Pink Floyd - The Wall
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Free Music Notes for The Wall
Free Music Review: Pink Floyd Under Construction
Hit: 5 Stars
What else can be said about this album. I was ten when "Another Brick in the Wall" hit the charts. This was one of the first albums I ever owned. Went through a cassette, two copies on vinyl and this was my first CD I purchased in the late 80s when CDs hit the market. Absorbed the movie (the movie box covers became my notebook cover in high school) and everything Pink Floyd I could. It was the defining album of my youth, Waters capturing that anguish and angst of maturing in a cynical world.
I grew out of it over time and it has become something of a memory machine, revisiting the past and the intensity of that time as I sought meaning in life. It has no relevance on that level anymore.
However, I stumbled across "Pink Floyd: Under Construction" which contains demos of the process by which The Wall came to be. Apparently, Waters, in the late 70s, came to the band with ideas for The Wall and what would become The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking. The band thought the material for The Wall had potential and began to build on it (though there are traces of The Wall material in the Hitchhiking album or vice versa).
Though for the most part it is the same album, there are some subtle and significant differences in the songs as we know them, mostly in the lyrics.
Comfortably Numb originally began for Gilmour's first solo album but made its way into The Wall. Gilmour brings the melody; Waters adds the lyrics. However, imagine these lyrics in "Comfortably Numb":
"Wake up now, pull yourself togeather
Get out and meet new people (Scream)
I'm sure they'll understand
Come on, put away the shotgun,
Here have another blue one(Scream)
Have your fingertips gone numb?"
Or these for "Mother":
"Mama's gonna check out all your girlfriends for you
Mama won't let anyone dirty get through
Mama's gonna burn all your pornography
She'll watch what you see and watch what you hear..."
It's fascinating to listen to these demos after knowing the album so well. It's as if I'm hearing it for the first time and it is mind blowing this time from a more historical, archival point of view rather than as music that defines my emotional life.
You'll find the song What Shall We Do Now? in the film but not on the album, though the lyrics are on the inner sleeve of the original album. The song is on the Under Construction disc. Young Lust is just an instrumental. This is a fan's dream. It's like being there as the creative process unfolds and you can see the roll Bob Ezrin played in bringing this to its finished form that we all know.
Hunt down a copy of Under Construction and really, really appreciate just how amazing this album really is.
You can also get hints of Roger Waters taking control of the direction of the sound and how it would culminate with Floyd in The Final Cut, the trajectory Waters taking climaxing with The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking (also very recommended).
Free Music Review: just another brick in my wall...
Hit: 5 Stars
ok, let's get down to the basic point of this - this is a really great album. it is not my absolute favorite floyd album but is a pretty [darn] good one. here's a partial line up -in the flesh - great opener, sets the mood for the piece
the thin ice - starts out very mellow but continues into a hard rocker
another brick in the wall (pt. 1) - a great laid back song, good opener for pt. 2 which is 2 tracks away
the happiest days of our lives - sets the mood for another brick in the wall pt. 2 and displays the feelings of "pink" about his childhood school days
another brick in the wall (pt. 2) - everybody has heard this song, regardless if they are a floyd fan or not. its a great song though, really good single.
mother - a great acoustic song which displays roger waters' great song writing ability - very simple but very good
goodbye blue skies - a song about world war 2; beautiful but a bit depressing
empty spaces - good song; very deep & dark thoughts by roger waters
young lust - song about being a rock star & the rock star life
one of my turns - mellow keyboard song which turns into a high adrenaline rock theme (about "pink" crashing a hotel room to pieces and scaring a groupie out of her mind)
don't leave me now - very depressing and dark song about pink's loneliness and depression, particulary about his wife leaving him
another brick in the wall (pt. 3) - a high adrenaline (but very short) rendition of another brick in the wall
goodbye cruel world - a very straightforward and depressing song about pink's further descent into madness
disc 2:
hey you - very good song; great opener for disc 2; very much about loneliness
is there anybody out there? - another depressing song about pink's building of "the wall" and his alienation; the title is the only set of words in the song
nobody home - very sad piano-based piece; but a great song, even roger waters himself said that
vera - another very sad song following "nobody home" - very orchestrated song
bring the boys back home - an orchestrated band song; very self explanatory about bringing home the british soldiers of war
comfortably numb - originally a david gilmour song, with the help of roger waters' writing as well; awesome rocker song; really brings the tempo up on the 2nd disc a lot
the show must go on - very short but good acoustic song; like "hey you" it is not on the movie
in the flesh? - another version of in the flesh?; little bit longer, as it has different words
run like hell - song like "in the flesh" about pink's uprising of a fascist nazi-like army
waiting for the worms - a good song, once again following the fascist portion of the story (if youre in a band, i recommend not singing the words to this live as a cover, being as how it is extremely racist and may result in an [rear] beating)
stop - a very slow, short and simple song after the downfall of pink's "hammer" army
the trial - a very humorous song "showing feelings of an impecable human nature" as the schoolmaster puts it
Free Music Review: Roger Waters's Exorcism
Hit: 5 Stars
The Wall is without any doubt one of the best conceptual albums ever written, a classic work of art that has changed the way I listen to and appreciate music forever.From the very first tune In The Flesh till the last Outside The Wall,it is a musical journey into the very dark and troubled world of Pink,a rock musician and Roger Waters alter ego, full of angst, frustrations, anger, disappointments, haunting past, failed relationships, inability to communicate with society at large or express himself to others and ultimately a burning need for redemption and inner peace.
But one important factor must be clear while reviewing this masterpiece: Although it was released and produced under the Pink Floyd name, and although band members, mainly Dave Gilmour, have contributed to it, it is still a very personal work, more specifically Roger Waters's..his world, his memories and still simmering grief about his father's early death ,his alienation from his fans, and his
very clear and outspoken criticism of the social, educational and political state of his beloved England, all themes that have recurred before in all Waters Pink Floyd's work from Dark Side of Moon onwards.
The Wall was the result of an artist battling his own demons, at the height of his anxiety and creativity, and as if in writing it, he was trying to exorcise these demons.(For instance In Goodbye Cruel World, you can tell that the lyrics are so real, so personal and private)
This personal dimension to The Wall was instrumental in touching so many listeners in a way few records were able to do before or after, and making it the all time classic that is today.
The story of Pink and the wall he built around himself also touched a very raw nerve with the listeners, and most did identify with this sense of alienation that has steadily grown post 60s on a personal level, and with the bold message about the freedom and individuality of thought that educational and political establishments try to stifle on a broader level..Another Brick in the Wall pt2, and with its opening line' We don't need no education..'has become the most recognized song the world over.
Musically, along with Eloy's Dawn and Power and the Passion, I have yet to hear tunes that perfectly match the mood and development of the plot!Waters and to a lesser extent Gilmour (mainly with Comfortably Numb and Run Like Hell) match the life, and transformation of Pink with music so brilliantly, leading to the climax of the epic and operatic Trial.
To listen to the Wall, is to live an experience that will touch your heart and engage your mind.
A lot has been said about the deep rift that happened between band members while making this album, and about Waters's ego , which led to the inevitable break up in ''82-'83, but whether you like Waters attitude or vision or not, you can not deny the fact that his creative genuis and inner demons and his alone, were responsible for one of the best rock albums ever written.
Free Music Review: a wonderfully complex pink floyd album
Hit: 5 Stars
This is an essential work of Pink Floyd and is not only commercially their best, but in my opinion, IS their best. Pink Floyd is a rather calm rock group, basically set in their ways throughout the 70's. They loved to experiment with sounds in the early 70's which intentionally became as groundbreaking as Brian Eno's / David Bowie's work later that decade. Pink Floyd is far from your typical rock band and 1979's release "The Wall" is far from your typical art-rock-fluid album. I often enjoy reviewing albums, but this one I struggle with reviewing for a few reasons :
1. There's the idea of "the emotional walls we build around ourselves."
2. In the 1983 film based on this album (if you haven't see it I'd actually recommend viewing it prior to your purchase of the album), was actually a reference to the Warsaw Ghetto during Nazi Germany.
3. It may have been a tribute directly to former Pink Floyd member Syd Barrett who's isolation had troubled and haunted the rest of the band for years beyond the 60's and 70's.
If lead singer / songwriter Roger Waters was already thinking ahead of his time while contributing his abstract songwriting skills, he might have meant "The Wall" to be a dual reference both to WW2's Germany and personal and Barrett's psychological isolation.
Fortunately, "The Wall's" myriad of songs all remain very pointed and achieve their goal in broadcasting the album's ideas across.
Although the Wall was mostly a Pink Floyd effort it had producer Bob Ezrin's concept feel and he definately get's the feel for it down more so through the orchestration of the atmosphere. However it's nice to see mr. ezrin did not veer the group far from their signature psychedelic-injected darkness which grew apparent on 1977's "Animals". Roger Waters and David Gilmour were good at complementing each other with the vocals on certain tracks. It's also true that The Wall has some of PF's best late 70's material. Many classics arose fast and radio friendly.
Ultimately, "The Wall" clearly offers us a range of emotions and occasionally subtle tones. Examples are :
The fearfully paranoid and fast-paced drama of "Run Like Hell".
The sedative-laced and ironically uncomfotable "Comfortably Numb".
The despair and abandonment of "Hey You."
The classic student rebellion of "Another Brick in the Wall part 2."
The neurotic questioning of "Mother."
The sex-induced fantasy of "Young Lust."
These are just some of the small puzzle pieces which make up this exciting, though (in my opinion) kind of unnecessarily long album.
I'd recommend this album to start out with for anyone who is interested, but hasn't heard much from the group. Even if it is a hard to understand this album, it offers us some true Floyd classics from the 70's.
The Wall should be sought out prior to 1973's "Dark Side of the Moon's" which was great too (and inferior to the Wall I think), but vastly overrated and overplayed.
Free Music Review: Mayhem and Madness With a Plot
Hit: 5 Stars
The Wall was the very first Floyd album I ever listened to and I have always loved it, even though the band has better albums. Here's a rundown on the story- rock star begins to go crazy while thinking about his life- enough said.Disc 1
In the Flesh?- A cool Floyd rocker with superb lyrics.
The Thin Ice- This song is a very weird one- I always see images in my head when I hear it.
Another Brick in the Wall (Part I)- The wall is coming up and so is the song quality. One of their best with great lyrics.
The Happiest Days of Our Lives- This sounds like the stories my parents used to tell me about their childhood. It only furthers the story.
Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)- One of the Floyd's all-time best hard rockers. It also has some of my favorite Floyd lyrics (I remember playing the song in my math class on a computer and my teacher walked in and said "What's that?").
Mother- A great acoustic piece. Definitely a strong set of lyrics with great music.
Goodbye Blue Sky- Guitar and lyrics only- what else- just another furthering of the story.
Empty Spaces- Eerie and trippy- but it still furthers the story.
Young Lust- Possibly the one Floyd song that had to do with love. Great tune and lyrics.
One of My Turns- Reminds me of the late Keith Moon and his hotel destruction. Great lyrics with a teeter on the edge of psychotic behavior.
Don't Leave Me Now- This works well as a help to the story and a song- you can feel what Pink feels in the song.
Another Brick in the Wall (Part III)- It just helps the story.
Goodbye Cruel World- This also helps the story.
Disc 2
Hey You- One of Waters' all-time best songs and one of my favorites.
Is There Anybody Out There?- This is one of the eerie bits of the album and it shows Pink's state of psychosis.
Nobody Home- A very personal song with great lyrics.
Vera- The worst song on the CD. It has absolutely no point with the narrative.
Bring the Boys Back Home- A story helper, nothing more.
Comfortably Numb- At last we have found the best song. This is one of the best Waters/Gilmour songs, with great lyrics and music.
The Show Must Go On- Another story helper.
In the Flesh- Listen to it for the lyrics- Waters has a great mind.
Run Like Hell- A cool song with great guitar work.
Waiting For the Worms- I don't know if this is a song or an attack on Nazi politics.
Stop- Not even a song- just a Waters poem.
The Trial- A great set piece for the album- almost like Gilbert and Sullivan.
Outside the Wall- The album is brought to a strange close.
The Wall is a great album with great tunes, but there are not enough great tunes to make up for the abundance of short pieces. But the engineering and mixing is some of the best to be heard- buy it.