Pink Floyd
The Wall

THE REVIEW

Well... we're talking about a milestone of rock music here. I wrote this review not because it was needed (zuckina already did amazing reviews on the Floyd), but because, as an absolute fan of the Floyd, I wanted to respond to certain inappropriate criticisms towards the group that set sales records and the album that is considered one of the greatest in rock history; not to mention the offenses against David Gilmour, one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
The Wall, for me, is the ultimate work I've ever heard capable of conveying emotions. One listens to this beautiful album and, if they understand the lyrics and let themselves be carried away by its music, they start to cry. It's impossible not to. I believe each of us can identify with Pink, the protagonist of this work, in his crises and moods. It's an ever-relevant album, which today, as in '79, you can compare to society. Anyway, enough with the general talk, let's review the album song by song.

DISC 1: This disc expresses the development and growth of Pink's madness; moments of tranquility and suggestive beauty alternate with dark and oppressive moments; the melodies sometimes seem dissonant but are part of a design that will only be understood at the end of the listening, and they want to convey what Pink is like...“In the Flash?”... everything starts here, it's the starting point of this stunning album, which immediately lets you hear one of the melodies that will repeat throughout the album, but now appears in one way, will take on another aspect later, and will convey more and more emotions... already from the end of the song you can understand how Waters wants to outline the character and confused mental state of Pink... as if he wants to indicate a diversity... “The Thin Ice”... well, here the atmosphere becomes stranger, and by translating the lyrics you begin to see in what particular situation Pink and his family are... the obsession to show the son that he loves him, this blind attachment, and already the mother and the son want to estrange themselves from the world... they are skating on thin ice... “Another Brick In the Wall Part I”... A simple but beautiful melody... already here the wall is building for Pink... the bricks start to pile up under Gilmour's psychedelic and dreamy guitar, which with its repetitive melodies and monstrous bends starts to make the work richer in meaning... the continuous background screams put you into Pink's dark and alienated mindset... “The Happiest Days Of Our Lives”... a transition song between the first two parts of “Another Brick In The Wall”, which follows the previous theme, begins to accuse society and the unwillingness to think about others, about indifference, and states that if a man is afflicted by evils, he will only be able to cause other evils to vent himself... again the music puts you more and more into Pink's mood, who is falling into a vortex from which he cannot escape... the music is at the same time focused on a motif that varies and differs in meaning... grand finale for... “Another Brick in the Wall part II”... the rebellion and accusation of Pink against his surroundings... compared to part one, this song is much more rhythmic, suggestive, and "mean"... Gilmour's rhythmic guitar is superb... the drums, in its simplicity, convey the automatism that will subjugate Pink. In the end, a stellar guitar solo, where Gilmour doesn't hold back in bending two and a half tones as if it were nothing, followed by accelerations executed with impressive nonchalance. From this simple melody, Gilmour has created an exemplary solo. His guitar seems to play itself, following a sound and a linear path that seems etched in marble. “Mother”... a song that "elevates" the character of the album's musicality... it is a sweet, sensitive song, wanting to convey how Pink is insecure and fearful in the face of society and life... "Hush now baby, don't you cry..." hush now little one, don't cry, says the mother to him... and at one point, like a bolt from the blue, Gilmour's guitar breaks in with a solo that seems to reassure little Pink... “ Goodbye Blue Sky”... A truly poignant song. It seems to evoke things we have forgotten, beauties of a distant time we no longer want to see. And so goodbye, blue sky. You are too beautiful to be noticed. “Empty Spaces”... Suddenly the much sung-about sky closes up and transforms into a layer of clouds overshadowing everything... with those few notes and that repetitive percussion trying to crush everything, to suffocate everything... and only empty spaces will remain... to fill the gaps in the wall. “Young Lust” ...A need of Pink's, who is now alone. He tries to stifle his crisis with his "young lust" ... the guitar is also piercing in this song, as if it too wants to emphasize the urgent need... it seems it is furious... . That it is crazy. And when the affected solo starts, it expresses all of Pink's anxiety and agitation. “One of my turns” ...One of Pink's crises, which begins to express his madness with strange calm... until at one point it intensifies, and the crisis starts, the abyss... from Pink's screams, it seems he has already gone beyond the point of no return, that his madness is already incurable... the wall is too thick. “Don’t Leave Me Now”... Few words... don't leave me... This song conveys absolute sadness, a despair without limits. “Another Brick in the Wall Part III”... and these are the last bricks in the wall... this time the song is much more affected, and the voice seems more mature, less harsh, and piercing. And the end of the first disc could only be the culmination of the crisis... Goodbye cruel world

DISC 2: This disc, more “colorful than the previous one,” is richer in my opinion. The composition of music is more varied and slowly approaches reason and the destruction of the wall... “Hey You”... This very melodic and sad song... Pink calls someone to help him break down the wall... “can you feel me?” his is a desperate plea... he understands that he can't make it alone... the sound still follows that of the first disc, but it is richer and more colorful. In my opinion, a beautiful song... Noteworthy is the switch from the chorus to the solo, which expresses all of Pink's solitude. It's impressive to see how Gilmour's guitar can express these sensations so many times... It's as if every time old Dave pulls magic out of a hat. “Is there anybody there?”... Is there anyone out there... again in this song, Pink throws his desperate plea for help... the arpeggio is poignant, beautiful, and the idea to couple it with violins in the end is perfect. “Nobody Home", "Vera" and "Bring the Boys at Home” ...These three songs each follow their motif and seem to be connected. These songs are very melodic and pleasant to listen to; it almost seems they are a pause in the crazy thing Pink is doing, a pause to make the listener cry, to the notes of the piano in “Nobody Home”. A pause to relax and prepare for something sensational, something like... “Comfortably Numb” ...This song is anything but pleasantly numb; I tell you, it's my favorite, the one I consider to be the best on the album... the voice, the effects, the guitar, the melodies blend and give a result that is one of the most beautiful rock songs ever... the sudden voice change from Waters to Gilmour gives a very particular result... and then there is the first solo. Something exceptional, a stairway to heaven. While listening to the solo notes (and I'm listening to them now while writing), you lift off the ground... then you start again with the verse, with its effects, its music, perfectly in tune... and then the point that gives me a load of emotions, that truly makes me cry, that reminds me of all the beauty I've experienced, that gives me an indescribable feeling... The second guitar solo. It is performed in an exemplary manner... 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, a superb rhythm, an impressive execution cleanliness, a perfect touch... And accents that, once heard, cannot be forgotten. Goodness me, I'm hearing it now, how beautiful it is... “The Show Must Go On”... After magic like “Comfortably Numb” the show must go on... we cannot leave Pink's story incomplete... “In The Flash”... The usual melody, recovered from the first disc... which now, however, gives you something else, the emotions are not over... Pink is unwell... and we risk being smashed on the wall... “Run Like Hell” ...Once again a song by Gilmour's house... always with his bottomless, limitless guitar. Run Pink, run like crazy to the notes of David Gilmour. “Waiting for the worms, stop and the trial” ...In these songs, Pink is put against the wall, he rethinks everything that's happened to him, and in the end, at the trial, he is accused, defamed, and the only one willing to welcome him is his mother. But in the end, the judge will decree the penalty for all his actions...“ SEND HIM BACK AMONG HIS PEERS... TEAR DOWN THE WALL!” And now he is “outside the wall” ...outside the wall... and the story of poor Pink is forgotten... and now what do you do? I press open on the CD player of the stereo in my room, put disc 1, press close and then play... then I take the booklet of the lyrics and the sheet with translations taken from the internet and throw myself on the bed to dream.