Comments on: Test of the Boomerang: Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” at 30

By: jim

jim — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 21:43:00 +0000

Pink Floyd was the group i respected the most growing up in the seventies.They were able to bring issues to the fore in their music all wrapped in a rocknroll approach.
i was turned on the them in 1970 by my older sister and every release from that time on was eagerly anticipated by me and all my friends as we grew.They were a staple.
The Wall was a departure and while most of my peers were into it, it didn't do much for me.
It did have a soul but i thought it was dark. depressed and without optimism i had a hard time equating it with thier earlier releases.
Still you have to give credit where credit is due. who wants to buy tapes of my therapy sessions?

By: jim

jim — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:43:00 +0000

By: jim

jim — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 16:43:00 +0000

By: jefito

jefito — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:31:11 +0000

The only Floyd song I can tolerate, “Take It Back,” is from Division Bell. I'm not saying it's a good album, but there you go.

By: Arend_Anton

Arend_Anton — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:03:38 +0000

Oh, I definitely get his point. I just think he's forgetting that “soul” isn't just a style of music. The Wall might be about someone who has lost his soul, but there is 10 times more genuine soul in that cry for help than in A Momentary Lapse of Reason or The Division Bell.

By: DwDunphy

DwDunphy — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:51:44 +0000

I sort of get Gilmour's point. Dark Side, for all its trippiness is full of moments, sax solos, etc. that has plenty of “soul” and it suits what they were shooting for. In a very real sense, The Wall is about someone losing their soul, or giving it away, in order to cloak themselves in a facade that blocks away pain. There really is no room for an “Us And Them” saxophone solo on that album.

By: Arend_Anton

Arend_Anton — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:55:27 +0000

A lot of music snobs look down their noses at The Wall. I don't listen to it much anymore, but it's a remarkable achievement. It's so rare for double albums to feel necessary, but The Wall does a pretty good job of that.

For years I've heard David Gilmore's complaint about The Wall being too cold. "Where's the soul?" he always says. What I find ironic is that once Waters left, Pink Floyd's soul disappeared. Roger Waters, though the least talented musician and singer in the group, was the soul of that band, especially after Barrett left. Floyd treaded water (no pun intended, but that would make a great headline) for over a decade until finally shutting it down (mostly).

With all that said, I still like Animals quite a bit more than either Dark Side or The Wall. It's just not very commercial.

By: Ed_Munson

Ed_Munson — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:19:31 +0000

Excellent article, Ben.

I think that the band's music reflected the rising alienation of paranoia and cynicism (resulting from disappointed optimism) that a generation of post-war seekers found after living through the late 60's and early 70's. Pink Floyd's material was amped up by the social and economic state of Great Britain and the rest of the world during those days. Perhaps Pink Floyd's work could be described as anticipating (in a much trippier, wordier way) many of the attitudes of Punk Rock which were in a state of birth during the days of Dark Side of the Moon.

I am eager to see more of your thoughts on the website.

By: Rich

Rich — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 04:17:13 +0000

Great article, Ben! Very elucidating recap of its history/context. & thanks for posting the files!

By: Name

Name — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 03:50:50 +0000

AWESOME!!