"The Wall" was the last Pink Floyd album I purchased. Like most double albums, I thought it contained some good songs but there was a fair amount of filler, mostly designed as part of the story telling. I was disappointed, especially considering how good their previous three albums had been.
"The Wall" is one of the best selling concept albums of all time, and has also been called a Rock Opera. Rogers Waters had for some time been banging on about an invisible wall between the audience and the band on stage during concerts, and this idea was the basis of the story. It is very much Waters' project, with David Gilmour only receiving three co-writing credits, and Richard Wright none at all. The absence of any 10 minute plus magnum opuses was also noticeable.
The plot involves the life of Pink, a fictional rock star ( but loosely based on Waters and former Floyd member Syd Barrett ), starting with the trauma of his father being killed in the war, an unhappy time at school and a dominant mother, then becoming depressed when a star, feeling isolated with a drug dependency, before hullucinating of being a fascist dictator. In the end, the wall he has built around himself has to be destroyed.
I didn't like a lot of Roger Waters' strained singing on the album, which whilst important for stressing the story line, at times made for painful listening.
One unexpected surprise was that Floyd had the Christmas Number 1 in the UK in 1979, with the very unseasonal "Another Brick In The Wall Part 2"
The album was turned into a film starring Bob Geldof, but I still haven't got around to seeing it.
Like with "Animals", I bought the book with the sheet music for the album, but the only track I could play was "Outside The Wall".
Looking at track list now, I could only remember how about 10 of the 26 songs went, mostly the proper songs rather than the fillers to keep the story going.
The story begins with "In The Flesh ?", which is not to be confused with the Blondie song of the same name ! There is the faint sound of the melody of the closing track to begin with, then launches into a dramatic rising theme after which the verse is a slow tempo and gives an introduction to what is going to follow. The track ends with the sound of a plane crashing and a baby crying. Together with the reprise its probably my favourite song on "The Wall".
"The Thin Ice" comes next, starting with piano and David Gilmour's soothing voice, then Roger Waters takes over the singing. "If you should go skating on the thin ice of modern life.... don't be surprised when a crack in the ice appears until your feet".
"Another Brick In The Wall, Part 1" is a slow, sinister version of the hit single.
"The Happiest Days Of Our Life" opens with the sound of a helicopter and a school master shouting "You! Yes, you! Stand still, laddie!" The track's most distinctive feature is the threatening bass lines. "And in the town it was well known that in the night their fat and psychopathic wives would beat them within inches of their lives"
The surprise hit "Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2" has an almost disco guitar riff but is mostly known for the children singing, in London/cockney accents. The song has a nice guitar outro.
"Mother" ends side one. Beginning with just acoustic guitar and Waters' vocal, the instrumentation builds. Gilmour sings the lines of the mother and plays a blistering guitar solo. "Hush now baby, baby don't you cry. Mamma's gonna make all of your nightmares come true. Mamma's gonna put all of her fears into you".
Side two commences with "Goodbye Blue Sky" and a child saying "Look mummy, there's an aeroplane up in the sky !". The song is mostly a pastoral acoustic guitar not too dissimilar to "Grantchester Meadows" and Gilmour provides the vocal.
"Empty Spaces" is a slow track with a marching beat and paranoid vocal.
"Young Lust" is a rock song, reminiscent of "The Nile Song" from "More". I like the organ playing on this. "Ooh, I need a dirty woman". The song ends with a phone call which leads into "One Of My Turns", one of the most interesting tracks on the album. It starts with a groupie talking "Oh my god, what a fabulous room.....you wanna take a bath !" proceeding into a slow, quiet synthesizer and vocal, but midway through it breaks out to a hard rock song as Pink starts to lose it and the groupie decides to flee. "Why are you running away ?"
"Don't Leave Me Now" is another slow number with initially a strained vocal and just keyboards. Eventually the drums and electric guitar come in.
"Another Brick In The Wall, Part 3"is next, a rockier version of part 2. "I don't need no arms around me. And I don't need no drugs to calm me".
The side ends with"Goodbye Cruel World", a sad,slow lament, with just voice and organ.
Side three opens with "Hey You" with an acoustic guitar intro and Gilmour's tender vocal. It has a typical searing guitar solo and the middle section is sung by Waters. "United we stand, divided we fall", and the echo voice at end uses the same technique as used on "Dogs"
"Is There Anybody Out There" begins with radio sounds then the the title being repeatedly spoken. Eventually there is some nice classical acoustic guitar.
"Nobody Home" has more radio sounds, a melancholic piano and vocal, and strings for final two verses "I've got a little black book with my poems in, got a little bag with a toothbrush and a comb in, when I'm a good dog they sometimes throw me a bone in".
"Vera" is another slow number with strings, acoustic guitar and organ. "Vera, what has become of you, does anyone else in here feel the way I do ?"
"Bring The Boys Back Home" has military drumming and a choir/crowd scream the title. It ends with a phone ring tone and "Time to go !" then "Is anybody out there ?"
"Comfortably Numb" closes side 3 and is one of Floyd's most popular numbers.It was covered by The Scissor Sisters and was a top 10 hit in the UK for them. The chord progressions are from "So Far Away" on Gilmour's solo album. The verse is sung by Waters and the chorus by Gilmour. The guitar solo is also reckoned by many to be one of the best recorded by Floyd.
The ah-ah and ooh backing vocals of "The Show Must Go On" have a Beach Boys feel to them and the track has a jaunty piano, Gilmour provides the vocals.
"In The Flesh"is a reprise of the opening track but with a choir and with different lyrics. "I've got some bad news for you sunshine, Pink isn't well and stayed back at the hotel and he sent us along as a surrogate band, we're gonna find out where you fans really stand. Are there any queers in the theatre tonight, get them up against the wall. There's one in the spotlight he doesn't right to me, get him up against the wall. That one looks Jewish, and that one's a coon, who let all this riff-raff in the room ? There's one smoking a joint and another with spots. If I had my way I have all of them shot". I doubt lyrics such as these would be written today...........
"Run Like Hell" is mid-paced stomping rocker, with the guitar part taken from "Cry From The Street" on David Gilmour's solo album.
"Waiting For The Worms" has similar backing vocals to "The Show Must Go On", a slow pounding drum. and a voice regularly spoken through a megaphone inciting the forthcoming riot. "Would you like to see Britannia rule again ? All you have to do is follow the worms".
"Stop" is only 31 seconds, with just a strained vocal and piano.
"The Trial" co-written by producer Bob Ezra, is a Gilbert and Sullivan or music hall style courtroom scene. The vocals are all by Waters but with different accents for each character ( Scottish, Cockney & Northern England ) "The evidence before the court is incontrovertible, there is no need for the jury to retire" then "Tear down the wall !" A stunning track !
The story closes with "Outside The Wall" with a mournful clarinet intro played over the sounds of the wall being blown up. It's the quietest song on the album but has a beautiful melody. Waters recites the lyrics whilst a children's choir sings them.
Overall, "The Wall" sounded a great deal better than I remembered and I ended up really liking the album, and didn't think there were any fillers ! My favourite songs were "In The Flesh", "One of My Turns", "Hey You" and "The Trial" but I don't think there is a bad moment on the album.
Track Listing :
Side One :
1. In The Flesh ?
2. The Thin Ice
3. Another Brick In The Wall, Part 1
4. The Happiest Days Of Our Life
5. Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2
6. Mother
Side Two :
1. Goodbye Blue Sky
2. Empty Spaces
3. Young Lust
4. One Of My Turns
5. Don't Leave Me Now
6. Another Brick In The Wall, Part 3
7. Goodbye Cruel World
Side Three :
1. Hey You
2. Is There Anybody Out There ?
3. Nobody Home
4. Vera
5. Bring The Boys Back Home
6. Comfortably Numb
Side Four :
1. The Show Must Go On
2. In The Flesh
3. Run Like Hell
4. Waiting For The Worms
5. Stop
6. The Trial
7. Outside The Wall
Released 1979
UK Chart Position : 3
Singles :
Another Brick In The Wall, Part Two ( No 1 - 1979 )
