Pink Floyd - Animals

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jonimac
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Pink Floyd - Animals

Post by jonimac »

I’ve been an occasional listener of Pink Floyd, both their early Syd period, and sporadic tracks from 73 onwards. It took me a long time to figure out DSOTM, and I think getting older definitely helped! I reckon Comfortably Numb is a fantastic song, with the best guitar solo I’ve ever heard.

I’ve always found the label “prog” to be thrown around any music longer than 6 minutes, but I do find much of that genre too self indulgent for me.

However!
I know the MiB had the occasional label of “Punk Floyd”, I assume for their musical prowess and longer songs like Down In The Sewer. And I was aware that that “Animals” was released in Jan 77, when The Stranglers and Martin Rushent were working on Rattus (& Heroes!)

So with that in mind, I thought I’d give it a good listen during lockdown.

I have to say that I’ve been blown away by it and it’s by far my favourite of their albums.
The tracks “Dogs” comes in about 17 mins, and I never noticed. I has so many attention grabbing musical moments, and if it’s length gives it a Prog label, then it should be an example of where it can all go right.

Sheep absolutely rocks along, Doctor Who theme-like, and again so full of musical highlights.

3 things

(1) Gilmour and Wright always get the melodic credit but Waters/Mason’s rhythm section absolutely nail the framework on which it all hangs. Waters doesn’t even play bass on most of the songs but as composer I take my hat off to him

(2) Gilmour’s guitar playing has never been better. So many interesting variations and hints of where he would go later on The Wall

(3) The lyrics - while young punks were getting very angry in 76/77, Waters was absolutely sticking the knife into capitalism with his lyrics. Couldn’t help thinking how relevant his lyrics still are.

Loved this album so much I’ve ended up paying silly money for a mint first pressing off Ebay. No regrets.
From Glasgow, the centre of Stranglermania (copyright Strangled 1982)
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aldinblack
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Re: Pink Floyd - Animals

Post by aldinblack »

Nice one ! This has always been my favourite Floyd album, and it's underrated imo with all the accolades usually going to DSOTM or The Wall. Although I really like those albums (as well as WYWH), it is Animals that really hits the spot for me too.
Perhaps not too surprising given that it's probably the "edgiest" of all their albums?
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Lafleur
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Re: Pink Floyd - Animals

Post by Lafleur »

Pink Floyd have created some really great music which still is phantastic, always will. Wouldn't have minded if The Stranglers had the ambition at least to create similar and big sound as Wish You Were Here etc. The ability was there.
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StanInBlack
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Re: Pink Floyd - Animals

Post by StanInBlack »

Yeah, of all the Floyd albums this is the one that I listen to the most... I love the way that it starts off innocently enough with Roger Waters and acoustic guitar for a couple of minutes, and then "Dogs" fades in with its eerie, paranoid chords. Lyrically, this must be up there as being one of the most bitter and vitrolic records released by a major artist. It retains the extended musical passages of the Wish You Were Here album, but it's a far far more angrier record than that. I think the bitterness would cross over into the realms of the pantomime-y on The Wall (which is basically The Life and Times of Roger Waters: The Musical), but they really do get it right on Animals. It's one of my favourite albums of all time - and this thread is definitely going to get me listening to it tonight.
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porkymeat
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Re: Pink Floyd - Animals

Post by porkymeat »

jonimac wrote: 08 Apr 2021, 09:34 I’ve been an occasional listener of Pink Floyd, both their early Syd period, and sporadic tracks from 73 onwards. It took me a long time to figure out DSOTM, and I think getting older definitely helped! I reckon Comfortably Numb is a fantastic song, with the best guitar solo I’ve ever heard.
I've always thought Time was Glimour's best solo, CN a bit overblown especially that Pulse live version.
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jonimac
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Re: Pink Floyd - Animals

Post by jonimac »

Completely agree. That Pulse solo of CN far too noodly and long for me.
From Glasgow, the centre of Stranglermania (copyright Strangled 1982)
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