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Episode 35 covers the eleventh Pink Floyd Studio album, 1979’s “The Wall.” It is a rock opera that explores Pink, a jaded Rockstar whose eventual self-imposed isolation from society forms a figurative wall. The album was a commercial success, topping the US charts for 15 weeks, and reaching number three in the UK. It initially received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom found it overblown and pretentious, but later received accolades as one of the finest albums of all time. Mark, Kevin, Alex, and Chris take you on a historical journey surrounding the album as well as share our favorites and not-so favorites from the record. We go on a deep dive track-by-track listen of this progressive rock masterpiece as well as share personal stories of discovering Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.” Tune in next week for Episode 36 covering the twelfth Pink Floyd studio album “The Final Cut”.
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Quick Reviews
Mark 1/3rd songs I’ve heard and never need to hear again. 1/3rd songs I’ve never heard and now love. 1/3rd songs I’ve never heard and never need to hear again.
Chris Roger taking the cynicism to the next level – it feels similar to The Who, and Animals might be the more “Pink Floyd” concept.
Alex Timeless/”ahead of its time” production is back. Hits are what save the album. Musically very impressive but concept sags and second disc is full of bloat (outside the hits). Major props to “Goodbye Blue Sky” for becoming one of my top PF songs.
Kevin How can an album – both musically and conceptually – be so brilliant and so frustrating at the same time?
Love It or Flush It
| M | C | A | K | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "In the Flesh?" | 3:16 | L | L | L | L | |
| 2 | "The Thin Ice" | 2:27 | L | L | L | F | |
| 3 | "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1" | 3:11 | L | L | L | L | |
| 4 | "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" | 1:46 | F | L | L | L | |
| 5 | "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" | 3:59 | F | L | L | L | |
| 6 | "Mother" | 5:32 | F | L | L | L | |
| 1 | "Goodbye Blue Sky" | 2:45 | B | L | B | L | |
| 2 | "Empty Spaces" | 2:10 | L | L | L | B | |
| 3 | "Young Lust" | 3:25 | L | B | L | L | |
| 4 | "One of My Turns" | 3:41 | L | L | L | L | |
| 5 | "Don't Leave Me Now" | 4:08 | L | L | F | F | |
| 6 | "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 3" | 1:18 | L | L | L | L | |
| 7 | "Goodbye Cruel World" | 1:16 | T | T | T | T | |
| 1 | "Hey You" | 4:40 | F | L | L | L | |
| 2 | "Is There Anybody Out There?" | 2:44 | L | L | L | L | |
| 3 | "Nobody Home" | 3:26 | F | L | L | F | |
| 4 | "Vera" | 1:35 | F | F | F | F | |
| 5 | "Bring the Boys Back Home" | 1:21 | F | F | T | T | |
| 6 | "Comfortably Numb" | 6:23 | L | B | L | B | |
| 1 | "The Show Must Go On" | 1:36 | F | F | F | F | |
| 2 | "In the Flesh" | 4:15 | B | L | L | L | |
| 3 | "Run Like Hell" | 4:20 | L | B | B | L | |
| 4 | "Waiting for the Worms" | 4:04 | F | L | F | F | |
| 5 | "Stop" | 0:30 | F | F | F | F | |
| 6 | "The Trial" | 5:13 | F | T | F | F | |
| 7 | "Outside the Wall" | 1:41 | T | F | F | F |
Love It or Flush It Legend
L = Love. As many as you like.
F = Flush. Must flush at least one track per album.
B = Buy. Purchased for the ultimate LTS “Best Of” playlist for each of us. One per album.
T = Terminate. Should have never even existed. One per album.
The Rules
Each of us must Love, Flush, Buy, and Terminate AT LEAST ONE track on an album, no matter how great or terrible the album is. Whoever wins the “7 for the Buy” section gets an extra Buy or Terminate to use on the album. Because Chris hosts this section and thus cannot win, he gets an extra Buy or Terminate every 4 albums.
**For this particular album, two buys and terminates are issued, one for each half of the double album.
Album Information
The Wall is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 30 November 1979 by Harvest and Columbia Records. It is a rock opera that explores Pink, a jaded Rockstar whose eventual self-imposed isolation from society forms a figurative wall. The album was a commercial success, topping the US charts for 15 weeks, and reaching number three in the UK. It initially received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom found it overblown and pretentious, but later received accolades as one of the finest albums of all time.
Bassist Roger Waters conceived The Wall during Pink Floyd’s 1977 In The Flesh tour, modelling the character of Pink after himself and former bandmate Syd Barrett. Recording spanned from December 1978 to November 1979. Producer Bob Ezrin helped to refine the concept and bridge tensions during recording, as the band were struggling with personal and financial issues at the time. The Wall is the last album to feature Pink Floyd as a quartet; keyboardist Richard Wright was fired by Waters during production, but stayed on as a salaried musician. Three singles were issued from the album: “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2” (the band’s only UK number-one single), “Run Like Hell“, and “Comfortably Numb“. From 1980 to 1981, Pink Floyd performed the full album on a tour that featured elaborate theatrical effects. In 1982, The Wall was adapted into a feature film, for which Waters wrote the screenplay.
The Wall is one of the best-known concept albums.[4] With over 30 million copies sold, it is the second best-selling album in the band’s catalogue (behind The Dark Side of the Moon) and one of the best-selling albums of all time.[5] Some of the outtakes from the recording sessions were used on the group’s next album, The Final Cut (1983). In 2000 it was voted number 30 in Colin Larkin‘s All Time Top 1000 Albums.[6] In 2003 and 2012, it was included in Rolling Stone‘s lists of the greatest albums of all time.[7] From 2010 to 2013, Waters staged a new Wall live tour that became the highest-grossing tour by a solo musician.
