Roger Waters feels alienated- and lets everyone know it.
Album: The Wall
Year Released: 1979
Lineup:
Pink Floyd[
- Roger Waters – vocals, bass guitar (1–6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 19, 21), EMS VCS 3 (1, 7, 8, 11, 16, 21, 23), acoustic guitar (6, 17), electric guitar (12), sleeve design, co-production
- David Gilmour – vocals, electric guitar (1–6, 8–12, 14, 15, 19, 21–23, 25), acoustic guitar (6, 7, 14, 17, 19, 20), bass guitar (7, 9, 11, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25), Prophet-5 (2, 7, 8, 19, 23) and ARP Quadra synthesisers (8, 21), co-production
- Nick Mason – drums (except 3, 6–8, 13, 15–18, 24, 26), percussion (10, 25)
- Richard Wright – Hammond organ (2, 4, 5, 9–11, 13, 14, 19, 23), Prophet-5 (1, 3–5, 7, 10–13, 15–17, 20, 22), piano (2, 8, 11, 25), ARP Quadra (14) and Minimoog synthesisers (3), Fender Rhodes (14) and Wurlitzer electric pianos (9), clavinet (4)
Additional musicians
- Bob Ezrin – production, piano (6, 10, 16, 20, 23, 24), Hammond organ and harmonium (6), Prophet-5 (15, 20, 21), orchestral arrangement and music (25), backing vocals (23)
- James Guthrie – co-producer, engineer, percussion (4), ARP Quadra (8, 21), sound effects (14, 22)
- Michael Kamen – orchestral arrangement (15, 19)
- New York Orchestra – orchestra (16, 17, 18, 25)
- New York Opera – choral vocals (18)
- Fred Mandel – Hammond organ (1, 21)
- Jeff Porcaro – drums (6)
- Lee Ritenour – rhythm guitar (10), additional acoustic guitar (19)
- Joe (Ron) di Blasi – classical guitar (15)
- Joe Porcaro[128] – snare drums (18)
- Bobbye Hall – congas and bongos (22)
- Frank Marocco – concertina (26)
- Larry Williams – clarinet (26)
- Trevor Veitch – mandolin (26)
- Bruce Johnston – backing vocals (1, 20, 21, 23)
- Toni Tennille – backing vocals (1, 20, 21, 23)
- Joe Chemay – backing vocals (1, 20, 21, 23)
- Jon Joyce – backing vocals (1, 20, 21, 23)
- Stan Farber – backing vocals (1, 20, 21, 23)
- Jim Haas – backing vocals (1, 20, 21, 23)
- Children of Islington Green School – vocals (5)
- Harry Waters – child's voice (7)
- Trudy Young – voice of the groupie (10)
- Vicki Brown and Clare Torry (credited simply as "Vicki & Clare") – backing vocals (25)
- Phil Taylor – sound effects (22)
- Chris Fitzmorris – male telephone voice (9)
Track Listing:
Side one
No. Title Length
1. "In the Flesh?" 3:16
2. "The Thin Ice" 2:27
3. "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1" 3:11
4. "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" 1:46
5. "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" 3:59
6. "Mother" 5:32
Total length: 20:11
Side two
No. Title Length
7. "Goodbye Blue Sky" 2:45
8. "Empty Spaces" 2:10
9. "Young Lust" 3:25
10. "One of My Turns" 3:41
11. "Don't Leave Me Now" 4:08
12. "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 3" 1:18
13. "Goodbye Cruel World" 1:16
Total length: 18:43
Side three
No. Title Length
14. "Hey You" 4:40
15. "Is There Anybody Out There?" 2:44
16. "Nobody Home" 3:26
17. "Vera" 1:35
18. "Bring the Boys Back Home" 1:21
19. "Comfortably Numb" 6:23
Total length: 20:09
Side four
No. Title Length
20. "The Show Must Go On" 1:36
21. "In the Flesh" 4:15
22. "Run Like Hell" 4:20
23. "Waiting for the Worms" 4:04
24. "Stop" 0:30
25. "The Trial" 5:13
26. "Outside the Wall" 1:41
Total length: 21:39
Album length 80:42
Overall Thoughts:
By the late 1970s, Pink Floyd was incredibly successful- and Roger Waters felt completely alienated from the audience, leading to a famous incident where he spat on some rowdy fans during a show in Montreal, Quebec. This led to his inspiration for Pink Floyd's 11th album, "The Wall".
Waters put everything in the album- childhood trauma, abandonment by loved ones, overbearing parents, loneliness, spousal cheating, divorce, issues with drugs, anger at the audience, even fascism. As the character in the album (named "Pink") add to his emotional baggage, he builds a Wall, isolating himself from the world. Finally, he confronts his inner self, who orders him to "Tear Down the Wall".
The trauma wasn't just limited to the album. The band collapsed during the production of the album. Waters argued with all three other members of the band. Keyboardist Richard Wright officially left the band (though he returned as a session musician for the band) due to his feud with Waters.
It's a great album. Waters bares his soul on the album, and the music is fantastic. Unlike Animals, his bitterness is much less cliched. The anger is still there- but it's accompanied by fear, isolation, sadness. "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" became an anthem for students who hated school. "Mother" is a terrifying lullaby. "Comfortably Numb" combines giving yourself up to drugs with incredible guitar work from David Gilmour. It's not a pleasant album- but it's a great one.
This was the album I probably listened to the most during my freshman year of college. I certainly identified with the alienation. Now that I'm older, I recognize how much of that was self-inflicted... but back then, "The Wall" spoke to seventeen year old me.
Nowadays? I prefer "Wish You Were Here" and "Dark Side of the Moon", which have the deep emotional appeal and the awesome music without so much angst. I want to yell at Pink to go to therapy and work on his issues (and for Waters to stop being such an angry twit). But any album that is both this good musically and relatable to people is an awesome album.
Ranking of Pink Floyd Albums (adding as more albums are reviewed):
- Wish You Were Here
- Dark Side of the Moon
- The Wall
- Meddle
- A Saucerful of Secrets
- Obscured by Clouds
- Ummagumma
- Animals
- More
- Piper at the Gates of Dawn
- Atom Heart Mother
Top 10 Pink Floyd Songs (changing as more albums are reviewed):
- "Wish You Were Here", Wish You You Were Here
- "Comfortably Numb", the Wall
- "Money", Dark Side of the Moon
- "Us and Them", Dark Side of the Moon
- "Welcome to the Machine", Wish You Were Here
- "Time", Dark Side of the Moon
- "Fearless", Meddle
- "Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)", Wish You Were Here
- "Hey You", The Wall
- "The Great Gig in the Sky", Dark Side of the Moon
