It’s this brilliant use of metaphors that sets this band apart. “Mother” is a pretty but bittersweet letter to the parents who told us we could succeed at anything, while “Blue Sky” is the reality of waking up to realize all those promises weren’t meant to be. Mother, followed by Goodbye Blue Sky and Empty Spaces are the heart and soul of this first half of the record. “ Teacher leave those kids alone” is a staple of rock n’ roll music.
There hasn’t been a generation of rock music fans since this was released, who hasn’t at least been exposed to this song. The song evolves from Brick in the Wall Part 1and takes on its own shape, and before the listener knows it, we’re back in the groove for Another Brick in the Wall Part 2.Īnother Brick in the Wall Part 2 is easily one of the most well-known songs in the band's canon, and you can tell why.
The Happiest Days of Our Livesis an adequate example of this. Repeatedly, the band is able to bridge the gaps between songs with not only similar themes, and lyrics, but also similar guitar parts and time signatures. This is probably why “The Wall” as a whole works just as well in film form as it did in album form. These songs, not only just on this album but all of them, have a very cinematic quality to it. That’s what makes this band so remarkable. This track is a total slow burn and it adds tension in the same way a good film director knows how to. By the third track, the first part of the ambitious and very popular Another Brick in the Wall has ascended upon us. The album also has a perfect narrative flowing through it that is absent from music today. Still today, you’ve never heard a guitarist and rhythm section that good. The guitars are fucking incredible, to say the least. Nick Mason, Richard Wright, and David Gilmour all bring their best to this fierce record. Now, this might be a creation of Roger Waters, but that’s not to say that the other members are simply sitting idly by. The sounds of planes crashing, guitars wailing, and, finally, a baby crying put you in the appropriately frail position to understand where the band was at this point. The opening soaring nature of In the Flesh? is a very good early example of what we’re in for in terms of scope.
The resulting album was dark, angry and full of sadness and frustration. Since they have blown up in a gigantic way, he had begun to feel alienated and alone, especially when playing in front of 80,000 people who he felt largely had no idea what was going on when it came to the motivations of the band. The whole idea behind this album started with Roger Waters wanting to make something that showcased not only the feelings he had regarding his life but also his utter contempt for modern concert audiences. I remember a summer where this was one of only two records I listened to. Let’s get to the record!įrom the first time I heard the concept, and the grandiose nature of it, my brain was changed. The Wallis major in scope, emotion and the strength that made the band so wonderful, but I digress. The one we’re discussing today was as well received as it was groundbreaking. By this time in their career, Pink Floyd had become the unanimous kings of psychedelic rock.