Genesis- Foxtrot

Genesis's 1971 release Nursery Cryme was an important album in the history of Genesis. The musicianship was excellent, with their "proggiest" up to that point, and the songs were more cohesive than previous albums such as Trespass. But the album was important for another reason: the addition of Steve Hackett on guitar and Phil Collins on drums. The two added a great dynamic and became the "classic" line-up, with Peter Gabriel singing, Steve Hackett on guitar, Mike Rutherford on bass, Tony Banks on keyboards, and Phil Collins on drums. Although Genesis would become more mainstream with the later departure of Gabriel and Hackett, most progressive rock fans are most familiar with this line-up.

After the release of Nursery Cryme to a surprise success in Europe, particularly Italy, Genesis were ready to do their next album. This album would be their most ambitious one up to that point (and possibly throughout their whole career) and would become known as one of the band's best works.

Genesis recorded the album throughout 1972 after all of the promoting and touring of their previous album. Foxtrot was released in October of 1972 to acclaim throughout the whole, except the US where they were still behind the bigger names in prog such as Pink Floyd and Yes. This album is the very first Genesis album I heard, and I was hooked from the first few bars of the first track "Watcher of the Skies". I love Peter Gabriel's voice, and the whole band sound as it is completely different from the sound of other progressive rock bands of their time. This album remains as my second favorite Genesis album (second to the following album Selling England by the Pound) and as my third favorite album of all time!

The album opens with the incredible, and now infamous, chords played on Mellotron by Tony Banks. He plays a wonderful melody that lasts for about a minute and thirty seconds which fades out at the end into the slow build up of the band playing a single note to an incredible rhythm which is accentuated by Phil Collins' drumming. This rhythm builds up into the verse that features Gabriel's vocals at their best. He sings with power, but retains a soothing quality to his voice. Tony Banks' Mellotron stays prominent with the guitar mostly playing in the back with the rhythm of section. The bass playing reminds me of the bass in Yes, but not in a Chris Squire way. I mean that it sounds like Yes because the bass, although not out at the front, acts as a main part, just as Squire does in Yes, rather than just playing a few notes here and there and generally following the guitar lines. After a softer verse, Hackett gets a short solo which leads into another build up similar to the first, but rising in pitch, that leads into a powerful stanza with a thumping beat. This sequence of soft verse to guitar solo to thumping chorus is repeated, but ends the second time with what seems like a duel between the keyboards and the rest of the band as they take turn playing the main phrase, in a back and forth style. This all suddenly takes into a quick reprisal of the full band rhythm from the opening and ends with some minor, yet triumphant Mellotron notes that build up with a drum to the final major chord, which ends the song nicely. As this was the first Genesis song I heard, this has remained a favorite of mine ever since I first heard it because it was a brand new sound to me and I enjoyed it- a lot.

The second track on Foxtrot is "Time Table", a mellow tune in contrast to "Watcher of the Skies". The song opens up with a short piano solo by Tony Banks which transfers into the first verse with the full band. This piano introducing the full band mold would later be used on "Firth of Fifth" from Selling England By the Pound. The song has an interesting sound to it, unlike any other song in their catalog really, apart from "Seven Stones" from Nursery Cryme perhaps. Although it maintains a mellow sound throughout most of the song, the choruses get a bit louder as Gabriel sings fervently about how the purposes of the people of today are so much less moral now. He sings about "a time when honor meant much more to a man than life", signifying an increase of man's selfishness. The song, though mostly piano driven, features some wonderful acoustic guitar work from Steve Hackett, who plays a repeated guitar line throughout the song which is quite beautiful in addition to the rest of the song. In all honesty I don't listen to this song too much, but it really is a good one no matter how much I listen to it.

The third track is the "short" epic "Get 'Em Out By Friday". I say "short epic" not because it is a short song per say (its almost nine minutes, actually), but its length is dwarfed by the second side's "Supper's Ready". This song really shows the creativity of Peter Gabriel and the rest of the band in their lyric writing. It seems like Peter is singing full novels all within one song. Simply, the story is about people being evicted and charged way too much for their living arrangements because of a filthy, greedy real estate firm called Styx Enterprises. Gabriel takes on the rolls of several characters throughout, changing his voice in amazing voices as he goes person to person. The song, set in the present (of when it was written in 1972) at first, spans forty years, ending in 2012. Although the story is awesomely creative and the lyrics are sung with emotion by Gabriel, the best part of the song is the musical arrangement. Phil really beats the drums on this one, showing that he can be loud and soft, and he can go from time signature to time signature all within a single song. The tune opens up with a fast paced instrumental passage with lead guitar and keyboards taking turns out in front with a sort of call and response type of feel. This all finally leads into the main song, which doesn't follow a standard structure at all. After the first half of the song, the band goes into a slower instrumental section that indicates that time is passing over the years. This section is wonderfully created with Peter even getting a flute solo. This section eventually comes to a small climax and quickly and suddenly transfers back into the quick tune of the first half. This part always catches me by surprise as its such a weird transition as it goes from a nice second flute solo right into a quick section with Gabriel singing quickly over the top. This all comes to an end as the band ends on an odd note that ends with an interesting triumphant yet unnerving feeling. This song continues to amaze me and surprise me with things I never hear in previous listens.

Next up is the 6 minute epic "Can-Utility and the Coastliners", which sounds the most like a tune of Nursery Cryme off of this album, besides the intro to "Supper's Ready" that is. This song is cool, although it is one that I don't listen to that often. The song is very dynamic, starting with a very soft and major tune played on acoustic guitars, but gradually getting louder in preparation for the middle instrumental section. During this section, the bass really comes out loud in the rhythm section as well as Tony Banks getting out front with his synthesized orchestration. This part is very heavy compared to previous sections even though the guitar is still acoustic. After a minute or two of this, Peter comes back in, singing over the, now minor, musical tune. However, the minor tune quickly becomes major once again as Peter Gabriel sings the final verse after an epic keyboard solo by Tony Banks. This album really is full of keyboard excellence. The keyboard solo is followed by a slightly shorter guitar solo by Hackett. After Pete sings the final verse, the song comes to a close. This is another example of how each Genesis song seems to be an epic novel story. This is followed by a short instrumental song called "Horizons", which is a solo acoustic piece by Hackett. It truly gives him the opportunity to show his mastery of not only electric lead guitar, but classical acoustic guitar as well. This piece is beautiful and intricate, and it really implants it into my head that this guy is incredible! Hackett and Howe (from Yes) are my two favorite progressive guitarists of all time, and it's easy (I hope) to see why, especially with this tune.


And last, but certainly not least, is the epic "Supper's Ready". I can't even begin to tell about how many times I have listened to this song, but I can say that it still strikes me today. The great musicianship is there, the epic song length is there, Gabriel's interesting lyrics are there- what else could you ask for?? This 23 minute tune has become one the most well known Genesis songs in their repertoire, and for good reason! Now, if you would turn on the song and read along (hey that rhymed!) to my analysis, let us begin.

The song is divided into seven sections which all flow seamlessly together. These sections are fairly independent of each other, and clearly identifiable, as apposed to parts of Yes's "Close to the Edge" and "Relayer". Throughout the song, Peter Gabriel would don various outfits during the instrumental sections and while singing. Several of his most well known costumes were featured during this song, such as the Flower and Magog. Needless to say, Gabriel, as well as the rest of the group, would be very tired by the end of this song, so, in order to make it easier on him, the song was tuned down a few steps so Gabriel wouldn't need to stretch his voice every night. I will go by the sections of the song in my writing about it in order for you to stay on track.

I. "Lover's Leap"

This first section is very reminiscent of something from the Tresspass and Nursery Cryme era. Rutherford and Hackett both play twelve strings while Gabriel's double tracked vocals (the second vocal was sung by Collins live) sing of two people in love embarking on a journey. "Hello babe, with your guardian eyes so blue/Hey my baby, don't you know our love is true," he sings in typical Gabriel fashion. Throughout the first 2 and a half minutes, Banks plays strings on his piano to add tension to the song. After two verses, Banks plays an incredible piano solo. The piano solo is very wonderful, and Gabriel even adds flute to accent the piano. This whole section would have made a great song of its own, as it contains a great mix of the whole band. Even though it is mostly acoustic, everybody gets something to do.

II. "The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man"

The song takes a dynamic change as it transfers into the next section. At the end of Banks' solo, he switches to a hammond organ, and Mike Rutherford returns to bass. The whole band comes in with a chord sequence written by Banks himself years before. Peter's words fit the music amazingly well, but it would take 100 scientists billions of years to decipher what on earth he is trying to say. The whole band unites well here, as Phil keeps a simple, but steady beat, and Hackett noodling on the higher strings of his guitar. The piano seems to form a rhythm and lead section at the same time, which compliments the other instruments well. The section ends abruptly as Gabriel sings "He's a guaranteed eternal sanctuary-", being cut off on the last word along with the rest of the band. A single organ note is sustained as a short little song by school children is played, segueing into the third section.

III. "Ikhnaton and Itsacon and Their Band of Merry Men"

This whole section seems like a song of its own. It begins with a reprise of the tune from the opening lines of the song "Walking across the sitting room...", but soon transfers into a short, soft verse. This verse describes the main characters seeing an army before them, ready to attack. At the end of the verse, Gabriel shouts "Waiting for battle!", which leads into a much louder section. The keyboard takes a quick solo before Gabriel comes in with another verse over some electric guitar and a rolling drum beat. At the end of the verse, Hackett gets his time to shine with a phenomenal solo. He begins with standard soloing, but soon gets faster and more intense, all leading up to the solo's climax with his tapping technique. Yes, in 1972 (actually, even in '71 with their album Nursery Cryme) Hackett was already tapping. That's still several years before Van Halen showed up. In fact, Steve Hackett is often quoted as saying that he showed Eddie Van Halen how to tap. Back to the point, though, the tapping at the climax of the solo is awesome, and Tony Banks even plays a harmony on his keyboards, adding to the sound. This lets up into another softer, twelve string acoustic section that still retains the drums. Peter sings another verse as Banks plays a constant lead line that reinforces the melody sung by Gabriel. The rhythm section in this part is, in my opinion, one of the coolest in the song. Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins match up perfectly, yet subtly. The bass drum hits and the bass note hits work well to create a different approach for the 4/4 sections, which you don't find that often. In between Gabriel's singing, Hackett plays his guitar like a bowed instrument by fading in each note, something that Steve Howe did as well at the time, and Alex Lifeson would make popular in the Rush song "La Villa Strangiato" in 1978. This section quietly crossfades into the shortest and quietest section, "How Dare I Be So Beautiful?".

IV. "How Dare I Be So Beautiful"

Tony Banks is a genius. It shows in this section especially. Instead of using a standard church organ, or even a Hammond, he creates an even more unique sound by fading in the notes of just the acoustic piano, similar to what Hackett did with his guitar. Banks fades in the notes throughout, creating a very atmospheric feel as Peter Gabriel sings over the piano. As I said before, the section is quite short and simple in structure, but the genius behind it all is pretty extraordinary. At the end of Gabriel's singing, a voice can be heard inquiring, "A flower?", and from here on, all hell breaks loose.

V. "Willow Farm"

This section is certainly one of the most diverse in terms of structure. Featuring Peter Gabriel yelling about nonsense as if he's insane as well as little snippets of people talking, what else could someone want from a Genesis piece? In fact, this whole section could have stood on its own easily, although it is a nice addition to the whole 23-minute epic. Several different verses come and go as Gabriel somehow manages to keep up with the rhythm changes and key changes. This all ends with a short mellotron interlude that leads into the next section. This interlude features Gabriel on the flute, accenting the guitar and mellotron in the background. This all builds up as Phil Collins comes in with a drum roll, bringing everyone up to speed for the next, very exciting section.

VI. "Apocalypse in 9/8"

As the title suggests, this whole section is performed in the unusual 9/8 time signature. It opens and closes with frantic Peter Gabriel lyrics, but has an incredible middle section, featuring an incredible keyboard solo by Tony Banks. As Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford, and Phil Collins keep the back beat steady in 9/8, Banks rips it up with an insane keyboard solo that defies the odd time signature by using his own. Indeed, this creates an odd effect as Banks plays in 4/4 7/8 and 6/8 even overtop of the 9/8 back beat. Finally, this all comes to a head as Phil amplifies his drumming, getting more and more intense until Peter Gabriel finally comes in with one last verse in 9/8. He shouts, "The seven trumpets blowing sweet rock and roll. Gonna blow right down inside your soul." After this short verse, the band's beat collapses away as a short few bars of Peter Gabriel's flute comes in, after which is a long drum roll.

VII. "As Sure as Eggs Is Eggs (Aching Men's Feet)"

The soft little interlude brings a reprise of Gabriel's opening theme, "Hey my baby, don't you know our love is true?" This time, though, the band climbs into a triumphant ending sequence. Gabriel sings overtop a medium speed beat as Hackett gets a little time to shine in the background, as he fades in his guitar solo notes, something he would do later on "Firth of Fifth" from Selling England. Gabriel sings lyrics that sound like they're from the book of Revelation, which Gabriel has said was his influence for this final section. Finally, the band fades out triumphantly, having just played a 23 minute epic that remains as one of their best songs.

All together, this album is a masterpiece. Having been the first Genesis album I heard, this one left a considerable impression on me that has remained ever since. I give this album a full 5 out of 5.

A live version of the epic, "Supper's Ready"

My 20 Favorite Progressive Rock/Jazz Fusion Albums

So, I have often been faced with questions pertaining to my favorite prog rock songs, albums, bands, etc, so I put together a list of my top 20 favorite albums.

1. Close To The Edge- Yes
2. Selling England By the Pound- Genesis
3. Mirage- Camel
4. The Final Cut- Pink Floyd
5. Meddle- Pink Floyd
6. Hemispheres- Rush
7. Red- King Crimson
8. Tales From Topographic Oceans- Yes
9. Foxtrot- Genesis
10. Atom Heart Mother- Pink Floyd
11. Tarkus- Emerson, Lake, and Palmer
12. Peter Gabriel 1 (Car)- Peter Gabriel
13. Rajaz- Camel
14. Thick As a Brick- Jethro Tull
15. Tarkus- Emerson, Lake, and Palmer
16. I.O.U.- Allan Holdsworth
17. A Farewell To Kings- Rush
18. Relayer- Yes
19. Gentle Giant- Gentle Giant
20. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway- Genesis

King Crimson- Red

King Crimson's masterpiece Red was released in November of 1974 just after Robert Fripp, the guitarist and driving force, ended the band; claiming that Crimson "ceased to exist."
Red was Crimson's third album with the same line-up consisting of John Wetton on bass and vocals and Bill Bruford on drums. This incarnation of Crimson had two previous albums - Larks Tongues' In Aspic in 1973 and Starless and Bible Black in 1974.

Of the three albums with the same members, Red is musically the most concise and tight, seeming the band all had the same vision in mind for the record - at least Wetton and Bruford must have been on the same page, as Fripp was becoming seriously disillusioned with living the life of a "rock star" and consequently took the back seat during the recording and producing of the record.

The album starts off with the title track "Red", a six minute instrumental passage composed by Fripp. All throughout, the song features many guitar over-dubbs, very heavily-distorted bass, and manic drumming. With Bruford and his meticulous craft at the kit, "Red" smashes through 5/8 and 7/8 time signatures ("smashes" in a sense that he rides and crashes on an old, bent cymbal that sounds akin to a garbage can lid). The beginning starts with a climbing guitar riff and then enters into the main theme of the song. At around 2:52, a cello section enters, encumbering phased guitar chords before leading back into the main theme. Wetton's heavy and distorted bass tone makes it impossible for the casual listener to differentiate between what the bass and guitars are playing. Fripp's playing and style are both beautiful and cynical at the same time. "Red" is the perfect overture for the album.

The next track is "Fallen Angel". This song is beautifully put together musically and lyrically as well. The song's lyrics are about a boy who gets his younger brother to join a gang with him, and ends up watching him die in a knife fight. The music originated from live improvisations as early as 1972 in the Larks Tongues' era. The song starts out soft and alluring with gentle music to accommodate the sincere lyrics, and continues to the end with a seemingly angry and loud tone. Mel Collins, from an earlier incarnation of Crimson, makes an appearance, playing soprano saxophone.

Right in the middle of the album is "One More Red Nightmare". The song features a crunchy and sinister riff played throughout. Bruford rides heavily on some kind of a warped cymbal that sounds like a metal garbage can lid being thrown around. The lyrics are about a man who falls asleep on the bus and dreams he is on a plane that is about to crash. The theme of planes is even carried over to the track listing on the back of the album, which states the song is 7:07 (although actually being 7:10), possibly referencing the Boeing 707 airplane. The song also features a saxophone solo in the middle and at the end preformed by Ian McDonald, former saxophone player from the band's debut line-up in 1969. As this is the first song with lyrics written in whole by John Wetton, it is a rare glimpse of his writing style in Crimson, opposed to his usual lyrical collaborator, Richard Palmer-James.

Next up is "Providence". This improvisation was recorded live in Providence, Rhode Island in June 1974. The first half of the song is centered on Violinist David Cross's noodling which last for about five minutes before the full band comes in. Wetton's bass, similarly to the title track (as it is his trademark tone), is growlingly heavy. Bruford adds his own flair with exotic percussion and rhythms, pulling the improv together for something that seems more than an improvisation. There is also obvious chemistry and musical communication between Wetton and Bruford, as any rhythm section should. Fripp's soloing adds tension and suspense to the chaos, taking the spotlight from the violin.
"Providence" is about eight minutes long with a fade out at the end, while the full version of the song is just over ten minutes (the full version was included as a bonus track on the 40th Anniversary Edition release in 2009 along with different takes of "Red" and "Fallen Angel").

Lastly, the grand finally, "Starless". Wetton originally intended this song to be the title track to their last album, Starless and Bible Black. Instead, a different song was chosen. "Starless" was later revised and recorded for Red. As I can't think of a better way to start the album than with "Red", and I also can't think of any other way to close the album than with this song. It is an extremely well put together twelve-minute piece featuring a long and tenuous build up in 13/8 through which Bruford bangs on everything from temple blocks to a xylophone. Wetton keeps the song moving with his steady bass groove. Fripp overlays the groove with one-note guitar solos, utilizing his signature dissonance and creating an almost "creepy" mood for the music. Finally, to top it all off, the band breaks into a speedy rampage, again featuring a sax solo. The song ends with a much more haunting and moving reprise of the intro.
Interestingly, this song recalls many musical moments in KC's back catalogue. The middle section in 13/8 recalls the rhythm in "The Talking Drum" on Larks Tongues' ('72), the beginning mellotron echoes the style in "Epitapth" on In the Court of the Crimson King ('69), and the erratic jazz section at the end recalls "21st Century Schizoid Man" also on In the Court... ('69).

Because of King Crimson's ending without and before touring the album, many would feel that Red was left in the dust and forgotten about. But I think that's what makes this album so daring and legendary - that this was it for the so-called "fathers of progressive rock", the ending of an era of great exploration, experiments, and creation. Crimson would later re-emerge in 1981, but the progressive style and sound of the 1970s was already long lost. Red has influenced the likes of Tool and even Kurt Cobain (too bad the music didn't rub off on him much; in fact, I suppose the old saying "opposites attract" would fit in this senario). As Robert Fripp wrote concerning the album,
    
"Magic remains available. But today it doesn't walk up and bite you on the ear. That moment passed. It did not return. Question - 'Where does music come from?' Answer - 'Where was the world before it was made? Find that place and you will find Music'."

JS

A live version of "Starless"

Yes- Close To The Edge

After releasing their huge album Fragile in 1971, Yes were not phased by their sudden rise in fame, and that showed as they weren't going to give in and let the money go to their heads. They continued to do new material, more and more complex, rather than just going for the simplistic 3 minute songs with two chords. Their recent addition of Rick Wakeman on keyboards also helped get the band up to speed, leading to even more complex music. Their follow up album is no disappointment, and I find it to be better than Fragile, and even my favorite Yes album to date.

This new album was their most ambitious at the point of its release. The new album, released in 1972, was called Close To The Edge. The album featured their first sidelong epic song, the title track, which clocks in at just under 19 minutes. On the second side of the album were two 10 minute songs, both incredibly complex in and of themselves. When it was released in September of 1972, the album was another huge success, becoming Gold in the US alone just a month after its release and making it to number 3 on the Billboard Charts. The album remains as a many Yes fans' favorite album.

The album opens up with the epic title track "Close To The Edge". Divided into four main sections, the whole song goes through many movements, all including wonderful musicianship by the five members, Jon Anderson, who is the angelic voice of the group, the insane Chris Squire on bass, the accomplished Bill Bruford on drums, the great Rick Wakeman on keyboards, and the legendary Steve Howe on guitar.  The first movement is called "The Solid Time of Change" and it begins very unassumingly with a fade in of nature sounds such as birds and a waterfall and also a small bit of synth setting an unsettling mood. Then, at the apex of the fade in, the band booms in with a rather unorthodox guitar solo played by guitarist Steve Howe along with the rest of the band playing their individual roles, creating an almost cacophonous mix at time. There's not much of a structure for this section, going from time signature to time signature, but still sounding amazing because the musicianship is amazing. All the while Chris Squire plays an ascending bass riff, often adding to the mood going from menacing to happy with ease of just a note. Interspersed are random wordless vocal shouts, which are multilayered by vocalist Jon Anderson, and some other members in the band. About 3 minutes into the song, the whole band comes in with a main theme and structure, which is just beautiful to hear because the band shows themselves to be very diverse. This whole section seems happy almost, that is, until the words come in a minute later. This vocal section lets the guitar take a break from relentless soloing, but puts the bass and keyboards in the front, as Chris Squire plays a minor and prominent bass line for the first verse. Jon's vocals are wonderful, sung in an almost chanting style due to the amount of words per line. At the end of the verse, one of the song's most prominent themes comes in with Anderson singing "Close to the edge, round by the corner. Close to the edge down by a river", which gets used a lot later in the song. This transfers into a major sounding verse, different than the first musically, but ending with the same "Close to the edge, round..." lyrics coming in. This is where the song takes a big leap into the most prominent theme of the song with Anderson singing "I get up, I get down". These words end the first section, although the whole song really doesn't feel like there are big differences in the sections as they beautifully and organically flow through each other and into each other. The whole song feels like a complete unit, which is great because it wasn't just several songs all pasted together with an odd chord change and then sudden change of tempo or a fade out and fade in, put together haphazardly as other prog rock groups would do (such as Rush's first sidelong epic "The Fountain of Lamneth" and even parts of the famous "2112"). At the 6:00 mark or so, the song goes into the second section, "Total Mass Retain" which stays in the same style as the first part, but the bass line changes to a more frantic style. During this section, there are a few different movements, but the tune stays within what has happened already in the song. This also is one of the only parts with Steve Howe playing rhythm guitar as most of the time in this tune he is ripping it up playing lead in cool ways, or leaving the space open for keyboards and bass to take the front. Very mature in his guitar playing indeed. This repeats the "I get up, I get down" theme another time and is followed by a short riff played by guitar and bass with keyboards slowly becoming the main section to transfer into the third section which is dominated by keyboards. This third section is called "I Get Up, I Get Down", and it is titled this rightfully so as that phrase is repeated several times. The whole part is mostly quiet, with atmospheric keyboards playing at the beginning and then transferring into a standard melodic beat played on a keyboard softly. Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, and Steve Howe then perform some of the most beautiful harmonies as they sing the lyrics. Chris and Steve take the backing vocals most of the time with Jon singing lead overtop. This whole section is so beautiful and well constructed. This is definitely the most diverse part of the song, as the quietness is unexpected in the context of the song. There is a somewhat verse-chorus structure here with several verses coming and ending with "I get up, I get down". After this cycle is repeated numerous times, Jon Anderson sings the line louder as his voice soars followed by a loud and lovely church organ played by Rick Wakeman. Jon then sings the line again at the end of the organ piece, which then goes back into the organ piece. The organ is so powerful and creates a wonderful sound in the tune. At the end of the organ solo, a synth comes in, transferring into "Seasons of Man", the fourth and final part of the song. This whole section begins with Rick ripping it up as he plays an amazing synth solo. He is truly talented, playing intricately fast. The music in the background is similar to earlier parts of the song's verses. At the end of Rick's solo,  which lasts for nearly 2 minutes, Jon comes back in to sing a final verse in the song, leading up to the climax. The whole band gets progressively louder, building up gradually. At the end of the verse, the several themes in the song, "Close to the edge, down by a river", "Seasons will pass you by", and "Now that it's all over and done", come back building up into a final three repeats of the triumphant "I get up, I get down", sung beautifully with added orchestration and fervor from the band. This ends with a keyboard line getting repeated several times, fading into the sounds of nature heard at the beginning. This truly is Yes's greatest piece, at least in my opinion! The musicianship is insanely talented, and the song is so well put together.

The second side opens up with the ten minute "And You and I", which is considerably softer than "Close to the Edge" and the following track "Siberian Khatru". The song opens up with Steve Howe playing an acoustic guitar and speaking a few words such as "Okay". He plays some harmonics for about 30 seconds as he tunes up until he goes into the intro riff, played on a twelve string acoustic guitar, the riff is minor in contrast to the major riff that follows. This next riff is just a simple three chord progression with different percussion sounds coming in and out as well as a Moog playing a short and simple solo. Jon's vocals come in at the end of the synth solo, singing nicely. This continues for another few minutes, until the whole band comes in, with a sharp difference in chord progression. This section only lasts for a few seconds though, as Jon comes in with a harmonizing chorus that lasts for a short while, until going into the next section, a slow, orchestrated part, with everyone slowing down to half speed. Rick Wakeman leads the pack with another synth solo played on Moog and Mellotron. Jon sings a short verse that leads into the third section which reprises the intro riff played on twelve string, but this time Steve plays a different riff at the ending. Rick plays a little more synth before Jon comes back in with his singing as he sings another verse. This verse ends with the full band coming in, following most of the structure in the previous verse. Chris and Steve both seem to play the lead parts, with them seemingly taking turns in front. Rick ends it with a keyboard and synth solo which leads into a verse sung by Chris, Jon, and Steve with a beautiful harmony. This reprises a melody found earlier in the song's first section. Once the harmonies end, the band comes back in with the half speed slow section as Rick creates synth noises that sound like shooting stars. The song ends with the soft chorus found at the beginning of the song, with just Jon singing and Steve playing acoustic. This song is wonderful and is definitely the softest on the album. Also, it features some excellent musicianship from each of the members, with each section feeling refreshing and new, even the reprises.

The third and final track on the album is the nine minute "Siberian Khatru". This track is also opened with Steve Howe playing a riff, but this time, though, it is more of a rocker. Steve plays the riff twice through with the whole band coming in at the end. Rick plays some organ chords with Chris playing lead for a few bars until Steve comes back in with the main riff of the song. Steve plays the simple 4 note riff in three different octaves (four when he plays it live) and it just builds up tension as it leads into the verse. I like this main riff because the time signature is pretty cool as there are two bars of 4/4 and then one of 7/4 (or three of 4/4 and one of 3/4 if you like) which is a snazzy structure as Bruford catches the guitar's rhythm by accenting certain beats. The verse features a different riff which is a much funkier affair. Steve and Rick play the riff together with Chris holding up the rhythm section along with Bill Bruford. The verse ends as it leads into the short chorus. The guitar part of the chorus reminds me of something Hendrix would have done, granted that it is a lot faster that Hendrix would play most of the time. Jon sings his lyrics and ends the chorus with harmonizations with the other members. Steve plays a slower and softer version of the main riff along with Chris accenting some points a few times before launching back into the harmonious voices of the second verse. The verse is basically the same as before, as well as the following chorus. There are several odd time signatures, as Bruford often plays a 4/4 beat while the guitar plays in 6/8, which is a cool idea that is well executed. Steve gets a solo on sitar after the second chorus as well as an interchange between keyboards and guitar that leads back into his introductory guitar riff. This time though, the intro riff leads into a softer verse sung by John that leads into the third and final verse. This time, however, Jon ends the verse with random two syllable words that build up tension as orchestration and drum rolls get louder and louder with Chris playing a steady riff. This all leads back into the final reprisal of the main riff that lasts until the end of the song. A few bars in, Jon sings wordless vocals overtop, which again lead into the main riff, which features a wonderful guitar solo by Steve. Steve plays a clean guitar overtop of the rest of the band, with each member contributing their own style to make a big sound. This lasts until the end of the song as the band fades out, ending a wonderful album wonderfully. This is another favorite of mine; in fact, every song on this album is a favorite of mine, with "Close to the Edge" being my all time favorite Yes song.

All in all, this is, in the view of me and many others, Yes's greatest work! I find each song to be a journey in and of themselves, never getting stale or boring. I give this album a 10 out of 10.

This is a live version of "Close to the Edge"

Pink Floyd- The Final Cut

After releasing their hugely popular album The Wall in 1979, Pink Floyd had become extremely busy, with multiple projects going on all at one time. After the release of the album, the band went on what would be their final tour with leader Roger Waters, which spanned from 1980 to 1981. The shows were extremely elaborate, featuring giant inflatable characters and a giant wall that was constructed during the show. The giant wall was built up, following the story line of the first disc until Roger sings the last track on the first half of the record and the final brick was placed. The wall also featured large projections on it, which were created by animator Gerald Scarfe, which reflected the storyline and also kept people occupied, as the whole band was behind the wall. The wall would eventually be knocked down at the end of each show as the story ended. The show cost millions of dollars to put on, and with tickets rather inexpensive (by today's standards), the band managed to lose money from the tour, except ex-keyboardist Rick Wright who agreed to quit the band during the album's recording, but was hired as an employee to play the keyboards for the tour, as he was payed a regular wage, unlike the contractually signed rest of the band.

The band also released a film based on the album entitled Pink Floyd The Wall. The film, released in 1982, featured Bob Geldof, of the Boomtown Rats and also the creator of Live Aid and Live 8 charity concerts, as the lead role of Pink Floyd. The movie followed the same story line as the album, and used the album's music (some tracks re-recorded especially for the film) extensively, utilizing very little dialogue except for the songs' lyrics. The film also featured many animations by Gerald Scarfe, which really give a huge glimpse into the dark mind of the protagonist, and, more specifically, Roger Waters. The movie performed well at its opening, and is still seen by many to be a great cult film. I enjoy it very much, as creepy and disturbing as it can be.

For the release of the film, Roger had another project in mind, a soundtrack to the movie entitled Spare Bricks. The record would have included songs that didn't make the cut for The Wall (like "What Shall We Do Now?" and "Your Possible Pasts"), songs from the album that were re-recorded or changed for inclusion in the film (such as "Mother" and "Bring the Boys Back Home"), and some newly recorded material. After some consideration and also the onslaught of the Falklands War, though, Roger envisioned a new project. This album idea, which was very political, was based not only on his annoyance with how Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was handling the war, but also his own experience of having lost his father, Eric Fletcher Waters, in a battle in World War II just months after Roger's birth.

The band, however, was not very happy with Roger Waters' new idea, feeling it was too political for a Floyd album. Roger responded by offering to use it as one of his solo albums, but the band knew a very important thing: even though Roger was hard to work with, manipulative, and often just a plain jerk, the band needed him. Roger was the mastermind of the band, having written their previous four huge albums, and the band recognized that at that point in time they needed him in the group and they needed the record for the band.

A few of the songs on the record were leftover cuts that were deemed not good enough for The Wall. One of guitarist Dave Gilmour's biggest complaints about the album's material was "If they weren't good enough then, why are they good enough now?" Roger often asked, however, what sort of material Gilmour had created, which was none, so that left Roger Waters to write the material.

Another stumbling block for the band was trying to write and record the album without longtime keyboardist Rick Wright. To make up for Wright's absence, the band hired composer Michael Kamen, who had worked with band on The Wall. Kamen also held the role of mediating between Gilmour and Waters in the studio as their relationship had been on the brink of destruction.

During the recording of the album, everyone was getting on each other's nerves, which made everyone uncomfortable to be around and the recording an unpleasurable experience. The band members often express their dislike of the work, primarily because of the fighting and turmoil that was going on within the band. Even through all of this, though, the band did manage to record the entire album. The work was released under the title The Final Cut in March of 1983. The title and imagery of the album (specifically the picture of a soldier holding a film canister with a knife in his back) was related to Waters' very bad relationship with the director of the movie Pink Floyd The Wall Alan Parker.

Upon its release, The Final Cut went to number 1 in the UK, something that didn't happen even to their albums The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, but it was less successful in the US, and, even though it went double Platinum, it was their lowest selling record since Meddle. The album, even with its low sales and not-so-nice reviews, still touches many today, particularly those who have lost their own families in war.

The first cut on the album is called "The Post War Dream". The track begins with the sounds of a television with channels being flipped through. This is very similar to much of the third quarter of The Wall, as the television sound effects are used a great deal throughout this album too. Eventually, a soft orchestra crossfades with the television sounds, playing a few bars of the song's melody before the vocals enter in. The track becomes very dynamic from here on, going from soft to very loud. The music plays in a very army-band style as Roger sings his very heartfelt, but soft lyrics. He sings about various misunderstandings throughout history, all relating to his near inability to grasp with the death of his father. This soft verse section gradually gets a bit louder, introducing some trumpets into the mix. This is followed by a soft refrain of "What have we done? Maggie what have we done?", the words and melody of which are thematic throughout the album, just as "Another Brick in the Wall"'s melody was thematic in The Wall. At the end of this, the drums and electric guitar come in with the melody very loud in comparison the the verse, with Roger shouting his vocals overtop. This whole section is very short, but very dramatic. This all ends with the orchestra playing the melody one more time, transferring into the sound effects which lead into the second track "Your Possible Pasts".

"Your Possible Pasts" is a track from the sessions for The Wall that was not considered good enough for the album, but made it to the movie. This track led to much quarrel between Waters and Gilmour as Gilmour didn't like it enough back when recording their previous album, so he wondered why it was suddenly good enough for this album. The song did, however, get a good amount of airplay in the US, more than the actual single from the album "Not Now John". "Your Possible Pasts" opens up with the sound of wind and a flanger laden guitar playing a soft riff. Roger sings interesting vocals over top, going from soft to loud very easily with just the sound of the synthesizers over top changing from major to minor and a loud drum hit here and there. The chorus is much louder and angry sounding, with lyrics that make sense to The Wall's plot line, as Roger sings/shouts, "Do you remember how we used to be closer?". This whole soft/loud sequence is repeated a few times throughout with the organ and synths done by Michael Kamen coming in and out. Nick Mason does some powerful drumming, different from his usual soft style. After the second chorus, Gilmour plays a loud solo, similar to that of the second chorus of "Comfortably Numb" and some from "Dogs". This song is kind of a mixed bag, as to me it seems they could and should have added more to the song or shortened it as the simple sequence tends to get boring after a while because of repetition. The track ends with an echo of Roger saying "closer", which leads into the following track, the short "One of the Few". The track features the sound of a ticking clock keeping the beat as Gilmour plays a minor sounding acoustic guitar riff similar to the sound of "Is There Anybody Out There?". Roger sings soft, but haunting lyrics over top. In the background are several sound effects of cars going by and people talking.

This track ends the same way it opened, with a gush of wind. This leads into the track "When the Tigers Broke Free", which is only on the modern remastered CD versions. The original vinyl version of the album did not include this track, but when the album was remastered, this track was placed before "The Hero's Return", so for the sake of those who have this remastered version, I will include this track here. "When the Tigers Broke Free" was another track from The Wall sessions that was not included on the album. This cut was released as a single, though, and was also in the film. It opens up with the wind, which transfers into the sound of an soft orchestra and some brass playing the melody to the song. In the background are a wordless choir humming the melody as the track gets a bit louder. After one run through of the melody, Roger comes in and sings lyrics which are mournful of his father's death in war. The whole story of what went on when his father died. He sings two verses, each of which are quite soft, and then he sings the third and final verse which builds up quite loudly, with shouted vocals. It finished quickly with Roger singing the line "And that's how the army took my daddy from me!" ending the song with just a short amount of echo from his final shout. The whole ending is very sudden, but fits perfectly. I enjoy this song very much because, along with the rest of the album, Roger is so personal in his lyrics, and he is not afraid to let out his true emotions.

The following track opens with a "woosh" sound and a very cool guitar riff from Gilmour. This track is called "The Hero's Return", and deals with more personal struggles of Waters. The song doesn't follow a very normal sequence, which is nice and interesting. Gilmour's main riff is played on acoustic guitar, but has an electric guitar playing a chugging one note riff similar to the one from "Run Like Hell" and the rest of The Wall. Roger sings a first verse with shouting followed by a very odd bridge sort of part. This all leads into another verse, which is much softer than the first. The song details the death of a gunner, which leads perfectly into the next track "The Gunner's Dream". This song opens up with the sound of a muffled army officer's voice followed by an explosion. This track is definitely a favorite of mine as Roger is again very personal in his feelings. The words detail a dying gunner's dream about what heaven is like, with a general theme of despair, but, more importantly, hope. By the end of the song, the words tell to "hold onto the dream" and not give up home. The music begins with a wonder soft piano line by Michael Kamen as Roger sings the lyrics which are very emotional. This leads to a much more dynamic section that introduces the rest of the instruments. This transition is made by Roger shouting "And hold on to the dream!" at the top of his lungs. This part amazed me the first time I heard it because Roger's scream merges right into the sound of a saxophone, and it is unnoticeable until the sax player, Raphael Ravenscroft starts playing a solo. The following section is louder, featuring a steady beat from Mason and Gilmour. This loud section transfers back into a soft verse with more lyrics describing the soldier's vision of heaven. The guitar is a little more prominent on this verse compared to the first verse, which was mostly just piano. This verse ends with "and no one kills the children anymore", sung by Roger, which transfers into another loud section, this one shorter, but without the sax, and more guitar and orchestra. This section also features the most emotional vocals heard by Waters yet as he shouts and screams his vocals, giving the impression of sheer agony. He ends it with the words "This dream is driving me insane!" with the last word being screamed incredibly long and loudly. It's amazing how much emotion he displays in just this one song. The whole album is just like this: pure emotion. Roger's scream lasts for about 17 seconds, even going into the first half of the last verse. The song ends on a soft note, with Roger softly singing "Take heed of the dream", followed by a short piano coda, transferring into the following track.

The last track on the first side of the album is called "Paranoid Eyes". This one is definitely not one of my favorites, but it isn't too bad. The song begins with various sound effects as the piano and vocals enter in, describing a person's descent into alcoholism, destroying one's life. Most of the song stays soft, although there is a short middle section in the middle that features Mason on drums and Gilmour on acoustic guitar, playing a melody similar to that of "Mother" from The Wall. The song isn't very dramatically sung, even though the words are pretty dramatic, but it's on okay song overall.

The next side opens with the short "Get You Filthy Hands Off My Desert", which begins with some shouting and a loud explosion. This all leads into the tune, played on some royal sounding orchestration and sung by Roger. The song's lyrics talk about Roger's hatred toward the handling of the Falkland invasions. Some acoustic guitar can be heard throughout, which turns the song into a very interesting sound change from the rest of the album. The song ends with the humming of the tune from "The Post War Dream", softly ending and going into the following track "The Fletcher Memorial Home". This song opens with Roger singing rather distraughtly about his hatred towards the leaders of the world, specifically Britain. He sings about how they are tyrants and overgrown infants, and should be put into segregated retirement homes. Roger sings the first verse over top soft piano and guitar, with the familiar orchestration. This verse is followed by a haunting orchestration tune being played as Roger speaks lines about who he doesn't like. He "introduces" these leaders in a very sarcastic way until the section ends with him singing once again for a short verse, similar to the first verse. This verse ends with a drum roll in, leading into a loud section, featuring one of Gilmour's most wonderful guitar solos not just on this album, but including all of their albums. His solo ends with several guitar overlays, which all harmonize together beautifully. This is followed by a third and final verse, which returns to the soft verse structure. This ends on a quiet piano note, as the sounds of seagulls chirping comes in.

The next track is the short "Southhampton Dock", which opens with Roger singing over some acoustic guitar. Roger sings words about a girl feeling the pains of leaving and returning war heroes, the pain of loss. This ends with another reprisse of "The Postwar Dream"'s melody, which leads into a partially louder section featuring piano and orchestra. This ends with Roger's line "In our hearts we felt the final cut", leading into the next track, the title track "The Final Cut". This one opens with some quiet piano chords, eventually leading into Roger's vocals, sung emotionally with bass in the background. This ends with a line and then transfers into a full band structure, with the drums and guitar coming in. Roger sings a short line which is interrupted by a loud bang, leading into an orchestrated section similar to that of "Comfortably Numb". Roger's vocals get louder here and more emotional, shouting them earnestly. This leads into a soft section, which again goes into a loud section, featuring the full band. This goes into another soft line, but instead of being interrupted, he cuts himself in the middle of the line and after a second coming in with the piano and drums shouting "Or would you take me home", which brings us into another great solo from Gilmour. This solo is very melodic, but ends quite quickly. Roger sings the final verse after this, with great emotion, ending with the line "I never had the nerve to make the final cut" followed by the orchestration playing the melody one more time.

The next track "Not Now John" is one of my least favorite songs by Pink Floyd of all time. I can't stand it at all. It is the only one with Gilmour on any vocals at all, which is weird, because the anger of this song would seem to fit Roger better. The whole song possesses an energy not found on any other poin of the record, reminding me of a dark version of "Young Lust". The whole song seems to revolve around extensive use of the f-word, which is just annoying, because after all of these wonderful and emotional songs, this one feels like the band is just a bunch of stupid jerks, which they really aren't This one just annoys me in general, but it really is the only annoying one in the whole batch of tunes on this record.

The final song is the beautiful "Two Suns in the Sunset". This one features mostly acoustic guitars, but the full band too. The song also features some tricky time signatures which drummer Nick Mason couldn't quite get, so they hired a session drummer, Andy Newmark, to take over on this track. The guitar repeats a simple three chord riff, but its a nice simple end to the album. The song is mostly soft and quiet, but in the middle, a much louder and emotional section comes in, which Roger once again shouting his vocals, with great emotion. The electric guitar is also present in this section. Roger does a cool scream in this middle section as well, similar to "Careful With That Axe Eugene". After this section, one last verse is sung quietly, followed by a fantastic sax solo, again played by Raphael Ravenscroft. This fades out, wonderfully ending the whole album. There isn't a better way to end such an emotional journey of an album other than this, I think. I'll admit, I am a sucker for sax on any album, but still, this is a great end to this album.

Although the record is no "Meddle" or "Atom Heart Mother", which are my favorite two records by the Floyd, this one is definitely a close third, just because of the sheer emotion on the record. Unfortunately, "Not Now John" really gets to me, so I give this album a 9 out of 10.

The music videos for "The Gunner's Dream" and "The Final Cut" from The Final Cut Video EP.

Pink Floyd- The Wall

It was July 6, 1977, on the In The Flesh Tour in support of Pink Floyd's album Animals, released earlier that year. Roger Waters, the bands primary lyricist, bassist, and now vocalist had been getting fed up more and more with the audiences who went to see the shows because they were being rowdy and not paying any attention to the music, and this night was no exception. This was the last night of the tour and the crowd wanted more and more, eventually rioting when the band began to exit. Finally, Roger went up to one of the rioters and spat in his face. This was the breaking point for Waters and it is what fueled his writing of what would become one of the best selling albums of all time, The Wall.

By the end of 1977, Pink Floyd found themselves in debt. This was caused by several factors, but mainly because of the Norton Warburg Group, who was entrusted to invest the band's money to help avoid large taxes from the government. The investment group, though, invested the money into failing businesses which made the Floyd lose even more money. Once the band found out, they demanded what was left of the money back. For the next year or so, the members took a break from the band to focus on family and solo work. Because the band now found themselves playing huge stadiums and headlining huge tours, the band, guitarist David Gilmour particularly, were almost depressed because they felt as though there was nothing left to do next, that there was nothing to look forward to. It was during this year off that Dave Gilmour released his first solo album, David Gilmour, and keyboardist Rick Wright released his solo album, Wet Dream. Roger Waters, however, was busy during this time working on new Floyd material, and was very prolific.

Once the band reunited in July of 1978, Roger presented to the band two new albums, each 90 minutes long, enough material for four albums. He played demos he recorded of the entire albums, one called Bricks in the Wall, and the other entitled The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking. After a nearly unanimous vote, the band agreed to the first, although the latter would become Roger's first solo album after his departure from the band. The band set out for the rest of the year and much of the next year to write and build off of Water's songs and record them. During the process, the band argued often and grew apart. Roger's relationship with Rick Wright particularly fell apart, with him asking for Rick to quit the band because he wasn't pulling his weight in the recording. Rick complied, as he did miss his family much and his marriage was beginning to falter. Wright was, however, employed as keyboardist for the subsequent tour on the album. Because he was the only salaried performer, he was the only one who walked away with money, as the band walked away with less than they started with as the shows were very theatrical and costly.

Through all of the fights and arguments, the band did manage to release the album by the end of 1979. The album spawned three hit singles, the number one gigantic single "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)", "Comfortably Numb", the song now well known for Gilmour's excellent guitar solos, and the iconic fast paced "Run Like Hell". The album sold extremely well, certified 23x platinum in the US alone, and is now the second best selling album in the world, second only to an Eagle's greatest hits album. The album has since become one of the most well known albums in the world, and even spawned a movie, released in 1982. The album, as dark as it is, is still beloved by fans around the world 30 years later.

The album opens in an unexpected way, with the soft sound of recorders playing a quiet tune. At the very beginning of track one, "In the Flesh?", you can here the words "...we came in." which is completing a sentence from the last track, so that if you play the album on repeat, it appears like a cycle with the last and first track connecting. The song takes a dynamic change at 17 seconds in with a distorted guitar and the whole band. The guitar and organ are most prominent for the intro and the main riff, which is pretty catchy itself, features Wright's keyboards very loudly. The verse is soft and kept to just the keyboard and Roger's vocals. He sings quietly until the end of the verse where he begins shouting which continues through the rest of the track. At the end of the verse, the main riff comes back in with Roger shouting "action" and "lights" until the end. The ending has the sound of an airplane crashing loudly, ending with a baby crying, transferring into the following track. This symbolizes that the main character, Pink Floyd, was born at the same time that his father died in war.

The next track, "The Thin Ice", opens with the continuation of the crying baby which is followed by the piano with synthesizers playing a repeated chord sequence. Gilmour sings pleasantly as the mother in the story for the first verse. A sense of unease is achieved at the end of this verse as Roger sings his vocals for the second verse. The second verse ends with a key change into a dynamic solo by Gilmour. This is an abrupt change from the softness of the first half of the song. The solo reaches a climax at the end as it transfers into the next song. The lyrics drive home the point that his mother has to fill dual roles to fill in for the absent father, which is a reflection of Roger's own personal life, as his father was killed when he was a young child.

The third track, "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 1)", details how the first bricks in the protagonist's wall were built from the pain he felt because of the loss of his father. The song is soft, sticking to just guitar and bass and vocals. Roger's vocals are mostly soft, but towards the end of the verse, they have a dynamic volume rise, though it is subtle. This is followed by a guitar solo that lasts until the end of the song, which features the sounds of children out playing. The music fades out into the sound of a helicopter that transfers into the following track, "The Happiest Days of our Lives". This track begins with the sound of a teacher yelling "Hey you, yes you, stand still laddie!" that is followed by a single note guitar and bass riff that eventually plays down a scale. The drums are quietly introduced throughout the verse, which is sung quietly at first but then loud and maniacally at the end by Roger Waters. The vocals feature backwards echo, which is taking the echo from the vocals and putting it before the words begin themselves, which achieves a brilliant sound if used correctly. Jimmy Page uses this effect on his guitar at the end of "You Shook Me All Night Long" off of Led Zeppelin's debut album. The track ends triumphantly with female vocalists singing wordless vocals over the whole band, ending with a loud scream from Waters, similar to the screams of "Careful With That Axe, Eugene".

The scream transfers into the hit single "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" which begins with the iconic delayed guitar sound overtop a disco beat. The band sings the first verse as a group, followed by the looped disco beat of Nick Mason left alone for two bars. The second verse has similar lyrics to the first and is sung by a group of school children. The school children reflect the point of the song that the second part of Pink's wall was built by the school teachers who would reek havoc on the students and bring them down. The song ends with another solo by Gilmour that brings the song to a close as the drums and bass fade out with the sound of school children over top. This is ended with the sound of a telephone tone played over and over again alone.

Track six, "Mother", closes out the first side of the album. The track begins with a simple breath in and out followed by Roger singing vocals over an acoustic guitar. The time signatures change much during the verses going from 3/4 to 4/4 several times in the blink of an eye. The second verse stays acoustic, but introduces Rick Wright's keyboards. The second verse ends with a second guitar coming in and a refrain by David Gilmour, who portrays the mother. This section is slightly louder than the first verses, but not by too much. The end of this section finally brings in the rest of the band, as the drums and piano come in full force, and Gilmour plays a slightly distorted guitar solo. This transfers back into another Waters sung verse that talks about how Pink consults his mother about everything, even about the women he likes, asking his mother for advice about a girl he is considering starting a relationship with. This verse is played in 4/4 which contrasts with the following chorus, sung again by Gilmour, which is played in 6/8. At the end of this, Roger sings the final line, "Mother, did it have to be so high?" which refers to the wall that he can't escape. The line ends the first side well, and in suspense as you wonder what will happen next.

The second side of the album opens up with the seventh track "Goodbye Blue Sky" which begins with the sounds of birds chirping, followed by the voice of Roger Water's son saying "Look mommy, there's an aeroplane up in the sky." This transfers into a dual acoustic guitar riff, with the guitar parts harmonizing themselves at points. This is light hearted sounding, but is followed by a short sinister synth section in a minor key, although it does transfer quickly back into the opening melody. The melody is played again with harmonizing voices singing "Ooh" over top, all done by Gilmour. This happy sounding riff is followed by a minor verse that talks more about how Pink's father died. This cycle of major riff and minor verse is repeated twice until the refrain of "Goodbye blue sky" is sung, followed by a repeat of the riff that fades out eventually.

The fade transfers into the following track "Empty Spaces" which is a shortened version of a track called "What Shall We Do Now?". The shortening of the track was done to better fit the album onto vinyl as the album was already exceeding time limits. The track opens up with various sound effects, such as the sound of marching, in a thumping beat. This all builds up with synth until Roger comes in with soft, but creepy vocals about the last remaining places to put bricks in his wall, which are taken up by his separation from his wife. The "What Shall We Do Now?" version of the track is much more dynamic, as it changes halfway through to the full band coming in and vocals in an almost chant like manner. This version is in the movie and was played live, but does not appear on the album. Instead of getting dynamic within the piece itself, the track ends with an extended line of Waters that doesn't complete until the beginning of the following track. This transition works, as the following track "Young Lust" is louder and faster than "Empty Spaces" just as the second half of "What Shall We Do Now?" is.

"Young Lust" is a bluesy rocker, with a simple riff similar to the sound of Led Zeppelin. The song features Gilmour on lead vocals, and Roger on backing vocals, which is different for this album. The song is one of the few on the album to feature a proper chorus, and the song generally fits within the verse-chorus technique of most songs, which, although it gets old with bands that only write songs that way, is a nice change up for the album which doesn't follow many molds itself. After the second chorus of the song, Gilmour plays a ripping solo that leads into a third repetition of the chorus which is followed by the main riff that leads out the song. The lyrics detail how, after being alienated from his wife, Pink cheats on his wife and, through a call over a pay phone, finds out that his wife is cheating on him. This adds to Pink's growing isolation from the world as his wall gets bigger and bigger. Over the end, we hear the dialogue of the call that goes on over the phone that leads into the next track.

The 10th track, "One of My Turns", is one of the most dynamic pieces on the album. The song opens with the dial tone from the previous track which crossfades with the synthesizer note while dialogue of the girl who Pink takes back to his place can be heard. The verse comes in after the talking, and Roger sings very softly and with much sorrow in his voice. All the while, Rick plays a pretty cool synthesizer riff on the piano. The whole verse stays soft until the very end which transfers into a very fast and loud verse of Pink finally bursting from all of his inner anger. The whole band joins in as the vocals get louder and more threatening. In the background are the sounds of furniture being thrown and things being smashed. This is followed by a short solo by Gilmour, that adds to the song greatly. The song resumes in this speed for two lines and is followed by Roger yelling "Why are you running away!?" in a self-pitying way.

The next track is "Don't Leave Me Now", which is rather scary and dark to say the least. There are essentially two parts to the track. The first is composed of Roger screaming his sarcastic vocals that complain of how he can't hold his own marriage together or even be with a groupie along with some dissonant piano parts and synth parts with heavy echo. This seems like a look into the dark mind of Roger Waters, and it is dark and frightening. The second part introduces the whole band with voices singing in melancholy "Ooh, babe" over and over again. After this section, we hear various television noises followed by a scream from Pink as he smashes the television and throws it out of the window. This leads into "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 3)" which is considerably faster than the other two parts. The main structure is the same, but the band plays with seemingly more aggression. This ends quickly with a loop of a synth pattern played over and over.

The last track on the first disc is "Goodbye Cruel World". This short song is played with just bass and has soft vocals from Roger. This represents his last words to the world before the last brick of the wall is placed. The song ends abruptly with Roger saying "Goodbye." This is a very simple end to disc one, but very interesting and suspenseful.

The next side of the album begins with the minor acoustic guitar notes of "Hey You". The track starts soft but changes to a much louder part gradually. The first verses is sung by Gilmour overtop of an acoustic guitar riff with Rick Wright's piano overtop. The second verse introduces the rest of the band and many harmonies that create a wonderful vocal part as they sing "Help me to carry the stone." This transfers suddenly into the classic riff from "Another Brick in the Wall" that is thematic through the album as Gilmour solos nicely over top. This section ends as Roger sings a short bridge part in a major key for a short while. This then transfers back into the main riff for another verse sung by Waters, and quite menacingly so. His voice sounds distraught, and really portrays how Pink is feeling frustrated and alone behind his wall. The song ends with the last line "Together we stand, divided we fall", with the word "fall" being echoed several times.

The following track opens up with a sound collage of television sounds and Roger saying, rather than singing, the line "Is there anybody out there?" several times. This whole section of the song is very creepy, again showing the dark mind of the protagonist and Roger himself. This section is followed by an acoustic piece, that is played by an unknown session man. This piece is played finger style, and sounds very classical and minor. This goes to the end of the song and transfers back into the sound of the television to go into the following track, "Nobody Home". This song is mostly piano based, with some orchestra coming in now and then. The lyrics are Pink's reflections on himself and his life, and the fact that there was no one to talk to except his possessions. This is actually based on how Roger felt on their last tour, isolated and alone. This song is definitely a shiner on this album, and there isn't any other on the album quite like it.

More television sounds lead into the next track, the short "Vera". This song is a mostly acoustic piece, with bass in the background and keyboards over top in places. Roger references singer Vera Lynn who wrote the song "We'll Meet Again" that the protagonist has a liking for as it is hope that he might just see his father who he never met. This leads with an orchestration note into a drum line into "Bring the Boys Back Home". This track is another short one, and is entirely an orchestra, resembling a marching band as Roger sings a lead vocal above a chorus of others. At the end, he sings the final line with a struggle, representing how distressed the lead character is. This all transfers into a sound collage ending with the line "Is there anybody out there?" again.

The next track, "Comfortably Numb", closes out side 3 of the album. The song begins with the bass taking the lead as Nick keeps up a standard 4/4 beat and Rick playing some haunting keyboard lines overtop. The verse is sung rather creepily by Roger, which is a complete difference to the nice sounding choruses which are sung by David Gilmour. The chorus brings in an acoustic guitar and orchestration overtop. The chorus is such a wonderful sound, bringing some relief from all of the dark and sad tones of the other songs on the record. After he sings with a harmony the final verse of the chorus, "I have become comfortably numb," Gilmour launches into his first solo on the song. This solo is in a major key and is short compared to the second one. The solo ends with the repeat of "I have become comfortably numb" and then transfers into the second verse, again sung hauntingly by Roger Waters. This verse is shorter than the first, and transfers rather quickly back into the chorus. This time, though, the chorus is followed by a solo in the minor key of the verses. This solo has been often ranked one of the best in classic rock history, and understandably so as it is truly an epic guitar solo. The solo is a constant onslaught of distorted guitar which is just amazing to hear. Gilmour shines very much on this track, which is a nice break from all of the dark Waters tracks. This song fades out at the end of the song, ending the third side of the album.

The last side of the album opens with the 20th track, "The Show Must Go On". This track starts with some stunning vocal harmonies like those of the Beach Boys. In fact, the Beach Boys were going to do the harmonies, but canceled right on the day of the recording session, so they hired Bruce Johnston to come help out with it. The song has chord changes similar to "In the Flesh" and "Mother", and also is reminiscent of something Queen might do. Gilmour sings the lead vocals on the vocals which are overtop an acoustic guitar along with the rest of the band. The song ends with another stunning harmony which is a cappella. As a side note, the song had an extra verse which was cut due to time limits, but was played live by the band.

This track ends with applause like that of a live show's crowd, which is simulated for the next couple of tracks in Pink's mind as he starts riots against minorities and others in the track "In the Flesh". This track is almost identical to the first track of the album, with the only differences being the lyrics, an extra round of the verse melody before the verse with wordless vocals singing overtop, and an extra verse after the first. This one is also more aggressive than the first one, with the drums coming in more during the verses. The second verse of this track resembles a political rally, with Pink telling his followers to throw out the "undesirables". Although this is a joke, this can be taken very seriously unfortunately, and there are people who still do this today, hate crimes against minorities. The song ends with the crowd chanting "Pink Floyd" over and over as Gilmour's delay ridden guitar comes in and plays the thematic D note associated with "Another Brick in the Wall" for the next song "Run Like Hell". The rest of the band then comes in as Gilmour plays some very melodic triads overtop of the band. This transfers into a round of people yelling "Run!" over and over. This gets even more uneasy as Roger comes in with his vocals, telling the crowds to run and raid the towns, and on another level, telling Pink to run away from himself. This sequence of the triad riff and then verse is repeated until a short synth solo comes in. This whole section was originally much longer, but had to be cut short for the album. The following section features Nick playing a groove on the drums as the guitar still plays the rhythm of the D note while the sounds of tires swerving and marching can be heard in the background. This whole section ends with a shriek like that of "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" by Roger. This leads the whole band back into the main riff for one last time.

The next song, "Waiting for the Worms" opens up with the words "Eins, zwei, drei, hammer!" which are the German words for "One, two, three" and then the word "hammer", which is another theme of the album and the movie. This leads into another vocal harmony, like that of "The Show Must Go On". This song is very dynamic, as the first verse is very soft and harmony laden, which changes dramatically as a heavy section with a voice yelling orders into a megaphone comes in. This heavy section features voices chanting "Waiting" in the background while the voice in the megaphone tells his followers his orders of how to discriminate against minorities. This whole song is very weird and disturbing, because it really does resemble a fascist dictator telling his people to do all sorts of crimes, even though it is not real. The song transfers several times from heavy to light, and the ending of the song reprises the theme of the album from "Another Brick" while the megaphone voice gets louder and louder, and the crowd chants louder and louder, until Pink finally shouts at the top of his lungs "Stop!" which is the segue into the next track, "Stop". This track is very short, only 30 seconds, and features just Roger's distraught vocals and a piano in the background.

The piano notes transfer right into the next track, "The Trial". This track is very odd, again reminding me of something Queen would do, like a rock opera. The track opens with orchestration doing all the music as a lawyer opens up a case to the judge, referred to as the Worm. Throughout the song, we here stories from various people involved in Pink's life, such as the school master, the cheating wife, and the mother. In between verses, we here Pink admitting that he must be going crazy. Most of the song is composed of Roger imitating all the people as an orchestra provides a "score" of sorts for the song. At the end though, the albums main theme comes in on electric guitar along with the rest of the band as the Worm sentences Pink to tear down his personal wall. The rest of the song is the guitar riff played over and over as the crowd chants "Tear down the wall!" which is followed by a loud crash, which leads into the final track "Outside the Wall". This final track is a very quiet and depressing end to the album. The only instrumentation is quiet recorders with a choir singing the words to the tune as Roger speaks the words over top. Roger's words are almost preachy, but leave you with a sense of "what really happened?" because it ends with only you knowing that the wall has been broken down. The words don't add to the story, but really just sum up the point of the album. What a strange way to end an epic album! The ending of the song features the beginning of the sentence which started the album, with the words "Isn't this where..." which, when put together with the opening of the first "In the Flesh?", makes the sentence "Isn't this where we came in?", giving the album a cyclical feel.

All in all, this album is wonderful and a great thing to listen to. Although the work is dark in places, you can tell that there was a lot of work put into this, and that this album really is a great work. I give this album a 10 out of 10.

A live version of "Comfortably Numb":

Pink Floyd- Animals

After releasing to hit albums, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) and Wish You Were Here (1975), Pink Floyd were on top of their game and on top of the world. But all of this fame and success had its downside, especially evident through main writer and bassist Roger Waters. Roger was uncomfortable with the sudden success of the band, feeling isolation from the crowds he played to, and isolation from his family, two themes that heavily influenced his lyrics writing. Even though he, and other members, felt this way, the band had to still release a new album to follow up their two hit albums.

In 1975, the band purchased a three story church hall at 35 Britannia Row in Islington to turn into a recording studio of their own. They wanted their own studio so they could write and record music at their leisure instead of on the time of separately owned recording studios. Once construction finished up at the beginning of 1976, Pink Floyd settled into the studio and began writing a new album. Roger Waters already had the concept in mind, which utilized two tracks from their sessions for Wish You Were Here, "Raving and Drooling" which was now "Sheep" and "You Gotta Be Crazy" which was now "Dogs". The idea, based somewhat off of George Orwell's classic Animal Farm, was portraying humans as animals, specifically three categories of animals: the Dogs, which are the egomaniacal businessmen who care only about their reputation, the Pigs, which are the wealthy and vicious top of the social ladder who manipulate others into evil ways of business, and Sheep, which are the common lower class who eventually rise up against the dogs. The album's concept is very dark, which reflects Roger's mind at the time.

After reworking "You Gotta Be Crazy" ("Dogs") and "Raving and Drooling" ("Sheep"), the band composed two new pieces. The first, "Pigs On the Wing", is a love song from Roger that is really the only glimmer of hope on the album. The song is a short acoustic piece that was split in half to make bookends for the album, with one at the beginning and one at the end. The other new piece was "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" which is the third track on the album. These all work together to create one concept and theme for the album.

Upon release, the album made it pretty high up the charts in the UK and US and other places, but critics did not review it well, thinking it was too dry and dark to be a pleasurable listen. I completely disagree with that viewpoint as I love the album very much, and I know how to play them all. The album has some great music and lyrics on it which, although much different than their previous two albums, is a very cool change of pace.

The album opens up with "Pigs On the Wings (Part 1)", a soft acoustic ballad sung and written by Roger. As with the previous two albums, Roger writes all the lyrics on the album. He portrays himself as  a dog in this song, which is interesting as a point of self criticism as he does not portray the dogs very nicely. On the original recording and the 8-track version of the album, the song is left put together with a guitar solo by future touring guitarist Snowy White. His solo doesn't make the final album, but can be heard on YouTube and other sites where the old recording of the song is available. The song ends with an acoustic strum, ending the song on a major note, which is rare on the album.

The next song, the epic 17 minute "Dogs", begins with a fade in of an acoustic guitar riff. The riff plays for a little with Dave Gilmour singing the first line on top before any other instruments come in. This track is notable for being the only song to feature any Dave Gilmour vocals, as Roger takes up the rest of the songs, and even the second half of this song. After the first verse is finished, Gilmour launches into an excellent solo that is short and sweet. The drums play a good rhythm section and after the second verse, the band slows into half time, with the synth taking the lead for a short while. The lyrics of the song are very dark, talking about how the dogs, who are representative of the big headed businessmen, conduct their business. "You've got to be trusted, by the people you lie to so that when they turn their back on you, you'll get the chance to put the knife in" Gilmour sings. Very dark indeed. In the slow half time section, Gilmour plays a slow and melodic solo, double tracking his guitar to create a call and response effect. This all eventually comes to a halt as Gilmour plays just a minor D chord a few times until the drums lead in the rest of the band. Gilmour plays another guitar solo, which is quite excellent. This whole song is flooded with excellent guitar work which is wonderful because the other tracks don't let Gilmour showcase his talent as much. At the end of the solo,  Gilmour sings a verse with the Rick Wright and Roger Waters playing a funky groove on keyboards and bass respectively. After the next verse ends with the line "Dragged down by the stone", we are launched into a four minute synth solo. The word "Stone" is repeated around 50 times over and over again until it fades off completely. Nick Mason keeps the beat quietly on a cymbal and echoey bass drum, similar to the heart beat sound iconic of "Speak to Me" from Dark Side. The keyboard solo gradually builds up with the sound of dogs barking in the background and the reoccurrence of the repeated "stone" line several times throughout. Mason does eventually come to a somewhat steady beat towards the end of the solo, but this cuts off when the solo ends and Dave Gilmour comes back in with the same guitar phrase from the beginning of the song. From this point on in the song, Roger takes over vocals, and he continues to do so for the rest of the album. The line, "I've gotta admit, that I'm a little bit confused. Sometimes it seems to me as if I'm just being used" reflects how the dogs are often taken advantage of by the pigs. Roger sure knows how to keep a listener intrigued with lyrics and story line, and the whole band keeps you interested with the music as well. The rest of the song is like a mirror of the first half of the song, with two distinct sections: the fast verses and then the half time slow verses. Eventually, though, this does come to a stop with a repeated chord sequence and a whole verse of lines starting with "Who was..." that eventually end again with "Who was dragged down by the stone", which ends the song. I can think of no better way to end this song. The ending is so dramatic and definitely brings closure to the side of the album. This song took a while to grow on me, but now it remains as one of my favorite Floyd tracks, as I notice the amazing guitar work on this track. There's nothing like this song on Wish You Were Here or Dark Side at all, which adds the distinct identity of the song. I often feel that this song itself would have made a great album in and of itself, if it was longer, and didn't have to conform to the storyline of the album within this version.

The next side opens with the 11 minute "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" which opens with a brilliant synthesizer line. The line repeats as bass plays lead up in the high range of the frets. The guitar comes in with a clean effect on and the drums play a fill that leads into the first verse. The whole song seems to showcase Roger's bass work prominently, which is odd for Floyd songs. The lyrics follow the stories and points of view of three different pigs, who represent the big wealthy people on the top of the social ladder. The song follows a basic chord sequence, but the choruses present one of the best parts of the song as the piano takes a prominent roll playing half steps after each line which makes a neat effect to the way the chorus sounds. After the first two verses, Gilmour plays a repeated line of Em to D which he solos over for a while, using a talk box to imitate the sound of a pig. The result is unique and different to say the least. This is one of the oddest parts on the track, creating its own atmosphere with the keyboards playing quietly in the background and gradually making their way back to the front for a reprise of the opening riff of the song. This leads into the final verse and chorus, pretty simple song. The song ends with a brilliant solo from Gilmour that goes full force with distortion replacing the talk box until the song fades out leaving us in suspense. The reason I like this song is not because of the complexity or anything like that, as it is a relatively simple song, but it is because of the emotion expressed not only in the lyrics, but the playing of each member. You can tell they all felt the same way because of how they play with aggression and fervor.

This transfers into the sound of sheep "baa-ing". Rick Wright finally gets a place here to do some jammy work on keyboards for the intro, reminding me of jazz, as Roger's single note bass line fades in, changing keys once in a while until, after a minute and a half, the come in. I have always loved the way the drums come in because it reminds me of them being sucked into a vortex or a vacuum or something like that. This all eventually goes into a fast pace verse sung maniacally by Roger. The chorus's vocals remind me of King Crimson's Adrian Belew. The guitar line after the chorus is short but brilliant, adding to the aggression. The song altogether seems very jammy, with the drums and bass keeping the rhythm section up diligently as the organ and guitar both take turns out front. The second chorus is followed by a section of slowed down, drum-less, bass and keyboard notes. The atmosphere here is very cool and odd, but is cut off short by drums and guitar coming in. The keyboards play a wonderful building up lead line, switching from major to minor several times and just as you think everyone is about to speed up again, the key and speed completely changes unexpectedly. THIS IS THE BEST PART OF THE ALBUM. It completely catches you by surprise and is awesomely executed. This whole section reprises the bass line that fades in at the beginning, but the keyboards are not as soft and jammy sounding, but rather dark and sinister. In the background, a recording of a parody of Psalm 23 can be heard, until the whole band comes back in for the final verse. The final verse resumes Roger's maniacal vocals and the fast pace. "Have you heard the news, the dogs are dead," he sings, talking about how in the end, the Sheep overtake the big headed dogs. After the chorus, the song goes out in a blaze of glory as the guitar plays a lead line of triads going down the neck, which is a great end to such a brilliant song, going on for about two minutes and gradually fading out. From the first time I heard this album, this song stuck out at me most because of the energy and the musicianship, and it still lasts as a favorite of mine. The band fades back out into the sound of sheep, which goes into the following track.

The last track is the second half of "Pigs On The Wing". It follows the same format of the first half, even the same exact length, but with a few differences in chords and different words. I personally think sheep would have ended the album better, but this ending is okay, just different because it is small and acoustic and lovey-dovey sounding, much different than the anger and aggression of the rest of the album.

This album is a great album, and I don't see too many problems with it. Roger singing most of the vocals fits well on this record, as his voice better suits the angry songs, and Gilmour's vocals are better suited for the softer and nicer tunes. I give the album 10 out of 10.

A live version of "Sheep":