Ok, back to the classics so Doc's wallet takes a break.
6. Pink Floyd / The Wall [1977]What really can/needs to be said about this album? I can't imagine anyone following here has not heard this album. I said that Thick As A Brick is the Grandfather of all concept albums, and if that's the case, then this one is The Godfather. Without a doubt, the greatest Concept Album/Rock Opera of all time*. I defy anyone to point out a band that has also written a Concept Album since 1979, and doesn’t cite The Wall as an influence. You probably can’t. But if you can, then I'd wager next week's pay that whatever influenced them can tie back to the wall by 1 degree of separation. This caps off that 5 album run from Floyd that is arguably the greatest 5-album run in rock/metal history, and really was the climax of the bands career (The Final Cut was a definite drop off, and Water-less Floyd – while fantastic – was still Waters-less). The Wall is noticeably harsher and ‘angrier’ than any other Floyd release preceding or following. Inspired by Waters’ and Gilmour’s feelings of alienation while touring in 1977, and culminating by spitting on a fan in Montreal, Waters wrote the story of protagonist's (Pink) self-imposed isolation after years of traumatic interactions with authority figures and the loss of his father as a young child, all symbolized through a metaphorical wall. The album brings together so many themes (musical and lyrical), so much emotion, so much reality that it sucks you into the world that Waters writes, and you can feel the panic, anxiety, loathing (self and for others), distress and terror that consumes Pink. Choirs, helicopters, orchestra’s, telephone operators, screeching tires, TV shows, movie samples all contribute to the reality of the experience – and that’s what listening to the Wall is … an experience. Classic Albums Live has done re-creations of The Wall, and it takes a dozen musicians (+ the child choir) to recreate this one. Add to that what is arguably the best guitar solo EVER, and this is an album has every trait that justifies it's place as the OG of Rock concept albums.
For those of us that saw it live, it was an event to behold.
Fav Songs … I simply can’t call out individual songs - and it's not like anyone needs to sample a tune to check the album out. Fav Moments – Mother guitar solo, intro of Goodbye Blue Sky (“Did did did did you ever wonder why we had to run for shelter when the promise of a brave new world unfurled beneath the clear blue sky?”... in a single breath - gives me goosebumps just thinking about it), end of Happiest Days of Our Lives, the Judge in The Trial.
*so why is it only #6 you might ask. Well, greatest =/= favorite. And I've got five more that I'd sooner reach for above this.