Why is Pink Floyd's The Wall so Great - Analysis & Album Review

everybody welcome to the show on today's program I'll be reviewing the 11th studio album by Pink Floyd titled the wall on Columbia Records from 1979 while it received mixed reviews on its release it produced their only number-one hit single and has gone on to be their second most successful album just behind Darkseid it's a record I've known about almost my entire life but it's only now that I'm looking at it with critical eyes so join me as we dive into the wall now before we get started it's important for you to understand that this is a rock opera meaning that the entire album is about the character of Pink he's based largely on Roger Waters and to some extent Pink Floyd's original leader Syd Barrett story-wise the record starts with pink as a child and we follow him becoming a rock star and then seeing the ugly side of fame and fortune during all of this pink is building a wall around himself to protect his emotions the climax of the story is him understanding that you can't hide behind this wall you have to tear it down in order to be loved [Music] opening up the album we have in the flesh and I don't know if this was just me but oh my gosh I put the needle on and the song starts off very very quiet I'm thinking oh I must have something wrong so I turn up the stereo and that's what I'm blasted with this sound I have to assume Roger did this on purpose to have people do this it really wakes you up preparing you for this Odyssey of a record [Music] then the song really starts and it's very boisterous it feels militaristic with sharp drum hits but then this lovely melody is being played by the Hammond organ and the guitar and it just gives us overall warm feeling with just a hint of the blues [Music] then all that drops away when the lyrics come in and the quiet thumping here is very reminiscent of a heartbeat this to me represents the womb or maybe it's supposed to be a quiet moment of reflection like pink as an adult thinking back to his very first memories [Music] the song concludes with the sound of an airplane crashing or perhaps even dive-bombing and this represents the father of pink dying in World War 2 the crime baby here represents the birth of pink or him as a newborn child crying out for his father this also signals the start of track 2 the thin ice [Music] and here we have our first taste of the brilliant use of two vocalists throughout this album Roger and David trade singing lead vocals and when they do it's always very deliberate playing off each other's strengths for David's part of this song he's singing a very sweet lullaby of sorts that's very loving and it's in the voice of Pink's mother [Music] when Roger comes in the song takes on a more doo-wop feel that does a great job of a line that dark lyrics and then Rogers harsher vocal style helps to underscore the idea that danger is everywhere in the narrative of the album the thin ice represents pink as a young child learning that the outside world is a dangerous place despite how it looks [Applause] [Music] we then move right into another brick in the wall part one lyrically this song is expressing pink losing the father he never knew this creates an emotion that he doesn't want to feel and here is where he gets his first brick the light guitar solo section is sort of the calm before the storm as we hear children playing in the background it's quiet almost like a faint memory for me it represents that blissful time before you're old enough to go off to school when you don't have a care in the world and you just are having fun playing this fades out as a helicopter approaches signaling the arrival of track for the happiest day of our lives for me the tile this song is sarcastic to say the least as this section is all about how children are mistreated by strict school teachers Roger based this largely on his own childhood and I think he's trying to say that this is supposed to be a happy time and yet pink is accosted by this mean teacher and looking back as an adult that wasn't okay [Music] then we quickly transition into track 5 another brick in the wall part 2 this was Pink Floyd's biggest hit their only number-one hit single and it's the song I most associate with this album in fact I heard this song wrong before ever knew what the wall was and to me I can't imagine my life without it it's actually really difficult to express the impact that this song has had on me I mean this is dystopia it is haunting it is depressing and it's poignant and the guitar solo is so refined here the crunchiness of the tone the way lean it's also expressive but played so minimally by David Gilmour what's amazing is that this was done in one take and Richard Wright's keyboards really helped to support the music he lends this brilliant fragility to the whole sequence all the while the bass and drums are just driving this song forward in a disco beat [Music] the song ends in a chaotic tape loop of a teacher yelling and we find pink rebelling against conformity because of this experience his education has become more bricks in his wall overall this is fantastic track placement the way another brick in the wall part two ends there's this nice break of breath before we close side one with the somber mother now I see this song as two separate sections and the first pink is expressing insecurities about life and questioning fear ambition and Trust when the mom comes in to answer him sung by David Gilmore it's rather subversive [Music] I see this as a reflection of how parents can inadvertently mess up their children and here we have Pink's mothers saying don't worry honey I'm gonna make sure everything your fearing comes true basically what she is seeing is that I will help you build that wall [Music] I find the second section very fascinating because here we have pink asking about love loss and heartbreak with the mom replying that she will check out all his girlfriends for him and she won't let anybody hurt him she's basically saying I'm gonna be a helicopter parent what's interesting is the juxtaposition between the two mother replies in the first section it's almost like the mom is using fear to keep pink by her side and to not let him leave the nest but then in the second section she's building upon that fear by saying you have nothing to fear as long as you're by my side just stay under my wing I won't let anybody hurt you so I see this as a mom using pink as a substitute for the loss of her husband it's incredibly messed up overbearing and controlling and again we hear the brilliant specific use of two singers with Roger singing Pink's thoughts and David singing the mothers replies some cheerful songbirds open up side to with goodbye blue sky then we hear some very lush acoustic guitars with some lovely what sounds like cyntha strings I like this because it has a sweet sound but with an undertone of foreboding [Music] and the harmonized vocals here are just exquisite [Music] this to me represents healing or trying to heal after the devastation of World War two because London was hit especially hard during the German Blitz what's interesting is that like pink waters was born after the bombing and therefore doesn't have the same fear response that his mother has it reinforces the idea of this song mother where she really knows best and pink has no idea of the dangers of the world she's part of a generation that learned to fear the sound of airplanes up next we have tracked to empty spaces this is largely an instrumental song with some spoken word and very few lyrics it's more of a thought piece a passing sequence to me I see it as representing the time jump in the story of pink at this point in the record pink is now a touring musician and his marriage is starting to fall apart lunch [Music] stop fear and what's really cool is that there's this hidden message located on the left channel when you play the song backwards [Music] now originally the song what shall we do now would come after empty spaces in fact some pressings have the lyrics printed on the inner sleeves because it was such a last-minute change the reason it was removed was because the wall was too long and they needed it to fit on to records however the song was performed during the tour and was eventually used in the film version of the wall moving on we have the hard-rocking young lust though it wasn't widely released as a single it went on to be a staple of classic rock radio which is how I first came to love this song at the time I thought it was more about young love and sexual exploration but now I know this is about pink as a rock star sleeping with groupies again we have that driving disco beat that works so well what I especially love is the inflection of David's vocals normally has a kind of a sweetness in his voice but here they are guttural and feisty same with his guitar both really capitalize on the sexual energy of this song towards the end of the track we hear an incoming phone call and if it sounds like an authentic real-world recording well you'd be right while in Los Angeles recording engineer James Guthrie made several phone calls to his friend in London James was acting like a husband trying to get a hold of his wife a mrs. Pink Floyd and he used a long-distance telephone operator to make the call when his friend picked up the phone answered in a male voice and then quickly hung up Roger and James were trying to capture the operators real reaction of witnessing the wife cheating apparently the first operator they tried didn't make a big deal about the situation and it was only the second or third operator they tried that ended up on the tape in the story pink is trying to phone his wife while on tour in the US and it's at this point he realizes that their marriage is over she's cheating on him while he sleeps with groupies this call leads us right into track for one of my turns the song opens with some one-sided dialogue it sounds like a groupie coming to stay with pink and you only hear her comments and reactions you don't hear anything from pink which reinforces the numbness he must be experiencing and realizing that his marriage is over and when the vocals come in there's a melancholy that works really well this section really describes Pink's feeling towards his estranged wife we pretend [Music] you have this den breaks away to a much more raucous section and this feels like a breakdown of pink plot-wise he's physically destroying his hotel room but I see this as him trying to shake things up in his life and express his anger frustration and numbness he is going through a phase but his outburst drives the groupie away leaving him all alone [Music] and this brings us to a very dark part of the record track five don't leave me now oh this feels terribly lonely and you can just faintly hear this breathing element I can't tell if that's actually breathing or if it's some sort of percussive instrument being played regardless its use here is incredibly effective and underscoring the loneliness of pink I feel his feelings this is pink mourning his marriage fruitlessly pleading with her to make it work was so undercutting though is how pink is begging his wife to not leave him but he's only doing it so that he can then turn around and dump her in front of his friends it's an incredibly selfish act but it really illustrates pink sand maturity at this point he's careening towards rock bottom and I appreciate the honesty in the lyrics waters doesn't hold back and it's very cutting [Music] I find it interesting that is played in waltz time it feels a little uneven like there's some shifting weight almost like pink is a little drunk and angry with his life in the end this song excels at putting us in his head at this very moment TV sounds signal the final reprise of another brick in the wall this is pink building his wall larger and closing himself off from those around him what's different this time is that it sounds a little bit more passive aggressive than in previous versions especially the final lyric this to me gets to the core of what I think Roger is trying to say in the wall just the idea of how we can get so angry with the world and then turn inwards shutting everything out fooling ourselves into believing we don't need anything or anyone but how effective this is for pink has yet to be seen as we close outside - with goodbye cruel world I gotta be honest this song feels a bit suicidal but what I especially love is the mic presence his voice sounds weak defeated in a way that really helps to emphasize the sadness of pink completing his wall and the way the final line is sung without any music really drives that point home hey you open side three with some soft guitar patio's and this lovely fretless bass both played by David Gilmour there's something about the guitar that makes it sound like there's some sort of Wow and flutter effect being applied to it it gives it such a fragile feel [Music] and when Richard comes in on the Fender Rhodes the piece takes on a fluid floaty vibe to me it feels like being suspended in a pitch-black void [Music] again we have another brilliant vocal trade-off of Gilmour and waters this time I interpret this as Gilmour singing the voice of Pink's consciousness or guiding voice and waters is obviously singing the voice of pink the two voices are separated by the wall and both are trying to reach for the other but they can't break through when we hit the bridge we are greeted by a return of another brick in the wall chorus melody played aggressively on electric guitar this is so good because it represents the resistance of the wall it's like the internal struggle of pink trying to come out from behind his wall but ultimately he can't break free because the wall is too high as Roger literally sinks the following instrumental section is one of my favorites as it really showcases the fretless bass the way Gilmour plays the solo it's like the bass is crying out for help or an agony there's a helplessness that is so clear when Roger sings the final verse I see it as pink trying to call out for help from behind the wall he is alone and only now realizing he needs others to help him and the way the final line fades out on an echo is so poignant because it works on many levels including the physical plane of needing friends and loved ones to stand together but also in the sense that if you lose your mind eg the voice of Gilmour you will fall [Music] the sound of a TV in passing cars as a start of track - is there anybody out there at this point pink is lost behind his wall maybe zoning out watching the TV in a cheap motel while there's barely any music here the distorted synth electronic siren and unsettling buzzing all combined to create a haunting first half of this song our only lyric is the title of the track repeated four times with the final one having a sort of choir hit I see this as the many voices in his head coming together to ask the question the second half of the song is a beautiful instrumental section with strings and an acoustic guitar the constant drawing of the bow creates such a fabulous quilt for the guitar to rest upon I love this part because there's a moment when it gives us a glimmer of hope in the chord changes like a happy memory for pink has this section gently resolves we returned to the realities of pink being all alone the TV is loud or the cars passed by and we hear a neighbor yelling from another room this is a start of track 3 nobody home the subtle delayed echo during the first verse is so good I love how well it plays into the rhythm and the piano it just adds this nice bit of texture there a Kestrel arrangement by Michael Kaman is superb theatrical production it's not over-the-top but it strikes just the right amount of balance to support the lyrics I especially love how the horn run down really reminds me of a superhero theme and it helps to tie in with the lyric amazing powers of observation [Music] and the way they tie in the TV dialogue to go between his lyrics of calling his ex-wife it's so good that TV line is near perfect for expressing his thoughts [Music] the second verse is very much in reference to Syd Barrett but as a whole Roger has stated that this song is about the feelings that all rockstars experienced while on the road but I think he's touching on a universal feeling of being homesick and that's what makes this song work so well for me though Roger doesn't go this far in the lyrics I see the overall theme of this song is a statement on materialism and how it's ultimately unfulfilled you can have all this wealth but in the end it's an empty vessel and the thing that pink really wants he can't have it's not there as we transition in a track for we hear more of the TV but this time it's a depiction of world war two the actual song Veera doesn't come in until 20 seconds later and it feels very much like a continuation of the last song now this is on the shorter side but that doesn't mean it's without merit it's actually quite lovely especially the way the strings dance with Rogers vocals they just add this lush melancholy to the whole song that elevates it to a poetic level [Music] the sound of snare drums signal our next song bring the boys back home this sounds very patriotic and on the surface it can be seen as an anti-war statement but in interviews Roger has stated that it's more Universal than that that is about not letting superficial things become more important than family and loved ones I know it's depicted differently in the film but I like to imagine that at this point pink has passed out in front of the TV and he's dreaming about World War 2 and somehow it transforms him into a great leader calling for the end of the war only to be woken up by his manager knocking on the door [Music] the space between the last song and when the drums hit four comfortably numb' just gives me chills every frickin time I hear it I mean what can I say comfortably numb' it's one of Pink Floyd's best but why I love it is because it has this spaced out psychedelic sound that is reminiscent of their earlier work and again we have the lead vocal trade-off between waters and Gilmour but this time Rodgers sings the verses and he does so in a wonderful poetic flowing way [Music] though it's not as apparent in the first verse by the second verse there's no question that this is about drug use but not necessarily abuse it's more about using drugs to cope with pain or rather not to feel at all but to be comfortably numb I love how the song switches gears for the chorus section the strings come in and it feels very uplifting almost like you're sailing on the ocean with the Sun and the sea breeze hitting your face Gilmour sings this section and he gives it such a light touch in contrast to water sometimes gruff delivery [Music] following soon after is the first of two guitar solos by Gilmour and this one like his vocals is light and airy floating on the same chord progression as the chorus [Laughter] [Music] next verse is really where we get the idea of this song being about drug use the lyrics describe the act but the music expresses the rush of it all just the sort of blissfulness of being high all your problems drift away [Music] [Music] and then we have that epic second guitar solo and it's amazing probably David Gilmour's best work on the album I really can't do it justice you have to hear it for yourself to really understand what I'm talking about I mean it's perfect it's exactly what I want to hear from this song [Applause] [Music] overall it's just beautiful expressive plain that slowly recedes into silence closing side three which just might be my favorite side of the record it works so well but we still have one more side to go and the show must go on [Music] overall this is an interesting little song lyrically it deals a bit with regret on the one level it's about pink questioning his profession as a rock star and whether he still enjoys it but on another level it works as pink question in his life and perhaps contemplating suicide especially with the lyric spa take me home and ma let me go [Applause] [Music] in the end pink knows the show must go on he must go on and therefore we move on to track two of reprieves of in the flesh and here we have such a great thunderous opening with biting guitars stabbing drums and the overwhelming ham inordinate [Music] [Applause] [Music] and it's at this point we learned that pink as we knew him has checked out and what we're left with is this guy who let his power over the audience get the better of him he's now insulting the crowd and flinging insults in the film this is depicted brilliantly by showing pink as a fascist dictator [Music] I love the inclusion of the crowd sound effect to really drive home the idea that we the listener are at pinks live show and it bleeds right into run like hell by itself this is a great single with some fantastic energy and it's got this marching disco beat that feels like pink is being chased and yet on top of it the guitar feels very positive [Music] story-wise row unlike hell is a continuation of Pink's concerts still in his drug fueled numbness the lyrics are rather threatening and in the film they accompany scenes of Pink's minions wreaking havoc all over town a little more than halfway through we are treated to Richards only keyboard solo on the whole record it's one of my favorite parts and it leads into a kind of an instrumental break down with some incoherent sound [Music] some crowd cheering signals our transition into track 4 waiting for the worms and it's at this point we get a glimpse of the old pink isolated behind his walk [Music] but it doesn't take long for his fascist persona to return this time marching down the streets of London leaving destruction in his wake my favorite part is the improvised megaphone mono hug that Roger performs through most of this song overall this song feels like a death march which was probably on purpose since the song is titled waiting for the worms the real pink is just wasting away behind his wall waiting to die and it's brilliant the way it builds tension to the climax with the steady chanting of the crowd getting louder and louder before there's an immediate stop and that's when we get into our next song track 5 stop [Music] this is pink realizing that this is not the direction he wants to go and maybe just maybe he's understanding that it's been his fault the whole time his suffering was at his own hands the song only lasts about 30 seconds before we move on to track six the trial and this out of all the songs in the album feels the most operatic the most musical and oddly enough the most contemporary especially the way Roger sings overall it has a kind of a carnival feel about it which could be easily from the time signature or the types of horns being played but it's not a happy carnival it's more of the nightmare a devil circus in some ways it reminds me a bit of the trial and the Walt Disney version of Alice in Wonderland anyway I'm kind of getting off topic here but this song is brilliant in how theatrical it is pink is putting himself on trial he is facing his demons his past mistakes we hear appearances from the mother the demanding schoolteacher and even his wife all the while pink is questioning his sanity and that's when we get this brilliant circus choir [Music] and when the judge comes in I love the use of crunchy guitar and distorted vocals but more so I love how there's a moment when we hear the return of the melody of another brick in the wall that really underscores the judge's ruling [Music] the song ends with the crowd chanting tear down the wall followed by some loud crashing sound effects out of the rubble we hear the final song on the album the aptly titled outside of the wall musically we are treated to a sparse arrangement of acoustic instruments that gives it a sombre yet peaceful feeling Rodgers sing talking is really effective here almost like he's reading a eulogy for pink and the best part is the children's choir singing the same lyrics he is reading it's just beautiful music that really helps to conclude the album [Music] [Music] and in this destruction what we learn is that what he really needed was always just outside of his wall by closing himself off he didn't allow love to come in I like to look at this song as a moment of clarity for pink almost a rebirth if you will which is interesting because the way Roger chose to end the song abruptly you briefly hear him say isn't this where before the album cuts off it only makes sense when you go back to side one and realize the album begins with him saying we came in he essentially created an endless album pink is reborn doomed to repeat himself but in all seriousness what a brilliant way to close a fantastic record [Music] it's impossible to deny the impact of this album it's incredibly well known and it tells a complete story that is not only poignant but has universal appeal it perfectly captures the late seventies ight Geist a generation that grew up during World War two and will come in to terms with the world and what it all means but more specifically I think it's also Roger Waters hitting a midlife crisis and in that sense this record is fantastic it's a masterwork a magnum opus that being said as an album it's one that requires an active listener it's heavy it's dark thought-provoking challenging and it's not something you can just listen to lightly or pass the time with it's an experience a wonderful experience but one you have to pay attention to this is a classic it is something that should be experienced as a whole and so I highly recommend picking this up at the very least you got to hear it once well everybody that will do it for my review of Pink Floyd's the wall I want to thank you all so much for watching I am your vinyl geek and I'll catch you on the flipside [Music] everyone thanks again for watching my review of pink floyd's of wall be sure to check out my parrot cocktail that I call goodbye blue sky it's a refreshing gin based drink that changes color right before your eyes you're not gonna want to miss it [Music]

Channel: Vinyl Rewind

Views: 253,757

Keywords: Pink Floyd, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, Nick Mason, The Wall, album review, the best Pink Floyd album, pink floyd the wall tracklist, another brick in the wall part 2, the wall album cover, comfortably numb, pink.floyd the wall, pink floyd the wall movie, the wall movie, pink floyd brick in the wall, pink floyd the wall reaction, pink floyd the wall review, pink floyd meaning, understanding pink floyd, the wall pink floyd, pink floyd the wall

Id: BBiZNKYtms8

Length: 35min 29sec (2129 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 05 2019