Rock Art [Import]

Rock Art [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Rock Art was originally released in 1994 & their last studio album was released before a 7 year break. The album includes the singles 'Tall Ship' and 'Back In Your Arms Again'. EMI. 2005.

Tracks:

Come Together
Something
Maxwell's Silver Hammer
Oh! Darling
Octopus's Garden
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Here Comes the Sun
Because
You Never Give Me Your Money
Sun King
Mean Mr. Mustard
Polythene Pam
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
Golden Slumbers
Carry That Weight
End
Her Majesty

Amazon.com essential recording

The Beatles' last days as a band were as productive as any major pop phenomenon that was about to split. After recording the ragged-but-right Let It Be, the group held on for this ambitious effort, an album that was to become their best-selling. Though all four contribute to the first side's writing, John Lennon's hard-rocking, "Come Together" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" make the strongest impression. A series of song fragments edited together in suite form dominates side two; its portentous, touching, official close ("Golden Slumbers"/"Carry That Weight"/"The End") is nicely undercut, in typical Beatles fashion, by Paul McCartney's cheeky "Her Majesty," which follows. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

A Beatles classic.......2007-07-31

One of the greatest Beatles albums. This issue comes in a single crystal case with just an insert with the cover picture and song titles - no booklet of info on the album. Such an important album deserves an information booklet. One star subtracted for that.

beatles best.......2007-07-28

i wanted to give this 5 stars but octopus`s garden and maxwells silver hammer are the only negative tracks."something" is incredible (john lennon at his best).but i have to take my hat off to paul macartney for what is on side b."golden slumbers" and "carry that weight" are class..."mean mr mustard and polythene pam" are brilliant,but "you never give me your money" is in my opinion the best beatle track.it was the first time i had heard a song go in so many different directions but just come together so well.

The Beatles Just Got Better.......2007-07-27

So many groups seem to fade away in their creativity and sound. But the Beatles pushed it to the limit each and every time. Even as they were drifting apart as a group, their music continued to push boundaries of creativity and sound, leaving other groups behind in awe. Even to the point of a 23 second song called "Her Majesty" They literally did not waste a second.

Abbey Road, the title itself sums up the CD. The road that became a studio, that became a household name, to the point where 40 years later there are television specials of present day artists recording in the Abbey Road studios.

It doesn't get much better than Abbey Road!

Second Side is the Best.......2007-07-24

The second side of Abbey Road is my all time favorite record. I have listened to this album hundreds of times over since 1969, I think. The first side is pretty good-- I'd give it 3 stars. But the second side is fabulous. .-- Sam Yulish, author of WHERE HAVE ALL THE HIPPIES GONE and THE HESITANT PSYCHIC AND OTHER STRANGE STORIES.

Top 3 beatles albums........2007-07-23

This is a very great, very influential album by the beatles, and in my opinion it is one of their best, along with sgt. pepper and the white album of course.

Average customer rating:

My wife's nightmare is my dream
Ferry and Roxy are the Biggest Omissions from the RockHall
Dylanoki, not Dylanesque
Take It For What It Is.............
Jim J

Dylanesque
Bryan Ferry
Manufacturer: Virgin Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000LPR0SE
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Tracks:

Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
Simple Twist Of Fate
Make You Feel My Love
The Times They Are A-Changin'
All I Really Want To Do
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Positively 4th Street
If Not For You
Baby, Let Me Follow You Down
Gates Of Eden
All Along The Watchtower

Amazon.com

Long a Bob Dylan fan, Bryan Ferry remade "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" for his 1973 self-titled album of covers. This time around, the celebrated Roxy Music leader turns in Dylanesque, recasting 11 Dylan classics during a single live-in-the-studio week that leaves the album sounding vibrantly faithful to the original numbers. Far be it for the imaginative contrarian to retrace Dylan's steps, and sure enough--despite an omnipresent harmonica--Ferry does just the opposite. The raw rocker "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" becomes a seductive British pop song, while despair and loneliness turn into effervescence for the driving "Simple Twist of Fate." Ferry's ageless tenor injects a modern momentum into early Dylan imprints "Positively 4th Street" (with strings!), "All I Really Want to Do," and "The Times They Are A-Changing," and gloriously respects the more recent "Make You Feel My Love" (from 1997's Time out of Mind). But the best is yet to come, as the oft-covered "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" may never have received better treatment and "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down" loses not a beat of its original knock-down luster. The record closes with "All Along the Watchtower," a twin tribute to Dylan and Jimi Hendrix, the visionary for this adaptation. --Scott Holter

Amazon.com

Bryan Ferry Photos

More from Bryan Ferry

Boys and Girls
As Time Goes By
The Foolish Things

The Platinum Collection
Let's Stick Together
Bryan Ferry in Concert

Customer Reviews:

My wife's nightmare is my dream.......2007-07-28

So, my wife hates Dylan, I think he was a rare genius, and she's so so on Bryan Ferry, and when I was young,. you knew what would happen if you were lucky enough to take someone home and she put on Avalon. Anyway, I think he does a tremendous job, Ferry has aged like a fine wine, and his voice still drips soul. but the years have done well by him. Good album if you like them both, which I do.

Ferry and Roxy are the Biggest Omissions from the RockHall.......2007-07-25

It took a few listens to appreciate both the inspired renditions, and also Dylan's lyrics. Then again, I picked up the CD in London (where it reached #5 in the charts, not bad for a 61 year old), and first played it on a poor hotel player. Then after seeing Ferry on Letterman, I bought the follow-up DVD of the same name, and bang, 5 stars. The only song that I did not care for much GATES of EDEN, even became a triumph on the DVD.

The most influential music paper in Britain, the Guardian, consider Roxy Music the 2nd most influential Brit band after the Beatles. Whether one agrees with that, they are surely in the top-5. When asked for the best 10 British albums of all time, Morrissey stated only Roxy's FOR YOU PLEASURE. U2 of course put Roxy Music in their personal hall of fame during their induction speech. Roxy has 4 albums in the Rolling Stone 500, and that despite the anti-Brit slant of the voting. And founding member Brian Eno is #1 most represented in the RS 500 if one counts his two Roxy albums, solo albums, and as a producer for Bowie, Talking Heads, U2 etc. As the saying goes, almost everyone who went to a Roxy concert in the 70s formed a band (even the Sex Pistols were fans)....So... I do not think Dylan minds Ferry covering his songs, since he is a music fan and open-minded fellow, Dylan is perhaps playing it.

Dylanoki, not Dylanesque.......2007-07-25

Where has the old Brian Ferry gone who sang his superb interpretation of Hard Rain's Gonna Fall, another Dylan classic. Well it appears he's allready knocked on heaven's door and been admitted inside.
He's to be forgiven if he's completely lost his voice, after all Dylan also lost his, but still manages to put enough into his singing to stirr the listener's soul. But what Ferry does on this CD is uninspired karaoki at best.
If you're an ex Roxy Music or Brian Ferry fan, do not allow yourself to be disappointed. Cherish the old memories and keep away from this awful recording of otherwise gorgeous, classic songs. If you're a Dylan fan, you will be hard pressed to appreciate what Brian Ferry has done to songs you have etched in your soul.

Take It For What It Is....................2007-07-23

I've been looking forward to this album since I first heard about it a few months ago. Of all current and past vocal artists, I cant think of anyone better suited than Bryan Ferry for this arduous undertaking. How DO you interpret the career work of Bob Dylan? Think about it for a second. You can take a famous Dylan song and make it your own like, for example, Jimi Hendrix and Guns & Roses. These interpretations are outstanding, but bear little resemblance to the original Dylan songs. Or, do you try to stay true to the original recordings and imitate a voice and sound that is so incredibly unique? This approach often results a musical caricature of the original. In fairness, some artists such as the Byrds and Joan Baez have copied Dylan successfully, but only with "older" Dylan songs. Let's give Bryan Ferry his due credit. He covers a wide range of Dylan songs and he does not overplay or underplay his role in these songs. Does he respect the original recording?....absolutely. The music of Bob Dylan, along with the Beatles of course, will be eternal much like Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. Just like there are many interpretations of the work of these creative geniuses over the years, Bryan Ferry is the first (and the best) in this early effort to interpret the great Bob Dylan. It is not the original songs, but it is not supposed to be. But it is, without question, a great contribution to music at a time when musical creativity is sorely lacking. Take it for what it is.....!

Jim J.......2007-07-23

This is a cd of hit or miss...but the misses are far better than the fillers that populate many cds. My favorites and the reasons are: If Not For You--Ferry's arrangement puts a little funkiness into the song and I think it is by far the best cut. The Times They Are A-Changing is a thumpign rocker and a fantastic new musical interpretation. To Make You Feel My LOve comes out as an excellent lounge song and reminds me of Tony Bennett's "The Way You Look Tonight." The rest of the cuts are good, just not going on my I-Pod.

The best part of this entire cd is listening to the arrangements. They say much about the quality of Bob Dylan's songwriting and Ferry's ability as a singer and interpreter.

This is a well done cd. Bravo!

Average customer rating:

Awesome!
My first DVD MVI
RIP RUSH
Amazing album
A satisfying peek inside the recording life of Rush

Snakes & Arrows
Rush
Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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United Abominations

ASIN: B000NVIXFK
Release Date: 2007-05-01

Tracks:

Far Cry
Armor And Sword
Workin' Them Angels
The Larger Bowl
Spindrift
The Main Monkey Business
The Way The Wind Blows
Hope
Faithless
Bravest Face
Good News First
Malignant Narcissism
We Hold On

Amazon.com

A return to their former glory days, Snakes and Arrows shows this seminal prog rock band reclaiming some of the sonic territory that they'd lost over the past few years. It's not certain what contributed to this artistic rebirth, but Rush has crafted a historical and emotional odyssey that shows many both where they've been and where they're going--from the baroque soundscapes of "The Main Monkey Business," reminiscent of their earliest work to the seductive almost folkloric urgency of "The Way the Wind Blows," which is as dangerous, anxious, and prophetic as anything that Arcade Fire or Mars Volta is doing currently. Main Lyricist Neil Peart has spent the last decade getting over the death of his wife and daughter, and those tragic events have given his songwriting more depth and gravity as he explores the strengths and limitations of faith in both metaphoric and literal detail. While never didactic or ponderous, this disc is really an instruction manual for how one conducts themselves with grace and hope through unendurable pain and the vagaries of life. Gone is much of the shrillness of their earlier incarnations--Geddy Lee's trademark high pitch shrieks have mellowed considerably and Alex Lifesong's guitar playing has an assurance and freedom that can only come with age. --Jaan Uhelszki

Album Description

Anthem/Atlantic recording group Rush return with its first new collection of original material in nearly five years, entitled "SNAKES & ARROWS." The album was recorded in the fall of 2006 with Gammy Award-winner Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver) and Rush co-producing. "It's hard to describe," Geddy Lee recently told Revolver re: "SNAKES & ARROWS.""It's big, it's bold, and I think it's some of the best work we've done in years. I'm really pleased with the quality ofthe songs, and there's lots of playing on it. " Rush - Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart - will trumpet the release of "SNAKES & ARROWS" with a full-scale North American tour, the renowned trio's first since 2004's "An Evening with Rush: 30th Anniversary Tour."

Customer Reviews:

Awesome!.......2007-08-03

Great sound, very nice extras, and well worth the purchase. Excellent documentary on the production of this album, too.

RUSH Rocks!!!

My first DVD MVI.......2007-08-02

Up until Snakes & Arrows on DVD MVI my entire RUSH catologue was on vinyl. I like this format! I prefer the DVD-Audio format but it seems to have died (at least for rock & rollers). The surround mix on this disk is incredible. By incredible I don't mean psychedelic effects with dizzing sounds spinning all around you. By incredible I mean an ambience was created that makes you feel like the musicians are in the room with you. The video was very cool - My how my RUSH buddies have aged . . . as have I. I would rate the RUSH albums I have like this, 1. Moving Pictures 2. 2112 3. A Farewell to Kings 4. Snakes & Arrows 5. Signals - and then the rest. Hope this reveiw is of some help for you.

RIP RUSH.......2007-08-01

Very dissapointing. Production is good, songs are boring and lifeless. Rush's downward spiral continues...the last good rush album was counterparts. These guys just can't write good songs anymore and Geddy's vocals are really starting to falter. How can these be the same guys that wrote 'Natural Science', 'Tom Sawyer', or 'The Trees'?

Amazing album .......2007-08-01

This is another great Rush release. It sounds better every time I listen to it. Great performances, lyrics and production. It contains an amazing song called "The Larger Bowl" that should be a huge radio hit. It has a darker feel on some songs mixing acoustic and heavy electric sounds. You don't have to be a musician to appreciate their musicianship and songwriting. Just buy it and check out their live show too.

A satisfying peek inside the recording life of Rush.......2007-07-30

Since I'd already bought the album, I made this purchase solely for the DVD - and it was worth every cent. I'm a new Rush fan - Snakes & Arrows was my first album & first concert - and I'm hooked. This DVD was a deeply satisfying and inspiring peek into the recording style, habits, relationships, and philosophies that make Rush who and what they are. A must!

Average customer rating:

Timeless must own album
One of the worst, most pretentious recordings in music history
"Shorter of breath, and one day closer to death..."
Polished and pretentious.
Relevant Over 30 Years Later

Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Led Zeppelin IV (aka ZOSO)

ASIN: B000002U82
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Speak To Me/Breathe
On The Run
Time
The Great Gig In The Sky
Money
Us And Them
Any Colour You Like
Brain Damage
Eclipse

Amazon.com essential recording

Dark Side of the Moon, originally released in 1973, is one of those albums that is discovered anew by each generation of rock listeners. This complex, often psychedelic music works very well because Pink Floyd doesn't rush anything; the songs are mainly slow to mid-tempo, with attention paid throughout to musical texture and mood. The sound effects on songs like "On the Run," "Time" and especially "Money" (with sampled sounds of clinking coins and cash registers turned into rhythmic accompaniment) are impressive, especially when we remember that 1973 was before the advent of digital recording techniques. This is probably Pink Floyd's best-known work, and it's an excellent place to start if you're new to the band. --Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews:

Timeless must own album.......2007-08-03

If there is a god I will never have to spend time with the idiots who rate this album 1 star. Say Praise Jesus.

One of the worst, most pretentious recordings in music history .......2007-07-27

These guys, Pink Floyd, are simply copying everything that I created on my 4-track back in 1968. I have thought about suing them on several occasions since the album was first released back in March of 1973, but I have never had the money to afford an attorney. Plus, The Electric Prunes were the first band to compose and perform this so-called psychedelic music.

Very overrated and unoriginal.

"Shorter of breath, and one day closer to death...".......2007-07-19

This black pearl of Rogerian profundity represents the pessimist's inversion of, "today is the first day of the rest of your life." Between both extremes lies the truth, which is that each day brings us closer to judgement, heaven or hell, the choice of which is ours, based upon the way that we tick away "the moments that make up the dull day." It takes courage to face the fact that our actions are meaningful and have eternal consequences, no matter how mundane they may be. "Life sucks and then you die" is a great excuse for those who are too lazy to clean the toilet, like your mother asked you to. Instead, you can flop down on the couch, get stoned, veg out to some Floyd, and tell yourself that you're so much better than "them," be they soldiers ("Us and Them"), or greedy businessmen ("Money"), or your mother, who still wants you to clean the toilet. So get over your self-righteous, self-pity, and do something for someone else for a change. A bath every once in a while wouldn't hurt either...

Of all the memorable lines in this great album, why do I seize on this one? Because it best represents the philosophy that lies beneath this album, which is, at best, pessimism, and at worst, despair and fatalism. This is dangerous stuff, especially for young people, who are prone to narcissism.

Although importantly flawed, DSOTM is a great album. "Money" and "Us and Them" are conceptual and musical masterpieces. "Money" is especially notable for the best use of sound effects in rock history, and the poignant "Us and Them" soars musically. "The Great Gig in the Sky" is a daring innovation (singing, without words) that wholly succeeds as a mystical, pagan contemplation of death. "Time" is another musical gem that, despite the objections given above, warns us all about wasting our talents, in what is perhaps my favorite line of the album, "Then one day you turn to find/ ten years have got behind you/ no one told you when to run/ you missed the starting gun." "On the Run" is sonically ground-breaking and a pleasure to listen to.

Unfortunately, the sophomoric "Brain Damage" mars the album with its spoken-word and cackling pretension. This is excusable due to former bandmate Syd Barrett's descent into madness, but "Brain Damage" sounds like something out of a bad science fiction movie, not as a mature consideration of mental illness.

Overall, DSOTM represents a historic and musical milestone, and is a must for every rock music collection, the above objections notwithstanding.

Polished and pretentious. .......2007-07-18

I listened to Pink Floyd when I was at school (late 1980s BTW). It just seemed the thing to do for a teenager. There was a feeling of thinking yourself more grown up listening to such a supposedly intelligent band. And maybe also a slight thrill of teenage rebellion in listening to a band that took drugs (gasp!)

Revsiting it so many years later it's hard to see what the fuss is about. It's a very well produced album I'll grant you that. Sound is excellent throughout (although perhaps Alan Parsons, not Pink Floyd themselves is mainly to thank for that) But *musically* I can't really see this as the greatest thing ever recorded, let alone greatest pop record.

Speak To Me- not really music,but an atmospheric intro
Breathe- Nice enough soft tune, but not really memorable. Water's is at his worst "butter wouldn't melt in my mouth" gentleness though.
On The Run - A synth going "bloobly bloobly blooby" to sound effects. Must have seemed clever in 1973 but it's just boring after about 3 listens.
Time- The first genuinely good song here. The guitar solo is about as good as the clean "understated" guitar style gets. Great intro too.
Great Gig In The Sky- Moving in parts, but a lot of the time it's just tuneless wailing.

Money- Floyd get funky. Meh. One of the first manifestations of Waters annoying "I hate the music business" fixation. Hey Roger my heart bleeds for you, with you having so much money. It's evil, I know.
Us And Them- Like Breathe, it's a quiet little song, quite pleasant, but to me it wouldn't sound out of place in Sesame Street.
Any Colour You Like - Hit and miss instrumental.
Brain Damage -Good song. I sometimes wonder though if Water's too obvious English pronounciations ("the lunatic is on the grawhss") are a turn on for Americans in the way that Monty Python's pronounciations of "bawwhhstid" have them in stitches.
Eclipse.- Nice ending to the album.

So overall, there are some good momemts here and there. But, in essence this album is essentially a soft rock album dressed up in Stanley Kubrick-esque pretentions. It's not "space rock", despite what people say. Early Tangerine Dream, for example, would have much more reason to call an album "Dark Side Of The Moon" than Pink Floyd.

I don't hate this album, I just don't think it's worth getting too excited over. I heard it in my formative years, but it's not music I think is worth revisiting.

Relevant Over 30 Years Later.......2007-07-09

Incredibly, Dark Side Of The Moon, by Pink Floyd, was released almost 35 years ago. The amazing thing is that this excellent CD is still important and relevant today. I can listen to Us and Them over and over again. The hypnotic perfection of this CD is amazing. Most bands would love to have a collection of greatest hits that would rival this one album by this incredible band. If you have not heard this, you are in for a treat. A Five star masterpiece.

The Wall (Deluxe Packaging Digitally Remastered)

Average customer rating:

Art and Music and a guy named Roger Waters
A DARK PERSONAL JOURNEY FOR SOME
Pink Floyd Under Construction
The Wall ,,,,,,Nuf Said
Waters dominated effort hurtling toward a dark and dreary place

The Wall (Deluxe Packaging Digitally Remastered)
Pink Floyd
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000006TRV
Release Date: 2000-04-25

Tracks:

In The Flesh?
The Thin Ice
Another Brick In The Wall, Part 1
The Happiest Days Of Our Lives
Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2
Mother
Goodbye Blue Sky
Empty Spaces
Young Lust
One Of My Turns
Don't Leave Me Now
Another Brick In The Wall (Part III)
Goodbye Cruel World

Tracks:

Hey You
Is There Anybody Out There?
Nobody Home
Vera
Bring the Boys Back Home
Comfortably Numb
The Show Must Go On
In The Flesh
Run Like Hell
Waiting For The Worms
Stop
The Trial
Outside The Wall

Amazon.com Essential Recording

The Wall is less a collection of songs than a single work, which is sometimes frustrating; the plot lacks enough coherence to hold the snippets of music together. However, there are occasional flashes of brilliance on what ranks as Pink Floyd's most ambitious project. Most of these come from the fully developed songs, which have become classics in their own right. "Hey You," "Mother," and especially "Comfortably Numb" are subtle, incredible pieces of music. Though complex, they move at a relaxed pace, allowing the listener to absorb them slowly; this kind of pacing was something Pink Floyd excelled at. Also worth noting is the "Another Brick in the Wall/The Happiest Days of Our Lives" medley, which has become a staple of rock radio. --Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews:

Art and Music and a guy named Roger Waters.......2007-07-31

Simply put, this is a masterpiece and it tells a story as well as paints a picture. One of the defining rock opuses that extends the creativity and talent of the members of Pink Floyd. I have to mention though that this is Roger Waters baby, he is the godfather of this project as well as Wish you Were here and Dark Side of the Moon. Make no mistake about it, Waters songwriting, Bass playing and singing was the center that did hold for a long, long time for this band.

The Wall is epic, so large nobody can touch it. It is something that takes a lifetime to truly experience and understand, and even then you are amazed at how it just continues to grow and change while still showing some of the same things hold true years and years later. Some of the songs really seem like nothing more than toe tapping rockers but if you know the story then you know the depth that is behind those songs.

One of the greatest Dual Album studio releases of all time. Forget the cartoon and the drugs and all that other hocus pocus and just soak this in, one day at a time for a lifetime. You won't regret it, it will one day be your baby also. They just don't make records like this anymore, with so much meaning and feeling and power and social and political ideas all melded into one thing...and that thing is THE WALL by Pink Floyd.

A DARK PERSONAL JOURNEY FOR SOME .......2007-07-26

SIMPLY STATED:Magnum Opus with a beautiful dose of David Gilmour

There are some really terrific reviews here already, but I couldn't resist adding my two cents. As others have stated, THE WALL is a polarizing album -- people tend to love it or hate it. I'm one of the ones who love it. When I was introduced to THE WALL, I was going through some pretty rough times psychologically and my misery needed some company. I bought the double album and rented the movie from my local video store. I watched the movie first. I really think that this helped me to be able to grasp the narrative.

The music is somewhat dark, but not inaccessibly morose. Anyone who has ever experienced periods of melancholy should be able to tap into these feelings when listening. It is not an easy listen though. In order to fully appreciate the work, it is best to actively listen, preferably while blocking out other senses and thoughts (i.e., in a darkened room without distractions). I also find that it is impossible to share with others. If the co-listener is not a fan, it is embarrassing to listen to. It makes one feel exposed, uncomfortably naked. If the other participant is a fan, however, the experience is akin to the parallel play observed in toddlers. They are playing alongside each other, but they are not truly interacting.

Although the music is subordinate to the narrative, there are some truly sublime musical moments. The song "Comfortably Numb" is my favorite song of all time. If I can let myself relax, it transports me to another realm everytime I listen to it. The high-pitched ding heard during the chorus focuses my attention and makes me feel as though I am floating on air. Other standouts are "Hey You," "Mother," and "Run Like Hell." Each is beautiful in its own way. "Hey You" is haunting both lyrically and musically. "Mother" is both stark and soothing. I love the back and forth between Waters and Gilmour (as in "Comfortably Numb"). "Run Like Hell" sets strong anti-fascism lyrics to a killer dance beat.

If you are psychologically-inclined, you will love THE WALL. Listen to it when you have the time, alone and in the dark. It just might transform you.

Pink Floyd Under Construction.......2007-07-24

What else can be said about this album. I was ten when "Another Brick in the Wall" hit the charts. This was one of the first albums I ever owned. Went through a cassette, two copies on vinyl and this was my first CD I purchased in the late 80s when CDs hit the market. Absorbed the movie (the movie box covers became my notebook cover in high school) and everything Pink Floyd I could. It was the defining album of my youth, Waters capturing that anguish and angst of maturing in a cynical world.

I grew out of it over time and it has become something of a memory machine, revisiting the past and the intensity of that time as I sought meaning in life. It has no relevance on that level anymore.

However, I stumbled across "Pink Floyd: Under Construction" which contains demos of the process by which The Wall came to be. Apparently, Waters, in the late 70s, came to the band with ideas for The Wall and what would become The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking. The band thought the material for The Wall had potential and began to build on it (though there are traces of The Wall material in the Hitchhiking album or vice versa).

Though for the most part it is the same album, there are some subtle and significant differences in the songs as we know them, mostly in the lyrics.

Comfortably Numb originally began for Gilmour's first solo album but made its way into The Wall. Gilmour brings the melody; Waters adds the lyrics. However, imagine these lyrics in "Comfortably Numb":

"Wake up now, pull yourself togeather
Get out and meet new people (Scream)
I'm sure they'll understand
Come on, put away the shotgun,
Here have another blue one(Scream)
Have your fingertips gone numb?"

Or these for "Mother":

"Mama's gonna check out all your girlfriends for you
Mama won't let anyone dirty get through
Mama's gonna burn all your pornography
She'll watch what you see and watch what you hear..."

It's fascinating to listen to these demos after knowing the album so well. It's as if I'm hearing it for the first time and it is mind blowing this time from a more historical, archival point of view rather than as music that defines my emotional life.

You'll find the song What Shall We Do Now? in the film but not on the album, though the lyrics are on the inner sleeve of the original album. The song is on the Under Construction disc. Young Lust is just an instrumental. This is a fan's dream. It's like being there as the creative process unfolds and you can see the roll Bob Ezrin played in bringing this to its finished form that we all know.

Hunt down a copy of Under Construction and really, really appreciate just how amazing this album really is.

You can also get hints of Roger Waters taking control of the direction of the sound and how it would culminate with Floyd in The Final Cut, the trajectory Waters taking climaxing with The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking (also very recommended).

The Wall ,,,,,,Nuf Said.......2007-07-15

What is there that I could possibly write that hasn't been written before about perhaps one of the greatest concept albums ever? (Genesis' "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" being the other....yes, Genesis actually existed before Phil Collins took over vocals when the genius behind the band, Peter Gabriel, departed...but I digress) The only bon mot I could add is the fact that after all these years, "The Wall" still succeeds in captivating listeners. I introduced my 6 year old daughter to the cd first, then the movie...she is now a huge fan of not only "The Wall" but earlier Floyd stuff as well.

Waters dominated effort hurtling toward a dark and dreary place.......2007-07-12

My first exposure to the Floyd was in '73 (DSOTM)- Problem is, DSOTM set the bar so high that every subsequent Waters effort work became narrower in scope...so with The Wall we are no longer conteplating the life's looming questions but rather seeing the world from the inside out of an individual, isolated, bitter, musician. It doesn't leave much room for personal interpretation.

That being said, there are enjoyable musical moments on this work. As others have noted, The Wall, is colored to a much greater extent by the personality of Roger as his works became lyrically denser at the expense of the fine instrumental passages of the earlier works. There are also songs that you simply want to skip (thank goodness for CDs). Some songs, such as "Comfortably Numb", have personally become more meaningful due to circumstances occuring in my life (my dad was in a coma). So, I wouldn't dismiss the entire work as rubbish...just be prepared for a Pink Floyd on steriods/cocaine (seems the Lysergic had declined in popularity).

Average customer rating:

Good album
One of the many reasons I love Pink Floyd
Worthwhile
An Absolute Must
Wish it was a little less drab

Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Dark Side Of The Moon
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Animals
Meddle
Dark Side of the Moon 30th Anniversary Edition

ASIN: B000024D4S
Release Date: 2000-04-25

Tracks:

Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part One)
Welcome To The Machine
Have A Cigar
Wish You Were Here
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part Two)

Amazon.com Essential Recording

Wish You Were Here is a song cycle dedicated to Pink Floyd's original frontman, Syd Barrett, who'd flamed out years before: two grimly funny songs about the evils of the music business ("By the way, which one's Pink?"), and two long, touching ones about the band's vanished friend. The real star of the show, though, is the production: sparkling, convoluted, designed to sound deeply oh-wow under the influence--and pretty great sober too--with David Gilmour getting lots of space for his most lyrical guitar playing ever. And, though the album is big and ambitious, even bombastic, it somehow dodges being pretentious--the Barrett tributes are honest and heartfelt, beneath all the grand gestures and stereophonic trickery. --Douglas Wolk

Customer Reviews:

Good album.......2007-07-29

"Wish You Were Here" is a good album and a definite need-to-have for any serious Floyd fan. The timeless title track is here, the famed two-part rock-extravaganza "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is here, as is the vitriolic "Welcome To The Machine" and the sardonic "Have A Cigar" (my personal favorite from this album). A good listen and a decent follow up to "Dark Side Of The Moon." So why do I only give it three stars?

Well, in comparison to the other music being released in 1975, this album should have five stars. But in comparison to the other albums released by Pink Floyd before and after this one, it really isn't so strong. It would have been absolutely staggering if Floyd had topped "Dark Side" with this release, but they didn't, and who can blame them? There really isn't much new here on this album that we hadn't heard before from Floyd, and while the songs are good, the album as a whole is somewhat of a let-down. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" gets too long, in my opinion, and the three smaller tracks in the middle are so different from each other that it breaks up the flow of the album. This is one case where the parts are better than the whole (whereas "Dark Side" was sort of the opposite).

I think that "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Animals" (the album released after "Wish You Were Here") are both more cohesive albums that explore new territory for the band both musically and lyrically, while "Wish You Were Here" is sort of a loosely-linked collection of songs that serve as a buffer between "Dark Side" and the next album, offering nothing that we hadn't heard before.

So while I have sort of put this album down, it is very well written, and worth having if you're a Pink Floyd fan. I would not recommend buying this album if you've never heard Floyd before, or if you've only heard "Dark Side" or "The Wall." To sum it up, here's a little rhyme I just came up with: this is an album best enjoyed once you've become well aquainted with Pink Floyd.

One of the many reasons I love Pink Floyd.......2007-06-13

For Pink Floyd, making a follow up album to 'Dark Side of the Moon' must have seemed an extremely daunting task. However with 'Wish You Were Here' they succeeded admirably. In his biography of the band, Nick Mason stated that they wanted to avoid simply making a sequel to the hugely successful predecessor and that they wanted to start afresh in a new musical direction. This decision resulted in a creation of true musical beauty.

The long, ambling and elegant opening track 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' was a new step even for Floyd. Both parts of this track have a relaxed yet compelling beauty that puts it right up there with the best the band has produced.

After the ethereal beauty of the opening track, the following two bring a far more sombre mood to proceedings. 'Welcome to the Machine' is a disgruntled sideswipe at the human condition which is somewhat reminiscent in lyrical content, of the track 'Time' on 'Dark Side of the Moon'. Hot on the heels of this is 'Have A Cigar', a pessimistic jibe at the music industry creeps that came out of the woodwork after their sudden shot to international success. Although these two tracks are far more downbeat, they are executed with a Floydian bite that makes them quality tracks.

Along with 'The Wall' and 'Dark Side of the Moon', this was one of the albums that defined Floyd and simply demands to be listened to.

Worthwhile.......2007-06-10

This is a good, but not a great album. Welcome to the Machine, Wish You Were Here, and Have a Cigar are all classic cuts and never get old. The Syd Barrett tribute songs Shine on You Crazy Diamond are a little weaker. Over all it's worth a tumble, but it's no Dark Side Of The Moon.

An Absolute Must.......2007-05-29

Probably the best Floyd CD. I had an earlier (non-digitally remastered) version of this album and found that this version is really a treat in comparison. As far as the music itself, every track is a classic and a must for any classic rock fan. If you don't own a good version this album, you need look no further.

Wish it was a little less drab.......2007-05-27

So Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" is probably considered their third greatest album in the normal consensus behind Dark Side and The Wall. It's not "Animals" and "Obscured by Clouds" are better than this album but this one is still a fine one despite being only five songs long.

This one starts out with a classic of a song in Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Beautiful, epic, pick your favorite cliche and use it here because this song has it all, even a saxophone solo at the end. It is later reprised at the end of the album this the first one is far superior. This song along with Wish You Were Here were written for former frontman Syd Barrett who even visited them in the studio during the recording, small world isn't it. Speaking of the title track it is an amazing song. But one thing it does that I love is that it is simple. Accoustic guitar with some great lyrics provides a nice sendoff to Mr. Barrett.

The one problem this album has is the two music industry rants from Roger Waters. "Welcome to the Machine" is atrocious and overlong. "Have A Cigar" is better but it's not even sung by a member of Pink Floyd.

Other than the rants this is a fine album. And for once a Pink Floyd album that seems to express hope, nostalgia and something more than just being depressed which is always a nice change of pace.

Average customer rating:

WHERE'S "FOOL'S OVERTURE"?
Sounds as good as ever!
Breakfast in America was the best!
Supertramp
Nothing Trampish Here

The Very Best Of Supertramp
Supertramp
Manufacturer: A&M
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000007492
Release Date: 2001-12-11

Tracks:

School
Goodbye Stranger
The Logical Song
Bloody Well Right
Breakfast In America
Rudy
Take The Long Way Home
Crime Of The Century
Dreamer
Ain't Nobody But Me
Hide In Your Shell
From Now On
Give A Little Bit
It's Raining Again
Cannonball

Amazon.com

In the midst of the late 1970s punk/new wave revolution, England's Supertramp tore a page from the Genesis playbook, suffusing their previously overwrought prog-rock influences and bittersweet hippie optimism gone sour with muscular pop hooks. They eventually became one of the world's foremost rock acts--and later a rich source for contemporary TV commercial music. But while Supertramp peaked quickly, they nonetheless spawned at least two bona fide classic albums--Crime of the Century and Breakfast in America--and a slate of FM radio staples, all of which are included on this near 80-minute anthology. Fully three-quarters of Crime is represented, and rightly so. That 1974 album both stripped down and reinvented the band's sound, centering it around the songs of Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson, pulsing electric piano chords, and distinctively reedy vocals on tense, spare songs like "Bloody Well Right" and "Dreamer." But by the time of the multiplatinum Breakfast, they had refined their edgy prog sensibility to virtual extinction with well-crafted pop hits like "The Logical Song" and "Take the Long Way Home." This well-chosen collection spans a decade, but focuses intently on the five great years that cemented Supertramp's reputation. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

WHERE'S "FOOL'S OVERTURE"?.......2007-06-28

THIS IS A GOOD COMPILATION OF SUPERTRAMP MUSIC....EXCEPT... WHY NOT INCLUDE "FOOL'S OVERTURE" FROM "EVEN IN THE QUIETEST MOMENTS"? IT IS A REMARKABLE WORK OF ART AND BELOVED BY MOST OF US WHO CAME OF AGE IN THE SEVENTIES. IF SOME OF YOU NEW TO SUPERTRAMP ARE EXPECTING TO "COVER" SUPERTRAMP WITH THIS CD AND HAVE NEVER EVEN HEARD "FOOL'S OVERTURE", PLEASE FIND IT SOMEWHERE AND LISTEN CAREFULLY...I THINK YOU'LL BE BUYING "EVEN IN THE QUIETEST MOMENTS" RIGHT AWAY...IT'S ONLY 7.98 AT AMAZON RIGHT NOW! "GIVE A LITTLE BIT" MORE, GAIN A LOT! PEACE!

Sounds as good as ever! .......2007-05-28

This is a great "greatest hits" Cd by SUPERTRAMP. The recordings are so crisp & sharp! A fun Cd to listen to, ....anytime (especially if you like Supertramp, as I do!)

Breakfast in America was the best!.......2007-05-26

I orderered the Very Best of Supertramp after debating between Breakfast in America (which I once owned on LP) and the former. I liked the cuts from Breakfast in America the best. I do love this group, though, they are eclectic and they have a very unique sound.

Supertramp.......2007-05-13

After listening to this music 20 years ago and forgetting about it, the internet radio station played it a few tunes. I had forgotten just how good this music was. I only wish that they would put it out in 5.1 surround format. This is some of the best music from the 70's. A must have for any audio file.

Nothing Trampish Here.......2007-05-12

I bought this to restock the Cd's having owned the vinyl album for over 20 yrs. I was not dissapointed, all those early memories coming back when I first heard this again. Pure nostalgia and neither the music or the lyrics have dated over the years. A true super group. Go on give yourself a treat and buy this cd, you will not be dissapointed.

Average customer rating:

Greatest Styx CD out there!!!
come sail away with styx
Styx Greatest hits.
It doesn't get more annoying than this
The worst of the worst

Styx - Greatest Hits
Styx
Manufacturer: A&M
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002G3Y
Release Date: 1995-08-22

Tracks:

Lady '95
The Best Of Times
Lorelei
Too Much Time On My Hands
Babe
Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
Show Me The Way
Renegade
Come Sail Away
Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)
The Grand Illusion
Crystal Ball
Suite Madame Blue
Miss America
Mr. Roboto
Don't Let It End

Amazon.com

If it's your belief that one of the reasons today's rock is so bereft of personality is that all sense of show business has been drained from the music, then a look back at the career of Styx offers proof positive that it wasn't always thus. Greatest Hits offers a comprehensive overview of the band, from its art-rock days--which produced a top 10 hit in "Lady," a new version of which is included in this package--to its years as a perennial album-rock favorite--with offerings ranging from flights of fancy ("Come Sail Away," "Renegade") to proto-power ballads ("Babe," "Crystal Ball") to songs reflecting the working-class roots of its audience ("Too Much Time on My Hands," "Blue Collar Man"). The band eventually succumbed to a shift in musical tides and just plain silliness ("Mr. Roboto"), but for a time, this disc suggests, a satin-suited pomp-rocker was something to be. --Daniel Durchholz

Customer Reviews:

Greatest Styx CD out there!!!.......2007-07-24

This is the greatest Styx CD ever!!! I love all of the songs on this CD. When I went to a Styx concert, every song they played is on this CD. If you are a fan of classic rock, or especially Styx, you would be dumb to pass this CD up!!! After reading this review, immediately buy tis CD!!! I'm serious about every thing I say. This is the CD that made me really love Styx!!! BUY IT NOW!!!

come sail away with styx.......2007-07-20

styx greatest hits has their biggest hits form the '70s and '80s. hits like lady,come sail away,babe,the grand illusion,too much time on my hands,the best of times,don't let it end,and mr. roboto are on this album.their comeback hit show me the way is also on the album. they re-recorded lady to include on this collection. ed wilson

Styx Greatest hits........2007-06-15

Brings back memories. Also kind of a upgrade to CD. I have The Grand Illusion on cassette.

It doesn't get more annoying than this.......2007-06-02

There were a bunch of bands from the '70s and '80s that were created with the help of evil equations by corporate America. The equations were based on this logic:

* What are all the elements that go into a hit song?
* How can we create a band that generates songs by patching all of these elements together?
* How can we plug these bands until we completely saturate the listening public?

The result was a collection of completely inbred sounds that charted well but that completely lacked originality or innovation. It was like taking a film about World War II and saying "Our research suggests that this film would make more money if it had a dinosaur in it." It is a bad idea but it fits the equasion.

The bands that were based on this kind of thinking included Styx, Foreigner, and Starship. "Styx Greatest Hits" is an example of what happens when you take one of those groups and distill it down to it's most shamelessly commercial material. This CD is an example of why commercial radio turned to crap. It doesn't get more annoying than this. Styx is the worst band in music history.

The worst of the worst.......2007-05-02

If the record label truly wanted to put together all of the "greatest" hits by Styx they would have ended up with a blank CD. Nothing Styx ever did was great. They were a generic, over-produced band that never reached beyond the bland corporate sound of their era.

Average customer rating:

A Real Compact Disc Of Greatest Hits
The Best of the Moody Blues
Best Compilation Available
More complete than "Voices in the Sky: The Best of the Moody Blues" :)
Best of the Moody Blues

The Best of the Moody Blues
The Moody Blues
Manufacturer: Polydor / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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On the Threshold of a Dream

ASIN: B000002GNC
Release Date: 1997-01-28

Tracks:

Go Now
Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)
Nights In White Satin
Ride My See-Saw
Voices In The Sky
Question
The Story In Your Eyes
Isn't Life Strange
I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)
Blue Guitar
Steppin' In A Slide Zone
Forever Autumn
The Voice
Gemini Dream
Blue World
Your Wildest Dreams
I Know You're Out There Somewhere

Amazon.com essential recording

Fans of the Moody Blues hungry for the band's intoxicatingly rich arrangements and soaring melodies need look no further than this terrific compilation. What it lacks in depth this collection makes up for in breadth, spanning the band's 30-year history of hits from "Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)" to "Your Wildest Dreams." Featuring some of Justin Hayward and John Lodge's best songwriting and packed with performances truly worthy of the superlative adjective greatest, this collection of hits delivers the goods. --L.A. Smith

Customer Reviews:

A Real Compact Disc Of Greatest Hits.......2007-07-31

This one is pretty good compared to a few other "Best Of" issues. Still a good one for the casual fan but by no means a substitute for a REAL best of collection (save that for "This Is The Moody Blues", Anthology & Gold). If your not sure about The Moody Blues & want just a solid collection on one CD, this one is the ticket.
search "Judemac Forever" on msn,yahoo or google.

The Best of the Moody Blues.......2007-07-08

This is truly "The Best" of the Moody Blues!! It brought the 60's & 70's back to me. I always loved their music. Great dancing music,wonderfully put together. I highly recommend this music for us ,"old hippies", and others who appreciate well performed music.

Best Compilation Available.......2007-06-20

It is so hard to create a CD that has the "best" Moody Blues songs, because you inevitably have to leave something out. The only thing I would have changed about this album, however, is I would have omitted "Go Now" and included "Driftwood." Then this would be perfect. Nevertheless, it's pretty close!

More complete than "Voices in the Sky: The Best of the Moody Blues" :).......2007-06-18

"The Best of the Moody Blues" ("Best Of" for short, in my review) is probably the most complete single CD collection of Moody Blues hits and classics to date ... A fine choice of tracks featured on this collection, and I love the album cover (The most recent version featuring the dove and the starry night-time sky) ... Looks like the cover of a movie soundtrack! :)

First time that "Go Now" is featured on a Moody Blues best of compilation, isn't it? I agree with those who felt that this song was out of place on this release, compared to the rest of the songs, but no big deal ... The sound quality in the mastering/re-mastering is pretty good for a mono sound recording.

It's a shame that the alternate mix of "Tuesday Afternoon," from the 2006 Deluxe Edition SACD release of "Days Of Future Passed," wasn't discovered at the time of the making of "Best Of." While the stereo separation wasn't so hot, the mix featured a clean ending to the song, featuring an extra bar of the instrumentation and Justin Hayward chanting, and without any orchestra added, too. No big deal, once again, but such a mix would have made "Best Of" unique, just to acquire a different mix of the song. On this "Best Of" edit, turn the volume to your stereo system all the way up, during the fadeout, and you will hear a quick burst of the strings from the orchestra on the very last note of the song, just before the tune is completely faded out ... Something amusing to note, when it came to attempting to fade out "Tuesday Afternoon" before the orchestra took over the remainder of the song. :)

Before this non-orchestral version of "Nights In White Satin" made an appearance on "Best Of," it was previously featured on the 1985 compilation "Voices in the Sky: The Best of the Moody Blues" ("Voices," for short) ... The sound quality is really good on this mix. It's loud and crisp, plus the sound quality sounded magnificent for the mix on "Voices," at a time before the remastered CD's came out!

The mix of "Ride My See-Saw," also taken from "Voices," returns here ... Notice how this mix fades out several seconds earlier than the mix from "Legend Of A Band" ("Legend," for short). On that release, The Moodies chant "Ride My See-Saw" three times, as the song fades out, but the mix featured on "Best Of" (And all future compilation mixes of "See-Saw") cuts the tune short right on the very last chant of "See-Saw," so it sounds like "See-Sss" ... Just another little something I couldn't help but notice, as I raised the volume to catch the fadeout! :) In that case, I would rather the record company selected the "Legend" mix. It featured a more professional fadeout.

I guess for those who couldn't stand the orchestral remakes of both "Question" and "Isn't Life Strange," from "Legend," "Best Of" makes things right by giving the fans the originals. :)

When the earlier version of "Best Of" was released, it featured the "Time Traveller" ("T.T.," for short) edit of "The Story In Your Eyes." When the more recent version was released (featuring the different album cover), there was a great improvement, as the single version of "Story" was substituted (Previously found on "Legend," and later appearing on "Anthology" and "Gold"), which was about twelve seconds longer than the "T.T." mix. The CD booklet even changed the running time of the track, on the later edition! :)

"Best Of" features the single version of "I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)," with the loud crashing drums in the intro, not the cross fade from "When You're A Free Man," as heard on "Seventh Sojourn" and the edit job on "Legend." This mix previously appeared on "Voices" and "T.T."

The mix of "Blue World" was taken from "T.T." You can tell when raising the volume during the fadeout, as the edit features the ending to "Blue World" cross faded with the sound of the synthesizers that open up "Sitting At The Wheel!" Here, the sound is cut short, as the tune fades out. It's too bad that "Best Of" didn't feature the original mix of "Blue World" from "The Present," for something refreshing, as the mix chosen here was a carbon copy of the "T.T." mix.

The remaining songs are the same as their original versions and those that appeared on "T.T." I also agree with the opinions on excluding the Justin Hayward only tracks, "Blue Guitar" and "Forever Autumn," from "Best Of," since none of the other Moody Blues performed on either track. On the up side, though, both songs are beautiful, brilliant, well done, and just as enjoyable as any Moody Blues tune. I don't mind the appearances of these two songs on the future compilations, though, as most of them were 2-disc CD collections, anyway. My personal alteration for "Best Of" would have been to replace the Justin Hayward tracks with the awesome "The Other Side Of Life," which was one advantage "Legend" had over this release. No biggie, yet again. Just a fantasty concept I had for "Best Of." :)

What I like more about "Best Of" than "Voices" is that there is more song variety and a bigger track listing here. True, "Voices" had an advantage over this release with classic songs like "Never Comes The Day," "After You Came," and "Veteran Cosmic Rocker," but I prefer a collection that is able to utilize as much CD space as possible. My all time favorite single Moody Blues compilation, however, is "Legend." True, "Legend" has a shorter track list than "Best Of," but I enjoy the former collection because it includes the rare orchestral remakes of "Isn't Life Strange" and "Question," which are difficult to come across, these days. Also, I prefer the full, orchestral versions of "Tuesday Afternoon" and "Nights In White Satin," also found on "Legend." Plus, like I mentioned above, "Legend" features "The Other Side Of Life," as well as a properly faded out mix of "Ride My See-Saw." Still any Moody Blues compilation is a winner, in my book, and all of the songs on "Best Of" are some of the best The Moodies have got ... Just listen for yourself! :)

One more thing. Here's something really bizarre that I've discovered, in regard to the earlier version of "Best Of" ... I used to have a copy of the earlier version, and there is one point in each of the following songs where the songs go from stereophonic sound into mono for one second: "I'm Just a Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)" (Right after the first time The Moody Blues sing this line), "The Voice" (At the beginning, when the synthesizers begin to fade in ... Both versions of this release have it), "Your Wildest Dreams" (After the second set of verses, when they sing "Once upon a time in your wildest dreams," also featured on the mix from "The Universal Masters Collection: Classic Moody Blues"), and "I Know You're Out There Somewhere" (Right on the chorus, following the verse that begins with, "The words that I remember..."). Check this out with your headphones on, if you own a copy of the earlier edition of "Best Of!" :)

Thanks for reading! God Bless... :)

Best of the Moody Blues.......2007-05-17

My kind of music!! I love every song on this CD. I've played it everyday since I received it.

Average customer rating:

this is about the music, not the politics
Gilmour's Finest Hour
and Pigs do Fly
A biting social commentary which is still relevent to this day
Animals Exposes Humanity In All Its Ugliness And Carnality

Animals
Pink Floyd
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000024D4R
Release Date: 2000-04-25

Tracks:

Pigs On The Wing 1
Dogs
Pigs (Three Different Ones)
Sheep
Pigs On The Wing 2

Amazon.com essential recording

Although not in the same vein as the deliciously hallucinogenic earlier Floyd works such 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 Farm, Roger Waters condemns the avarice and inequalities of capitalism, metaphorically and musically grouping humans as pigs, dogs, and sheep. The pigs are self-righteous hypocrites inflicting their beliefs on everyone else, the dogs greedy money-grabbers, and the sheep witless followers. Dark, cynical, and brilliantly composed, Animals is an ingenious and under-acknowledged album. --Naomi Gesinger

Customer Reviews:

this is about the music, not the politics.......2007-06-15

politically, Roger Waters is a total idiot, but as a musician, he's awesome....this album is simply about the best rock piece ever....I read this more about (despite whatever Waters' intentions) as commentary about Man, not capitalism....aftyer all, capitalism is NOT an "ism", it is what Man would naturally do without any State apparatus lording over it with the threat of force. a real treat, but not something for a party, or dancing....which is a good thing.

Gilmour's Finest Hour.......2007-06-15

It could be said of most of Pink Floyd's recorded ouevre that it is something of an acquired taste. And the effort of acquiring the taste is made harder still by the subtleties of their music. That is, a Pink Floyd album will not disclose all of its facets to the listener at once. Rather, a certain amount of dedication, repeated careful review, is required to "see the whole", as it were.

This is probably truer of "Animals" than it is of any of their other work. "Animals", to begin with, lacks the lush, atmospheric Leslie-treated pianos and spacey guitars of "Meddle", or the warping, bubbling, synth-work and studio sleight-of-hand of "Dark Side" or "Wish." "Atom Heart Mother" and "The Wall" were recorded with full orchestras to assist in particularly emotional moments. Whether the orchestral experimentation of "Atom Heart Mother" and "The Wall" were successful is another question, altogether.

"Animals," then, is more of a straight-up rock and roll record than the other Floyd albums. It was basically written "on the fly," during the band's tours in support of "Wish" through '75-76. Although this is documented in interviews with Messrs. Gilmour and Water themselves, the fact could be confirmed from listening to live outings of songs from "Animals" -- they sound just like the studio versions, almost as though they were written with live, rather than studio, performance in mind. There are very little in the way of doubled instrumental parts or voices (some acoustic guitar parts are overdubbed in "Pigs", I believe, but other than that, the whole thing is basically just the four players and their voices).

The values have changed slightly, to, from a musical perspective. Gone are Gilmour and Wright's airy harmonizations from "Dark Side" and "Meddle", to be replaced by the throatier growling and ranting of Roger Waters, who sings almost the entirety of the album's lyrics. Gilmour sings the very beginning of "Dogs" ("You've gotta have a real need/Gotta sleep on your toes").

And the instrumental sound, or the approach, perhaps, has changed as well. Here, the guitar-playing of Gilmour takes on a decidedly more aggressive, charged, attitude. Witness, for example, the ragged outbursts between the first few verses of "Dogs"; Gilmour, although always capable of emotional depth, rarely chooses to depict raw anger in his solos.

The angriest moment comes at the finish of "Pigs." The song, which has built up nice bit of rhythmic tension with its half-time feel and the suggestive in-drawn breaths from Roger Waters in the final verse, suddenly lets loose with Gilmour's cataclysmic outro-solo.

The solo starts with the same note repeated almost a dozen times, picked hard (much harder than Gilmour's usually genteel touch), beat to within an inch of its life. He moves up the neck into stratospheric territory, then, in a musical gesture recalling Milton's description of Satan's defeat ("Hurled headlong flaming from th' ethereal sky/With hideous ruin and combustion down"), plummets back down with a series of triplets that return almost all the way to first position.

The intensity builds back up, until Gilmour finds a rapid-fire sixteenth-note triplet arpgeggio near the top of the neck and rides it out through the fade. This is not the beautiful, sensitive Gilmour we know from "Wish You Were Here," or "On the Turning Away." It is another personality altogether, but one capable of searing intensity.

Perhaps, in the final analysis, Gilmour's mastery is demonstrated by the fact that -- knowing that he could solo in the white-hot vein of an Eric Clapton or Robin Trower, say -- he chooses not to do so all of the time. The rareness of such an outburst -- I could almost say its uniqueness, but for the slightly less brillant solo of a similar emotional tenor at the end of "Comfortably Numb" -- is part of what makes it great.

Gilmour never quite equaled this moment at the end of "Pigs" in any of his subsequent outings. While "Comfortably Numb" is comparable, it does not quite echo the rawness of tone here. Also of note is some of the playing on his first solo album of 1977, "David Gilmour" (although there the emotional content seems to be more "woe" or "tragedy").

Furthermore, these are Waters's best lyrics -- they are by turns creepy, funny (some of the double-entendre in "Pigs On The Wing"), and accurate (the spot-on businessman psychoanalysis of "Dogs").

and Pigs do Fly.......2007-06-10

I guess I like Pink Floyd. This is quite a trippy collection, but worth a spin.

A biting social commentary which is still relevent to this day.......2007-05-30

I first got "Animals" way back in 1996. Being a major Floyd fan, I instantly fell in love with the exquisite lyrics and fantastic music. Eleven years later, being a bit older and a lot wiser, I see "Animals" as a piece of social commentary which is still relevant to this day.

I see the "Dogs" as the jackbooted "Waffen-SS-like" thugs that most soldiers and police officers have become in this day of encroaching tyranny. Have you noticed how increasingly militarized LEOs (law enforcement officers) have become? Have you noticed how thuggish the United States military has acted under not only the command of George W. Bush, but even under Bill Clinton?

I see the "Pigs" as the ones in power, the ones who ultimately call the shots in the world. I see the first group of pigs as the big central bankers (Rockefellers, Rothschilds, etc.) and corporate bigwigs (Ted Turner, Michael Eisner, etc.) who control the power through their fortunes in corporate neo-fascist fashion. I see the second group of pigs as the puppet politicians who are put in the government to give everybody the false assumption that they have a choice when it comes to elections (Republican and Democrat are basically one and the same). Finally, I see the third group of pigs as pro-censorship people such as Mary Whitehouse, Jack Thompson, Brent Bozell, and to some extent social commentators such as Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly and Michael Savage who have frequently called for the American government to impose virtually total tyranny.

I see the sheep as the willfully ignorant "be a follower, not a leader" masses that most everybody has become thanks to them being dumbed down by mainstream media, propaganda masquerading as news, and even violent entertainment. Have you noticed how people care more about "American Idol" than they do about their freedoms? Have you noticed how people care more about Britney Spears not wearing underwear than encroaching tyranny? Ultimately, the end of the song sees the sheeple being pushed too far, so they rebel against the dogs, but little do the sheeple know that the dogs are seen by the pigs as "expdendable" because the pigs are the ones who hold the power. In the end, the pigs remain in power, and soon they will have more jackbooted enforcers to enslave the sheep once again.

The issues that Waters covered in the album's original 1977 release still hold true 30 years later. "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it."

Animals Exposes Humanity In All Its Ugliness And Carnality.......2007-05-23

Animals by Pink Floyd exposes the carnal, materialistic side of humankind in all its ugliness. The album divides people into three groups: dogs, pigs, and sheep. The dogs signify people, especially those of low or middle social or economic status, who are so ambitious and competitive that they will step on other people's toes to get to the top of the social or corporate ladder. The pigs signify people, especially big-business tycoons or greedy politicians, who take advantage of people of lower social or economic status in order to advance their own commercial or political empires. The sheep are people of ordinary social status who blindly obey whatever society tells them to do even if they know it will compromise their moral or religious principles. At this point, Roger Waters was exerting greater control in the band and this caused hostility among the band members, particularly among keyboardist Richard Wright. The band began to feel more separated from its fans due to them playing in large venues such as football stadiums. The famous pig balloon that has become a staple in their concerts started here. Pink Floyd have never shied away from the hard realities of the human condition by creating a magical wonderland full of joy, peace, and harmony. They have never created a utopia in their work and probably never will. That's why their albums are so influential and continue to sell to this very day. Their music is objective not subjective. This is life as it actually is, not what we would like it to be, according to Pink Floyd.

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