ANIMALS

Animals is my more preferred Pink Floyd album, though in addition The Dark Side Of The Moon and to a certain degree Wish You Were Here excel Animals in consistency, recognizable conceptualization and overall musical substance and content. Animals isn't mastered to nor beyond Pink Floyd's previous classics, but is of more provocative context and has an additional appealing quality to it than it's predecessors. The epic duration of the album's prospering anthem, the seventeen minute musical excursion realized with Gilmour's and Water's prophetic lyrics, 'Dogs' is Pink Floyd's emblematic symbol of their enduring methods; The song is the intact definition of what Pink Floyd inevitably is. Nick Mason's intense percussion utilizes his abilities perfectly, across the majority of the song's extensive length but doesn't surpass the changing tempos or become disruptive. His drumming patterns contrast upon the spiraling synthesizers perfectly, which although from the 70's don't seem dated to the time of it's particular release, unlike the bulk of mid to late 70's Progressive Rock bands.

'Dogs' travels throughout many different styles before closing on a series of piano chords and heavy bass drums. At the closing seconds, Gilmour's lyrics although severly angst and corruptive at times stand out and the line...

"At heart, everyone's a killer"

... is the most effective at keeping a bond between the effective instrumentals as well, and the closing vocals from Waters close the composition with polished refinement. The barking dogs only add to the atmosphere whilst Gilmour is on fire.

"You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to, So that when they turn their backs on you, You'll get the chance to put the knife in."

'Dogs' one of Pink Floyd's all time greatest songs. 'Sheep' is yet another lengthy arrangement on Animals, and one of the album's more concept orientated songs. It depicts the Animals concept perfectly; The bliss, harmonized singing birds amongst the sheep of the plush meadow, only to be stalked on by a demonic Wolf upon the hills, and this attack is evident in the music itself. As the percussion attacks the listener the fields becomes uneasy, representing the Wolf's approach upon it's prey; The sheep. In turn, the concept is of course about corporate take over, back stabbing and the other subjects that come with the concept. On second thought Animals' concept is more evident than what people say it is. On Animals there are three separate versions, two both standing as the introduction and outro of Animals running for one minute and twenty five seconds, the other been a more complex version based on the other two but longer, running for a twelve minutes. Animals may not be Pink Floyd's best work unlike their enduring epics The Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here and in some cases Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, but personally it's their most intriuging opus and one that's easily one of Pink Floyd's more essential releases. 4 stars.