THE WALL

I bought this on double tape when it came out. Unfortunately, I was going through a strange and not altogether happy period in my life, and I found this album quite dark and cold. Eventually, I lent the tape to a friend, and never got it back. For Xmas 2004, however, I asked my sister to get me the remastered cd, and she did. It all came flooding back to me, and I can now appreciate it better than ever. This is Floyd at their most cold and cynical, yet also at their most effective. What this band have done with this, as they did with Dark Side, is manage to create unusual and disturbing images, whilst always retaining their superb ear for melody and dark humour. Like their other masterpiece, the tracks here flow seamlessly together, and the musicianship is of a very high standard. Yes, it is bleak, and the follow up, The Final Cut, was undeniably disappointing, but not this. This can be listened to as a series of good tunes, or, at a deeper level, as a crucial comment on modern life in the spotlight. Too many songs here to choose a favourite, though the obvious 'Comfortably Numb' springs to mind, as do 'Hey You', 'In The Flesh' and 'Waiting For The Worms'. Not a weak track here however. Is this their magnum opus? Hard to say. For me it is still a toss up between this, Dark Side and Meddle. I just enjoy all three. I suggest you do too!