Pablo Benjamin , the funniest thing I ever heard, as a consolation, they offer Nick some blood pudding and he shakes his head in disgust and says, “No thank you!” Greetings from Illinois!
This album is horrifyingly human. It's everything we persuade ourselves we aren't, it's all that we are destined to become. The wall is not the story of Pink, but of man in society. It's entirely unprecedented and unique. It's beautiful. Roger is a genius
Conceptually and lyrically it’s great, but in my opinion, it’s too long and the music is overrated (some tracks are great, like In the Flesh, Hey You, Nobody Home, Comfortably Numb, and Run Like Hell).
@Dave Zimmerman Im listening to Animals right now and the length of the three songs in the middle can be a small issue, I often just cant bring myself to sit down and actively listen to those three. I find this strange because I can listen to Shine On You Crazy diamond at any time of the day, so now I've drawn the conclusion that this is because I'm simply very familiar with Shine On's instrumentals, so now in order to familiarize myself I constantly play Animals in the background as I study or do other menial tasks and I gotta say its really growing on me.
It would be my knee-jerk inclination to dislike a (good looking) person who chooses to look this way, but the analysis and narration are really really solid. Looking forward to more!
@@joeking433hopeless is the perfect way to describe it. Dark was dark side of the moon. Wish you were here was depressing. Animals was in a way unsettling. This is plainly hopeless. Especially knowing the whole process of the wall will be repeated. It's basically supposed to show the fate of almost every rockstar or even music artist more or less. Shutting themselves off from the world with their wall and when the wall tears apart, they break down with it
This album got me through cancer in 2017. In recovery now, Comfortably Numb is my song to deal with chemotherapy. Thank you for reviewing this record and breaking all of it down.
That plane sound at the end of In the Flesh is actually a Stuka dive bomber, which had special attachments to make that distinctive sound. It was used quite a bit by the germans during WWII and the plane that crashes into the wall in the live show is a model of a Stuka. Just a bit of extra information I thought some people might find interesting.
Exactly. My grandfather and many relatives around Europe told to me: "Whoever heard the Stucka sound during WWII will never forget it." The plane had one or two Jericho trumpets mounted upon the leading edges of the main gear legs. The original idea was to give good "haptic" feedback to the pilot about airspeed during steep dive. It actually became a propaganda symbol of German air power.
How about a review of Meddle? I consider it their "Hunky Dory". A great album before the fame really kicked in. And you cannot beat Echoes! As soon as you hear Richard's "ping" the tingling in the spine comes alive.
Not as if Dark Side of the Moon spent LITERALLY YEARS on the USA album charts, is one of the biggest selling records of all time, contains their biggest hit single and made them arguably the biggest live act on the planet. Basically I'm not sure your analogy holds up.
Desperate Mohammedan the World's Strongest Arab Actually, if you consult Guitar World Magazine, February 2012 page 70 there is a fantastic article on the making of Meddle. It states that " More than Dark Side, Wish You Were Here and The Wall-it finds a spot in the heart of true Pink Floyd fans, such as Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, who has long championed Meddle as the great Floyd album". He mentions the warm, organic and golden 1971 sound. So, in effect I subscribe to that philosophy. Again, it's similar to Hunky Dory in which many true Bowie fans consider Hunky Dory their favorite.
Desperate Mohammedan the World's Strongest Arab In addition, If you go by charts and sales you might as well eliminate The Velvet Underground, Big Star, Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen and The Ramones. Not a good option.
Important thing to notice is that the first instance of “In The Flesh” has a question mark after it, and the second instance does not, suggesting the second reflects his real personality.
I see it as Pink suddenly getting thrown back into his rockstar life and saying "Huh? In The Flesh again?" He already has the "cold eyes" mentioned in the song.
@@dandydolphin64 Agreed, even the movie hates Waiting for the Worms, it gets like 2 minutes cut out! I just made an extended version for personal viewing.
Probably one of the best rock albums if not best albums of all time. It perfected the idea of a concept album. It's almost impossible to cherry pick a song from the album without marathoning the entire thing. Rock Opera is such an odd and underrated style.
I used to play Pink Floyd's The Wall so much, that my mom would go watch tv in her bedroom to avoid it. She called it "suicide music". One night while I was downstairs listening to The Wall, she came down the stairs and was holding her arms out in front of her. She had taken a red marker and made slash marks on her wrists. She said "Your music made me do this." My mom's sense of humor could be a bit warped. Lol
@@stevensmith5160 I know. That's why I've listened to so much Pink Floyd. My mom just couldn't understand me liking music, that she found so dark & depressing. She liked music, that was happy and that she could dance to. So, she decided to have a laugh and act like my music had made her want to kill herself. Lol.
This record and I have a... complicated history. As a kid, Pink Floyd was my favorite band, and The Wall was my favorite album. As such, I listened to it, and Pink Floyd's discography in general, waaaaaaaaaay too many times. This was how I learned something very important about myself: that I have an obsessive personality, and by overplaying it to such a degree when I was young, it actually creates a sort of negative reflex in me as an adult. It taught me a very valuable lesson about the dangers of overdoing something good, I haven't listened to the thing in literally years, largely in an attempt to make it fresh again for me.
You should watch roger waters the wall 2015 (movie/documentary). This will blow you away, don't worry..... The goosebumps will go away after a couple of hours
I've had this exact same experience with the Floyd.ever since I was very young I was drawn to the band and by the time the Wall came out I was in high school, doing lots of drugs and in a paychotic state. I shaved my eyebrows off and went into school after many days of watching the movie over and over again on acid.I want up in the hospital for 3 months after that I learned a lot about myself and I think what you say about obsessive this is very accurate to me too. I still listen to the Floydregularly but listening to the wall is almost painful.
Exactly! That is what The Wall is all about. I still have periods when I am obsessed with this album, diving into it truly. And I grasped the album when it was originally published. I was in high school back then.
Comfortably numb brings me to tears every time I listen to it. There’s nothing as amazing as listening to this album and finally getting to that track, a feeling that can’t be described
Goodbye Cruel World is definitely Pink’s failed suicide attempt. The final lyric just being a plain, empty “Goodbye”, makes me feel like it’s Pink thinking he’s about to die, and then he doesn’t. And then Hey You comes on, and the story continues.
Being a Pink Floyd fan for 50 years I love your review of this album. Very professional and interesting to watch. You really show a deep understanding of the album. Subscribed.
The transition from the entire crowd chanting “Pink Floyd! Pink Floyd!” on the end of “In the Flesh” on side four and in the intro of “Run Like Hell” to, when at the end of that song and through the intro of “Waiting for the Worms,” half of the crowd is continuing to chant “Pink Floyd! Pink Floyd!” where the other half of the crowd is now chanting “Hammer! Hammer!” and that chant is drowning out the chant of “Pink Floyd! Pink Floyd!” and then, at the end of “Waiting for the Worms” and up to the intro of “Stop” where the entirety of the crowd is chanting “Hammer! Hammer!” to a crescendo, in my opinion, is one of the most remarkable and subtle parts of this section of the album.
Someone needs to drop the link to this with Roger W or David G. Basically I don’t think they have ever seen such dedication to the deconstruction of the wall. Regardless of whether they agree, they would certainly appreciate the review.
luapworrag Mason said that Roger never respected David, Roger said that everyone can use a guitar and play it and that the writing is all. David said: Yeah you wrote the lyrics but we made the music. Dave and Roger are not in agreement till this day, and is understandable because of how Roger treated them, especially Rick.
Tony AlPaquino yes I’d forgot about the “challenges” if I recall, there was a hijacking of the album, with Richard being fired and then hired as a session player throughout the tour
@luapworrag-- Actually if you think about it.... Roger Waters spent at least 5 years "deconstructing The Wall" first it was WW2, then Afganistan, then Iraq or Iran, plus Isreal & Pakastani refugee tensions, then anyone who had died in a war anywhere on the planet EVER!... What did I miss? Korea? The Falklands?? Donald Trump?? Every year or so- Rog had a new demon to tour The Wall around the word with!! At $500. for a pair of nose bleed seats, my wife +I could only afford to attend a limited number of those THE WALL concerts.
@@floydloonie4880 You and Roger can't seem to not dip good things into impure blood. Everything I like and love is being used to smear something: I saw a video (quite like this one) about Radiohead's OK Computer in which it is claimed that it is an album to resist Donald Trump and the societal changes he's inflicting. It's pure madness, the only comparable things about Trump and this album is that both use walls in ways that are not meant to construct buildings with.
Brilliant review. I would like to add a small point of view of a small section on this record. In The Trial, the judge dictates sentence on Pink: "I sentence you to be exposed before your peers". From my point of view, the penalty that Pink receives is precisely to write The Wall and expose his miseries in front of everybody. That will help Pink to break free. Again, beautiful review. Thanks.
Buster The Bear “High Hopes” is one of our favorite PF songs. Love the solo in it as well, but it’s played on that Fender lap steel. We’re comparing “guitar” solos.
I see Rogers Waters Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking, David Gilmour’s self titled and Rick Wright’s Wet Dream up in the corner. You’ve done your homework lol
And now for something completely different 1.Please Review Queen II as it is their best album 2.When Another Brick in the wall pt.2 finishes with the beeping i always think Have A Cigar will start playing
I’ll never forget the first time I listened to it on a good dose of LSD. You really get a sense for how dark it is. A few friends of mine were curious about tripping & decided to try it one night. Being the “experienced” friend, I made a playlist that would at least last the majority of the trip. I saved The Wall for the very end & good thing I did. One friend couldn’t take it, he literally laid face down on the floor moaning while “Empty Spaces” played. I’ve tripped with many people, The Wall is the only album I’ve had people ask to stop/pause the music. Powerful piece of work.
I saw the movie in the theater trippin and one of the guys who went with us lost it when Pink started shaving off all his hair.. went running out of the theater.
Floyd was masters at creating the perfect sound for the story being told, they gave emotions to music, matching the mood lyrically and musically. Super philosophical and excellent musicianship. A lot of bands can't/don't do this.
Yes! I hate the fact that Classic Rock radio avoids anything before Dark Side Of The Moon. Then again, most people don't want the complete picture. Who's Syd Barret?
Yes, in the U.K. he's respected. When Syd died it was a major event! You saw his face on the covers of Mojo and Uncut magazines. I have a lot of respect for David Gilmore because it made sure Syd was getting the royalties due to him. Around two hundred thousand dollars a year. And Dave made sure Syd had five of his songs on Echoes-The Best Of Pink Floyd which gave Syd two million dollars according to photographer Mick Wall. People love Gilmore and I can see why
My favourite album ever! I first saw it as a kid in the local library and was struck by the contrasting artwork: a plain white wall on the outside, a vivid comic on the inside (which even then I knew wasn’t supposed to be one of the funny kind). I just knew there was something intense about this record. Then I saw an ad in the TV paper, with a picture of the teacher puppet, announcing Waters' Berlin show, and of course I had to watch that! So I did, and even though I wouldn’t quite get most of the story, I definitely loved the tunes, the theatricality and the general weightiness and sincerity of it all. Then I finally listened to the record, and it felt even more intense, almost claustrophobic (fittingly enough!). I actually became somewhat obsessed by it and viewed it as sort of an aural retreat ... I had some personal issues back then I just couldn’t come to terms with, and THE WALL appeared to offer me a strong sense of comfort in a way I couldn’t really pinpoint. Later in my life, when music had become my main source of solace and I had grown to master the English language, I completely understood the album‘s thematic content - and I noticed that quite a few elements of it happened to coincide with my life and my general state of mind that had derived from it: I had sort of an overbearing mother who made it difficult for me to evaluate many things, especially on the social level - more specifically put, I kept fucking up relationships of any kind. So more often than not, I was all on my own, and in order to feel happy, I glorified many aspects of my solitude - which inevitably leads to building a wall around yourself. Today, although I have been able to sort myself out quite neatly, there are still remnants of the old issues cropping up from time to time ... And that’s when I take a walk and play THE WALL on my headphones, using it as the perfect inner-self cleansing tool. I imagine, anybody’s favourite record must be one that serves a similar purpose.
It’s not just this album but everything pink floyd did was to be listened to with full attention. The music is life changing and every moment counts. That is why they’ll always be my favourites.
Side 4 Is Always my favourite, I feel it’s got so much variety to it and the progression of him becoming a dictator then realising he’s a monster and giving himself a trial of wether he’s crazy, I feel just all songs flow into each other and they just, it’s great.
I would like to say as a big Pink Floyd fan, one who has listened to all of their albums 100s of times each, that The Wall was the first piece of music I truly adored, ever. It changed my life. I can think of at least seven songs on that album that at one point in my life were my favorite song off that album. Nobody Home was the first. I cried like a unmovable crying thing that just experienced genuine emotion for the first time in it's existence the first time I heard it...So that was about 20 years ago when I was in high school. I'd say for about the last two years my favorite song off the The Wall has been What Shall We Do Now. The entire song is basically a response to the call of Empty Spaces (the two songs are Inseparable in my mind). Name a Floyd Track that rocks harder, more in your face agressively than that track. I can't. I could make a case for two songs, The Nile Song off More and the live rendition of Careful With That Axe, Eugene off Ummagumma. Buy those two still don't rock as hard as that track in my opinion. Nick Mason's drumming at the beginning of the song--the part when Empty Spaces ends in an orgiastic climax that is the entirety of What Shall We--is transcendent. Its freaking timeless. I don't know enough about the history of Pink Floyd in the recording of their albums or anyting and my opinions are entirely subjective. I don't know anyone's else opinions about the Band's music besides my opinions, which I have formed only through the continual re digestion of their discography for the last 20 years. So, maybe they use drum sampling on that part or something, because I don't know how the hell he could even play that were it recorded live. The guitar, raw af. The lyrics, super punk af. It's got everything you could ask for from Pink Floyd squeezed into the smallest track Length possible. A minimalist masterpiece....Anyway, food for thought.
You didnt mention the superb production. Amazing dynamic range, fantastic arrangements ,best rock drum sound on record and Richard Wrights keyboard genius all over the album. Michael kamens string arrangements also help .I dont think there will be another rock album sounding this GREAT anytime soon .
It’s impossible to overstate the influence of “Another Brick in the Wall 2” when it was released. Now we’re just evaluating it for its musicality but in 1979-80 it was a behemoth of emotion.
I just realised that the last one being 'OUTSIDE the wall' and the first being 'IN the flesh' is probably very deliberate, especially with the cycle that was explained in this video
Well done comprehensive review of what I consider the most important album in history. I was fortunate to see Roger perform The Wall in 2010 & 2012. I was shaken to my core, and the second show was better than the first. The Wall never ceases to amaze. I hear something new every time I listen to it. It truly is an experience.
Absolute favorite album of all time. One of the few albums that has to be listened to from beginning to end. Love the emotional roller coaster ride it takes me on every time.
Saw it as premiere hehehe As with every review you put out. Loved it! Amazing quality and very interesting to watch. A lot of info on the music and thanks for all the detail on the story the album tells. Usually reviews omit a lot of this by just saying "There's a film go watch it" Wish you had talked about the cover design or who drew the stuff from the gatefold. That's pretty much how Pink sees the other characters from the story. (if you did I'm sorry. I might have missed it) Amazing how it seems that you look through some bricks that haven't been placed yet to kinda enter his mind.
Even though it arrived late in the prog rock and concept album years, it really is the best. The story is clear, the melodic motifs are used to great effect and it's a brilliant album altogether. I always liken it to Genesis' LAMB, but without the confusing storyline (and the LAMB is much more musically complex).
The girl from 'One of my turns' is Toni Tennille. Love this review, as many times as I have heard this album I never thought about the ending and beginning being an endless loop. Wonderful review, really made me appreciate this album even more then I did before. The one thing I wish Pink Floyd would do however is release a soundtrack version from the movie, I really love the songs that did not appear on the album and with the space CD's can hold there is no reason why it couldn't be done.
I feel like the way you described this album is the way you described me and what I’m going through. It was nice to hear someone put it into words. Really great stuff
Great analysis of a truely wonderful album, I was 11 years old when this came out thank goodness my parents were into all this music and we had (at the time) a decent stereo system old akai prolab. We lived in a huge old farm house and I would crank it up loud man loved it.On a side note we had a protest march at school against a certain teacher (lol) and just about the entire school marched around singing "WE don't need no education " etc oh they were great days.
The airplane in 'In the Flesh?' is a german Ju87, known commonly as the 'Stuka'. It's THE quintessential divebomber of WW2 and had small propellers affixed to it's undercarriage that would spin at supersonic speed when the airplane dove to create that terrifying siren noise referred to as the 'Jericho Trumpets'. It doesn't just symbolise death but terror, horror even. It's the sound death itself, shaped into a black metal bird, would make before coming for unsuspecting and defenseless infantrymen and tankers. Imagine barely surviving a divebomber attack and having the memory of that plane coming down and screeching like a demonic apparition before blowing your comrades, your friends to bits.
I saw the laser show of this album in Memphis a while ago... it was incredible... life changing even. In The Flesh? Is my favorite and the laser to that song were just awesome. The riff is infectuous.
A little known fact that blew me away when I first noticed it. At the very beginning of the album, you hear one of the band members say "we came in", just as the quiet music starts. At the very end of the album, right at the last second of the music (which is the same music as the intro), you hear the same band member say "isn't this where". F**king genius.
I love playing is there anybody out there on my classical guitar, the change from a minor and fsharp7th to c is a gentle but firm sense of hope but then after playing the two high notes before returning to a minor totally collapses that, like taking a breath and letting it go
During my sophomore year at college I devoted about an entire year to Pink Floyd. Not intentionally but once I started looking into their vast catalogue I couldn't stop . I listened to everything they put out, learned all I could about the band, looked into the making of this and just about every other of their albums, devoured every live performance I could find, learned all the guitar parts to The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon and pretty much exclusively delved into the deep, deep mine of work this band has. Obsessed is not a strong enough word for it. It took me ages to get all the information presented here but there were things covered here I had totally missed... Damn! Great job. This album is loaded with secrets, hidden messages, overt and subversive meaning and loads of character. It's not easy music but with every listen you'll hear something you missed before and over time it gets under your skin as you see how it beautifly speaks of the universal human condition in a modern world through a story both relatable and terrifying with some of the best music of its time and ours. It's a rare instance of high art with mass appeal. Listen to it on a good set of headphones and really appreciate just how much they packed into this album... Wonder to think if they weren't under those conditions with a tight deadline would it have still been as good? Great job on the review! Subbed after part 1. Thank you for putting all this together.
When I was a kid my dad played me the movie and for a long time that really was my only reference of music. I didn't get into listening to music until 7th grade when I revisited The Wall just to listen to. One day me, my sister, and my uncle went to an antique store nearby that had a copy of The Wall and I used what little I had (for a 12-13 year old) to buy it. At first I thought this was the only record I would have. Little did I know that would snowball into picking up more Floyd and just more music in general. The Wall is what got me into not just record collecting but music as a whole (granted Gorillaz also helped a bit there with their animated videos making an impression on me when I was younger). At this point, I thought I knew everything there was to know about The Wall and I am pleasantly suprised to say that I learned more about The Wall that I just did not before. This video is phenomenal and does the album justice. Keep up the great work Eric and I can't wait to see whats in store for the other Wall-related videos!
Well done, but feel like you missed it a little on comfortably numb. It is about using drugs to carry on, but it is more about the loss of innocence. "The child is grown, the dream is gone."
Fantastic review, this album gets a little bit poo pooed by Pink Floyd fans for some reason, imo it's a masterpiece. This album needs to be played at high volume, this album is meant to be felt I'm every way, it's incredibly dynamic. I had an amazing experience listening to this album on a CD walkmen laying in bed listening through headphones after indulging in some "green herbal medicine" ;) My heartbeat started synchronizing itself with the beat of the music perfectly where it felt like there was no separating myself from the music, it felt like we melted together as one, it was an incredible experience that I'll never forget. Something I've never experienced from any other music before.
I’ve heard of other more impactful interpretations of Comfortably Numb, which is my favorite as well. The song is placed after the daydreams of Vera and BtBBH, and naturally has a dreamy feel not only from that, but because Pink is still trapped deep within his wall. He has given up on the world, unable to feel anything, but as a rock star the world hasn’t given up on him, forcing him into the action with medical drugs - not recreational ones - to smoothly transition into The Show Must Go On.
My tears are falling. You know Vinyl, sometimes I forget how deep was this record to me & how timeless is. The album meaning, the lyrics, Roger's ultimate expression. I don't know, it's such a classic album, such an experience. Thank you very much for this review, tomorrow I'll play the whole record, cheers
