Classic AOTW - Pink Floyd: Animals

[Ravenpig]

I gotta go big time to compete with Kitaan's awesome pick last week, so here I go. /butt kissing

We all know that Dark Side of the Moon is Floyd's unstoppable juggernaut, but I think this album is better. (The first 6 songs or so on Dark Side kick SO much ass but the last 3 or 4? YAWN)

It's Floyd, its Animals, do I need to say more?

[BBvideo 560,340][/BBvideo]

[M0G]

This album is NOT better than DSOTM. Not even close. Good album. Underrated. Probably put it up with Ummagumma

[Ravenpig]

I'm well aware that I'm in the minority, but I like it more than Dark Side, mostly because of the last 3 songs on it boring me to tears.

[limeygringo]

I've always thought this as Roger Water's first solo album with Floyd as his backing band. I even think Gilmour once said that Wish You Were Here was the last record until Division Bell that he considered an actual Floyd record. And as much as I love The Wall, rarely does it have their classic sound because Rick has pretty much no presence on it. He at least gets some space carved out for himself here and plays marvelously.

Probably put it up with Ummagumma

Funny you mention that as Ummagumma represents the intimacy of their early tours while the Animals tour lead to The Montreal Incident. I also think they both have a rawness that is somewhat lacking on their more well known albums.

Here I love how they took their space sound to the farm, brought it back down to earth a little. They always had some of that quaint English countryside imagery in their earlier work and here it gets fully fleshed out. Pigs On The Wing 1 and 2 are excellent bookends that complement the artwork fantastically. Dogs has such a great progression and breakdown that it's 17 odd minutes go by seemlessly. Pigs has not one, but two of my favorite Gilmour solos. And I can't even put into words how great Sheep is...sheep canon metal from the Shire.

I'm well aware that I'm in the minority, but I like it more than Dark Side, mostly because of the last 3 songs on it boring me to tears.

There are times where I think this album is better than DSOTM, but this album wouldn't have existed without it. It was a natural extension of it. From Meddle to this album is where Floyd really shaped themselves into the band they've been remembered as and it's hard for me to really separate it all. But I gotta say DSOTM has enough to top this one in greatness, even with the last three songs. Any Colour You Like is the psychedelic version of Breathe in another key, and Floyd are a psychedelic band! It just fits so well. And Brain Damage/Eclipse is such a great closer, but to each their own. I'll also admit that the first time I heard the album, I was unfamiliar with vinyl running times (listened to it on CD) and was expecting more, being left slightly unsatisfied with the end. But now I think the album cycles brilliantly....though Wish You Were Here is really my favorite.

Animals: 9

[Ravenpig]

Great review LG, you definitely know more about Floyd than I do.

Did Gilmour really say that about Wish You Were Here - Division Bell?

Cause I'd find it hilarious that he'd call DB a "true" Floyd record considering Waters wasn't in the band.

[basejumper]

Love Floyd! You can't go too wrong with much from them. Animals is a spectacular album, right up there with DSOTM but since it's DSOTM's 40th anniversary this year I'll give it the nod.
DSOTM 40th

My favorite song by them is probably Fearless on Meddle.

[Calfium Jay]

Animals > Dark Side Of The Moon + Wish You Were Here

Every piece of music released in 1979 by every other band/artist around at the time > The Wall

One of those pre-made sandwiches you buy from a vending machine > The Final Cut


Animals is great. It has Dogs on it. I often play it late at night alone in my room.

[limeygringo]

Thanks, RP. I'm pretty sure Gilmour did say that, though I'm too lazy to look it up myself and verify. I'm sure it's easily googleable. From his point of view it totally makes sense, at least in the time period of DB. Im fairly sure his reasoning was because of Rick's presence. Without his input, you don't have the iconic sound. His ambience counterbalanced Roger's bluntness. And that style is truly heard on DB for the first time since Wish You Were Here. It's either in the background, forced by dictation or micmicked by others on their albums in between. Final Cut doesn't even have him at all, which is understandable for Roger's solo work but it also totally justifies CJ's description.

But yeah, it's laughable that a "true floyd record" would be descriptive of it without Roger. It was more about the sound and less about the totality of it.

[Kittaan]

Animals is and always will be one of my faves.

Love Dark Side, but definitely prefer Animals and WYWH.

Regarding Rick and the band dynamics, etc, that has always saddened me. They all had big personalities (Roger, you bastard!), tremendous talent and external circumstances (various and sundry) that got in the way of continuing the process organically. What a true shame that is, and we'll never know what we missed because of it.

[Ravenpig]

I don't know but I've always thought Waters started dominating the band because Gilmour wasn't exactly bursting creatively after WYWH. I think Floyd pretty much squeezed all they could from their talents.

[limeygringo]

You know Raven, that very well could be true as sad as that is. Gilmour said in another interview that he knew from personal experience that cocaine will waste your talent.