Music Banter - Urbans Classic Albums No 3 Pink Floyd

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Urbans Classic Albums No 3 Pink Floyd - Animals

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PINK FLOYD - ANIMALS

Of all of the classic-era Pink Floyd albums, Animals is the strangest and darkest, a record that's hard to initially embrace yet winds up yielding as many rewards as its equally nihilistic successor, The Wall. It isn't that Roger Waters dismisses the human race as either pigs, dogs, or sheep, it's that he's constructed an album whose music is as bleak and bitter as that world view. Arriving after the warm-spirited (albeit melancholy) Wish You Were Here, the shift in tone comes as a bit of a surprise, and there are even less proper songs here than on either Wish or Dark Side. Animals is all extended pieces, yet it never drifts -- it slowly, ominously works its way toward its destination. For an album that so clearly is Waters', David Gilmour's guitar dominates thoroughly, with Richard Wright's keyboards rarely rising above a mood-setting background (such as on the intro to "Sheep"). This gives the music, on occasion, immediacy and actually heightens the dark mood by giving it muscle. It also makes Animals as accessible as it possibly could be, since it surges with bold blues-rock guitar lines and hypnotic space rock textures. Through it all, though, the utter blackness of Waters' spirit holds true, and since there are no vocal hooks or melodies, everything rests on the mood, the near-nihilistic lyrics, and Gilmour's guitar. These are the kinds of things that satisfy cultists, and it will reward their attention -- there's just no way in for casual listeners.(from Allmusic.com)

The reason i`ve picked this is because I think it`s Pink Floyds most underrated album & I adore it. To be fair when you have an album sandwiched between Wish You Were Here & The Wall I don`t think it`s going to given a fair appraisal.
This is a kind of album where you have to listen to it in one go rather than individual songs. I think it works a lot better as one peice rather than the individual sum of it`s parts.
This is the first Pink Floyd album i 'got' and the others soon followed so for me it holds a special place that none of their other albums can.

it wasn't a underrated album at all. i think the album yes its a amazing, but when i personally compare it to the other albums that i personally love the most by them it just doesn't seem to lay aside next to -The Wall - Wish You Were Here - Dark Side of the Moon - Final Cut-Division Bell - its just the way i see it. to me the final cut, the wall, and dark side of the moon are alot alike, and well Animals being also a good album its different from those albums and i do like it, but from the list of pink floyd albums that are my favorite you can see why i wouldn't take to Animals as much.
and its only average to me because its not one of my favorites.. as you can tell i like there other styles

Yeah it is a great album and yes it does deserve to be as popular as Wish You Were Here, The Wall or Dark Side of the Moon. The song lengths have prevented it reaching mainstream audiences sadly though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by explosions-in-my-pants

The Final Cut was horrible imo, no way is it better than Animals, Devision Bell was good, but nothing great...My order.

1.Dark Side Of the Moon
2.The Wall
3.Wish You Were Here
4.Meddle
5.Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
6.Animals
7.Saucerful Of Secrets
8.Atom Heart Mother
9.More - Original Soundtrack
10.The Division Bell
11.Ummagumma
12.Momentary Lapse Of Reason
13.Obscured By Clouds

14.The Final Cut

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.