Pink Floyd Retrospective: Album 10- Animals

  

Roger Waters takes over the group- for better and worse...

Album:  Animals

Year Released:    1977

Lineup:

P

ink Floyd

• David Gilmour – lead vocals (track 2), vocal harmonies (track 2), electric rhythm and lead guitar (tracks 2–4), acoustic guitar (track 2), bass guitar (tracks 3–4), sound effects (track 3)
• Nick Mason – drums (tracks 2–4), cowbell (track 3), vocoder (track 4)
• Roger Waters – lead vocals (all tracks), vocal harmonies (tracks 2–3), rhythm guitar (track 4), acoustic guitar (tracks 1, 5), bass guitar (track 2), EMS VCS 3 (tracks 3–4)
• Richard Wright – keyboards (tracks 2, 4), Hammond organ (track 3), ARP Solina (track 3), piano (track 3), Clavinet (track 3), Minimoog (track 3), EMS VCS 3 (tracks 3–4), vocal harmonies (track 2)

Additional musicians

• Snowy White – guitar solo (on 8-track version of "Pigs on the Wing")

Track Listing:

Side one

No. Title                                                                           Length

1. "Pigs on the Wing (Part One)"                           1:24

2.     "Dogs"                                                                       17:04

Total length: 18:28

Side two

No. Title                                                                          Length

3. "Pigs (Three Different Ones)"                                  11:28

4. "Sheep                                                                  10:20

5. "Pigs on the Wing (Part Two)"                                  1:24

Total length: 23:12

Album Length:  41:40

Overall Thoughts:

With "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here", Pink Floyd hit a formula which was very successful- themed albums with lyrics written by Roger Waters and musically played out by David Gilmour, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason.

"Animals", the tenth studio album, had two significant tweaks to the formula.  First, David Gilmour had become a father for the first time, reducing his influence in the album.  Secondly, Roger Waters became much more angry and bitter in his lyrics.

"Dark Side of the Moon" focussed on issues that drove people mad- money, time, pressure.  "Wish You Were Here" was half a tribute to Syd Barrett, and half sarcastic jabs on the music industry.  The songs were alternatively snarky and sad- Roger Waters using music to work through the stages of grief.

On "Animals", he reached the 'anger' stage.  Compare the lyrics from 'Money' on "Dark Side of the Moon":

Money, get away.

Get a good job with good pay and you're okay.

Money, it's a gas.

Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.

New car, caviar, four star daydream,

Think I'll buy me a football team.

Now read the lyrics of 'Dogs' from "Animals":

And after a while, you can work on points for style

Like the club tie, and the firm handshake

A certain look in the eye, and an easy smile

You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to

So that when they turn their backs on you

You'll get the chance to put the knife in.

It's angrier, uglier and violent.  Bitterness can be useful in songs but it's like salt in a dish:  A little can be very helpful, but too much overwhelms and destroys the work.  

And Waters' targets?  Capitalism and the Church ("Sheep").  And he doesn't say anything interesting about his attacks- certainly nothing that hasn't been said 1,000 times before.

The music makes the album better.  Gilmour, Wright, and Mason create art with their instruments, even as they seemed to have less influence on the writing of the album.  I would have enjoyed this album much more if it had been instrumentals on all of the tracks.

I would love to tell you that Waters got all of his anger out of his system with this album.  Spoiler- that doesn't happen...

Ranking of Pink Floyd Albums (adding as more albums are reviewed):

1. Wish You Were Here
2. Dark Side of the Moon
3. Meddle
4. A Saucerful of Secrets
5. Obscured by Clouds
6. Ummagumma
7. Animals
8. More
9. Piper at the Gates of Dawn
10. Atom Heart Mother

Top 10 Pink Floyd Songs (changing as more albums are reviewed):

1. "Wish You Were Here", Wish You You Were Here
2. "Money", Dark Side of the Moon
3. "Us and Them", Dark Side of the Moon
4. "Welcome to the Machine", Wish You Were Here
5. "Time", Dark Side of the Moon
6. "Fearless", Meddle
7. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)", Wish You Were Here
8. "The Great Gig in the Sky", Dark Side of the Moon
9. "Have a Cigar", Wish You Were Here
10. "Brain Damage", Dark Side of the Moon