THE WALL

I'll say it right off the bat: THE WALL is my all-time favorite album. I was first introduced to Pink Floyd at the impressionable young age of 5 through, of all things, THE WALL MOVIE :) ! The film version of this legendary album scared me s**tless, but it's music lured me. I didn't receive the album until I was 10 years-old, by which time I owned a couple of Rush CD's and the Floyd's DARK SIDE OF THE MOON. These days, I usually wouldn't go for the over-the-top production and music that dominates THE WALL, but back then I drilled the album into my skull and soaked it up like a sponge until I'd memorized all the lyrics and could air guitar David Gilmour's solos on nearly all of the songs--at least all the ones that had guitar solos. I believe it was THE WALL that brought me into the world of progressive rock (or, alternately, a combination of Pink Floyd and Rush's MOVING PICTURES). A critique of Roger Waters' lyrical and musical genius is unnecessary here, because we all know he's one of the greatest "tortured souls" in rock music and this was his greatest statement as an artist blah, blah, blah...The point I'm trying to get across is one that I feel is important as a progressive rock fan, and I point to Roger Waters and the rest of the Floyd as the musicians who truly made me the music aficionado I am today. GRADE: A+ (99%)