are three others, at least.
Profuse thanks to Febus and Mike-Tor for their compliments, even if it's doing no good at all for my ego 
... Let us hope that my skills haven't gone with my hair 
(*muttering about regulations*), which coincidentally resulted in my week or so hiatus of anger.
Still waiting for the new stuff to arrive.
Album of the Week: Still Life - VDGG. Had an epic forty-minute singalong, complete with weird inflections and a decent dose of air organ.
Song Of The Week: Down To The Waterline - Dire Straits. I'm such a pop fan. Brilliant lyrics, though.
Now...
1) Should a concept album be taken only as a whole? If so, even when many of the tracks are, basically, unimportant to the concept?
2) Why is the concept of The Wall brilliant? Explain to me...
3) Did the multiple-release of The Wall (film, album, live show etc.) impact on the music's studio performance significantly?
4) Would The Wall have sold better as a single album? Would it have had more artistic value (in your view) as a single album?
Personal answers:
1) Not necessarily: the individual pieces do contribute to my view of it as much as the arrangement and segues do. When parts of the album aren't key, the album becomes very divisible.
2) It's not :p. Enlighten me
3) dunno. Suspect it could have really gutted the improvisation, but Floyd had stopped being improvisational by then anyway, so I hear.
4) I don't believe it would. Ironically, I think the fact that it's a popular double album has amplified a sense of curiosity in people, and sort of disguised/made more acceptable the rather more inaccessible psychedelia because nice rock tunes punctuate it so much. I don't feel that the whole thing is artistically necessary, and could have gone for a more condensed version myself, but that's just me.
These days, there are so few double albums that it makes The Wall look like an exception, whether or not it actually was.
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Looking forward to the response 
.
Rico wrote:
...................2 STARS ONLY
...
. I agree on all accounts, and it was a very well written review there Rob
was listening to that the other day and that is just incredible preparation for an incredible solo).