How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Good
Value for Money
Excellent
Advantages:
It's Pink Floyd !
Disadvantages:
It's Pink Floyd - there are no disadvantages
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I am now returning from a long period of doing absolutely nothing on Ciao for not far off of a year. I have decided that since I have nothing else to do, I will return and write some more reviews. Hopefully better now that ever before.
I decided to start with Pink Floyd - Animals - for 3 reasons
1 - I find Album reviews easy to write 2 - Animals only has 5 Tracks - a good way to get back in the flow 3 - It's Pink Floyd!! Who have now become somewhat of an obsession of mine!
I was introduced to Pink Floyd by a friend. They became his obsession. He found their music amazing and better that the shit in the charts. I listened- somewhat cautiously to some songs. Starting with "Brick In The Wall pt 2" and "Brain Damage" and then "Comfortably Numb" perhaps 3 of the most famous Floyd songs. At first I was not particularly overwhelmed. I passed it off as mere 70's music with no major power. However I kept these songs on my MP3 player. And when I used to do my 5 hour paper rounds twice a week - I ended up listening to them over and over. Eventually I found Gilmour's guitar solo's on "Comfortably Numb" impressive, and the lyrics to "Brain Damage" very clever and interesting. During my time in New York last February, I decided to buy Dark Side of The Moon. I listened to it, and again, didn't find any of it striking me. So I laid off them again. Over some time, and in a long procedure of events. I became hooked to Pink Floyd, so much so that by about April, it was all I listened to. I could name every song, album, band member, describe the album covers, and tell you most of the lyrics. I could recommend a song depending upon what mood you were and I even started buying some of the original Vinyl's - now a much loved small collection. Great appreciation for a band that had their hey-day about 20 years before I was born!
I cant remember when I got into Animals, but at some point all the albums have been my favourites.
The Basics
Animals is only a five track CD. But not five "normal" tracks, it's five tracks of Pink Floyd! 3 of which exceed 10 minutes - so it is good value for money before anyone snubs the 5 track-ness of the album.
Tracks:
1 - Pigs on The Wing pt 1 - 1:27 2 - Dogs - 17:06 3 - Pigs (Three Different Ones) - 11:24 4 - Sheep - 10:26 5 - Pigs on The Wing pt 2 - 1:25
Released on January 23 1977 Harvest Records (yes nearly 30 years ago!) it was the 9th (excluding Relics) Pink Floyd album and the first to be written nearly entirely by Roger Waters - with Gilmour only contributing to Dogs. The cover was the first appearance of the Pink Floyd Pig - now somewhat of a trademark?
All vocals are done my Waters, except on Dogs where Gilmour has some verses.
Ok the songs:
One - Pigs on The Wing Pt. 1
Written for Water's wife Caroline. It's a calm acoustic song. Unlike all the others on the album no special tape effects or keyboarding are apparent. Its a beautiful little song. Though perhaps contributes little to the overall album's theme. Still its a great Floyd song.
Two - Dogs
Now this is a song! Over 17 minutes of magic. it starts of a little slow, music fades in from quiet, just a few chords on guitar and a little keyboard chord too. Then has Gilmour singing the opening verse. Dogs is about Businessmen in the world - the first of the three comparisons of the album. The lyrics of this song are brilliant throughout. Gilmour's guitar work makes this one of my favourite songs on the album. He is by far one of the best guitarists ever. This song has lots of little instrumentals in it - predominantly Gilmour on his beautiful guitar. It is an excellent song for drunkenly air guitar at a party - trust me!
If your one of the people who doesn't like the long guitar riffs that Gilmour puts in some of the Floyd songs - then this probably isn't the song for you.
Around 15 minutes in come my favourite lyrics from the song, and also my favourite part of Animals.
"Who was born in a house full of pain Who was trained not to spit in the fan Who was told what to do by the man Who was broken by trained personnel Who was fitted with collar and chain Who was given a pat on the back Who was breaking away from the pack Who was only a stranger at home Who was ground down in the end Who was found dead on the phone Who was dragged down by the stone."
I think that they are an excellent example of Water's brilliant lyric writing genius. Although not the best example - wait until I review Dark Side, The Wall or Final Cut for that!
Three - Pigs ( 3 Different Ones)
This song starts off again subtly. It is brilliant musically. And lyrically very powerful. This song is about The Politicians of the time. It is a slowish song, with steady drumming from Mason and a flowing Bass from Waters, with a quiet bit of guitar from Gilmour.
At one point in the song there is a specific reference to a politician of the time. Mary Whitehouse - who was attacking Pink Floyd accusing them of promoting Sex and Drugs. Apparently this was misheard my Americans as "Hey You White House" and deemed an attack on America.
"Hey you Whitehouse, Ha ha charade you are. You house proud town mouse, Ha ha charade you are You're trying to keep our feelings off the street."
Pigs is one of the first songs where Gilmour uses a talk box on the guitar solo (as you see him using on P.U.L.S.E if you have it with "Keep Talking")
At 9:38 Gilmour begins a guitar solo, it is an amazing powerful one. I love it. I really do. From here the song begins to fade out....
Four - Sheep
This song features more of Wright than before with initially more organ playing etc. This is a brilliantly written song, about Sheep - or the ones who would follow the Pigs and Dogs doing there bidding.
This song has the best lyrics of the album:
"Bleating and babbling we fell on his neck with a scream. Wave upon wave of demented avengers March cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream."
You can't get much better than that on Animals!
This song builds up pace and then slows down only to build it up again later. It has lots of small instrumentals in it. And at some point a mechanized voice can be heard like on "Atom Heart Mother".
With Dogs and Pigs -this song fades out from a Gilmour solo, but with some sheep sounds too!
Five - Pigs on The Wing Pt. 2
The second part too track 1, with the same music, and sound. It really just repeats the same lyrics. But instead of "If I didn't care" it is "You Know that I care" again this song is very mellow and relaxing. It reminds me of just relaxing in a meadow.....
No, this is not the Best Pink Floyd Album. Defiantly not. And if you are looking for another "The Wall" or "Dark Side of the Moon" then this isn't it - there isn't (in my opinion) any two Floyd albums that sound the same! So you cant find another to directly compare too.
But, this album has amazing lyrics, excellent guitar work and some great bits by Wright too.
Buy this album, you must be able to get it cheap of Ebay or Amazon. You NEED it in your collections!
Animals
Although not in the same vein as the deliciously hallucinogenic earlier Floyd works such
... more
as Ummagumma and Dark Side of the Moon, Animals is innovative and musically diverse in its own right. Inspired in part by George Orwell's political fable Animal Fa...
Animals - Pink Floyd
Although not in the same vein as the deliciously hallucinogenic earlier Floyd works such
... more
as Ummagumma and Dark Side of the Moon, Animals is innovative and musically diverse in its own right. Inspired in part by George Orwell's political fable Animal Fa...
ANIMALS
Pink Floyd: David Gilmour (vocals, guitar); Richard Wright (vocals, keyboards); Roger
... more
Waters (vocals, bass); Nick Mason (drums).Recorded at Britannia Row Studios, London, England.Digitally remastered by Doug Sax (The Mastering Lab, Los Angeles, Califor...
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