Animals is my favorite Pink Floyd record. Once when I was in high school a group of us spent the night at a friend's lake house. At some point well past midnight I put my Animals cassette in the boom box, smoked a joint, and listened to it while floating around in the darkness in an inner tube on the lake. I fell deeply in love with that record that night.
It took a long time for me to realize how dark it is lyrically. That's helped cement its appeal over the decades. I do think the importance of Richard Wright's contributions is often underemphasized. The deep appeal of this record is ambiance and texture and the keyboards, in his subtle way, are a profound addition. Nick Mason is credited with tape effects, also indispensable.
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