[Music Discovery] This week I 'ave been mostly listenin' to...
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Label: Harvest/Columbia
Genre: Progressive Rock
Pink Floyd, the British masters of experimental and progressive rock, are undeniably one of the great musical groups to have ever existed, in my mind at least, and I'm sure many of you will agree. I don't really remember my first introduction to Pink Floyd, but there's no doubt it was The Wall that really grabbed me. The Wall is a multimedia rock opera that spanned a movie, double album and live show, and explored many themes such as isolation and abandonment, symbolised by the titular wall.
The Wall tells the story of Pink, a jaded rock star character that Roger Waters modeled after both himself and the band's original leader Syd Barrett. Pink's troubled life begins with the loss of his father during the Second World War, and continues with abuse from school teachers, an overbearing and overprotective mother and his marriage breaking down and resulting in divorce. All of these life events culminate in his self-isolation and imprisonment behind the imposing symbolic wall.
The movie itself is just superb, with none-other than Bob Geldof playing the lead role of Pink, and featuring animated segments by political cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, who also designed a lot of the artwork for the album. The 2011 remastered Discovery Edition of The Wall is a must-have for any fans of this concept album, as it features two extra discs featuring early demos of the unfinished album, and is just great to listen to for a slightly different take on a few of the albums themes.
For your ironic pleasure, I present to you Donald Trump's The Wall which is the music of Pink Floyd set to video clips from Potus Trump's (cue fart noise in my head) life, and I have to say is a bizarrely captivating viewing experience.
I won't insult anyone by asking "Have you heard this one?", but what are your thoughts on this prog rock masterpiece? Do you prefer any of Pink Floyd's other albums? Let me know your thought and feelings down in the comments section, and if you're a fan of Pink Floyd, might I suggest King Crimson; another prog rock band who have an equally as impressive career spanning decades. As always, make sure to follow me for the latest Technology, Internet and Pop Culture updates, and if you're a fan of bizarre or interesting YouTube videos, you might want to follow me on Twitter too. Until next time, take it easy!
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Sources:
The Wall on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wall)
Donald Trump's The Wall on Vimeo (https://vimeo.com/194220676)
Album Cover from WikiMedia Commons, courtesy of Pink Floyd (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PinkFloydWallCoverOriginalNoText.jpg)
I fear I am a bit handicapped about Pink Floyd by that I mean I can't seem to enjoy it without visuals. I saw The Wall when it first came out but it wasn't really by choice. I was a pre-teen at the time and my older sister would take me and my friends to the mall (the nexus of everything) along with her boyfriend.
In order for her to have a legit date place where our parents would know where we were she would take us to this "cinema tavern" which showed cult classic films.
I'm not sure why we (being well under age) were let in to an R rated movie in a place that served beer and pizza... but that was back in the day when rules were lax about that. Of course the waitresses knew we weren't to be served so I guess that made it ok.
I saw The Wall many times along with Rocky Horror Picture Show and Heavy Metal, sometimes back to back, eating a lot of pizza and playing a lot of video games in the arcade located in the back of the cinema with friends.
As a kid this movie really effected me. I totally could not relate to the dark, dismal scenery nor the adult problems Pink experienced. I think the only relatable part was the school scene with "Another Brick in the Wall." The scene where he calls his wife and her lover answers then hangs up really was depressing. The war scenes... it was all a bit much for a tween.
In later years I grew to appreciate it as an adult but the visual imagery always plays in my mind if I hear a song. The two are one and the same. I hate to confess I'm not much of a fan of the Floyd's other work.
It's not that it's dark - I like that. It's the long drawn out notes that just have this sinking feeling that I feel like I will drown and gasp for air. It's a smothering feeling I can't quite take.
I think Floyd has influenced a lot of people for sure. I recall really noticing Ninja's shorts here a while back and just being fascinated at how Floyd still is important to people even after all this time. Say what you will about Die Antwoord they resurfaced a lot of cool things from the 80s.
My heart breaks for Bob Geldof and the loss of his children and ex-wife. What a tragic family. When I learned about Peaches, although I was not a big follower, I had gone down the rabbit hole of researching her mother and connection to Michael Hutchence, who I actually was a huge fan of and then it becomes even more tragic that circle.
To be honest, most people I've spoken to who are fans of Pink Floyd tend to only like certain albums, usually the Wall and Dark Side of the Moon. My dad for example hates the early psychedelic stuff, and I worked with a woman who couldn't stand anything post-Wall.
I have to admit, I'm a little bit jealous of you being able to catch it in the cinema! It all sounds so cool to me, as a pre-teen growing up in a rural town meant we didn't have anything even remotely resembling a mall.
Three excellent movies I have to say! Although maybe not everyone's idea of suitable viewing for minors, but I am just so jealous I didn't have those experiences. Watching The Wall, Rocky Horror and Heavy Metal while eating pizza and playing games... wow.
I think I was in my mid-teens the first time I saw the film, but it affected me too. The dark, dreary scenes are like a familiar pair of slippers for me. It really can be that bleak here at times, but I like it. I think most people particularly relate to the school scenes, it seems to transcend generations.
It is a very overwhelming undertaking though, there aren't many films or songs that stur an emotional response from me, but the Wall does. I can relate to some of the troubles of adult Pink, although with some mental gymnastics, but I think especially as a teen I saw it as a kind of warning. It's certainly not an upbeat movie!
You so perfectly summed up the feeling I get when listening to this album there, that sinking feeling that feels like it's enveloping you... especially with the song Comfortably Numb. It's giving me that feeling just thinking about it actually. Sometimes, only sometimes, I almost enjoy surrendering myself to those feelings. It's an odd sensation.
The impact that band has had on some people is immeasurable, I was lucky enough to have school friend who was a real Floyd superfan, he just knew everything. I don't think it's a stretch to say their music has probably saved lives.
I've never seen that photo! My respect for them rose slightly, although I don't know how I feel about them really. I think they're just a product of their culture. Good taste in shorts, thats for sure.
I know, no-one should have to go through that, losing a child must be one of the greatest pains a person can endure in this life. I don't know anything about their mother thinking about it, I might have to follow you down this rabbit hole. That reminds me, I have your post open that I've been meaning to leave a comment on, so I should probably go do that.
I understand the need to have visuals to go along with their music, and I'm sure you'll have heard this before, but did you know that Dark Side of the Moon seems to line up perfectly with The Wizard of Oz? Kinda surreal, you can find copies online where people have already merged them. I think it's called Dark Side of the Rainbow, or something like that. It's a very unique way to listen to an album really.
I will need to check out the Dark Side of the Rainbow sometime. I had heard of it and I think have seen parts but never watched it all the way through. I always get distracted, it's a bad flaw I have :/
Die Artwoord are pretty crude. The way he uses his shorts is very offensive and obscenely hypnotic lol
There are songs on The Wall that always make me cry, namely Wish You Were Here. That's the one song on the album I do not see the movie playing in my thoughts when I hear it. I just think of people I miss. It has a very cleansing effect after hearing it, like after a heavy rain with the damp earth smell and sun coming back through the clouds. That's weird to me it has that effect. Sometimes we just need to cry I guess.
I strongly recommend it, and it pairs nicely with a little herb believe it or not.
Wish You Were Here is off the album of the same name, along with Shine on you Crazy Diamond. There's some debate as to whether the song is dedicated to Syd Barrett, or self-directed at roger waters (I think). There's a photo I need to show you of Syd Barrett showing up for the recording of the album, and it's just heart-wrenching. I find Syd Barrett's story to be particularly sad. The story is here: http://ultimateclassicrock.com/syd-barrett-wish-you-were-here-sessions/
and here's a comparison shot of him in his early days, and at the recording studio while the band recorded the album. I can't listen to Shine on you Crazy Diamond without thinking of this photo.
Thank you for sharing that with me. Now I will think of him too when I hear that song. When I read this article I thought it sounded like something similar Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys) went through as well, and I read the wiki on Syd and the article mentioned that parallel. I'm just sorry that Syd wasn't able to recover.
I don't really know anything about Brian, although I did read a bit about Dennis, his brother, and his dealings with Charles Manson. I'll do a bit of wikipedia reading this evening, The Beach Boys is a band that I've been meaning to read more about. There's seems to be quite a few interesting stories around the band, and I was pleasantly surprised to read that they were early pioneers of the lofi aesthetic.
Syd's truly is a sad story, it really resonates with me for some reason and just gives the Pink Floyd music even more meaning for me. It makes me smile whenever I see a reference to him in pop culture, shine on you crazy diamond.
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Nice overview of the album. I discovered Pink Floyd in the early 80s at around the same time I discovered weed.
Coincidentally enough, I was only listening to The Wall last week. 'One of My Turns' always cheers me up :P
Thank you, it's probably my most listened to record of all time. Haha, yeah floyd and green do go hand in hand strangely...
It was my 30th last week, and my dad got me the new remastered copy of Vinyl, so I've been listening to it on repeat for days now.
That whole "hotel room" part of the album is like an emotional rollercoaster for me, but one that I keep going back to ride.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY (for last week)!
Wow, vinyl! Haven't seen one of those for years. I bet it looks and smells amazing!!!
Hahah, repeat. It's the only way to be fully at one with the work. Absorb, repeat, absorb. After all these years, it's still one of my fav albums. Dark Side of the Moon was brill too, mind, but The Wall is extra special.
Now then, it's time for me to get comfortably numb or something. Oh no, cook tea, that's it. Numb later.
Have a great day :D
Thank you so much! haha yeah, when I spoke to my dad he said it was an odd sensation, he probably hadn't bought an LP since before I was born.
Absolutely! Rinse, wash and repeat haha.
You too!
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