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Rating: [Translated (and poorly, with Babelfish or Google) version of a review that appears on Amazon.com.]
If you enjoy Pink Floyd's work, you will love the album regardless of what you think the cinematic value of the music is. To me, Roger Waters' ability to express himself is outrageously clever. He is a genius. His English is masterful and the way he expresses what he feels is just mind-blowing. I'm sure every one of us has felt exactly the same as Waters/Pink at some point in our lives but could never successfully explain it. It is my opinion, therefore, that the lyrics are what make this music great.
The 1979 concept album "The Wall" by the band Pink Floyd about a rock star's mental breakdown is a towering monster. It is an album with so many audio, lyrical, and musical nooks and crannies that just one listen will not suffice. "The Wall" is not just an album to listen to; it is an album to be *explored*. It was inspired by Roger Waters' own mental breakdown at the end of Pink Floyd's tour for the "Animals" album. Due to the massive stadium tour for "Animals" and being sickened by seeing his own band, in his opinion, become part of the rock "circus," Waters was mentally and emotionally exhausted beyond comprehension. At the final gig in Montreal, the ravaged Waters finally snapped, spitting at a young fan sitting in the front row. Returning home to England to recover, Waters finally decided to exorcise his demons by crafting a conceptual piece about his repulsion with his life as a rock star and began to build "The Wall". . . . With the majority of the double album composed by Waters (with some co-writing contributions from guitarist David Gilmour & producer Bob Ezrin), "The Wall" tells the story of a rock star named Pink and his downward spiral into madness. His father was killed in the war when Pink was just a child ("Another Brick in the Wall Part 1"), he was smothered by his overbearing mother ("Mother") and subjected to abuse at school ("The Happiest Days of Our Lives"/"Another Brick in the Wall Part 2"), Pink turns into a case of mental breakdown almost from the get-go and begins to build an "emotional wall" around himself to shield him from further hurt. Yet, he somehow manages to grow up to become a famous rock star and even gets married. But too many shows, drugs, and groupies ("Young Lust") make Pink a burned-out case, separating him from his wife in more ways than one. While away on tour, Pink's wife falls in love with another man. Finally pushed over the edge by this, Pink destroys his hotel room and frightens away his groupie companion ("One of My Turns"). His descent into madness—and the construction of his wall—is now complete ("Don't Leave Me Now"/"Another Brick in the Wall Part 3"/"Goodbye Cruel World"). And that's only the first half of the album. . . . The second half of "The Wall" speaks to Pink's loneliness & isolation ("Hey You"/"Is There Anybody Out There"/"Nobody Home") and his wild hallucinations as he sits drugged up in his trashed hotel room, imagining the war that took his father's life ("Vera"/"Bring the Boys Back Home"). He is revived by a doctor just enough to make it to the next concert ("Comfortably Numb"), where he hallucinates himself as a dictator with overwhelming contempt for his audience ("In the Flesh"/"Run Like Hell"/"Waiting for the Worms"). But eventually, his conscience can't take it anymore ("Stop") and he has a gut-wrenching fight with himself, desperately trying to free himself from his despair and tear down the wall for good ("The Trial"). . . . Quite simply, "The Wall" is a rock masterwork and arguably Roger Waters' greatest success as a composer. However, to think of the album as "a Roger Waters production" would be quite mistaken. Though Waters is, indeed, the main architect of "The Wall," bravely wearing his heart on his sleeve with his powerful songwriting and tortured singing (not to mention playing a mean bass throughout), the album would still not be what it is without the excellent contributions of guitarist/vocalist David Gilmour, who also shines on tracks like the smash hit "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" (which features his most famous guitar solo ever recorded with the band), "Goodbye Blue Sky," "Young Lust," "Hey You," and "Comfortably Numb" (featuring yet another classic Gilmour guitar solo). Keyboardist Richard Wright and drummer Nick Mason, notably, are somewhat dwarfed on "The Wall" by the inclusion of various session players (that's Jeff Porcaro playing drums on "Mother," for example). Yet, Mason and Wright appear often enough and make their contributions count. The production on "The Wall" is also astounding—from the magnificent stereophonic mix of the tracks themselves, to the treasure trove of sound effects & voices (including fighter planes, helicopters, objects being smashed, singing school children, a switchboard operator, a TV set playing "Gomer Pyle," and more), "The Wall" is a listening *experience*. Thankfully, Roger Waters, having left Pink Floyd in 1983, is now living quite comfortably, no longer bothered by his rock star demons and continues to make great music on his own (he is also much more appreciative of his audiences now, thank goodness). For Waters, making "The Wall" was much-needed therapy. For Pink Floyd, "The Wall" turned into one of the band's greatest best-sellers, second only to "The Dark Side of the Moon." For the listener, "The Wall" is a spellbinding musical journey. Its music is at times beautiful, engaging, and undoubtedly powerful, and its story is absolutely captivating. "The Wall" is a timeless, undisputed classic by Pink Floyd.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 The Thin Ice (02:29)
Mama loves her baby,
And Daddy loves you too
And the sea may look warm to you babe
And the sky may look blue
Ooooh babe
Ooooh baby blue
Ooooh babe
If you should go skating
On the thin ice of modern life
Dragging behind you the silent reproach
Of a million tear stained eyes
Don't be surprised when a crack in the ice
Appears under your feet
You slip out of your depth and out of your mind
With your fear flowing out behind you
As you claw the thin ice
05 Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 (03:59)
The opening quote is from the 1933 light heavyweight boxing match between Max Baer and Max Schmeling
We don't need no education
We don’t need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave the kids alone
Hey! Teacher! Leave us kids alone!
All in all it's just another brick in the wall.
All in all you're just another brick in the wall.
We don't need no education
We don’t need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave the kids alone
Hey! Teacher! Leave us kids alone!
All in all it's just another brick in the wall.
All in all you're just another brick in the wall.
Spoken:
'Wrong, Do it again!
Wrong, Do it again!
If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding.
How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat?
You! Yes, you behind the bikesheds, stand still laddie!'
06 Mother (05:35)
Mother, do you think they'll drop the bomb?
Mother, do you think they'll like this song?
Mother, do you think they'll try to break my balls?
Ooh, Mother, should I build the wall?
Mother, should I run for president?
Mother, should I trust the government?
Mother, will they put me in the firing line?
Ooh, is it just a waste of time?
Hush now baby, baby, don't you cry
Mama's gonna make all of your nightmares come true
Mama's gonna put all of her fears into you
Mama's gonna keep you right here under her wing
She won't let you fly, but she might let you sing
Mama's gonna keep baby cozy and warm
Ooh, babe
Ooh, babe
Ooh, babe, of course Mama's gonna help build the wall
Mother, do you think she's good enough for me?
Mother, do you think she's dangerous to me?
Mother, will she tear your little boy apart?
Ooh, Mother, will she break my heart?
Hush now, baby, baby, don't you cry
Mama's gonna check out all your girlfriends for you
Mama won't let anyone dirty get through
Mama's gonna wait up until you get in
Mama will always find out where you've been
Mama's gonna keep baby healthy and clean
Ooh, babe
Ooh, babe
Ooh, babe, you'll always be baby to me
Mother, did it need to be so high?
08 Empty Spaces (02:09)
''{spoken backwards} Congratulations, You have just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to 'Old Pink', Care of the funny farm, Chalfont...
[interruption] Roger, Caroline's on the phone...''
What shall we use to fill the empty spaces
Where we used to talk
How shall I fill the final places
How should I complete the wall
09 Young Lust (03:30)
I am just a new boy,
Stranger in this town.
Where are all the good times?
Who's gonna show this stranger around?
Ooooh, I need a dirty woman.
Ooooh, I need a dirty girl.
Will some cold woman in this desert land
Make me feel like a real man?
Take this rock and roll refugee
Oooh, baby set me free.
Ooooh, I need a dirty woman.
Ooooh, I need a dirty girl.(X2)
''{spoken} [Phone rings..Clink of receiver being lifted]
Hello..?
Yes, a collect call for Mrs. Floyd from Mr. Floyd.
Will you accept the charges from United States?
[clunk! of phone being put down]
Oh, He hung up! That's your residence, right? I wonder why he hung up? Is there supposed to be someone else there besides your wife there to answer?
[Phone rings again...clunk of receiver being picked up]
Hello?
This is United States calling, are we reaching...
[interrupted by phone being put down]
See he keeps hanging up, and it's a man answering.
[whirr of connection being closed]''
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Other reviews
By charles
"This is not an album, but a true 'masterpiece'; that no one will ever remove this album from the foundations, the 'Bibles' of music history."
"'The Wall' is irremediably in each of us, and it always will be. After listening to it once, it will never leave us."
By bogusman
one of the most unbearable monstrosities in rock history
the final result is a dull and colorless hodgepodge of worn-out stadium hard rock, techno-instrumental appendages, second-hand disco music, classical-like wallpapers, and fake 30s cabaret
By AngeloLecce87
The Wall is Roger Waters' outpouring, developed between the loss of his father during World War II and the deterioration of his friend Syd Barrett.
The songs must be heard in the context of the album and not individually; small details like a baby's cry and warplanes make this album so touching.
By Francesco123
"Watching the film, it’s not just the eyes that are working, nor the ears: what is most affected is our imagination, our fantasy."
"What is The Wall really?... on one side, the surrender to what life offers us... on the other, the opportunity to give something to life... two things separated by a huge wall..."
By jimi
The Wall, for me, is the ultimate work I’ve ever heard capable of conveying emotions.
When you think that in this album, everything about solos has already been said, here comes Dave, who turns everything upside down, with superlative bends and accelerations that are terrifying.
