The Wall (Deluxe Packaging Digitally Remastered)

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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: Read 1035 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Inside The Floyd's Rock Opera October 30, 2002
662 out of 681 found this review helpful

"The Wall," Pink Floyd's 1979 concept album about a rock star's mental breakdown, is a towering monster. It's an album with SO many audio, lyrical, musical & emotional nooks and crannies contained within, that one listen simply will not cut it. "The Wall" is not just an album to listen to, it's an album to be *explored*. It was inspired by then-bandleader Roger Waters' own mental collapse at the end of the Floyd's tour for the "Animals" album. Due to the grind of the mammoth stadium tour for "Animals," and sickened by seeing his own band, in his opinion, become part of the rock business "circus," Waters was mentally & emotionally exhausted beyond comprehension. At the final gig in Montreal, the ravaged Waters finally snapped, spitting in the face of a young fan sitting up front. Coming home to England to recover, Waters finally decided to exorcise his demons by writing a conceptual piece about his disgust with his life as a rock star, and he began building "The Wall"....With the bulk of the double-album composed by Waters (with a few co-writing contributions from guitarist David Gilmour & producer Bob Ezrin), "The Wall" tells the story of a rock star named Pink and his downward spiral into madness. His father killed in the war when he was only a baby ("Another Brick In The Wall Part 1"), smothered by his overbearing mother ("Mother"), and subjected to abuse at school ("The Happiest Days Of Our Lives"/"Another Brick In The Wall Part 2"), Pink becomes a mental case almost from the word go, and he begins to build an emotional "wall" around himself to shelter him from further hurt. Somehow he still manages to grow up into a famous rock star, and he also marries. But too many shows, drugs and groupies ("Young Lust") make Pink a burnt-out case, separating him from his wife in more ways than one. While away on tour, Pink's wife falls in love with another man. Finally sent over the edge by this, Pink destroys his hotel room and frightens away his groupie companion ("One Of My Turns"). His descent into madness---and the building of his wall---is now complete ("Don't Leave Me Now"/"Another Brick In The Wall Part 3"/"Goodbye Cruel World"). And that's only the first-half of the album....The second-half of "The Wall" tells of Pink's loneliness & isolation ("Hey You"/"Is There Anybody Out There"/"Nobody Home"), and his wild hallucinations as he sits drugged in his smashed-up hotel room, imagining the war that took his father's life ("Vera"/"Bring The Boys Back Home"). He's revived by a doctor just enough to get to the next concert ("Comfortably Numb"), where he hallucinates himself as a dictator with gargantuan contempt for his audience ("In The Flesh"/"Run Like Hell"/"Waiting For The Worms"). But ultimately, his conscience can't take it anymore ("Stop"), and he has a gut-wrenching struggle with himself, desperately trying to free himself from his dispair, and tear down the wall for good ("The Trial")....Quite simply, "The Wall" is a rock masterwork, and arguably Roger Waters' greatest achievement as a composer. However, to think of the album simply as a "Roger Waters production" would be wrong. Though Waters IS, indeed, the main architect of "The Wall," bravely wearing his heart on his sleeve with his powerful songwriting and tortured singing (not to mention playing a mean bass throughout), the album still would not be what it is without the excellent contributions of guitarist/vocalist David Gilmour, who also shines on tracks like the smash hit, "Another Brick...Part 2" (featuring his most famous guitar solo ever recorded with the band), "Goodbye Blue Sky," "Young Lust," "Hey You" and "Comfortably Numb" (featuring yet another classic Gilmour guitar solo). Keyboardist Richard Wright & drummer Nick Mason are, admittedly, dwarfed somewhat on "The Wall" by the inclusion of various session players (that's Jeff Porcaro playing drums on "Mother," to name one example). Still, Mason & Wright appear often enough, and they make their contributions count. The production on "The Wall" is also astounding---from the great stereophonic mix of the tunes themselves, to the treasure trove of sound effects & voices (such as fighter planes, helicopters, objects being smashed, singing schoolchildren, a telephone operator, a TV set playing "Gomer Pyle," and on and on), "The Wall" is truly a listening *experience*. Thankfully, Roger Waters, having left Pink Floyd in 1983, is living quite comfortably these days, no longer bothered by his rock star demons, and he continues to make great music on his own (he's also much more appreciative of his live audiences these days, thank goodness). Obviously for Waters, making "The Wall" was much-needed therapy. For Pink Floyd, "The Wall" became one of the group's biggest best-sellers, second only to "Dark Side Of The Moon." For the listener, "The Wall" is a spellbinding musical journey. It's music is at turns beautiful, haunting, and unquestionably powerful, and it's story is an absolutely gripping one. "The Wall" is a timeless, undisputed Pink Floyd classic.

5 out of 5 stars

How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat? March 2, 2005
164 out of 189 found this review helpful

Actually if I were going to go beyond the idea of a concept album with "The Wall" I would be more inclined to call it an oratorio, similar to Jethro Tull's "Thick as a Brick" or "Passion Play," rather than a rock opera like "Jesus Christ Superstar" or the Who's "Tommy." That is because the over riding unity of the songs in "The Wall" is thematic rather than narrative in nature. The bleak double album is Roger Waters' meditation on the walls human beings build up to ensure their survival in the post-modern world. It is also something of a departure from the group's previous albums, most notably "The Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here," it that the group's signature cosmic rock sound is giving way to some more traditional pop music sensibilities. The compelling electronics and other special effects that had become key components of Pink Floyd's music, and which put "Dark Side of the Moon" on the chart for literally years, now takes a back seat to the themes and lyrics (although there are still some choice moments, such as when Gomer Pyle shows up on "Nobody Home").

The "story," such as it is, concerns a rock star named Pink (no subtlety here, boys and girls), who is disgusted with the lesser human being he has become as a result of his celebrity. The key song in the album is "Comfortably Numb" (co-written by lead guitarist Dave Gilmour), which is one of the classic rock songs about alienation, although obviously the title begs to have it labeled a song about intoxication by the drug on your choice. But the context for lyrics such as "You are only coming through in waves/Your lips move, but I can't hear what you're saying" is clearly about the despair of being disconnected from humanity. It is also a lament about the lose of childhood, which remains in Waters' vision the time when we are at our best as human beings:

When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown, the dream is gone
I have become comfortably numb

The music for "Comfortably Numb" is both operatic and eerie, a paradox that is nonetheless accurate. The relentlessly depressing picture of a rock star's life would have you worrying about the mental health of Roger Waters if it were not for the suspicion he is writing as much about the life in general and former Pink Floyd lead guitarist and main songwriter Syd Barrett as it is an attempt at catharsis by Waters after spitting on a fan during a concert for daring to applaud during an acoustic number. I always was struck by the start of "Mother," with one of the very best examples of a caesura with the extremely effective pause between the first line, "Mother, do you think they'll drop the bomb?" and the second, "Mother, do you think they'll like this song?" There is a world of meaning in the vocal silence there that I have never forgotten.

There are two pitfalls to "The Wall." The first is that Pink Floyd released a rare single with "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2," which mean that school children rebelling against the system now had something to sing throughout the year while waiting for the end of the year to do Alice Cooper's "Schools Out." Consequently, in the popular consciousness "The Wall" was boiled down to the following potent lyrics:

We don't need no education
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!
All in all it's just another brick in the wall.
All in all you're just another brick in the wall.

Yet taken in its totality it can hardly be said that the primary purpose of this double-album was an attack on the educational system in England. In song after song the "character" is blaming others for his troubles, so it is not surprising that teachers end up on that list. But the success of the single made it seem this was what the whole thing was all about. For that matter, there are more songs concerned with the threat of nuclear destruction ("Mother," "Goodbye Blue Skies") than education. By the time you through Waters' paranoia over Great Britain becoming fascist ("Run Like Hell") the whole indictment of education seems like just another, well, you know what (which would be the point, right?).

The second concern is that the disparity between the highs and lows on this album are rather substantial. It is rather like sitting through an opera and some of recitatives (e.g., "Goodbye Cruel World") to get to the arias (e.g., "Hey You"). The best tracks on this album are as pretty good, but you still have to sit through some less than stellar sections (e.g., "One of My Turns"). The loose narrative is not enough to help us connect the dots and I suspect it is only by really getting totally into the album and trying to achieve consubstantiality with the creative vision of Roger Waters that you can really make sense of it all. This is why the production values of "The Wall" as performed by Pink Floyd in concert tended to replace the psychological dimensions of listening to it in the dark in your room.

The key thing here is that there are moments in "The Wall" that match its ambition. The sum is greater than the total of the parts, but there is certainly nothing wrong with that being the case.

5 out of 5 stars

A Journey Into Madness December 15, 1999
53 out of 63 found this review helpful

The Wall, inspired by the experiences of Roger Waters is truly a dark masterpiece of Rock music.

This album's storyline: about a troubled rock star whos scarred psyche finally gets the best of him. The death of his father, overbearing mother, opressive schoolteachers, fractured marriage, alienation from his music and his fans combined with drug usage leads him into a dark journey through his isolation and the numerous demons that continue to haunt him.

The Wall is truly a musical masterpiece, filled with explosive and subtle songs that tell the story of "Pink Floyd" and his descent into a madness that only he can climb out from. Roger Waters who developed the story which stemmed from his alienated experience of Floyd's overwhelming stadium tour of 1977.

Waters, with David Gilmour and producer Bob Ezrin create a unforgettable musical journey that is searingly dark yet filled with universal human emotions. Another Brick In The Wall pt 2, Mother, Goodbye Blue Sky, Young Lust, Hey You, Comfortably Numb, Run Like Hell and The Trial are the standout songs that make up the ambitious story.

The accompanying film does a excellenct job in capturing the nightmarish journey that "Pink Floyd" puts himself through. However bleak and depressing the story may be, there is powerful message of fighting through one's pain and not giving in to the demons that will lead one on to better days ahead.

4 out of 5 stars One hugely angry, massively powerful rock album August 23, 2001
46 out of 51 found this review helpful

Becoming one of the world's biggest bands had nearly destroyed Pink Floyd. Since the Floyd, a band whom had merrily produced experimental rock all over the musical map, since their writer of fairy tale, psychedelic pop songs, Syd Barrett had become undependable, had become megastars with the release of 1973's Dark Side of the Moon, the intrusive attention they received, the ever growing business aspect of their careers, spite from cult musicians and, depending on who you ask, either Rogers Waters' ego or the band becoming completely dependent on Waters for creative direction saw the friendship between band members dissolve and the loss of fun and enjoyment from making music, problems which fueled two excellent but very bitter, post-Dark Side albums, 1975's Wish You Were Here and 1977's Animals. So one would perhaps think the band's aching was settling in 1978, when they took some time away from each other, allowing David Gilmour to release his self-entitled solo debut and Richard Wright to release his first solo album, Wet Dream, both pretty somber records, while Roger Waters took refuge in a serene log cabin, recording demos for the next Pink Floyd album or a possible solo album.

But such was not the case. As bitter, sorrowful and angry as their past few releases had been, nothing could have prepared fans for the Wall, the album Waters was writing locked inside that cabin. In the guise of a song cycle about a dejected, celebrity rock star who was adored by many but all alone when he really needed someone, 1979's The Wall was a rage filled, autobiographical tour de force that allowed Waters to scream like an animal at his country, his wife, his fans, his self and even his old school teachers. As the record reaches its second disc, (which sees Gilmour, not fading behind Waters without a struggle, delivering a divine guitar solo through the drug filled haze of Comfortably Numb) the story shifts into the ultimate fascist fantasy/parody as the rock star goes off the edge and calls out for more blood and destruction from his fans. Although, at some points the songs get self-indulgent and the story lost, The Wall still stands as the ultimate fists-in-the-air, dark, hard rock fantasy. Even within the ranks of Pink Floyd's acolytes, the album is a cult classic for the more embittered listener.

The album is even a sort of essay on the rock phenomenon. As concerts like Alamont were becoming tragedies, as bands like Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper were accused of enflaming young minds with evil, as stars like Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and even Floyd's own Syd Barrett seemed bent on self-destruction, the Wall seems to be rock and roll's definitive inward investigation.

Of coarse, the Wall, a double album, colossal stage show featuring an actual 50 foot wall and a motion picture, would lead to more complex money matters, more spite from poorer musicians, more egos clashing (Waters fired keyboard player Rick Wright halfway through recording) and would heighten the attention Floyd received to fascination. Things just got more frustrating for the Floyd causing, depending on who ask, Waters to quit the band or Gilmour and drummer, Nick Mason to dupe Waters into thinking Pink Floyd was over and then stealing the band's name from him in the mid-80s. Still, if you were willing to allow a record to be so completely in your face, 1979's the Wall is an intense and absorbing listen.

5 out of 5 stars Cranky Reviewer, your defense was weak! THE WALL: EXCELLENT! September 29, 2003
34 out of 44 found this review helpful

(...) Now about the album.

The Wall is a smart portrayal of politics and current events taking place in the world at the time of it's release. Roger Waters, the main writer of The Wall, coproduced an incredible concept of the story of an unhappy boy (Pink) who grows up without a father, goes to a school where teachers torment the students, becomes a depressed rock star, has a bad relationship with his wife, and so on.

"Another Brick in the Wall (Parts 1, "Happiest Days of Our Lives", 3, and 4)" is one of the biggest hits on the album, and tells about Pink's school. "We don't need no education" is from "Another Brick in the Wall" in case you're wondering, since it is a Classic Rock radio station favourite. "Mother" is a nice song, which tells about Pink's parents. "Goodbye Blue Sky" is also a nice song, but pretty gloomy. "Empty Spaces/Young Lust" is my favorite song on The Wall, and is sung by David Gilmour. "Hey You" and "Is There Anybody Out There?" are creepy songs that I like. Note: CD2 is the best CD of The Wall, and has more complete songs than CD1. "Comfortably Numb" has a great guitar solo by David Gilmour, who co-wrote the song. "Run Like Hell" is excellent. "Waiting for the Worms" is creepy. And finally, "The Trial" concludes everything in Pink's life when everyone who made Pink's life miserable and tormenting all come to Pink's trial. This song's lyrics are very "crazy".

Overall, The Wall is one of Pink Floyd's Top 5 albums. It is arguably not the best one, though.

One con about The Wall is that you can't select shuffle or random on your listening source because most tracks are not complete songs. In other words, most tracks converge into each other. There is a way to help this, though. Put The Wall into your computer, use certain types of music software, and converge multiple tracks from The Wall into a single track. One thing you can do is combine Another Brick in the Wall Parts 1, 2, and 3, and Happiest Days of Our Lives, therefore creating Another Brick in the Wall complete version. This can go for all Pink Floyd albums. You can even combine every track in progression on The Dark Side of the Moon and make it as one file (make one file with every song of the album on it in order).

The Wall gets 5 stars, and rightly so, being the well-written, complex, and musical-genius of an album it is. (...)

I, personally, hope that whoever is reading this review buys The Wall, or already has it. It is a very good album to own.

I hope you liked my review.

BOTTOM LINE: The Wall, a near-masterpiece, is an album that should be in every household, especially if you are a rock enthusiast or Pink Floyd follower.

-Tabucky

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