Written By Braddon S. Williams
PINK FLOYD: ANIMALS
Animals (1977) by Pink Floyd is kind of an almost forgotten or underrated album by the space rock giants. Although it went 4x Platinum in sales, Animals has no songs that are played on the radio, and when compared to Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall, it just seems like it has a much lower profile these days.
Maybe I like to cheer for the underdog, but I really love this album, perhaps for the very reason that it isn’t over played.
The 3 main songs (Dogs, Pigs, and Sheep) are long, complex pieces of music with deep lyrical themes of political and personal meanings. They also have some of the best musical performances that Pink Floyd ever recorded.
I used to listen to this one with headphones a lot and just get lost in the sonic atmosphere of it all.
The two parts of the opening/closing song Pigs On The Wing were a lovely little acoustic number to bookend the majestic expanses of the main course of the album.
Animals is where Roger Waters took firm control of Pink Floyd as the primary writer.
The Wall was 2 years away at the time, but the bricks were already being constructed. In the meantime, the giant inflatable pig on the album cover became another indelible image in the Pink Floyd arsenal. If you’ve never heard it, check out Animals…it is thoroughly thought provoking and sensational ear candy.
