Pink Floyd "Animals"
The concept album. It unfortunately conjures up images of Yes, or Emerson, Lake and Palmer. But a lot of good bands did them (The Kinks, in particular). If you buy the story that the White Album by The Beatles is actually them merely making fun of everyone else currently active in music at the time, that also means that one of their best albums is a concept album, sort of. In any case, it’s an idea that could see some reviving, in competent hands.
Toward the end, Pink Floyd did almost nothing but concept albums. This one I’m reviewing in particular just happens to be the most dark, cynical pondering on the state of humanity that I’ve ever heard.
You know the concept, right? The human race is basically broken down into three subgroups; dogs, pigs and sheep. It begins with this little calm-before-the-storm number called Pigs on the Wing (part 1). Just acoustic guitar and Roger Waters‘ voice. It sort of sets you up with what this album might really be about: what if no one really gave a good grey shit about anyone else? Read more…