ANIMALS

The concept borrowed by Orwell's Animals Farm is just a starting point for Waters who divides the Mankind into Pigs, Dogs and Sheep. Later Gilmour will borrow this concept for "Dogs of War".

Animals is the darkest album of Pink Floyd's discography. It's where the pessimistic vision of Roger Waters reaches its peak. The album opens with a short "dialog". Probably two dogs, intended as cops or soldiers, "watching for pigs on the wings". A short acoustic intro which is effective in introducing "Dogs".

From a musical point of view this is an epic. 17 minutes opened by a jazzy acoustic guitar intro that develop into one of the best suites of the floydian history. A great work from all the band and a special mention for Wright's keyboards. This is the last album on which he features at his best before coming back "to life" on Division Bell. As said before, the dogs are the guardians of the establishment. "You gotta strike when the moment is right without thinking" it's the key sentence. But the dog has doubts. "And when you loose control..." Loosing control means opening his eyes and be able to see a glance of reality. "Sometimes it seems to me as if I'm just being used."

The side A is closed by an indirect description of who the dogs are: the sequence of "who" at the end of the song.

Then the counterpart comes. Pigs are not only the powermen, the governants or the "bosses" of economy. There is a direct reference to Mary Whitehouse: a christian integralist and "moralist" who promoted campaigns against what she called "permissive society". Her movement promoted censorship, in particular the "Clean Up TV". And everything when the Pink Floyd were moving the first steps and the summer of love were close to come. It starts with a keyboard harping on "E- C" on which Waters enters with one of the very few bass solos of his career. Then Gilmour places rhythmic full chords and finally a short drumming introduces the voice of Waters. The song is bluesy, sometimes hard with a long instrumental interlude with a structure similar to some parts of Echoes and Atom Heart Mother.

"You better watch out, there may be dogs about". Speaking about The Final Cut, Waters will explain the meaning of the sentence "everyone has recourse to the law". He thought to situations like when the Nazis were entering jewish houses to take people to the trains, or when in Argentina people was arrested by death squads. In a situation of this kind you don't have recourse to the law, because THEY are the law. This is already inside Sheep. The lyrics are sarcastic. "the Lord is my shepherd", then "we'll make the bugger's eyes water". This is a rocky song, very hard in some parts and another highlight.

The conclusion sees the survived dogs, after the sheep rebellion.

"Now that I've found somewhere safe To bury my bone. And any fool knows a dog needs a home, A shelter from pigs on the wing."

At the end, after all the blood, noting is changed. Somebody thinks that Waters had split "Pigs on the wings" in two to earn more money with the rights. It may be true, but closing the album in the same way as it starts makes absolutely sense.

Another 5 stars.