THE WALL

I think to properly appreciate PINK FLOYD's discography, you must own "The Wall". It is most often the starting point for people getting into the FLOYD. Hell, it is a lot of people's first introduction to rock music in general. "The Wall" is PINK FLOYD 101.

This album echoes teenage angst and youth in general. There is so much that young people identify with on this album: alienation, loss, self-seclusion, aversion to authority, etc

It is also, all too frequently, the ONLY album by PINK FLOYD that people usually own (along with "Dark Side of the Moon"). And for that reason it has become somewhat of a cliche. FM Radio continues to this day to belch out heavy doses of 'Another Brick', 'Young Lust', 'Hey You', 'Run Like Hell' and especially 'Comfortably Numb'. Is this a bad thing? Unfortunately most music elitists feel it is. After all there is so much more to FLOYD's music than this commercially successful monster of a double album. I see things differently. I see "The Wall" as precisely what it should be: a bridge or a gateway to other (better) FLOYD music. And then hopefully, the newly converted will be moved to explore other greats in the progressive and classic rock realms.

As for the record itself, Waters appears to have had too much material for just a single album, but most definitely not enough for a double album! Sides 3/4 (or CD #2) are notoriously weak in places ('Bring The Boys' / 'Vera Lynn' for example). However to say that this album is 'musically weak' is farcical. Yes it does not have any any typical 'long' tracks. Although, one could say that "The Wall" is a single 80 minute long piece of conceptual music if one so wishes.

One of the Top 5 best selling records of all time. Essential.