ANIMALS

Pink Floyd one step before The Wall. And what it means? the musical sense of the band was intact but the anger and obsessions of Roger Waters was boiling around. Very impressive music, clever lyrics and a powerful concept. ONE OF THE BEST PINK FLOYD ALBUMS EVER

I find myself listening to this remarkable disc quite a lot lately, despite the fact that when it was first released I found it to be rather bleak (of course, things would only get more depressing as Roger Waters took the helm for mega-hit "The Wall," and the suicide-inducing "The Final Cut"). Now, however, I find the album's message that the world is largely composed of mindless "Sheep" who are preyed upon by "Pigs" (politicians, priests, and the "giants of industry,") as well as "Dogs" (generals?) to ring timely and true.

Lyrical content aside, I especially enjoy the delightful little ditty that is "Pigs on the Wing" (both parts), and I am blown away by the awesome power of the guitar on my favourite track, "Sheep," where Gilmore makes his six-string swoop down like an attacking jet-fighter.

This is definitely one of the best Floyd albums! Put on "Sheep," CRANK IT UP, and see if you don't agree!

Uh oh! This is the second time that Peter Rideout and I agree completely! The concept of this album is as timely now - if not moreso - than it was in 1977. The separation of society into "Pigs" (corporate fat-cats and politicians who "control" everything), "Dogs" (money-obsessed financial types and mid-level managers who do the Pigs' biddings), and "Sheep" (the populace (blue-collar, white-collar, labor) that simply "goes along" with all of it, rarely showing the courage to attempt to change the system) is almost beyond brilliant. And the lyrics reflect that brilliance. But, as Peter notes, it is the music that gives this album its "edge." Gilmour's best work (with the possible exception of The Wall), and Wright's and Mason's best work, all ably "orchestrated" by Waters into a flawless whole. Noe of the most "beautiful" works in prog-rock.

I've always LIKED Animals, but never Enjoyed it until the last year or two. I found it depressing, yet deeply spiritual at the same time. The best track is Sheep, with its haunting middle piece. A worthy effort of the Pink ones, and I would say to give it a go. A very good album.

Animals is a good album, and the lirics within it are very interesting, as interesting, "straight forward" and generic as a newspaper. Has anybody really heard this album, really heard it while analysing it?, or does everyone just enjoy it throughout ?. why don´t you give it a try and listen to dogs?, listen to the first 8 minutes. Although i think that particular piece of music is the best they ever did musically, i think it was ruined by the rest of the song. The middle section is boring after the first minute and when it goes back to the real playing, THE MUSIC AND ARRANGEMENT IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE FIRST 8 MINUTES ¡ ¡¡¡, not the lirics though, but just tell me, IS THAT THE CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION THEY ARE SO WELL KNOWN FOR ????. Also, check out sheep and pigs, those are just the same pitifull case. That´s the same element used on POP music; A begining, a development, a churus, a middle, a chorus and the end. and some people say this is the most progressive Pink Floyd album. Oh man ¡.

Unhuman Animals Or Abnormally Human ??

If Dark Side and Wish You were both concept albums (or at least were more or less built as), Animals was not, at least in the first stages. As with a few of their album's material, Floyd often, previewed the up-coming "songs" on stage, to see if they worked well, but in the case of two of Animals' five tracks (but representing almost 2/3 of the album's length), Dogs and Sheep existed for quite a while (I think sice 74) and were thought originally to be part of WYWH, but were then left aside for a latter use. Indeed Raving And Drooling (future Sheep) and You Gotta Be Crazy (future Dogs) attack subjects already touched in WYWH, although from a different angle: manipulation and exploitation of blind followers (Sheep), familiar to Machine and Cigar, no? So Floyd (well mostly Waters) turned these two tracks into a new concept based on Orwell's Animal Farm and this in turn evolved into one of the most stunning album gatefold artwork ever with the rundown Battersea Power Station and the infanous flying pig (taking a unplanned ride over London's skies, provoking chaos with airplane corridors) and again designing the own specific disc centre labels. Roger wrote Pigs and the small book-ending intro and outro Pigs On The Wing accordingly to the album's newly found direction.

Past the forgettable Pigs On The Wing intro, where Waters strips the acoustic guitar from Gilmour, this album can be seen as the first step to the Watersization of Floyd's musical direction, but it still quite a group effort. If Water's lyrics had become one of Floyd's major strength since Meddle, here they climb another step in importance in their music, since not only very meaningful and thoughtful (debatable from the auditor's own political stance), but also in the quantity. Never have Floyd tracks been so wordy before, ever since the Syd days. Indeed Water's almost extreme-leftist stance on this album, when these guys were seen as multimillionaires (not really the case since they had built their private Britannia Row studios and made bad investments) might even shock and the critics had a field day describing them as either simplistic or demagogic and opportunistic (Waters takes a few swipe at the horrible "old hag" Maggie, then leader of the conservateur opposition and moral order defender Mary Whitehouse), but in the face of the "rock'n roll spirit" guardians of the faith/dogma establishment, this was another no-no, after the long tracks.

The almost sidelong epic of Dogs is definitely the album's centrepiece and yet another proof of how Gilmour and Waters where the Lennon-McCartney of the 70's, pulling a stunning collaboration, where Wright's superb keyboard arrangements is the icing on the cake - returning to his Farsifa organ and Rhodes rather than the synth of the previous two albums. Gilmour's guitar shines all the way through the album, but Water's lyrics (all sung by him on this album) are extremely "on the dot" (he considers himself part of that caste), thus making Dogs the most popular track on this album. Pigs is really bitter and angry, but (to me appears) to be written quickly, even if the middle sections (with the pig grunts and outstanding Gimourian guitar effects) is an excellent diversion from the weaker verse-chorus parts. Then comes my personal fave Sheep, a drama-filled pro-Marxist and anti-clergy ditty. One's got to love the mass' slowly deteriorating litany into revolt, before the track breaks out in the open and full freedom. Sonically speaking, The Wall's Run Like Hell is also very reminiscent of Animals' general soundscapes. Little surprise that after such bleak picture painted, Roger book-ended the three tracks with a glimmer of hope Pigs On The Wing ditty. The often-superb instrumental passages provide a much-needed breath of fresh air to lighten the heavy and weighty lyrical content

This semi commercial failure (everything being relative on that Floyd scale) of Animals is probably due to exterior factors: the punk outburst and prog decadence (the long tracks in the eyes of a new generation), the dark sombre (almost depressive) feel, the political message (and sort of punkier than punk), but past the Tatcher/Whithouse jabs, isn't this album's lyrical content ever more to date than today??? Animals is also often seen by fans as the moment where Waters' future take-over of Floyd took roots, although that might seem unfair as well when we know that both Gilmour and Wright will release (very) good solo albums the following year, their stuff simply not fitting the Animals mould. Another "bad" point often cited by detractors is that the album is almost entirely sung by Waters, and one doesn't hear much the voice of Gilmour (just on Dogs' first part) and Wright not at all. Unfortunately if this album is often overlooked by fans and the general public, but also by the group itself, as past its promotional tour, none of its "songs" will be ever played by the group (even stranger when you know two of its tracks were regular part of their show prior to the album's release), even if the flying pig will still be used for the shows. The most difficult of their classic albums, Animals remains one of my fave albums of the second half of the 70's.

this is my favorite one of the Floyd's collection. Great concept album and I've got the feeling that it's the first Pink Floyd album which is really precise. Everything is on the right place. Sound is also great but it's obvious. Magic of this LP is something that drives me bringing joy anytime I listen to it. Brilliant.

"Animals" has always been my favorite of all the FLOYD classics and for all the right reasons. This recording is all about simplicity from the philosophical concept to the song structures. The lyrics and the songs work on 2 different levels very effectively. I love the feel to this recording and think that FLOYD were at their most creative in 1977. The intro and closing sections are brilliant and pull the whole piece together with a simple little acoustic guitar ditty. The keyboard work of Rick Wright is quite brilliant here and I love the journey everytime.

Perhaps their best album, regarding of their experimental period, and one of the most underrated ones as well. It's not a typical "classic prog" number, but its attitude is always "progressive", as well as the barking dogs inside. The unique defect is represented by the tepid lyrics, which sometimes are not inspiring... but the rest is a "FLOYDian trademark".

Addendum as for a specific clarification (10-08-19): I woud like to explain the term "tepid" I used above, talking about the lyrics, during my first review...first of all it seems that P.F were not so original in choosing an important reference such as "G. Orwell", but nevermind, as They had chosen Tolkien as well inside another album, by mentioning him in a intelligent manner...instead here the choice- sometimes- is an hybrid between Orwell's Animal Farm from one side (Sorry in Italy the title is "La Fattoria degli animali", but I don't remember the original title in English), a simbolical act of rebellion against the political oppression of the governments and something different in the other side, which instead might have not any political indication; but at the end certainly They are completely into the first side in my opinion (perhaps I've committed a mistake, but it's my opinion only..). I wonder if the P.F. lyrics are looking forward a New Age here or- as I really think about this question- in this case it's not a natural effort. It seems all well organized and not so natural in the same time, but probably I'm wrong. So I used the term "tepid" in the sense of quite cold mood, not an enthusiastic and convincing choice as well, regarding a true natural rebellion of the band against the so called "matrix". To me, it rather seems a calculation, in order to earn consent among the normal listeners (those ones not completely into the prog music, I mean) and let them buy this classic ever green (instead the die-hard fan of the band- often by accepting every kind of lyrics coming from P.F.- is able to buy everything regarding them!! ...).

I hope it's enough to clarify my point of view, cause another reviewer asked me an explanation a couple of months ago, as this "Animals" is one of the most important albums ever by P.F.!!

Animals is the most guitar oriented album by Pink Floyd: David Gilmour abundantly uses acoustic and electric guitars. Animals is also a "David Gilmour" album, less a "Roger Waters" one, because it sounds a bit like his first solo album, made during the same time. Rick Wright's keyboards are sometimes subtly floating highly in the background; he often uses an ambient organ, some excellent Fender Rhodes parts, and spacy & experimental moog sounds. The bass is put on evidence here, being loud, present and quite bottom. The drums are varied and not continuous; they are often asynchronous. Roger Waters and David Gilmour share the lead vocals. On each track, there are the corresponding animal sounds produced. Animals is a visceral & underground album, less "superproduced" compared to the 2 previous albums: it brings you ineffable fascinating feelings, slightly marginal.

On "Dogs", some of the barking dogs are electronically reproduced. During the stagnant floating part of "Dogs", there is a repetitive sound sounding similar to the Violet District's "Terminal Breath" track. The floating keyboards are very intense and remind me the Gandalf of the 70's or the 2 first Taï Phong's albums. Gilmour brilliantly mixes acoustic and electric guitars together.

On "Pigs", the keyboards of the intro has probably inspired Mike Rutherford for the making of the "Smallcreep's Day" album. "Pigs" is more rhythmic with aggressive guitars and less keyboards.

"Sheep" starts with a delightful Fender Rhodes part, then Roger Waters sings while Gilmour plays a razor and incisive rhythmic guitar; after that, floating keyboards embark; then, 5 minutes after the beginning, one of the best dynamic & floating keyboards ambience made by Wright occurs: it just lasts couples of seconds, but is is AWESOME: just turn up the volume! The music then continues with electronically modified voices similar to the ones in the intro of the Tangerine dream's "Bent cold sidewalk" track; the track ends with EXTREMELY incisive electric guitar riffs, which make the King Crimson's "Sailor's Tale" riffs sound sissy!

The 2 acoustic "Pigs on the wing" tracks are very similar to the "Wish you were here" track, which can easily be played with an acoustic guitar in front of a fireplace.

Rating: 4.5 stars

More than an irrational, revealing album, "Animals" bring us all together to the misanthropic reality of what is it to be part of the humankind altogether. Strong uncomfortable lyrics, innuendos everywhere, sardonic composures and the majestic wit of Roger WATERS to explain the context of this abstract album in few words, "Animals" is all that. "Dogs" and "Sheep" explain themselves directly throughout finger pointing and devouring hints to the world apart ours. It's also liable to incur in several misunderstandings at the time we're listening to this record, because the social message is pretty clear: Man is responsible for man's actions. Take your time to discover this subliminal yet ironic message while you kick back taking critics from yourself. Enjoy. React. Rediscover.

Relaxing down on the farm

A bit disappointing this one.

Certainly "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish you were here" were always going to be tough to follow, but with Roger Waters becoming more and more the dominant influence, the message was starting to become more important than the music. Don't get me wrong, "Animals" is not a bad album, but there does at times appear to be a lack of inspiration.

If we gloss over the two brief "Pigs on the wing" bookends, the album consists of three lengthy tracks. "Dogs" occupies the whole of side 1 of the LP. It has all the right ingredients to make a fine prog piece but had it been half the length, it could have been twice as good. The track lacks the strong melodies which featured on previous albums, and rather sags during the middle section which appears to contain a certain amount of padding.

On "Pigs" the politics takes centre stage, making for a rather tedious track structured a bit like "Money", but without the catchy hook. The three long verses are once again filled out with pretty prosaic instrumentation, devoid of any real musical depth.

"Sheep" is the best track, with the band finally getting to let their hair down and having some fun. This track has more positive diversity than the other two added together, with strong melodies and an uplifting final section.

I readily acknowledge that the forgoing is a bit harsher than is perhaps justified. Pink Floyd had with their albums up to this point set themselves ever increasing standards to be matched or exceeded on subsequent albums. It was inevitable that at some stage, they would hit the wall (no pun intended) and release an album which, by their own high standards, was a sideways or even backwards step.

It's difficult to put my finger on exactly what I feel is lacking here. It appears to me the album was just too easy to make. It largely recycles the ideas which had been used to great effect on preceding albums, including not only the two immediate predecessors, but also "Meddle" and "Atom Heart mother" without any great effort to develop those ideas or explore new avenues.

"Animals" sold in droves, arguably on the back of the bands previous works, but with this album, the writing was starting to appear on the wall that the inspiration was running dry.

Sullen even by their standards, "Animals" is a dark, brooding, intractable slab of an album. Using GEORGE ORWELL's "Animal Farm" as a launching point, ROGER WATERS attacks complacency toward the status quo as a breeding ground for submission. The songs are diatribes against humanity, bookended by a pair of acoustic interludes that feign sweetness. Obviously, not everyone is enamored of Waters' long, nasty lecture against life; some found the numbing sameness a concession to waning creativity, others a relentless dressing-down at once mesmerizing and powerful. (For the record, I fall into column B.) If "Animals" finds itself shy of an arkful of musical ideas, guitarist DAVID GILMOUR steps in to fill the void with his poignant commentary. His leads are easily the album's most distinctive musical element, biting where the remaining instruments feel muted. In structure, it's not so different from "Wish You Were Here", but in sound the arrangements are stripped down to the lean muscle. "Animals" doesn't make any pretense of a positive spin; "Wish You Were Here" offered the chance of escape, "Animals" the option of ignorance. Unlike "The Final Cut", which was equally bleak, "Animals" is considered "classic" PINK FLOYD.

Those listeners in a meditative mood will find in this music a self-sustaining world where the air is not only breathable but pleasurable, albeit acrid. It's a heavy trip, but it's also intense in the best possible sense.

To me, I think "The Wall" is grossly overrated, but I think their previous album, "Animals" is much better. At this point, PINK FLOYD was obviously a household name. FM radio regularly played their stuff. They no longer had problems filling stadiums and arenas. For a followup to "Wish You Were Here", they had the balls to create no songs short enough to fit on the radio (except for the opening and closing acoustic pieces, "Pigs on the Wing" Part 1 and 2). While it's well known that when Waters started tightening the grip on the band, he started writing lyrics with basically an "I hate the world" theme (like on "The Wall"). Here he went for more a political bent, loosely basing the lyrics on George Orwell's Animal Farm, and being very highly critical of the political hierarcy, by giving certain groups of people names of "pigs" (greedy types), "dogs" (manipulative types), and "sheep" (mindless followers) in which the "sheep" eventually attack the "dogs" and "pigs".

Although some might like to think of this as their "punk rock" album, since it was 1977 and punk was the "new thing" in '77, to me, it's their last truly progressive album. For example, is "Dogs", at over 17 minutes long, you got yourself a lengthy, extended, adventurous number. I especially like the use of string synths and the sounds of dogs barking through a vocoder. "Sheep" has always been another favorite of mine. Many of the passages are quite reminescent of "Wish You Were Here", especially the synth solos. There's also a passage with the bass, synthesizers and some spoken vocoder dialog. "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" is also similar, but what's interesting is if you owned the cassette, they split the song in two, and it concludes on side two. The LP, on the other hand, has the song start on side two and no interruptions. Truly a great album, but my interest in PINK FLOYD stops here (as I hadn't been all that big on "The Wall", despite the immense popularity it has, not to mention being a fan favorite among many).

When I was very young, around five years old, PINK FLOYD's "Animals" was released. They tell me I would get the screaming terrors whenever one of my older siblings would play this album; I like to think that the subconscious impression it made on me forms much of the basis for my musical tastes. I grew to appreciate music that was unsettling and mysterious, and re-discovered PF about ten years later (a child's lifetime!). For a while, I cherished every album the band had released (except "Piper", which was too Brit-Psychedelic for me, and "Momentary Lapse" which- besides the fact that I didn't like it-came out just as I was losing my interest in Prog rock). I remember listening to "Animals" and being swept away into a dark and dangerous world, much more full of menace than the impersonal alienation of "Shine" and the ultra-personal self-imposed exile of "The Wall". In fact, this album gave me the creeps in the same dazed, out-of- focus way that parts of Ummagumma gave me, and I loved it. Flash forward to my late 20's, early 30's; I hadn't listened to PF or much Prog at all for at least a decade and I was nostalgic, so I picked up a used cassette of "Animals" and listened to it on my way home from work one day. I knew what to expect, and hoped some of the old lovely creepiness would touch me again. What I didn't expect was that this time around, I now had enough experience with the world to actually understand what was being sung...and it didn't just creep me out, it scared me s**tless. I started to empathize with "Dogs" instead of sharing the usual detached criticism. I had fallen into the office grind, 9 to 5 world and suddenly it was possible that I could turn into "just another sad old man, all alone and dying of cancer." The entire album seemed to perfectly portray the world around me, in all it's depressing and dehumanizing shades of grey and black. I'm usually a fairly even, rational person and I actually couldn't bring myself to listen to the album again for quite a while...and so I have to say that due to the varied, far- reaching and powerful emotional impact this album has had on me at three different times in my life, I regard it as the best PF album and one of the major musical influences on my life.

1977. Pink Floyd has succed with their masterpiece Dark side of the moon and their amazing wish you were here. Animals, stands as one of the most powerfull and creative albums in the history of prog rock. this album is progressive rock at its best, and the songs Dogs, Pigs, and Ship, are the prove that Pink Floyd is a band able to put complex, dark, hard, melodic musec in an album. very social concept album, and a must have in any prog colletion. a combination of King Crimsons Red, Yes - RELAYER- ELP- BSS, AND Pink Floyd ANIMALS CAN END IN INSANITY. Check out Animals, is relly a classic.

this is not only my favorite Pink Floyd album, but also my favorite album of all time. Animals (based on Animal Farm) is a very dark album which had very little commercial success due to the length of the songs. the album starts off with a peaceful note on Pigs On The Wing but after that it gets very dark with Dogs, Pigs (Three Different Ones) and Sheep. after that is ends on another peaceful note on Pigs On The Wing 2. from start to finish this album is a very good experience.

Compared to their previous albums, Animals is less ambient and has a more hard edged, direct approach. This works to expand their sound, and all the better for it. As ever Gilmour's guitar work impresses, and Wright's trademark keyboard parts, althought subtle, form an integral part of the music. Also lyrically expanded to a social commentary comparing people to animals - an original concept for an album at the time.

1977 saw the explosion of the punkscene in Britain where bands such as The Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Jam had taken over the industry. Prog rock was starting to get old and more upbeat, loud and frantic guitar was needed. Despite this Pink Floyd were still one of the best known and loved bands of 70's and at their prime. Whether The boys meant to or not, Animals had a more upbeat approach to it (this is very evident in the outro piano solo in sheep), probably subconciously, but it seemed to reflect the styles of the time.

Animals is a concept album which compares people in society to animals. The successful business types being the dogs, arrogant people of the media and higher class being pigs and people who follow trends and societies rules as being sheep. Of course this has to be backed up by appropriate lyrics but luckily that's no problem for Roger Waters.

Animals begins and ends with opposite versions of the quick acoustic piece "pigs on the wing" and is a good way of opening and closing the concept album. The main album lies in the 3 tracks inbetween. "Dogs" is the first of these, which shows impressive solo's by gilmour, rhythmic synth and piano pieces that are mirrored against rogers dark lyrics and basslines. The drumming is consistant where it is used yet slightly lacking in places. Dogs progresses well and is one of the bands most underrated pieces since atom heart mother. This is probably the best track on the album.

"Pigs (Three Different Ones)" is slyly titled and is perhaps a little weaker than "Dogs" and "Sheep" as it takes a while to pick up. The chorus here is excellent and is also very dark and daring. "Sheep" is the only song from animals that appeared on Echoes and rightly so. This has stretchy vocals that manage to rush through the raging piano and guitar battles. This song may weave on a bit but it is very captivating and enjoyable to listen to. The excellent outro is Richard Wrights highlight on the album. Animals may be a dismal attack on society but this is one of the bands most brilliant albums. Roger wouldn't be smiling very much after this one though.

Hands down the best album I have heard. Pink Floyd are at their musical peak. Never have I encountered an album where the tone of the music and lyrics complement each other so brillantly. The 3 main songs pigs, dogs and sheep are epic rides with multi-layered sounds and tone shifts which are both catchy and emotionaly stirring. Dave Gilmours guitar thoroughly dominates this album with some fantastic solos and acoustic work. Waters is at his cutting best, he makes no apologies for sharing his highly critical views of the 3 general categories which all humans fit into. This all may seem a bit depressing and to much for the casual listener but he is very accurate with his assessment of human behaviour (try categorising the next person you meet). I still get goosebumps when I listen to this album after 5 years of constant thrashing. A must have

In my opinion Animals is equal with any other Pink Floyd album. What makes me respect the album to a greater extent is the direction that the Floyd chose to take their music with the album. After the huge commercial successes of Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here it would have been easy for the band to sell themselves out to the commercial market and produce an album with radio-friendly tracks and a cheerful message, but this is not what Animals was intended to be. Instead the band made an album of three songs over 10 minutes and at either end of the album classic inro/outro style tracks. In this way Animals retained the feeling of Pink Floyd that would soon begin to be lost with the following Wall album.

'Dogs' is the best track on the album and one of the Floyd's greatest ever. In this track David Gilmour displays his full powers as a supreme guitarist with his wailing solos that are not overdone, but rather comfortably fit with the flow of the song. His singing (which I much prefer to Waters) is excellent and the lyrics convey a story that is powerful and at the same time not over the top like the of the post-Waters takeover lyrics. 'Dogs' has the same feeling as 'One of These Days' from the Meddle album and finishes in a style not dissimilar to 'Eclipse'. Overall a fantastic song.

The most underrated album? Not really. It is probably the most overrated Pink Floyd album, I'd say. First off, the good things. Pigs on the Wing, Pigs, and Sheep all sound spectacular. POTW is a beautiful accoustic piece, and the rare three minute piece has one of David Gilmour's most beautiful guitar solos. Pigs is just an awesome rocker. There was an SNL sketch where Christopher Walken demand more cowbell from Blue Oyster Cult, and well, he would have loved this song. Everything comes together here, and the pig noises in the middle are icing on the cake. Sheep is one of Pink Floyd's greatest jams. The 12/8 time signature almost always means some good music, and this is no exception. The interplay between the drums, bass, keyboards, and guitar is outstanding, and the heavy chords played at the end are masterful. The sound is naturally good; Sheeps was on tour since Dark Side of the Moon, and in two years, all they had to work on was POTW and Pigs, as Dogs was also played on tour. Now, onto the bad. DOGS! Most overrated Pink Floyd song. It should've been 10 minutes, or more mercifully, 7 minutes. Shine on You Crazy Diamond, and Echoes are two songs that succeed in being very adventurous pieces with few bad moments. Dogs is very much a lull for most of the time. It has a few good chords by Gilmour, but you can find better in 'Comfortably Numb', 'Echoes', 'Shine On', the second suite of Atom Heart Mother, or material from the Wall. I heard this album was made to be more direct, with a punk-like minimalism, as at the time, progressive rock was said to be too pretentious. Waters stated he wanted to get rid of the 'blobs' of music that many fans would misinterpret. Well they certainly failed with Dogs. It's one of the most drawn out, long, pretentious Floyd songs ever written. The whole concept is bad too. It's a childish viewpoint, a childish rant against society. If I want to hear about people lumped into dumb metaphors, I'll go back to high school and hear about the prep and goths duke it out. Some say it's supposed to be cynical. However, if you want cynical, see the Wall, an album about war, a waste of childhood, and alienation, or the true underrated Pink Floyd album, "The Final Cut", the syrup that can be boiled out of the Wall, it's ten times darker and cynical. Hell, even see Wish You Were Here, or Dark Side of the Moon, about insanity, absence, and the record company. Just as dark, but still has some beautiful instrumental passages.

I'm giving this album another go. It's still the least-good of Pink Floyd's late period (I don't count "The Final Cut," and I pretend the Gilmour days never happened), but it's pretty alright. You should pick it up if you've already enjoyed Dark Side, Wish You Were Here, Meddle, or The Wall.

The album begins with "Pigs on the Wing (Part One)," an entirely acoustic Waters number which sort of preludes the cynicism to come (and acts as a balance). It somehow softens the blow.

"Dogs." This is an excellent song, about those who cannot trust anymore. It drags in a lot of places - there is a lot of filler - but many of the themes (musical & lyrical) are absolutely classic.

"Pigs (three different ones)" is a sort of quasi-punk anger anthem. It's got a sardonic edge, but I have trouble really getting into it. It is rather funky, and more indicative (musically) of were Floyd would go with "The Wall" than anything else. Pink Floyd's classic "space" sound really started to deteriorate on this album.

"Sheep" is pretty good - dark bass lines creep up on some unsuspecting keyboard licks at the introduction. The song proper is again more hard-rock than Pink Floyd used to be, but it's pretty nice. Not exactly exceptional, but pretty nifty.

The second part of "Pigs on the Wing" takes over from there. It's a nice, optimistic way to close a very pessimistic album.

An album very important in my teenage, along with the piper their best, an pf album the drumer realy plays, i think he was very weak in the early PF. Starting with an acoustic piece that will leave you in the right mood to the long and moodies "dogs" "pigs" and "sheeps" closing with second part "pigs on the wings". With a very unic atmosphere and strong personalaty this record is essential even PF is not your favourite band .

Pink Floyd was always a solid band that maintained their classical sound and style even in the hardest moments when they lost key members like Syd Barret and Roger Waters or when all the rest of the progressive bands considered they had to start a radical change in order to survive.

"Animals" is a prove of this regularity, released in 1977 when the first peak of Prog Rock was in the past and bands as Genesis and Yes were starting to mix some radio friendly tracks with their usual music and beginning to flirt with pop, but Pink Floyd released a semi-conceptual album much more complex than the two previous masterpieces, like trying to show the path to the rest of the prog' bands.

Even the length of the tracks (three 10 minutes + songs) was unexpected for the end of the 70's when all the bands were trying to make shorter tracks that could fit the radio requirements.

Based in Orwell's Animal Farm, even when is not an adaptation, "Animals" is a very obscure album in a year when all the bands tried to be simpler and lighter this great release would never be a financial success as "Dark Side of the Moon" or considered an Icon as "Wish You Were Here", but IMHO it has the same quality of the ones mentioned and the last real masterpiece by Pink Floyd.

Some months ago I was talking about "Animals" with a friend and he told me that this release showed a more developed Pink Floyd, a phrase with which didn't agree in that moment. It's clear Animals has many more clear references to British Psychedelia than any album after Atom Heart Mother and in many parts reminiscent of Wish You Were Here, even when the band manages to create something original and extremely creative.

But after some days and a couple more of listens started to agree more with my friend, "Animals" has some of the typical aggressiveness of Punk Rock, they needed to change in order to survive but they did it with respect for their history and fans.

"Pigs on the Wing" is a beautiful semi acoustic track by Roger Waters, but the soft music has a great contrast with the pain expressed in the lyrics, it's clear that Roger was taking the band an starting to express with more freedom his political point of view.

"Dogs" is the central track of the album, a 17 minutes epic that resumes Pink Floyd career, great guitar solos by David Gilmour, incredible vocals by him and Roger and of course intelligent lyrics. The constant changes are soft, not as radical as other progressive bands did before, but they manage to include something of each musical moment in the history of Pink Floyd. One of the best tracks ever released by the band.

"Pigs (Three Different Ones)" is a hard track more in Rock vein; the lyrics are absolutely aggressive and political. I can listen clear psychedelic references along the song.

If you think the lyrics of the previous tracks are controversial, then the ones in "Sheep" could be considered almost offensive and anti religious, the masses are described as weak followers always afraid of the everything and spend their lives eating and surviving in order to have a chance to grow old. Roger's bass is outstanding and Rick is also brilliant with the keys. The guitar section near the end is simply amazing.

"Pigs on the Wing Part Two" sounds almost exactly to part one, but the lyrics express a bit more of optimism or at least is less depressing than the first one.

"Animals" is probably the last album released by Pink Floyd that can achieve the status of masterpiece, even when the decline in this band was less evident than in most of the other members of the big 5 group.

I can't give less than 5 stars to this wonderful albums.

If I have not reviewed this album so far, it does not necessarily mean that I'm not interested to review this album. I tend to refrain from reviewing it because I think this album is too perfect so that it does not deserve any review. So is the case with this write-up. I don't intend to review this album which is one of seminal works of the prog rock legend, rather .. ...I'd like to give my deepest and sincere appreciation on how brilliant this album is! One thing that triggers me to prepare a write-up for this is due to recent discussion about this album in a classic rock community, m-claro.

With only one song "Dogs" I dare to give a recommendation to all of you that you should have owned this album. Why? This track is terrific, ie. It has an excellent music flow, great composition with a very tight structural integrity whereby the blend of melodies are composed in such a way that can lift up your emotion. The changing tempo is controlled in a manageable way, there is no sudden change as the transitions between musical segments are crafted smoothly by the band. The music starts with an ambient and spacey acoustic guitar rhythm combined with a simple synthesizer sound and its effects. When the vocal line enters the scene "You got to be crazy!" - it projects a sense of energy to the listeners. The tempo is then rising to higher stage when drumming is entering the music while maintaining the same guitar rhythm at the same pace. You will find then the lead guitar sound that accentuates the textures of the music and set the tone for higher vocal voice. When the interlude starts with a bluesy lead guitar work, that's when the ultimate enjoyment of this track come to your mind. What a wonderful lead guitar! It then flows to a spacey music with acoustic guitar rhythm, keyboard and the howling dog sound. Again, the lead guitar is showing its dominance nicely and it's rocking this time! It sets the atmosphere for a voice line "And when you loose control / You'll reap the harvest you have sown .." uugghhhh ... oh my God. what a nice part here!!!!!!! ..... I can not control my adrenalin from exploding! This piece is really great, my friend! "So have a good drown, as you go down, all alone . dragged down by the stone!" . it then flows to, again, a spacey sound with synthesizers and howling dogs. Very nice. If you don't enjoy this track first time listening to it, give another try! It'll grow with number of spins you have. I never get bored with this track.

Other tracks are excellent too. "Pigs" is a much more an upbeat track with a drumming style similar to Yes' "Does It Really Happen?" or "Owner of a Lonely Heart". But, don't get me wrong, this track is structurally different with those 2 Yes songs. It has a spacey touch with a high energy vocal line, stunning guitar fills and rhythm. I especially like the atmospheric intro whereby the solo keyboard / synthesizer is combined with great bass line (as lead) and some electric guitar rhythm. It's a happy song. It has similar interlude style as "Dogs" where there is a relatively long spacey keyboard in the middle of the track as well as pig sounds. This is the kind of track you'd like to wake you up and lift up your emotion in the morning. It's very uplifting track!

Again, in "Sheeps" the band starts its act with a nice solo keyboard / organ followed slowly with soft bass guitar line and drumming. The tempo is suddenly inclining when the music starts to roll with other instruments come into play. It's so rocking - singing-wise as well as musically, with a stunning guitar rhythm. As with other tracks, this track is by no exception has a spacey touch as well. This time, the band demonstrates the guitar and keyboard works. It flows to a more rocking tempo and back to spacey stuff again. And then back again to rocking tempo - It's an interesting track to enjoy.

Friends, I don't think that I'm too naïve if I give a rating of 5 / 5 as this album is really a masterpiece. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. GW, Indonesia.

I find I listern to 'Animals' more than 'Wish you were here' 'Animals' is a colder album, and more narrow in scope and appeal, but for some morbid reason it appeals to me! The general theme of the album is the likening of different types of people to certain kinds of animals. Sheep, for instance following one another, Dogs taking what they can get, pigs, fat cat types..you get the picture. The album is laced with bitterness and a sense of dissapointment, like much of Floyds music, but it also IMO has some of Dave Gilmours finest guitar work, and some of Roger Waters finest lyrics. This is notable on 'Dogs' a 17 minute epic of doom and despair, with striking dark imagery of being 'broken by trained personel' and 'dragged down by the stone!' The album may be dark, but it makes me smile, and I always feel very satisfied after listerning to it. Perhaps that says more about me than it does the emotional state of the band...

The soloing is excellent. The quality of music consistent throughout, and the production pretty good. Its classic late '70s Floyd, embellished by the classic cover featuring Battersea power station.

How could any band release a follow up after the likes of Wish You Were Here and still release an essential classic? Well Pink Floyd did very ably with Animals. A snarling gnashing album full of vitriol, angst and evident distaste of society and the establishment at the time. ' Pigs on the Wing part one' starts the album off. Short accoustic piece led by Roger Waters and what a beautiful piece of music too. Probably the most nostagic parts, 1 and 2 on Animals. ' Dogs' is the prize though on Animals. A 17 minute epic full of angry and sad lyrics. Musically very rich with keyboard, bass and excellent Gilmour guitar. Mason's drumming too is superb. ' Pigs - 3 different kinds' takes a real stab at the late Mary Whitehouse, the prim lady from the UK who took great pleasure in trying to slap censorship on anything from expletives to nipples...' Your'e really a cry....". 'Sheep' is next and well the title is self explanatory about aimless wars and ' lemming' like metality. A great edited rendition of the Lords Prayer on Sheep too. The album ends off on ' Pigs on the wing part 2' which really cements why being with loved ones are probably the safest and best course in this mad world. No change since 1977 really! Animals is a dark brooding classic and was such a bold statement by the Floyd. In restrospect only The Wall could logically follow Animals, not so?

This album has very good, intelligent lyrics by Roger Waters. Even if they show sad things about planet earth and humanity, power, greed, in the end they show some hope, despite the never ending struggle for power and survival. This album is more interesting for me because of the concept behind the lyrics. Water`s lyrics and music (with only one contribution by Gilmour) are complemented very good by all members of the band.This album is better than the overrated "The Wall". Pink Floyd started to fragment with this album, but it is still a good album.

My guitar teacher told me this LP was one of PF's best. Man, he wasn't wrong. AT ALL. "Animals" is a stunner of an album. Musically speaking, it sounds emptier and bleaker than the previous releases, with Roger Waters commanding the whole thing. But that's just an impression. From its very beginning to the end, Animals can blow anyone's mind. I may not agree too much with the classification of humans and maybe part of the message, but the album's still one of the best I've ever listened to. The songs are quite dark and cynical, and Waters is gifted for lyrics indeed. The best example are the super-lenghty songs (Dogs, for example), where he bashes against some types of people like greedy ones, fat-cats of the bussiness companies, mindless masses, etc. Musically speaking, the ultra-psychedelical synths you can find in DSOTM and WYWH are dead, Rick Wright's keyboards are now haunting and even scary, and sounds of animals and digitally altered voices appear throughout the album. There are a lot, I mean, A LOT of David Gilmour's mind-blowing solos to enjoy, and Waters' bass is really groovy and impressive, raging, sometimes even funky. The drums have they great moment at certain parts of "Dogs" and in "Sheep". Finally, talking about concept, the album is based in part by George Orwell's "Animal Farm", which explains this "animal" thing. Now into the songs: - Pigs On The Wing (Part 1): Nice, semi-acoustic, some good, catchy lyrics by Mr. Waters, sounds a little hopeless but it's short, so it won't get you too depressive. A good way to start the album, in a quiet note. - Dogs: Maaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnn what a song. 17-minutes long, and I don't give a damn about it... mind-blowing lyrics, mind-blowing guitar, and the awesome combination of Gilmour's and Waters' voice (the first, quiet and somewhat heavy; the latter, nasal and provocative) to make a complete 5-star song. Highly recommended. Check out for those solos on the middle, they're spectacular. Some people may have problems with the synth-part from 8:00 to around 11:40, but that ain't a problem for me. - Pigs (Three Different Ones): My personal favourite. This one has a hell of a bass (really outstanding, I loved it!) and some of Waters' sharpest lyrics. Man, he even takes on Margaret Thatcher ("you f***ed up old hag, ha ha, charade you are") and Mary Whitehouse (I loved that "house proud town mouse" thing) without getting dull or idiot. The middle part and the final solo are also other highlights. The chorus is really sharp and maybe the best part in the song. - Sheep: I said the lyrics in the previous track were SOME of Waters' sharpest lyrics, but this track wins the prize. Man, it's like punk and progressive rock united in a song, I had to listen to it twice to realize what it was... Waters really smashes on everything in this one! I loooooved those lyrics, despite the agressiveness. The bass line is furious, the guitar has some kind of frenzy and there's even a very cool mockery of the 23rd Psalm... it sounds punk so far, but the song lasts like 10 minutes... once again, the middle part and the final guitar parts are highlights. It's every uptempo, something really cool to listen from PF. - Pigs On The Wing (Part 2): Same structure than Part One, but the lyrics are quite more optimistic. A nice way to close the album, considering the fact that Sheep was really raging and furious. I once leaked a version of POTW which featured both parts glued by a 40-second solo. It's a good experience after listening to the album. So, in a few words: this is an awesome album, a must have, and here you'll find some of the best progressions and 5-stars songs. Buy it, leak it, whatever, just HAVE IT!

It was only recently that in my restless prog mind I finally decided that this is my fave PF album ever, after so many years of giving it silver or bronze status. Following in the trend of stylish, lush symphonic-oriented psychedelia that had been gloriously laid down by their DSOTM and WYWH albums, the major asset in favor of "Animals" is the return of a rocking edge that had been somewhat subdued after the release of 1971's "Meddle". In the three main tracks the listener can find the perfect confluence of hard sounding guitar parts played by Gilmour, and the multiple layers and colours brought in by Wright's keyboards. These two sonic sources are heavily featured in unison, in this way creating a solid musical nucleus for each one of those tracks. Meanwhile, Waters and Mason are evidently trying to keep up with their partner's renewed sense of energy, and they manage to do so in an impressive manner. The album's conceptual link is based on a bleak overall look at the three species of the human race in the modern culture, each one more abject than the other: the greedy elite of finance top bosses and promising status seekers (the Dogs); the wily powers- that-be (the Pigs); and the meek, oppressed, oblivious majorities who are also accomplices for their own victimization (the Sheep). The articulation of this unpleasant neighborhood is founded on an Orwellian scheme that dehumanizes human beings and turns them into mere cogs of a monstrous machinery. So, the appearance of the vocoder in 'Dogs' (the delirious barking during the spacey interlude) and 'Sheep' (the oppressed man's credo) helps to illustrate musically this particular point. Waters, as the main writer (of all lyrics and most of the music) puts himself on an "objective" location, as a lucid outsider who depicts the ways of the world - that's why the acoustic intro 'Pings on the Wing (Part 1)' conveys such an air of intimacy and complicity. Then comes the first epic, 'Dogs', which pretty much sums up the overall essence of the album. Gilmour shines brightly as a diamond, creating lots of varied tenures on his guitar harmonies, riffs and solos: he is clearly enjoying his creative freedom within the confines of the well structured musical ideas comprised in this epic. The interlude gives Wright some wide room to assume the leading role for a while: his synths create an almost cinematographic ambience, which suits the inherent drama. Due to the fact that is more obviously blues-rock centered, 'Pigs' turns out to be the most conventional number in the album, but it doesn't mean that it's dull or boring, just less challenging: but Gilmour's talk box guitar middle solo and ultra-aggressive final solo are nothing to be missed. My favorite track is the last epic: 'Sheep', when compared to 'Dogs', is equally brilliant in terms of arranging and performing, but superior in terms of power and musical magic. The interplay among all four Floyd members is the most cohesive in the album, and the diverse successive sections constitute a fluid amalgam right up until the climatic closing motif goes fading out among the noises of sheep bleating. It's happened to me more than once: feeling captivated by the fury exposed by the instrumentation and the lyrics, I ended up hating those noisy animals. Waters' hopeless message hides a clear message: its subtext is a call to conscience that is to be understood and developed by the listener. But meanwhile, the deceitfully calm cynicism of the acoustic intro is reprised by the closure 'Pigs on the Wing (Part 2)'. The way I see it, this album's main purpose on a conceptual level is to plant a seed of discomfort in the listener's soul: now, it's up to them to leave it as a mere complaint, or to take it to the next level and grow a plant of clever criticism in their heart. On an artistic level, this is simply one hell of a PF masterpiece.

Animals is by far the best pink floyd album ever. The sounds and originality of it are phenominal. I'm 14 and I just started listening to pink floyd about 5 months ago. I used to listen to albums such as The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here (the popular albums) I thought they were some of the best material ever but I never knew Animals, an overlooked and underated album, could be so good.

Pigs on the wing is a extremely pretty love sounding song about how love can keep people away from pigs sheep and dogs.

Dogs is definately the center piece of the album in my mind. Its kinda intense begining and mellow end is very cool to listen to. The solos are awesome might I add.

Pigs is my least favorite song of the album but the lyrics are the ones I like the most. It has a cool direct bashing style

Sheep is a more upbeat song that normal with a cool intrumental break where a psalm is read.

Animals is such a good album. Everyone in the world should learn memorize and warship it

The pinnacle of Pink Floyd's career.

I say this for two reasons. One, after Animals the quality of albums takes a bit of dive (some good for sure, but nothing even close to Animals IMO). And two, I do believe this to be their best album, especially in a progressive rock context. The long form song writing was something the Floyd was did well, even back in the beginning days, and Animals shows off why. The two short pieces are a good prelude and postlude to the proceedings, though they really aren't anything special. Dogs (really) starts things off with some wonderful guitar and atmosphere. The elongated instrumental middle section is gorgeous and effective. The ending is some fierce sounding stuff, with a fantastic riff. Pigs (Three Different Ones) is more rock-y with some rather scathing lyrics lobbed towards a public figure. Sheep is the most tranquil (perhaps fittingly so) and contains some great work by Wright. Lyrically, this album is strong and even though it's not really a concept album, it does have that connected feeling between all songs.

All in all, this is surely an album progressive rock fans should hear. Pink Floyd hasn't hit this level in their career again, or beforehand, rendering this a special album. And who doesn't love that album cover! 5 stars without question. Highly recommended.

I was fourteen years old in 1977. Until then, I had played in the warm and safe environment of the pleasant bubblegum pop of my childhood. Until then, music for me was something to which you tapped your foot, nodded your head or mouthed meaningless (to my immature mind at least) lyrics. Until then, music didn't make me think. In 1977, one record, ONE RECORD, changed all that. Changed the way I listened to music, changed the way I perceived music and more importantly changed the way I perceived the world. My schoolfriend, one afternoon after school, played me a copy of 'Animals' by Pink Floyd and in the space of a little less than an hour, the world turned upside-down and inside out. Quite simply, at times during that first audition, it frightened the very daylights out of me. 'Animals' is that good! Even listening to it now, almost thirty years (and thousands of albums) later I still hear all of the elements that snapped me from my childhood innocence. The album begins with the acoustic 'Pigs on the Wing', a folky tune that gave me no warning of the assault to follow, the kind of song we all dream of being able to just pick up a guitar and strum out. If only I had paid more attention to the lyrics, which introduce the themes of the album, I might have had at least an inkling of what was to follow, for then, Pink Floyd unleash the 'Dogs'. 'Dogs' has a real atmosphere to it that is powerful yet somehow retains a degree of subtlety. It is dark and despondent, with a tangible sense of the selfishness, menace and self-perpetuating nature of a 'dog eat dog' culture. The music throughout matches the lyric superbly, Mason and Waters piloting the piece through the varying calm and swell with sureness. Wright's atmospherics are sublime and Gilmour's guitar work is to my mind some of the finest ever recorded. 'Dogs' is a superb number, as good to listen to today as it was then, though with a far more personal appreciation and relevance now, after the experience of adult life. Next we are given 'Pigs', my least favourite of the three major tracks upon 'Animals' but an excellent song nonetheless. An eerie opening sees a repeated organ phrase with embellishments from synth and guitar before we launch into what is basically a straightforward rock song. A rock song lent a 'horror-movie' feel by biting lyrics and clever work from Wright and Gilmour. Mason's rhythm is again surely done but I must agree with one of the other reviewers' observations that 'Pigs' has a superb bass, which rocks the whole thing along. After 'Pigs' we are led babbling and bleating to near-slaughter as 'Sheep'. I have to tell you that at age fourteen, 'Sheep' was as rude an awakening musically, as you could imagine and still to this day remains my all-time favourite Pink Floyd offering. Whereas 'Dogs' is subtle, to a degree, 'Sheep' rips away its own pastoral introduction with the ferocity of a savage beast. The opening lyric "Harmlessly passing your time in the grassland away, only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air." has to be the most sinister description of ignorance in rock music, as guitar slashes and organ chords from Gilmour and Wright menacingly mock Water's words. There's nothing 'harmless' going on here, all Hell's about to break loose, your worst nightmares are coming to pass and as Water's himself warns, "No! This is no bad dream!" Some people may find the ensuing twist upon the Psalm disturbing and irreverent, but I believe that's why it succeeds, as it contrasts nicely with the fury of the preceding section yet retains the full degree of menace that 'Sheep' was meant to convey. The finale once again reverts to the ferment of earlier and the very final guitar riff which continues to fade is simply magnificent. A stark warning to those who will listen. As you've probably realised I adore the track 'Sheep', most probably because it's more visceral than 'Dogs', it touches me at a more basic, instinctive level. I have to think about the meaning of both 'Dogs' and 'Pigs', they disturb me intellectually, 'Sheep' is just harrowing. A reprise of 'Pigs on the Wing' closes the album beautifully, this time with a sense of hope replacing the selfishness of the opening track. 'Animals' may not be the best progressive rock album ever, even I don't believe it to be so. It's not even a really good example of some of the supposed pre-requisites of the genre. As such you would be far better listening to Karn Evil Nine by Emerson Lake and Palmer, almost anything by King Crimson and the close of Supper's Ready by Genesis to see the sheer majesty, technical wizardry, musical inventiveness and emotiveness that progressive rock can display. However, 'Animals' remains a 'must-hear' album, a sort of punk album of progressive rock whose music and lyrics drip acidly, searing the world about them. You might not like it, but I hope you will.

This is the absolute progressive pinnacle of the complete Floyd, as well as being a musically brilliant musical suite. Dogs is, in my less-than-humble opinon, the single most amazing song ever written; I've listened to it hundreds of times, for decades, and it's hasn't gotten the slightest bit "old". Pigs and Sheep are no let-downs either, as both are fantastic and make the album a very cohesive whole. The musical of simplicity of Pigs On The Wing makes for a warm, acoustic packaging that relieves the tension and pessimism of the three primary tracks. As for another recent review, I suppose everyone is entitled to his or her opinon (Hannu, I'm sure you're a great chap, but your assessment is quite bonkers).

Where The Wall had weak music and a strong concept, Animals is the reverse: music that is for the most part excellent, but a concept that really should not have been bound together so tightly, or perhaps even foregone completely. This is where ROGER WATERS, to my ear, first made a highly aggressive attempt to force music (and certain band members) to the back burner, and it seems to, lyrically and conceptually, have done more damage than good. The internal friction within the band ultimately cost them dearly. Their previous work, Wish You Were Here, would be their last truly balanced album until The Division Bell.

I should mention, though, that this IS a very nicely done album from a musical standpoint, despite the places where WATERS seems to begin the trend (brought to fruition on The Wall) of stripping out the mystery and the ambience of the music, no longer allowing it (or its writers) to speak for itself. Easily, "Dogs" is the most spectacular of the songs on this albums. In fact, I credit GILMOUR's fascinating acoustic guitar playing here for inspiring me to take up the instrument--that is just how good he is here. The chord sequence is mesmerising...and that's putting it mildly. Also, despite the fact that WRIGHT isn't even granted a single credit on this album (even GILMOUR only gets one!), he does utterly jaw-dropping things with a synthesiser in the interlude of this song, which may in fact be the best segment on the entire album to listen to. THIS is what makes Animals worth purchasing--no doubt in my mind.

"Pigs" is an interesting, though somewhat less innovative number that (IF you totally believe the credits, which I don't) was written by ROGER WATERS. Perhaps its most notable features are GILMOUR's talk-box solo. There's also the uncharacteristically blunt, angry piano work from WRIGHT, which makes one imagine him fuming silently in the background over the course the band was trying to take without him. "Sheep" is notable for the Rhodes intro by WRIGHT, for which, along with other synth and effect contributions on this song, I think he really ought to be credited. Also an interesting sonic trick is the blending of WATERS' voice into the synth. But ultimately, the pre-Animals concert version, "Raving and Drooling", was far superior...which gets to the root of the problem with Animals in the lyrical and conceptual department.

Animals, I believe, is the concept that never should have been. Following the success of The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here, WATERS seems to have felt compelled to follow immediately with a third album in the same vein. Not yet having envisioned The Wall, he seems to have had a lot of very adolescent angst with nowhere to go. Since an album consisting simply of pure ranting and venting would not do, he tried to cobble together a concept by assigning the categories of people he didn't like the names of animals, a move that would appear to parallel Orwell's Animal Farm. Unfortunately, this only succeeded in showing just how contrived the "concept" really was--it may in fact have been better for him to just leave the animal references out, and wait a bit longer for a more innovative concept to come along...or best of all, just relax and jam. The lyrics become laughable, in their display of blind, immature, and pointless anger...and yes, I admit I am biased because of what that anger did both on and off the stage. And I also admit to bias because of the bastardization of the 23rd Psalm during "Sheep"--the centerpiece of the song, no less...that went one too far and I think it was gratuitous, to say the least. He could've made his point without actually perverting a text that many, in two religions, hold sacred.

Probably the worst thing that could've happened to Animals was "Pigs on the Wing". These annoyingly simplistic guitar songs attempt to tie the album together, giving it the same cyclic nature as the previous two concept albums. But instead, they come off as nothing but bookends...and not even impressive ones, at that. The second one, especially, is a problem because it turns around and completely flies in the face of the entire atmosphere WATERS has been building over the course of the album. It's a syrupy-sweet love song, of all things, which is very clearly just tacked onto the end of the album.

In my opinion, Animals did have potential, especially with the great music in the middle three songs, but in his obsessive haste, ROGER WATERS instead started the process of driving PINK FLOYD into the ground, which culminated in the breakup after The Wall>. This is an interesting album in many regards--but make sure to pick up Meddle, The Dark Side of the Moon, and Wish You Were Here first, to understand what the four-member PINK FLOYD was at its finest.

This is possibly Pink Floyd's best album. Most people forget about this (Dark Side and The Wall get most of the attention), but I think it's flawless. "Pigs On The Wing" 1 & 2 work well as bookends while the real attraction of this album are the 3 central songs. Gilmour plays some of his best solos here. "Dogs" and "Pigs" are great in all their length, while I feel "Sheep" is slightly weaker than both of them, but it still has it's moments. I can't find any single second of boredom in this album, although I understand why some people wouldn't like it. There's not much else I can say about it. It is their masterpiece.

Following DSOM and WYWH, first impressions of this album can be a little negative and I can understand a number of 3 star ratings given. Personally I find myself listening to this album more than its 2 more sophisticated predecessors, is my personal favourite and highly underrated. The album leans more towards acoustic rock and has a harder edge. Rogers voice may not be to everybodies taste but probably suites this harder sound better than Dave's. Dogs is the standout piece but again the band have produced an album with no weak points. A true masterpiece considering this was 1977 and everybody else were shifting away from long progressive pieces to shorter commercial music.

The most underrated album of Pink Floyd. This is only due to the fact that "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish you were here" were the albums before it. Both masterpieces, yet Animals should also be in a class of it's own, too. This album moves away from the synthasizers and keyboards and uses more guitar and drums....which is excellent. Many fans however disagree, and believe that they (Pink Floyd) was joining the bandwagon of other bands (The Who, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, etc.) who used the guitar and drums for most of their music. Pink Floyd has always and always will be known for using the keyboards and various other instruments to make various noises. I feel they made up for this loss by adding more guitar to the music. (by the way I believe with all my heart that David Gilmore is the best guitarist of all time!) This in my book is a great album worth owning and listening too, just as much as Dark Side, Wish you were here, and The Wall.

This album is not exactly for everybody, but is a masterpeice nonetheless.

It makes great social comment, with an obvious bias due to the interesting Roger Waters. Just because of the bias, it does not mean that there are not a great many true statements though. Dogs for instance could best be summed up (if it is possible to doi this in one phrase) as an analergy between wild dogs and those who will do anything to climb the corporate ladder. Pigs is those who are already at the top and sheep is those who don't even appear to be on the corporate ladder... actually the sheep seem to be a little on the socialist side, revolting against the upper echelons of the heircharcy, despite being quite scared of them.

The above is not ment to trivialise the depth of the album, but I do have limited time to comment. It is definatly an album you need to listen to multiple times, that said it gets better each time! Also, you need to appreciate the instumental parts, for there are many, and the effect those parts have on the flow and theme of the album. Just remember, the music says just as much as the lyrics.

This album does sound like one of the most drugged out albums of all time, but it is in fact not like that once you get to know it. I mean, the line about the sheep learning karate and beeting up the dogs who guard them does not sound like a sane lyric but has to be taken in context. If you look at it in depth, you could write essay's on its social comment... however, being an engineer and not much of a english type writing person, I will refrain from doing so.

You need time to appreciate this album, not everyone will like it but I dare say a lot of those who do not, never took the time.

PS. It sounds best on the old record player... if any of you are lucky enough to find it on record... buy it!

I agree to many of my pre-viewers, that this album was an underrated one for a long time, but I don´t think that this view is valid up to now. ANIMALS contains a combination of demanding music (you can`t grasp by hearing the record for one or two times) and thematically closed texts, which reflect typical human traits. The album is opened with part 1 of the short acoustic "Pigs on the Wing", a poem charging the missing brotherly love of today`s society. By the way, part 2 of the same track closes the album, but the key numbers are the remainig "Dogs", "Pigs" and "Sheep". The 17-minute "Dogs" expresses, that it depends on waiting for the appropriate opportunity to get in quickly at the right moment, always longing for his own advantage. Careerists and also ass-kissers seem to be meant here. In "Pigs" a person is spoken of by name. It´s the english anti-Porn/pro-religion fighter Mary Whitehouse. Therefore, this song is not only "dedicated" to persons, who are faulty morally, but also to humans, who care for the morale of other persons. At last, there is the 3rd category: the sheep- humans, led by others in their lifetime, not having special ambitions and perhaps already satisfied, if they are let alone, or, perhaps being afraid of their boss or of mobbing cölleagues or other uncomfortable fellows. I´m thinking highly of this record - in my opinion it is on the same level as the landmark albums "DARK SIDE OF THE MOON", "WISH YOU WERE HERE" and "THE WALL"- and give 5 stars to it.

When I first heard this album many years ago, I was disappointed. I didn't care for the harsh, intense music and bitter lyrics, so different from the more soothing tones of previous Floyd albums. With each successive listen, however, I grew to like it more and more - and now I think it's among the top few albums by any group. The brief, quiet bookends , "Pigs on the wing" parts 1 and 2, serve their purpose well, providing a conceptual framework and balancing the loudness of the heart of the album. The longest track "Dogs" is my favorite - Gilmour's guitar solos here are among his best work and the music is a perfect match for Waters's vitriol. The brutal ending is superb. "Pigs (three different ones)" opens with pig grunts and Waters's lyrical bass coming to the fore over the repeated synthesizer phrase - one of my favorite moments on the album. Gilmour has another amazing guitar solo near the end of the song; I especially love the first 10 seconds of it at 9:40-9:50 - I've never heard a single note convey so much emotion. Though the studio version of "Pigs" is fantastic, it pales in comparison to the extended live version I've heard on a bootleg concert recording, which is simply amazing - my favorite of any Floyd's live performances. "Sheep" is another great track, but has never had as much emotional impact for me as the others. I love the transitioning of Waters's voice into synthesizer notes, which then head off in unexpected directions. The album as a whole is especially great when you're in a bad mood - it always has a cathartic effect on me. This incredibly emotional album stands alone, sounding unlike anything else from Pink Floyd or any other group - essential!

My first review here, so I figure I'd better start with the best (and most listened to) album in my collection, 'Animals'. If I could recommend only one album, of any musical genre, this would be it.

"Pigs On The Wing" appears innocently enough to the unsuspecting listener as a short and soft intro. But be forewarned, this is no ordinary FLOYD. Prepare to be pulled in and taken on a forty minute...

"You've got to be crazy..."

Too late, it has begun. Just try to hang on.

"Dogs" is the most complete FLOYD song ever written. It has everything that could possibly illustrate what their music is: Waters' most biting and cynical lyrics; emotion-provoking Gilmour solos; tone; sound sampling; equal Gilmour/Waters song structure; atmosphere; plenty of satire; two different vocalists and yet still more Gilmour guitar all painted on a seventeen minute canvass. And how very dark and sombre this piece of art is. What Waters creates lyrically, Gilmour matches musically. Do yourself a favour and download the free "Dogs" mp3 file offered by this site, it will change the way you listen to music.

As great as the studio version of "Pigs (3DO)" is on this album, it is absolutely mental when heard live! Some of the most astounding guitar work of Gilmour's career can be found on the 20+ minute RoIO's of this song on their '77 Tour. There is no other experience like Gilmour improvising on his Strat. One of the truly cherished Live songs from their vast catalogue.

Rick Wright comes to the forefront with his keyboard work on "Sheep": arguably the hardest punk song written, from the most un-punk band ever. The bass and keyboards play prominent roles on this track, setting the frantic pace of a simulated chase. Marvel at the (Gilmour performed) driving bass line during the sixth minute of this song, just prior to the android-inspired Lord's Prayer. Pay attention not only to what Waters is saying in this song, but HOW he is saying it. Similar to Peter Gabriel, Waters doesn't just sing, he vocalizes.

And just as suddenly as it began, the experience ends with the reprise of "Pigs On The Wing" wafting past us once again through our now enlightened ears, and assaulted mind, gently floating past what looks to be Battersea Station...

Easily the most important FLOYD album, prog album, and rock album that I own. Not just a cornerstone of any musical collection, but its zenith.

I only purchased this album about a year ago and I'm not the biggest Floyd fan.However this must be reckoned as one of the best prog albums.Much like Close To The Edge and Selling England By The Pound this sounds like a well thought out and complete work.The theme is well explored on all the peices.Dogs is quite something as people have remarked while Sheep adds an almost punk like attitude.Those are the main peices but it it all stands up well.For my money this is Gilmours best album,his guitar work is stunning while Rick Wright compliments him perfectly on the keyboards.Easy to give this an essential rating.5 stars.

If you liked the Pink Floyd that displayed surrealty on Piper At The Gates of Dawn and Ummagumma, this is definitely not for you! However, if you can listen straight through any Tupac Shakur album and not get offended (albeit getting bored quickly), then you're bound to enjoy this album. The lyrical subject matter (modeled on the late George Orwell's Animal Farm) is very dark and subtle and must be taken with a grain of salt.

The album is bookended by a short but lovely folk song (performed by Roger Waters on an acoustic guitar) about a man who knows he can rescue his love interest from danger (the danger in question is "Pigs On The Wing").

The tone is set for the entire album. The "animals" on this recording are evil, cold-black- hearted people whose hearts don't pump "blood like yours and mine, but rather a thick, vomitous oil that oozes through their rotten veins and clots in their pea-sized brains which becomes the cause of their Naziesque patterns of violent behavior." (No disrespect intended to the creators of South Park.) So, basically, this album is an attack on these kind of people. When I was five years old, I thought the songs were written about dogs, pigs and sheep, but when I got older, I was shaken to know that Roger Waters was very bitter.

"Dogs," a 17-minute epic, deals with prisoners who must learn to obey their masters and deal with the outside world. There will be trouble if they don't. (For further listening on the similar subject matter, listen to the title track of Metallica's Master of Puppets.) The guitars (especially the acoustic ones) on this track are the main ingredient and David Gilmour plays them so well. The sound effects of dogs also add to the listening pleasure. (Interesting note: this song had a hilarious use in that old TV show WKRP In Cincinnati during the famous turkey incident episode. It happens where Mr. Carlson walks into the DJ booth while the song is playing and Johnny Fever rolls his eyes at Mr. Carlson's moves. Mr. Carlson gazes at the turntable and Johnny orders him, "Don't touch that!" Mr. Carlson is like, "Oh sorry! What's the name of this orchestra?" "It's Pink Floyd." "Oh. Is that Pink Floyd?" Then dogs start barking on the cut. "Do I hear dogs barking on that?" "I do." Then when Mr. Carlson picks up the jacket and looks at the back of it, he's like, "Pigs On The Wing? What's that like?" Johnny replies, "I don't do requests." Man, that was a hilarious moment.)

"Pigs (Three Different Ones)" is an extremely offensive song. Here, Roger Waters attacks society members and their behaviours, but most appallingly, a British woman named Mary Whitehouse. Whitehouse was a candidate for smut-free TV and nothing with violence. Clearly, Roger did not approve of her beliefs and sure gave her a good pie in the face. This is a good, typical 70's rocker with some great piano. It also deserves credit for David Gilmour's guitar solo which he plays through a voicebox, making his guitar sound like a pig. The result is amazing since it actually works.

"Sheep" is an energetic track, but these lyrics are as insulting as the ones on the last track. Here, Roger puts down people of minorities as though they enjoy being lazy. The keyboards are the main ingredient in this recording. An anonymous Floyd roadie speaks through a Vocoder a parody of the passage from Psalm beginning with "the lord is my shepherd." In this case, though, what he says is something about fattening the sheep up and converting them to lamb cutlets. Make sure you never play this track around the religious unless they don't have wide hearing (but I'm an atheist, so I couldn't care less). The album ends with some great guitar playing that eventually fades out and seems like an almost perfect spot to end the album.

"Pigs On The Wing (part 2)" wraps up the album with the same lyrical subject matter and the loveliness of the first one.

This is one album that, despite the tracks' lengths, doesn't really take patience to get into and certainly ranks among their 10 best albums.

If I didn't rate this album with 5 stars, I'd be kidnapped by bounty hunters.

i dont even know where to start on this great album. one of the absolute best albums by pink floyd, and ive been a pink floyd fan for a long time. maybe if i just give it a track by track review it'll be much easier.

pigs on the wing parts 1 and 2

the beggining and ending of this album is a good little acoustic work of roger's. i do love these songs dearly, even if people think they are just filler. its sad that the cd release does not have the snowy white solo in the middle that brigdes them together. of course the only way to find it is either through a live bootleg or the 8 track release. because of the time constraints on 8 tracks they had to paste both parts together and then play the first half of dogs on the first track, then put the second half of dogs on the second track, then pigs and sheep on the last 2 tracks. my final say on these tracks: pretty good, short, catchy tunes. not progressive in the least (and animals is the most progressive album by pink floyd in my opinion) but still pretty good songs.

dogs all i can say about this song can be summed up in 2 words:

amazing

its such a great song that in this instince "amazing" counts as 2 words. the intro of the song starts of with a pretty hard acoustic riff with synth worked in to create a beautiful work of mixing sounds. then an overdubbed guitar solo followed by an overdubbed acoustic riff creates an eery and bizare feeling in the room. then working its way into the powerful brigde/solo where the word "stone" is echoed liked 70 times until it turns into feedback. one of the most amazing sounds ive heard. then into the pounding end of a great 17 minute powerhouse of a song. one of the greatest moments in pink floyd music history. a song so beautiful that will make you cry after winning the lottery. a song so beautiful it will make a glass eye tear. a song so beautiful it will make you skip church to listen to. you can see where this is going of course

final word: listen to this song and you'll be able to die happy.

pigs a funky song that is pretty awesome. definitley not as great as dogs but not a terrible song. as a matter of fact it is quite good. not much to say about this song except for that it is a tad bland at times but it is one of pink floyds great albums

final word:damn i think i just said it. its not as good as the prior song but its still good.

sheep here is a better song than pigs. very very awesome. hardcore to the max. one of pink floyds heaviest songs. you could mosh to this song. the intro starts out very nicely with a soothing synth solo, than starts to build up to the powerful climax. roger singing his heart out on this song is definitley a major factor As to why this song is so good

final word: defnitley the closest thing to metal pink floyd did. very cool

OVER ALL VEIW ON ANIMALS:

the greatest album ever!!!

to be impartial

its one of the greatest albums of all time!!!

This is my favorite studio release from the band's mid-1970's releases. I think on these three ambitious concept record epics the band evolved with this album to their greatest heights. Wrapped inside a short piggy theme reside three long songs, which seem to describe different kind of human personalities via animal comparisons. The compositions are great, not being very complex, but hypnotic and quite dark. The use of effects is tasteful, and it is easy to return to listen at this album still after owning it over a decades. The record allows time for dramatic curves to bend with necessary time, and the psychological feeling of the album wholeness seems very inviting. On the earlier albums there were fine moments, but I think scrutinizing forty minutes of compact rock music to an album without distracting moments or details is a fine accomplishment. Working their way to this statement is a source of rejoicing. After this release I think the group's megalomania on epic concepts and compositional contradictions got crushed between the walls of artistic ideas and commercial pressures clash.

This is by far my favorite Pink Floyd album. The songs work perfectly together and move from one perfectly constructed section to the next. The production is top notch as well. The moods shift in conjunction with the sections of the music. The lyrics are dead on and incisive.

The opening whimsical acoustic guitar ditty addressing indifference leads into Dogs. This song about how to survive the pack mentality and the price you pay for it slowly builds up the tension before finding a flowing beat. It is both sly and opportunistic with its casual sarcasm and unexpected transitions.

Pigs - What better way to describe money grubbing industrialists? This song is pure. I'm not sure you can write a better conceptual song.

Sheep - Yep, can't have dogs without sheep. At first listen this is probably the weakest of the 3 major sections. However a good listen to the lyrics and groove will let you know it is still a perfect match to the other sections.

Then the echo to intro to let you know you have just been pwned.

This is on my "desert island' list for sure.

My favorite Pink Floyd album, the most progressive of the bands repetoir. What really turned me on was the dark themes and the incredible musicianship. Roger Waters really knew what he was doing with this album. There is no weak track, and everything about the album is simply perfect.

The album begins and ends with Pigs on the Wing. An acoustic piece (originally connected together through a guitar solo bridge from Snowy White), this really is the only track that doesn't fit with the rest of the album, but still it is a great piece. From the end of the first part, the best track of the album comes. Dogs begins as an acoustic piece, with great vocals by Gilmour (the only song on the album to feature his voice), and arguably the best guitar work from Gilmour as well. The song is about people who fight to get their way to the top, whether it's by cheating, stealing, murdering, etc. The solos that Gilmour provides are immaculate in their tone, and they could make the toughest man cry. The middle parts where the intensity simmers down and the sultry keyboard takes the forefront are also great. The keyboard solo that Wright gives off is one of the best things he's done in the group. The song ends with a great final stanza, one of the most singable parts of the album. The next song, Pigs (Three Different Ones), is a attack at the crooked politicians in the world at that time. Featuring a great guitar riff, and incredible Waters bass line, great keyboards by Wright, and an incredible ending guitar solo from Gilmour, this song really can only be summed up in two words, absolutely astounding. I cannot express how great this song is. The next song, Sheep, begins with a great Wright electric piano opening, a very jazzy section. The song then evolves into an intense, aggressive nightmare that really is one of the greatest 10 minutes of music.

Overall, I say that this is the best Pink Floyd album, hands down. It never ceases to bore me, and I'm always left with chills when it is over. It gets my highest recommendation.

Pink Floyd were my first love, but to give this 5 is slightly mad. It's very good and certainly valid prog but sometimes you get the feeling these songs didn't have to be quite as long as they were. For me, The Wall is a better album - probably one of the best concept albums of all time. Looking at something such as song length can sometimes be a superficial way to analyse what is prog or what isn't. Certainly these are fine songs - Dogs being the standout. Gilmore's guitar work is breathtaking and inspired and the song is genuinely moving. Pigs is pretty good but, after Dogs, the middle section seems to be a bit of a pain to sit through - and the same goes for Sheep. The 3 main songs all have the same structure but Dogs is the only one to really justify these overlong forms. Sheep and Pigs are really just two ample rock songs with huge indulgent middle sections chucked in. But I still like it.

This is one of PF absolutly best and most unique albums it sounds completly diffrent form anything else they have ever done, very dark and depresing at times but very good also. Not realy my number 1 favorite form Floyd but sure very close, and no mather what it definitly deserv a 5 star rating, no doubt about that. On to the songs only 5 of em but 5 great ones that is, the first one "Pigs on the wings pt 1" is a litle acustic song very nice start for the album then comes the longest song on the album "Dogs" the longest and also i think the best it starts of with a good acustic guitar then some great electric guitar work by Gilmour and good vocals by Waters. I haden minded if Gilmour hade sung some parts or everything, he is a much beter sing then Waters i think. Well after that mindblowing track we get "Pigs three diffrent ones" my lest favorite on the album but still its very good, some wierd sounds on this one and good heavy guitar by guilmor at lest as heavy as Floyd whuld ever get. Then comes the next song "Sheep" one of my favorite PF songs ever, from the fantastic keyboard intro to the hard rocking end. and by now the album is almost over and we get "Pigs on the wings pt 2" And its not very diffrent from pt 1 but still i think this is beter and a perfect ending to this masterpiece. If your a fan of Pink Floyd or yust love prog music this is a must have, probobly theire hardest album to get into and understand, but give it some time and you will see its worth it.

Well thanks to Octivarium, I found the right time to finnally review my favorite album ever. I own all pink floyd albums and I love all of them, so I think I know whats the best as far as prog. and this is deffinetly it. As far as reviewing this album, I will use three ways to review it, Music, Ideas/creativity, and lyrics.

Music- Pigs on the wing- Very nice singing and it sounds like Roger is in love the way he sings. -Dogs- This song is preety much 3-4 songs put into one. Dave's most technical and beautiful solo ever, I would say it's the quintessential solo for him even though it is his best, you just have to listen to know. Good chords while singing after the solo. All the instruments are very interesting, fast paced drumming from Nick, reminds me of the way he used to drum before Darkside. Rick's organs are very good and sinister, especially during the "stone" section. Bass is ok, nothing bad, adds to the sinister feeling. Very big ending too. -Pigs (three different ones)- This one is blues mixed with some hard rock. Drums could have been a little more eventfull but they are good enough for me. The bass in this song is just as good as the guitar, there's even a bass solo, well kinda. Organs in the begging and piano during the singing, but unfortunettly none during the mid section. Good solo guitar solo at the end and the pig noises really add alot of "Floyd" to the song. Singing is some of Roger's best, very eventfull when he sings. -Sheep- This is the most metal you will ever hear the band, and if you hate metal it's ok because it's totally Floyd, guess what you call prog. metal, and it's Floyd's best metal song too. Roger's voice is perfect this time, he's screaming (which is very rare for him) and it really adds that kick ass element to the song. This song is one of the reasons Pink Floyd is my favorite band, because they explore, and they do a good job of it. The robot voice in the middle is so smart, saying the lords prayer in order to show the listener that the sheep will finnally kill the dogs and pigs, BRILLIANT. Very nice solo in the end by Dave. I forgot to mention, during this song, the bass, drums and Rick's Fender Rhodes electric piano are so good, i can't describe it. Heavy bass and drums, while Dave hammers those chords on his guitar. Rick is just jammin' away on his electric piano, doing some of the coolest effects with that equiptment even possible. -Pigs on the wing pt.2- Just like the first part but with animal noises, perfect for an ending of the album

Lyrics- Since is spent so much room about music I'll be quick on this. Pigs on the wing- Good, love filled lyrics. Dogs-Very mean, some of my favorite lyrics, makes you hate business men. Pigs- Nice for the most part, Roger attacks one of his enemies, Mary Whitehouse, in a very smart way with the lyrics. Sheep- This lyrics are the darkest of the album, well, thats very debatable, but they do fit the heavy metal feel of the song. Roger uses the lords prayer to tell a story of the sheep rebelling against their masters. pigs on the wing pt. 2- Better than the first part as far as lyrics.

Ideas- As an album on the whole, the concept is nice taking after orwell's animal farm novel. Dogs- Love the way he repeats stone, very effective. Good use of the synth in the mid section, very atmospheric. Dogs barking really make you feel sad. Pigs-Dave uses his guitar to make pig noises, thats just 100% creative to me. Sheep- Perfect the way Rick has a fender rhodes solo at the start, you begin to feel like this is going to be a nice sweet song, but then the bass comes in making the song feel dark, perfect transition between good to evil, that's smart if you ask me. Lord's prayer is changed to fit the song, and it makes the song feel like a story. The "stone" part comes back in this song, giving it more of that helpless feeling, I like that. Pigs on the wing. Pt. 2- Opens and closes the album, thats smart to me. The sheep noises make it feel peacefull, and this is one of thier best love songs, both of them. Perfect ending to this very emotional album.

I can't help but give this one a five. Probably my favorite Pink Floyd album, it features Pigs on the Wing at either end of the album, which are great little acoustic songs. The remaining three songs are all either close to ten minutes or over. The first is Dogs. It opens up with great synth and memorable acoustic guitar riffs and great lyrics and vocals from Gilmour. It becomes really awesome once the second guitar solo, when its all echoey, then it rocks hard, and becomes much darker, then there is a big ambient section which is great to listen to while you sleep. Then the epic outro brings the song to a close. Pigs (3 Different Ones) is a great scathing rocker, with a great outro solo. Sheep is the hardest rocking PF song ever. Great lyrics, with a nifty electric piano solo at the beginning. Great vocals from Waters too. It closes with Pigs on the Wing, which I have already reviewed. So this is an excellent album with 5 excellent tracks, not one of them a dissapointment.

This is one of the 3 last great prog rock albums from the year prog as it was died (alongside Yes' 'Going For The One' and Genesis' 'Wind And Wuthering'. It's also the best. Animals is a wonderful, eclectic cacophony of music. It goes from one extreme to another, from the benevolent 'Pigs On The Wing' bookends, which are short, and admittedly fairly uninteresting acoustic tracks with Roger Waters singing. These set the theme of the album, talking about 'watching for pigs on the wing' and 'wondering which of the brothers to blame' whilst 'glancing up through the rain'.

So, part 1 closes, leading into one of the best Floyd tracks out there: Dogs. A definite favourite, lasting over 17 minutes, this dynamic, dramatic, daunting epic sounds as crisp and sharp as it did in 1977 and stands out as the best track on this album. Fantastic guitar solo, one of Gilmour's creative best. Roger Waters plays some powerful bass here also, and Rick Wright makes an excellent display of technology with the use of vocoders and other gadgetry. A truly brilliant track with an unforgettable crescendo.

Next track, Pigs (Three Different Ones), is a strangely reggae-based tune which clocks in at just over 11 minutes. Not a bad track, can get tedious if not paid full attention to, as Gilmour's offbeat guitar interludes can annoy. But the track has a great voice-box solo, and an even greater solo later on at around 9.40. Great lyrics here, at their scathing best.

The album couldn't close on a better note than the fantastic 'Sheep'. I love this track, this is the final piece of the prog rock puzzle that is Animals. This track is similar in drive to 'The Knife' by Genesis: A 9/10 minute rage-filled song of pure anger. Roger's lyrics and vocals are fantastic and perfect for this track; so adrenalin-fuelled and roaring. Gilmour's closing guitar motif is one of the best ever and is absolutely unforgettable. The album closes with a mildly anti-climactic rendition of Pigs On The Wing, but one feels satisfied and awed at having listened to this album.

Truly great: A quintessential progressive rock album from the final year of great classic prog. Needless to say, an absolute must-have for every prog fan.

One of Pink Floyd's best album (to me, the second, rigth after WYWH). I think this is a really good concept album, and it is clearler than DSOTM to follow, with its in- and outro and its 3 songs. Three songs about three classes in the society. I've read Animal Farm long time before to ear that album, and I must say I'm impressed by the lyrics. For those woh didn't read George Orwell's book, it is about animals that forms a society to live on their own. Like every country, there's a hierarchy with bad people in the top, and in this case, the pigs. So the third song is about comfort and injustice in the favour of high people. The lyrics aren't clean, and the music is cruel, rude, and it's a clear vision of what it is to be a leader. That's why this album is so different from any other PF: it is a very conceptual album, with no personnal emotions to share, but the ones of an old society. There's no virtuosity, except for the solo in Dogs, the song about a bunch of the population, the part that works hard and lives in inustice. There are some good vocals in there, and I especially like the 15 econds before the solo goes one... You can see plenty of images by listening at that, and it is a very animal world, so green! Sheep, finally, is more light, in my opinion, and greener too... The rest of the people, the ones who follow and live with fears, but who can't control anything. The intro with the keyboard gives me that impression: it's a bad world, but anyway... what can we do? Follow the others...

The music really fits with the concept, and this is another masterpiece signed by Waters, with a clear help by Gilmour and Wright... Nice ambiences and rudeness, a real 5- stars album...

When the history of rock and roll is written, most will agree that the high art of the rock guitar was achieved in the mid-seventies, when Jimmy Page, Mick Taylor, Robert Fripp, Steve Howe, and especially David Gilmour were at their peak. And one of the definitive masterpieces they collectively will point to is Pink Floyd's Animals. That is because never has the human voice and the electric guitar been so intimately bound. It's almost as if Gilmour is speaking in tongues, that's how emotive his solos are in this music. His angry, caustic, ringing lines and relentless, driving rhythm chords are the perfect companions to Water's poetry of dire futility.

I never quite understood why Waters would occasionally and petulantly claim authorship of certain songs when it's clear that without Gilmour most of "his" pieces would have been only half of what they were before. Gilmour's edgy vision is just as much in control of the music as Water's satiric melodies. One only needs to hear the concluding solo of "Pigs" to be convinced that Gilmour's contribution is essential to that piece. I have never heard a lead guitarist who could so commandingly deliver the hard rock that he sounds out. And that's actually how we seventies fans used to classify the band--hard rock, in that category with Led Zeppelin. I'm not sure when the Progressive Rock movement annexed them in, but it was later. In the band's heyday, fans saw them as a more blues-based band talking from the streets than a bone fide prog band. Metaphorically speaking, Yes, EL&P, and Gentle Giant were making music on completely different musical continents than Pink Floyd.

Unlike the prog of the time, Pink Floyd didn't propose or suggest a better future. Their approach was to satirize, to cut, to mourn; to send you to disquieting musical landscapes and leave you stranded there for a while. Then wrench you back for a final vitriolic verbal assault before slicing you to pieces with a frenzied lead guitar attack. I know this sounds violent, but Animals is all about violence; it's a violent response to the oppressive powers that keep us down, keep us thinking there's no better alternative than this dog-eat-dog way of life.

Waters ingeniously riffs off Orwell's "Animal Farm" to demonstrate his world view, suggesting that the gangland fascism of his dystopia--the one many would say would occur only when pigs fly--is already here. It's just that we can't perceive the pigs flying right in front of us. And with his uncanny knack for musically rendering Water's vision, Gilmour builds astounding guitar structures around the melodies and screams out the angst Water's vision suggests.

And I don't mean to ignore Wright's or Mason's contributions at all. They too add immeasurably to the overall effect. Wright's contributions are more noticeable--his synth lines in "Sheep" and "Dogs," but Mason's tight percussion and tasteful fills are just as effective.

I know there are minority of Pink Floyd fans who see everything after DSOTM (or even Meddle) as a some sort of falling away from the psychedelia they created up to that time. But what I think they are reacting against is Water's coming of age as a poet; they are, I think, made too uneasy by Water's satiric attack, they'd prefer less despair and anger in their mind trips.

But Pink Floyd had moved beyond that. They kept the psychedelic soundscapes but gave them literary form. For Water's, it was time to scare everybody awake. And if any rock album demands you wake up, Animals does.

This is an essential work of rock art. Five stars.

Not good. I like Pink Floyd, but much of this album, as far as I can recall, is like having adults stuck in adolescence whining into your ear while playing songs they cobbled together over a drug-fueled weekend. Very annoying at times. Sadly. Not one I've been able to go back and listen to, in contrast to Atom Heart Mother, Dark Side and ealier stuff.

Floyd is my favorite band and it is very hard for me to decide if this is my favorite album of theirs or not. No matter what, this is definitely a five star album. Every song is fantastic, and fits into the concept perfectly. I love how it starts with two people disagreeing, and ends with them at peace with one another.. It gives the album a great conclusion that most albums don't have, that just end with some random song that leaves you hanging.

Pigs (Three Different Ones) is the best track, with the best use of talk box I've ever heard. If that guitar part isn't amazing enough, the outro guitar solo is the perfect ending on a perfect song. It's also the perect lead in to Sheep, another Floyd classic. Dogs is a great seventeen minute song that never gets boring and really gets the album going.

Anyone who enjoys the Wall or Dark Side of the Moon should buy this album.

There are not many things to say about this album but hat is with dark side and wish you were here their peak. The first thing that someone will notice is the music that is structured in a more complex way than it used to. The three long tracks are filled with great guitar work and trendmark sound by Gilmour who gives his best themes in this album. Technic and passion coexist in a magnificent way. Another thing that must be mentioned is the dark mood of the album made by Wright and waters who uses his bass in a more melodic way. The great lyrics are highlighted by soundtrack like sound which gives a theatrical touch overall. Finaly I found that the vocals can only be compared by those on the Wall.

A must have for every prog fan. Pink Floyd fans have allready got it.

This album is very different from its predecessors. It is the FLOYD at their most violent, and there's much more guitar than synths through the songs, being less atmospheric and much heavier instead. Actually, 1977 was the year of Punk music, and this sure is the FLOYD's closest encounter with the Punk style, especially on the song "Sheep", so the violence of this album has some influence from the directions music was taking at that year. But the punks always hated prog bands and artists, tagging them as pretentious and boring. The FLOYD, though, didn't feel like making huge tons of simple noisy songs so they still maintained their progressive line, only with a more angry tone. It worked perfectly, and this album is one of the most different ones of the FLOYD catalogue, since they never reached such level of heaviness in their other works.

Here we unfortunately have the begining of Rick's loss of inspiration. He was having trouble with his marriage, and Roger was starting to take full control. The band was getting severely unstable. Dave and Roger passed ten years fighting for the album's royalties, and Nick and Rick were just playing their instruments and not writing anything. David Gilmour and Roger Waters were the two prime forces, one in charge of the amazing music found here and another writing the well crafted lyrics that aren't outdated by now and work even better nowadays. The concept is simple, since it is entirely based on George Orwell's book "Animal Farm", being not so original as the one from "The Wall". Actually, David's music is what really shines. Without him, this album wouldn't be half as great as it is. Roger's solo works proved that only long and creative lyrics with a bland music don't make justice to a song, so Animals features the most well accomplished combination of music and lyrics on a FLOYD album, losing only for WYWH.

About the songs, here we have two short acoustic pieces that serve to make the classic cyclic effect found in most FLOYD albums. "Pigs on the wing pts1 and 2" are both very pleasant and don't follow the album's overall tone of anger. "Dogs" is an excellent epic track featuring my favorite lyrics by Waters and some of the most delightful guitar work by David Gilmour. "Pigs, 3 different ones" has some very violent lyrics and an amazing intro. "Sheep" is my favorite song from this album, from the initial keyboards to the final guitar solo this song defines the word "brilliance" in its ten minutes.

Although this is one of my less listened FLOYD works, i have to admit its brilliance despite all the conflicts that were begining to rise between the band members. It's clear that Roger wanted a new direction for the band's music, and this would be completely accomplished on "The Wall", where his influence would be even stronger than here.

Here's a case where, I think, the music was recorded first, and then taken out on the road and really learned by the band. The album itself has a rather uncertain and unfinished quality, as if they really didn't know what the songs were about. By the time they got to the United States, and particularly toward the end of that tour, the indentities of Dogs, Pigs, and Sheep had become quite clear, and the outward animosity which Waters would express toward audiences which were often disruptive and rowdy became really intense. The record is rather tame in comparison.

This album is simply amazing. Bearing a concept superior to most, Animals followed both Wish You Were Here and Darkside of the Moon, and left high expectations to be filled by The Wall. Although the preceding and following releases to Animals were all amazing, I believe this album to be Floyd's finest hour. There are five tracks, but essentially four songs-Pigs on the Wing Pt 1, Dogs, Pigs (Three Different Ones), Sheep, and Pigs on the Wing Pt 2.

First of all, there's Pigs on the Wing Pt 1. A short, slow, and simple acoustic piece with wonderful lyrics that prepares you for the rest of the album. Not a very important piece, but great nonetheless.

Dogs. Here's where things start to pick up. Dogs starts out with some very impressive rhythm guitar, followed by the words "You've got to be crazy" sang beautifully by Gilmour. What follows is an extrordinary display of musical talent, not to mention lyrical genius. Aside from a few moments that some may find dull(even Roger Waters stopped to play poker in concert during some parts of this song on his In the Flesh tour), Dogs is an epic up there with the best.

Next, we have Pigs (Three Different Ones). Roger Waters at his angriest. Attacking corporate suits and displaying his disgust with the "bus stop rat bags" of the world, Roger delivers a hell of a protest song. Though, in my opinion, the weak point of the album, the song does show off some above average musical performance, and holds one of my favorite Floyd bass lines(though not played by Waters...).

Sheep, the fourth track, is my personal favorite on Animals. What stands out most to me is the great introduction, the sound effects and bass provide the perfect buildup for Waters' chilling voice. The only thing close to a flaw I can think of is Roger's unneccessary excerpt from the book of the bible, Psalms. Though relevant and meaningful, it comes off as a bit cheezy. Doesn't hurt the song much though.

The album ends with Pigs on the Wing Pt. 2, a duplicate of the first track with different lyrics. The perfect ending to the album.

In conclusion, Animals is truly a masterpiece. The lyrics and music of the album are truly remarkable, not to mention the genius concept between each of the songs that blends together so well. It is bit of an acquired taste to many, however, and naturally there will be people who just won't like this album at all. I was in love the first time I heard it, and it remains my favorite Floyd album to this day. A solid 5 stars.

Not Commercial, not for radio, not for dancing.

A very strong album of Pink Floyd, in which they sacrificed accessible songwriting to create three giant complex and long songs. This is the first album in which Roger Waters seemed to dominate the music. His vocals are much more present that in the previous works, and his cynical lyrics were prominent. Influenced by George Orwells 'Animals', Waters created a concept album of humanity. Humans are divided into Pigs (greedy leaders) Dogs (manipulators or soldiers working under the pigs), and Sheep (mindless followers). The album ends when the sheep finally stand up for themselves.

Pigs of the Winds pt1+pt2 : It is a short ballad that begins and ends the album. It is a nice contrast to the hard prog throughout the album. I like the chord progressions in it. 8/10

Dogs : The big epic of the album. It is a whooping seventeen minute track and one of the most progressive songs of the band. Here, you have the chance to hear a great keyboard solo, and Gimour mixing Electric and acoustic guitars. 8.5/10

Pigs : A very angry song (Waters even screams a profane word somewhere). The bass playing is something to pay attention to in the beginning, and when the song reaches its instrumental break ... a simple, yet effective, acoustic guitar riff is played over pig noises. Close to the end of the song, Gilmour uses a pedal to make his instrument sound like a pig. 8/10

Sheep : This is the heaviest track of the album and it is fueled by rage. The sheep decide to revolt, making this song a powerful climax of the album. 7/10

My grade : B

Great album musically and conceptually. David Gilmour's guitar speaks for itself on "Dogs," Roger's lyrics throughout are great, and nice keyboard work by Wright throughout. A masterpiece, highly recommended for any fan of rock music.

I agree with most of these reviews that "Animals" is an undervalued masterpiece. The grim darkness of the lyrics is disturbing, even painful at times, and can be hard to take. I have asked myself more than once, "Why do I like this stuff?"

Who was born in a house full of pain, Who was trained not to spit in the fan, Who was told what do do by the man, Who was broken by trained personnel,

However, nobody can deny that Roger Waters was asking the right questions about greed, manipulation, abuse, lies, ignorance, and vicious self-centeredness. The lyrics are worth the price of admission, to be sure. What a great era of the concept album it was: Tommy, Thick as a Brick, the work of Yes. Animals more than holds its own in this company, and The Wall was right around the corner for Pink Floyd. Great days that have not been matched.

For me the true glory of this piece, however, is the operetic music, led by David Gilmour's positively brilliant guitar playing. There is more than a touch of Pete Towhnshend (the punchy "lead/rhythm" master), Jimi Hendrix (the king of roaring lead guitar and expert fretwork), or Steve Howe (the acoustic artist) in his work--and often better. The rich atmoshperics (including some early Andy Summer's tones, years before Summers made them), silky smooth fretwork, ringing acoustic guitar, iincindiary Stratocaster blasts, echoing call-and-response, and symphonic overtones are positively radiant. Gilmour pretty much led the way on Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall as well, but something special emerges from Animals. Gilmour is in charge of the music, with all due respect to Roger Waters. As a guitar player, I look up to this fine playing, and many another guitar player has recognized Gilmour as an overlooked master.

But all was not lost in Animals:

When cometh the day we lowly ones, Through quiet reflection, and great dedication, Master the art of karate, Lo, we shall rise up, And then we'll make the buggers eyes water...

Roger Water's lyrical masterpiece, ANIMALS, is also Pink Floyd's most progressive work, and the least accessible of their commercially golden period (1973-1979). It also has some of their best guitar work, courtesy of David Gilmour, and Water's best (read: insane) lyrics to date. It is clear that by this point Water's had rested creative control from the band, as he handles all of the songwriting and vocals, formerly shared between the band mates. ANIMALS is Pink Floyd's most depressing work, but is not as creepy as Water's 1979 rock opera THE WALL or as monotonous as 1983's THE FINAL CUT. While DARK SIDE OF THE MOON is Pink Floyd's twenty-five time platinum chartbuster, ANIMALS in it's methodical way remains their greatest work. ANIMALS is as bleak and depressing as the coal-power plant on its cover, and makes the listener feel this way too. It continues the themes of depression, isolation and paranoia prevalent on DARK SIDE OF THE MOON (1973) and WISH YOU WERE HERE (1975), but is an abrupt departure from the warm sentiments expressed on WISH YOU WERE HERE. One could definitely describe this album as remote and cold. It is Orwellian in nature, and recalls Orwell's "Animal Farm" directly. It classifies humanity into three groups, Dogs, Pigs and Sheep. The Dogs are the henchmen and enforcers of the ruling pigs, who in turn oppress the meek Sheep.

It is bracketed by two light acoustic pieces Pigs on the Wing, Part 1 and Pigs on the Wing, Part 2. These are the only warm tracks on the album, and have only acoustic guitar and reassuring vocals. This safety soon ends with the harsh electric guitar, and harsher lyrics of the seventeen minute long suite, Dogs. This is one of the group's strongest tracks, and has their best lyrics ever. Dogs is fantastic, with an amazing vocal crescendo at the end. This song is written about the "Dog Eat Dog" business world, has lyrics to give firepower to its message. The song also has an interesting audio clip of a dog howling into a vocoder. Just one of Pink Floyd's countless auditory special effects. Pigs (Three Different Ones) is also exceptional, but is the weaker of the three extended pieces. Remember, it is only weak when compared to the other great songs here. It is typical Floyd, and has heavy guitar, distorted vocals, and heavy soloing. In this track Water's insults British Politicians, like Mary Whitehouse, a notorious censor. The brilliant song Sheep opens with Richard Wright's keyboards setting the mood, and quickly explodes into Floyd pandemonium. Again, we see exceptional playing and lyrics. Sheep is also a bit brighter than its album counterparts, as it ends with the oppressed masses rising up and liberating themselves from the Pigs and Dogs. It also features a very catchy synthesized coda. One complaint against this album is it is very guitar-dominated. Wright's keyboards play small roles, but when they do, they are usually good. Water's was growing increasingly irritated with Wright, culminating in his ouster from the band in 1979 by Water's. The Album closes with Pigs on the Wing again, which puts the listener back in the calm mood he started with and eases him out of the fright fest known as a Pink Floyd album.

The seeds of discontent were being sown at this time within the band, and their subsequent output is much weaker. Water's made himself band dictator, and the music later suffers for it (see THE FINAL CUT). Nonetheless, this is a very strong album and gets 5 stars as Pink Floyd's best work, easily contending with the slick DARK SIDE OF THE MOON and spacey WYWH.

Conceptual, acoustic-feeling comparing to all their other work (often too much synth-loaded, sorry Mr. Wright), floating, really progressive (perhaps only "Echoes" and "Shine on your crazy diamond" are above the three long cuts in Animals)... And a double-sided capability of both relax and enjoy, or feeling the anger of Water's lyrics painted with the semi-acid guitar of Gilmour. Perhaps this is Pink Floyd's most equilibrated album.

I'm giving this 4 stars & not 5 for the following reasons. This is an album where the lyrics are shoved down your throat. Dogs - blokes who work themselves into an early grave & are abused by everyone (especially their loved ones). Pigs - the very rich who do nothing & have great lives on the backs of other peoples sweat. Sheep - the very poor who don't think for themselves & don't care whatever happens. It's pretty grim stuff & I'd go as far to say it's plain miserable. I wonder where they think they fit in this rotten world. There's a difference between being dark & being miserable.Van Der Graaf Generator are dark but it's more poetic & more uplifting. If you're suffering from clinical depression do not buy ANIMALS.

Another great album by the Floyd, and again close to masterpiece standard. The lyrics are biting and at time savage (Mary Whitehouse comes in for special treatment), describing three types of human beings in animal form. The music is excellent and on Sheep, they come closer to rocking than for a long time. I love the way the vocal transforms into a synth on this track by using a vocorder. There are some great guitar solos and fine keyboard work, especially on Dogs. It's angry, bitter stuff, probably the last of their great albums and probably the last before the inner conflict and power battles in the band ruined their collective cohesiveness. But (as noted by the previous reviewer) it's a bit too"in yer face" to merit 5 stars; it doesn't persuade, it bludgeons. Still an essential buy.

Waters taking final control over band!

This is the beginning of the string of FLOYD albums with Waters' attitude "Pink Floyd - that's me!", which ends with controversial "The Final Cut" in 1983 and his departure for solo career. "Animals" was still an excellent work with dark lyrics and top-notch music production. Apart from omni-present Waters, Gilmour also had a prominent role especially co-writing "Dogs" one of true epic gems of FLOYD catalogue, with more than chilling guitar work. Another highlight is "Sheep" with strong pulsating bass line and wonderful Wright's synths - very horror-filled ambience and hints of TANGERINE DREAM better moments of the same era. Recommended to all prog fans, while I would advise novices to start FLOYD voyage elsewhere first.

Well... this is, maybe, one of the best Pink Floyd albums. Great lyrics, great music and a wonderfull sound atmosphere. Gilmour plays some of his greatest solos in this albums, like the Dogs and Pigs (Three different ones) solos. I think this is the last PF album in wich you can recognise Wright's sound. The way they used technology in this album is amazing (Sheep is a great example of that). Well... i think it's a "must have" album like Wish you Were Here, The Division Bell, The Wall and Dark Side Of The Moon.

This is probably, (with the exception of 'The Final Cut') the most depressing of Floyd's output. Not my favourite disc by them, I have tried, over the years, to like it, but never quite managed to rate it on a par with the likes of 'The Wall', 'Meddle' or 'Dark Side'. The songs are not really representative of the band. Gilmour's guitar work is quite rough, and not up to the usual standard. Wright's keyboard work seems to me to take a step backward here, to some of his not so impressive work on Atom Heart Mother or Ummagumma. Mason is about the same as usual, but Waters again suffers with too much angst and not enough melody. Sorry this is not a good review, and I know there are Floyd fans out there who rate this their best. But for me it isn't. I remember when it was released, and it was considered, after the two year wait (in those days, two years was considered a self-indulgent waste of time) to be a disappointment. There is pointless dog barking here, unmusical sound effects, and the whole package, to me, is sloppy. I give this three stars, the same score I gave 'Wish You Were Here', yet that album is clearly superior to this one, and the following masterpiece, 'The Wall' confirms that this is, indeed, a thorn between two roses. Not a bad record, but nothing to write home about.

I'm sory David Gilmour, but there's another one by Roger Waters. The genius of the band made another memorial to the music. This album's lyrics are fantastic. A very well written critique to the society. Pigs, Dogs and Sheeps. The priests, the politians, every one was criticised here. Waters is the leader of this farm.

Probably IMO the most progressive one!! overall. Rogers influence is getting stronger, and I think disputes started to surface on this one. But, production and quality are espectacular... I love this one to dead!! No question in my mind that the social issues raise in the album, are of major significance for the band and specially for Mr. Waters!! Another Gem!!!!!!!!!!!!!

About half a year ago I started to get MP3 copies of the vinyl records I still store at the attick. Amongst them where the 3 biggies from PF (DSOM, WYWH and Animals. I did not like the Wall from the start...). I started to play the DSOM tracks(time & great gig in the sky) but a few days ago I accidently played "animals". Animals was the first record from PF I actually bought. I was really amazed (again) and played the 3 mayor tracks at least 10 times in a row. Again (realising it 28 years ago for the first time) I'm convinced that this it the best PF record of all times. More than any other PF record it creates a atmosphere (a very dark one) that really hits you. I like pigs (three different ones) best. Especially the middle part of it.

I saw some reviews where "the division bell" was put in the same league as this one. Like comparing Grisham with Orwell. Read (or listen) them 3 times and judge again.....

This album will always have a very special place in my collection. For me, this is the best album EVER, and I listen to a hell of a lot of music. Five stars here is well deserved. I loved this album as a young man (not so young anymore) so I realized the brilliance early on. I can't say much more about this album that hasn't been discussed in several other reviews, just "it's must favorite".

The most excellent (I bow to you) reviewer Gatot put it best: "I tend to refrain from reviewing it because I think this album is too perfect so that it does not deserve any review." I can't agree more, brother. Amen!

After 'Dark Side', my favourite Pink Floyd album. Like the searing guitar riffs, animal sound effects, and the general pace of this. 'Dogs' has some memorable lyrics: 'you'll pack up fly down South,hide your head in the sand, just another sad old man, all alone, and dying of cancer'. I always think of the actor Steve McQueen at that point, who 3 years later (1980) headed desperately to a clinic in Mexico in search of a cancer cure, but sadly wasn't (died there). The line 'and when you lose control, you'll reap the harvest you have sown'. For those of us with revenge fantasies, what a great line.

Excellent stuff.

Animals is Pink Floyd's most progressive work with most the songs being over then minutets (except the pigs.) The album has some very good guitars solos and instrumental passages which contribute the the overal "enjoyability" of the album. My favorite song on the album is "Sheep" but the entire album is very good. The only problem with the album is that in some places nothing seems to happen for about a minute. That said the album is still exceptional and worth ever star.

"Animals" is a brilliant prog rock concept album, by the time of this recording, Roger Waters had basically taken complete control of the band and most of the album was his doing. Inspired by George Orwell's novel "Animal Farm," The songs of the album are named after Animals from the book. Dogs,, is about people who do what ever it takes to get ahead, but eventually die off like everybody else. This song contains one Gilmour's best solos. Pigs (Three Different Ones) is an attack driven song, attacking corporate pigs capitalists , Margaret Thatcher, And Mary Whiteside. Sheep talks about rebellion and the killing of the Dogs. This is Pink Floyd at its best.

1. Pigs on the wing Part 1 - a quiet, one minute acoustic song with Waters as lead vocals. Very good! 4/5

2. Dogs - David Gilmour and Roger Waters talk about one of the three classes of humans in the world. The middle of the song features an outstanding guitar solo from Gilmour, During the middle of the guitar solo, Water starts to sing, and at the end, he sings 'Have a good drown, all alone, dragged down by the stone...' The word 'stone' is then repeated for about a minute while it slowly fades away into nothingness. Essential!! 5/5

3. Pigs (three different ones) - An 11-minute piece, Waters bashes three types of 'pigs' in the world (the third being an actual person): the obese, the homeless, and Mary Whitehouse. I love this track, simply for its strong and powerful lyrics ('Hey you Whitehouse, ha ha, charade you are... Mary, you're nearly a treat, but you're really a cry'), and the great music accompanying Waters' bitter and angry voice. Awesome! 5/5

4. Sheep - My favorite part of the song is when in the background, the words 'stone' start up again from 'Dogs', fitting in perfectly with the melody; it sounds really cool when you actually hear it. 5/5

5. Pigs on the wing Part 2 - is a reprise of Part 1, with different lyrics. 4/5

Final Note: With the powerful lyrics that Waters conveys, its easy to see why Animals is one of, if not the most clever album ever; lyrically speaking. This album intelligently combines the euphoric sound that is the Pink Floyd, with lyrics that are not only listenable, but serve as a lesson in life. This is truly a masterpiece of fine art. Highly Recommended!

4+5+5+5+4 = 23

23 : 5 = 4,6

Essential: a masterpiece of progressive music

Curiosity: The original Pink Floyd pig was designed by Roger Waters and built in late December 1976 in preparation for shooting the cover of the Animals album.

Wow!!!! All I can say is that this is my second favourite album of all time beaten only by Dark Side Of The Moon and that is only sometimes ha! It is the most accessible of the Floyds albums in my opinion, it can be listened to at any time it is pure genius!!!!

1.Pigs on The Wing Part.1 Nice intro they keep it simple here perfect intro to Dogs

2.Dogs What can i say about this song? Its seventeen minutes of pure bliss I love it from the rolling acoustic guitar at the start the whole way through

3.Pigs Three Different Ones Waters berates the politicians in this brilliant piece. As always his lyrics are inspired and Rick wrights unsettling keyboard at the beginning of the piece set the tone for a great song

4.Sheep The climax of the album. I love this song for the energy,lyrics,vibe and if for nothing else the cool riff at the end

5.Pigs On The wing Part.2 Perfect ending to a near perfect album

This album is simply a gem.

To me, this album definitely showcases David Gilmour. His vocals were never more raw and heartfelt than on "Dogs". His guitar solo's on "Dogs" and "Pigs (three different ones) never miss the point. The strongness in his guitar playing is not so much speed but more in playing the right note at the right moment, and with a touch and feel that are inimitable.

Lyricly speaking this album contains a combination of the most cynicle (Sheep) and the most tender (Pigs on the Wing) lyrics written by Roger Waters. There are some clever findings like the reciting of a psalm in Sheep, questioning the uncriticle sheeplike behaviour of some followers of religion.

Some call this the Floyd "punk" album, referring to it's power. When looking at the quality of the songs, the comparision is far from accurate. It is an album that you might easily overlook as it is less known than Dark Side, Wish You Were Here or The Wall and the songs are less accessible. Give it a go, you won't be disappointed!

Are you suffering from insomnia? Then buy this album right away! Be careful though, listening to it might send you into a coma. Animals is quite possibly the most lethargic album ever made and it seems to have been custom made for stoners. The experience of listening to it is similar to being stuck in traffic behind an unbelievably slow moving car driven by an elderly person afraid to go faster than a snail. Only during the last three minutes of 'Dogs' does this album suddenly start moving and in the context of this album it feels like that elderly person in front of you just had a seizure and suddenly floored the gas pedal. This album is strictly for stoners and bigtime Floyd fans.

Not only is this the best musically "emotional" album Floyd ever put out, it is also their best. I don't know about 'stoners', but this album draws the same visceral reaction from me as it did almost thirty years ago. It has a wonderful mix of the acoustic and electric. Yes it might possibly be dated, compared to what passes for popular rock music today, because it requires your attention for longer than 3 and a half minutes. But it is as politically relevant today as it it was then and the tunes are timeless for me. If you are a Pink Floyd fan this is an essential part of your collection. "...at the heart everyone's a killer."

Great album by Pink Floyd. Released in 1977 is one of darker Floyd work. Album contains 2 short songs (opening and closeing the album) and 3 long epics. Each longer than 10 minutes (Dogs is over 17 minutes). Sarcastic and dark satire abaut society divideing it to three categories of people: dogs, pigs and sheeps. Musically album is harder and more rocking. It has more raw sound. It's hard to analise this album because every sound on it is perfect. The texture is very thick.

i love this record by far more than any other pink floyd album. im not saying the others are bad infact i love them too. but the mindpower and pure background behind roger waters life is put into these songs also. he expresses the deep psycadelic sounds of death hinting "have a good drownd" in the lyrical phenomina behind the infamouse "dogs" in my book will never stop being warshiped by my ears. their is alot of background behind this with me also not only the compelling and genious composers life but also the soundtract to my life.

This album has done everything for me that could be done musically...Not only the musical aspect but also the lyrical aspect has changed my whole view on music. Anyone that doesn't give this album five stars really doesn't understand what good music is. Everything is perfect and the lrics are so in-depth, they make one think about a lot of things, including the how corrupt many people of power are. How can you deny the ending guitar solo in "Pigs (Three Different Ones)"??????

As a teenager when this album came out I remember seeing ads on TV promoting the album. When's the last time, or even first time you can say that about a prog band, especially during the late 70's? I'm not the biggest Floyd fan, but this has been and always will be my favorite Pink Floyd album. The main reason why I like this one so much is the simple fact that it's not about Syd Barret and his descention into madness. And it also carries some of my favorite lyrics by Waters. It's not a perfect album by any means. Rating each song, 'Pigs On A Wing' parts 1 & 2 are standard acoustic songs but adding them to the album whole they're essential to the theme. This album scared me when I listened to it back in the day, with it's plodding and depressive nature of man and the creatures we're compared to. Nowadays, listening to it, I find parts like the center section of 'Dogs' and the Bon Jovi/Peter Frampton voice manipulation device on 'Pigs' more padding then needed. I do think Gilmour's guitar is the star of the show with Water's bass slipping to fourth string behind Wright's often chilly keyboards and Mason's tight and airy drumming. But then comes 'Sheep'. My all-time favorite Floyd song and the most upbeat rockin tune on the album. Wright's jazzy-style piano opens up the song and then Water's and crew jet-propel in and we're going full throtle for most of the way. Their most unique song ever! Dark Side Of The Moon may be their magnum opus and note-for-note perfect album, but I feel this is their most down-to- earth record. 4.5 stars! And as a side note, if you're a fan of Porcupine Tree and want to know why they're compared to Pink Floyd, just play 'Dogs'.

Once upon a time, it was in 1977, and black clouds overshadowed the musical land pouring out their filthy burden of rotten tomatoes and evil discos when Pink Floyd bravely released "Animals" - a very progressive and highly conceptual album. One may say that the band only accomplished their contractual obligations and nothing more that it. But instead of releasing a second-class opus they gifted us with a first- class ticket to a cloudless world of marvels.

Due to the strangeness of the moment this work remained a bit far from eyes and ears and also is understandable that many could have supposed that was impossible for Pink Floyd to release an album as good as previous "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here", but they did and were splendid!

There are also the references to Orwell's "Animal Farm", a great book but little known for non-English speakers ("1984", other Orwell's book is widely well-known) and references to a certain political phase in Britain that did not concern listeners around the world.

However, this elegant album is like a good wine having aged very well and still awesome to be heard and appreciated. Many people that did not include it among the basic Floyd discography are changing their minds and putting "Animals" alongside other band's bulwarks. Production and musicianship are fine and these by themselves make the album worthy.

There are in fact 3 songs, talking about three different species of humans, i.e., animals, 'Dogs', 'Pigs' and 'Sheep', being the second of the songs by its turn divided in 3 pieces: a main theme and two secondary themes, the shortest tracks in the album, both responsible for opening and ending the disk.

Although I sympathize much more with the character 'sheep' I consider the song 'Dogs' the best in the album, with an overall catchy atmosphere, great vocals and fine guitar background and solo; no surprise at all, as observed by other reviewers this is basically a 'guitar album' and this track is a good example of the path taken.

'Pigs' for some reason reminds me Harrison's 'Piggies' and there's also something Beatle-ish in the vocals and in the arrangement - one can argue that certain tunes a la Moody Blues are heard too. However, a bunch of swine sound effects spread throughout the song impoverish instead of enrich it, nevertheless the final result is fairly audible. The brief tracks 'Pigs on the wing, parts 1 & 2' albeit inserted in the general subject add little musically.

'Sheep' provides the angriest moments of the album, vocals and guitars are almost ever nervous, the general ambience varies from ironic tenderness to furious revolt. This track is album's most Floydian with chords recalling to 'One of these days' from album "Meddle", drums and bass with lines similar to 'Echoes' from the same album and exquisite keyboard tunes in "Atom Heart Mother" way. A (good) sensation of old PF's stuff grazes over the song.

This is an album compulsory to any prog (or non-prog) music collection. Excellent! Total: 4.

I'm an absolute Pink Floyd fan for about 34 years now, and to me it's difficult to rate any album less than 5 stars,because I love them all. But still, I believe Animals is definitely one of their best album.In one word,AMAZING ! Indeed, highly underestimated in comparison with other albums like Dark Side of the Moon,Wish you were Here,or The Wall. And it is understandable : the incredibely hard but amazing lyrics works verry disturbing for many people,and also pure musicaly,they create one of the darkest atmosphere you could possibly imagine. But if you are not afraid of being confrontated with the dark side of mankind, I think this is one of the best album EVER made, if not THE best. First,the lyrics are just incredible.Hard,but so true... Second,the music is AMAZING.David Gilmour is absolutely brillant,certainely the best he's done.Rick Wright's keyboard creates the dark side of the atmosphere in a masterly way,Nick Mason's drums are incisive and roger waters bass too.Roger's and dave's voice are great... Dogs is my favourite piece,but they're all perfect. In one word : an absolute masterpiece.I rate 5 stars,because I can't rate 6 or 10... Conclusion : A MUST HAVE !!!

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.

I will say with uttmost certainty that this is my favorite Floyd album. Animals was Floyd putting together the balance that was found on Drak Side with the darkness that transpired on the forthcoming The Wall. It is Roger Waters' satirical look at the human population as one of three animals: Dogs, Pigs, and Sheep. I suppose thaat the pigs are the leaders/politicians that tell the dogs what to do. the dogs are those that follow the leaders or i'd say rebel against the leader, and the sheep are those that are just common and misplaced people that do what they're told. It is also said to have Animal Farm (George Orwell) references all over it and Roger apparently got the idea for the album from this book. It's actually fun to read the book and to listen to the album at teh same time...really enhances the book and album ideas.

The album begins with an acoustic piece that demostrates the style you SHOULDN'T expect to hear over the rest of the album: tranquility/happines...you get it. As soon as it's over we move into the sinister epic "Dogs", which spans 17 minutes long and can be heard on the archives. Then we fade into "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" which begins with keyboard spirals and a very memorable riff before breaking into the pseudo-chorus after every line "Haha, charade you are!". This is my favorite track on the album. Next up is "Sheep" another long song which has plays on common reliigion and all sorts of little satires while keeping melody attached in good style, with a very nice Gilmour solo to top it off. Then we end with the second half of "Pigs on the Wing", ending the album on a bittersweet note and casting the ideas in iron.

This is the Floyd masterpiece I think, or one of them. It is also the most difficult Floyd masterpiece to get into...although it's still not that hard to love. I'd say go get it now if you don't have it, your collection is incomplete without it.

Animals is my favourite Pink Floyd album. Before I heard this album I had already fallen in love with 'The Dark Side of the Moon' and 'Wish You Were Here' and had given a few listens to 'The Wall' as my dad had them all on vinyl since there release. So by now, I was a dedicated Pink Floyd fan, and the 'Fab four' as they are so called, was there at my disposal for a long time. The last album I listened to out of the four was 'Animals', I don't know why, but I almost felt afraid to listen to it incase it spoilt the clean sheet the other three had made. When I did take it out, I sat and just admired the cover art for a while, it seemed so smokey and inviting, I was now excited. After my first listen I thought, well that was different, and I still feel the exact same way today. The album has an unbelievable atmosphere, the smoky imagery on the cover fitted perfectly with the sort of 'smoky' music inside.It seemed a little dark to me, but that only enhanced the exitement, the album was perfect. The music is so rich here, every second of the music sounds like it belongs on this album, and nowhere else, it should always be played in its entirity.

'Pigs On The Wing' bookends the album just as 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' had on the album before it 'Wish You Were Here', only, it's slightly shorter than Shine On. A simple, yet fantastic tune and right from the start Waters lyrics grab you. The acoustic guitar only plays a simple few chords, but it counts, it sounds wonderful, it leads perfectly into 'Dogs', the albums seventeen minute epic that takes up the rest of side one. The acoustic guitar at the beginning, Wright's jazzy tinged sounding keyboards and Gilmour's slightly hoarse vocals create a wonderful texture that seems to run throughout the whole album, the simple switch to Waters on vocals give an ever increasing darkness to the piece, he sounds malevolent, unfriendly, and his words are powerful enough to make it seem like he's shouting them in your face. Waters views of society are so relevant to the world today that this could have been recorded yesterday, I don't want to go into too much detail about the concept of the album as it has been said before countless times before but it's still a message that has a lot truth and relevancy today, and probably always will.

Side two has two more classic floyd tracks 'Pigs (three different ones)' and 'Sheep', both have some excellent music. 'Pigs' ends with one of Gilmour's greatest guitar solos and there is a great mood throughout the track, it moves slowly, but it's still aggressive. 'Sheep' has a wonderful jazzy keyboard intro and the song is a much faster paced, led by Waters driving bass and Gilmour bursting in every few seconds firing chords from his guitar. The song has a quiet middle section with some excellent drumming from Mason and a rather odd recital of 'The Lord is my Shepard...' before it all burts through again with synthesizer freak outs and an anthemic riff from Gilmour at the end that must be the most exciting part in any Pink Floyd song ever written.

Not so much as a bad note on this album, the wierd Dog and Sheep affects fit right in (unlike the dog in Seamus) and i'm pretty sure you can here the fly from 'Grantchester Meadows' at the end of Sheep which is an odd throwback. The album deserves it's place in THE best of progressive rock. And as one critic commented "Two albums were released in 1977 that spoke out against government and society, one was Animals, the other was Never mind the bollox here's the Sex Pistols, in hindsight, which of the two seems the angriest, Animals". The album is very much the peak of Waters mix of darkness and clever lyrics and the rest of the bands attention to detail in the music to create a terrific atmosphere. 'The Wall' became a little too claustrophobic and the music didn't seem to breath as much as it did here, but was still an excellent follow up.

FANTASTIC. My "sole on an island" record. Lyrics are great - of course as they are due to Roger Waters. Eventhough Floyd was consider as a dinosaur by the punk bands at the time, the lyrics in this album are more violent than any top rated punk band would have ever dreamed of writing. Human nature is clasified as pigs, dogs or sheeps. Not really optimistic vision isn'it.

Despite beginning of bad feelings amongst the band members, the 4 Floyd are playing together making 1+1+1+1>4 as they always did. Some great guitar and organ pieces. Not a single note to add or to substract. I own this album (first on vynil now on CD) since alost 30 years now and I still discover new ideas, new landscapes. Needless to say that I listen to it almost at least once per week.

This is the hardest Pink Floyd album to review,as a recording it has the the big epic sweep of much of typical Pink Floyd of this era,but it is lacking something,and that being a natural progressive step up from Wish You Were Here. Animals is a fine album but it's a little bit too earthbound,it just does'nt have what is called "it",its not a big event like Pink Floyd albums should be,but Animals is'nt bad either. The opening track Pigs on the wing part 1,is pathetic and worthless,fortunately things get a lot better and Dogs is a great track and basically flows on with some classic Pink Floyd movements,which are rocking and epic. Pigs(three different One's),is average but i really think it for an act of Pink Floyd's reputation of innovative songwriting it's second rate,for a track like this to take up basically the bulk of the album thats where the fault is Animals lie's To be honest Pig's(three different one's),is a "[&*!#] track" and plod's along at a boring lethargic pace ,with all it's ugly rotten bleakness,both musically and lyrically. Sheep is totally different,and is full on with and in the end really does salvage this album completly,the fact being Sheep is one of Pink floyd's great track's though totally ignored by many.Pig's on the wing part 2 is total crap, filler,just like the before mentioned Pigs on the wing part 1 Also any comparisons of Animal's being an anti establishment record,ie some progressive rock's answer to the the Punk movement of the late 70's is laughable and stupid.Animal's is progressive rock.

An extremely bitter portrait of society, this album could be considered to some extent as Roger Waters' first solo effort: the lyrical themes and expressions (as it will become more apparent on The Wall) are typically his. The three central epics depict the main classes society is divided into according to Waters' view, using a somewhat "Orwell-like" approach identifying them as different species of animals.

Besides this, musically it is almost perfect! The sturdy foundation built by Waters' bass guitar and Mason's drums blends perfectly with Wright's hypnotic keyboard textures and the harsh and crunchy guitar riffs provided by David Gilmour.

No place for virtuoso here, it's all about atmosphere and expression. Of the kind that leave you breathless! Crystal clear production enhances the quality of this record, and the consistent use of effects and devices contributes to maximize the ominous ambience, and the listener slips away hardly noticing that the three focal tracks clock at much more than 10 minutes each!

The result is an outstanding masterpiece, the most convincing and energetic floydian effort ever!

Outstanding tracks: All (special mention to Sheep, maybe the best Pink Floyd song!)

Disappointing tracks: None

"Pigs on the Wing (1)" (Waters) - An acoustic guitar-driven hors-d'oeuvre that sets the mood on a sarcastic note. A prodding for solidarity, somehow mockingly sung by the nasal voice of Roger Waters: it gives a hint about the tone the lyrics will follow as the record goes on, but it gives no clue about how the themes will be musically represented.

"Dogs" (Waters/Gilmour) - The first epic (and the longest track appearing on a Pink Floyd release since Echoes, if we consider Shine on You Crazy Diamond's two parts separated) talks about greedy industry barons and businessmen which act without a qualm, and whose deeds are inspired and prompted by greed only. It is the main contribution by someone else than Waters in this album (Gilmour basically conceived the whole main music part and the chord sequences). The audio ambience is somehow reminiscent of Welcome to the Machine, although set at faster pace: bright and springy verses countered by slower, beautiful electric guitar interlude that leads onto the cadenced middle section: a wonderful showcase for the instrumental and vocal talents of David Gilmour ("the bad blood slows and turns to stone..." always gives me the creeps). The following section is built upon the electronically-inducted echo of the word "stone" and treated howling/baying samples: it features some eerie and ominous keyboards wisely layered by Rick Wright, before giving way to the reprise of the acoustic pattern of the initial section. The powerful closing section, with its repeated hooks ("Who was.../Who was...") is somehow premonitory of the sonorities the band will adopt in their following album.

"Pigs (Three different Ones)" (Waters) - This track deals with the "men (or women) of power", with their tyrannic ways and their ideas of being better than everyone else and representing the truth incarnated. Musically it comes out as bigger sibling to [i] Have a cigar[/i], sharing the same bitter approach and angry, syncopated rhythm. Waters passionately delivers a set of lines that rank among his most ingenious, directly aimed at some real-life persons he completely disagreed (and presumabily still does) with. The great creativeness displayed throughout the album is represented here by the hypnotic organ pattern at the beginning, accompanied by electric guitar flares and audio effects. Another outstanding moment is the central section, with Gilmour's talk box imitating the squealing of pigs, and the following voice-driven solo, with Wright's keyboards crescendo in the background. Rick Wright himself proves to be the right keyboard player in the right place, with his savvy choice of the right timbres (the piano backing up the bass walk in the second part of each verse is pure genius). The closing free solo that merges into the pastoral babbling of grazing sheep from the following track is a suitable ending for this song.

"Sheep" (Waters) - Rick Wright's Fender-Rhodes piano solo at the beginning, backed with Waters' rising bass fingering, is maybe my favourite moment in Pink Floyd's discography. The shifting of the melody from Dm to Am, then to Bm and back again to Am is simply perfect, as is the entering of Nick Mason's drums with their backwards effect. The rhythm of the verses is excited and prancy as Roger Waters gives in to his socialist attitudes and prompts the masses to rise from their subjugated status. The middle section is a jewel in the jewel: the ominous bass sets the mood while the keyboards rise and provide a perfect background for the vocoder-treated revisitation of the "Lord is my Shepherd" psalm (that Hammond dim7 chord hit is simply nerve-tingling) while the babbling of the sheep gets louder and louder until the crazy vocal interpretation of the last verse leads to the majestic finale where David Gilmour's guitar rhythm takes the lion's share.

"Pigs on the Wing (2)" (Waters) - The story ends as it began: with a repetition of the short introduction, in which Waters himslef answers on a positive note to the warning presented in the first track. If you find someone share your life with, you can team up and face the misfortunes of life, especially those brough about by dogs, pigs and the like!

If you like your progressive rock dark and relentlessly dour, this is the album for you. The last great Pink Floyd record (everything else that followed was only good), and the most biting social commentary.

I tend to think of Animals as one piece. I don't even see the songs as real divisional structures, but a single thread, coiling back and forth between atmospheric dread and lyrically blight. Animals both saddens and enthralls. A magnificent listen.

4.5/5.0

This is my favorite early Pink Floyd album. The acoustic sound of "Pigs on the wing" is absolutely marvelous and starts the album very smoothly and comfortably. Then « You got to be crazy! » starts on "Dogs" like thunder in a clear sky. The rest of the album is simply as good as the first part. If there was only one word to describe this album: INTENSITY! It is not very complex from a technical point of view, yet it is emotional, with many great climax (particularly at the end of "Dogs") and always the acoustic touch not very far behind. Those guys were only four, but the music is very rich and competes easily with other bands with a wider variety of instruments.

This album is the proof that technical complexity is not the road to success. A band doesn't have to play fast-hand-banging crazy guitar riffs all the way (like Dream Theater as an example) to make a good album. On the opposite, "Animals" is a slow- developping album, trying to maximize the emotions and feelings of every note or every twist. This is a melancolic show, but what a show! 4.5/5.0

This album is by far my favorite Pink Floyd album. When listening to the song Pigs, i cant help but feel moved by the amazing music. I always blast it at top volume. I always found that Dark Side of the Moon was over hyped to a point of annoyance. The Wall was even worse. They were both great albums, but just not to Pink Floyd's standards.

Throughout Animals, there are so many intricate subtleties and complexities behind the main riff or rythem. I can never listen to this album just once. When ever I put it on, I always listen to it multiple times. Its an extremely addicting album. You can listen to it over and over and still find new details that you missed previously.

If you have never heard this album, and like any pink floyd songs, I highly recommend to either download the song Pigs(Three Differant Ones) or just go and buy this album. Or if your lucky enough to have a friend to borrow it from, that would be the easiest thing to do.

Animals shows us the perfect transition album. On one hand we have the "sound and arregements" like of WYWH and on the other we have the more depressing concept of what the Wall would be. This album presents 5 songs...well, in fact the first and the last song "Pigson the wing" part I and II(the guitar in this songs is almoust the same as in WYWH...) could be count as one song split in two. Howerver this ones only work as an instruduction and as a closer to the album, the so to say "real" songs are the three in between...Dogs, Pigs (three different ones) and Sheep. Dogs is the longest of them all, a sort of epic suite. It has got some of Gilmour best solos. Pigs is ok, nothing spectacular. Sheep is probably the best song, strangly fast for Floyd it also has some nice guitar work. This is the most melodic song of the album.

All in all the album is quite good...it also did great in the charts...it sold around 4 million albums in his days!!! Although that is not the most important thing...the important thing is the quality of the music...and the quality is pretty high...As always the art cover is excellent (a trademark in Floyd´s albums)...not a prog classic in my ears, although not that far behind...

This is probably my favorite of the late period Floyd albums (post Meddle, Dark Side through Final Cut). Gilmour is at his peak on this album, and his lead lines are used wonderfully as melody lines and not just solos, though the actual solos themselves are some of his best. This album gets accused of being bloated and overlong, but I totally disagree. I think this is Waters best concept album in terms of consistency and intricacy, and some of his best writing of his whole career, lyrically and musically. There is not one weak moment on this album. The two Pigs On The Wing are essentially a single song, and are really just intro and outro to the rest of the album, done in typical Waters acoustic ballad style (very similar in construction to Wish You Were Here, the song). Dogs is a sprawling masterpiece of song with some of Gilmours most biting and perfect singing and guitar playing. Much of my favorite solo work by him is on this track. Pigs and Sheep are both outstanding songs, fitting beatifully into the concept with excellent performances from all band members.

Personally, I much prefer this album to the Wall, as I find it really the last concise and perfectly written concept album that Waters would ever do. As popular and legendary as the Wall is/was, I just think this was the last truely great Floyd album. For me, a definite 5 star album.

Roger Waters and David Gilmour composed "Animals" at a time in England when the face of rock music was drastically changing, 1977. Punk music and punk bands were forming everywhere, and they all hated Pink Floyd's brand of drawn out, ethereal music - stuff they felt was pompous. Thus, given the times, "Animals" turns out to be a guitar driven album, fairly sparse compositions that despite it all, are also drawn out and ethereal, as only Pink Floyd can be. The middle of this great album courageously contains three quite lengthy songs, much too long winded for radio, thus spoiling the album's commercial viability. Also, "Animals" strangely opens and closes with two very short and pleasant acoustic songs about love gone bad with "Pigs on the Wing," parts 1 & 2, which somehow works very well with the overall vibe of the album. Call it a settling of the nerves. In many instances, "Animals" is fairly stripped down, with David Gilmour's soothing voice completely missing, and Richard Wright writing absolutely nothing, thus nixing past creative keyboard parts. The possessive Roger Waters writes all lyrics, and the concept of "Animals" is entirely his. In his harshest manner, he rips late 1970's society through the use of three types of animals: Dogs, the materialistic and glib "yuppies" of a decade later, concerned only with wealth, good times, power, and their own well being. "Pigs" are no less flattering, high positioned and self-righteous, they preach and dispense their high minded moralist views from atop the world's ranks. Then on to "Sheep," the aimless and docile masses who get used and abused by the more powerful Dogs and Pigs. It's pretty acrimonious stuff, and hating lyrics like "all alone and dying of cancer" don't do much to lighten the mood. Weary of the corrupt and crumbling society surrounding him, Roger Waters went on a rampage. Political foes, economic hardships, and sleazy low-lifes all get their medicine from the non-apologetic Waters, within the confines of these thematically devised tunes.

Though he writes good, astute, observational lyrics, Waters is a bit of a "Dog" himself, and he often comes across as self-imposing and self-righteous as the album moves on. Ultimately, "Animals" is great because of the actual MUSIC. Enter David Gilmour, thankfully rescuing this one man monopoly on creativity. Gilmour remains his melodic self, pushing forth the fairly paltry compositions with his brand of tunefulness and soaring guitars.

On "Dogs," an interesting moment occurs after Waters cheerily advises "have a good drown/dragged down by the stone." The word "stone" is then repeated countless time through a haze of electronic muffling, as dogs bark chillingly in the background and a synth sizzles quietly. Music like this is not heard everyday, and Pink Floyd should be commended for seriously reviving their music and changing with the times a bit back in '77. Their days of singing about lazy nature scenes or fairy tale scenarios where one merely observes are long over with on "Animals." It's now socio-political music with a harder edge, all run by Roger Waters and David Gilmour. There's a sense of purpose and direction from Waters on "Animals" that is eerily 1-dimensional, but it's a prelude to an even better concept album to come. Though it's not his creative apex (that would be "The Wall"), "Animals" is astoundingly excellent, profound music, and the continuation of the civil war within this band.

The greatest flaw of this album is that is only conatins 3 songs and two short "book ends" of which the second is a reprise of the first. An is that really that serious?

Perhaps, at 41 minutes, it's average in length, but all but 3 minutes is devoted to 3 lenthy songs, all exceeding ten minutes. Now, while being a fan of progressive rock, I have no problem with it, but many others do, and the album is not radio-friendly in any sense of the word (but then much prog rock isn't)

"Pigs on the Wing", divided into two tracks isn't very impressive, but makes a good opening and closing to the album. This song is much better in the 8-track version where the two parts were linked by an impressive solo from Snowy White

"Dogs" is a bit drawn out, and the synth thing in the middle is a little dull, if any song was to be divided, this would be the ideal one. However, the part before the snyth section begins and the end repition of the line "who was..." is pretty cool and are my ffavorite parts of the song, not to mention another cool solo from David Gilmour.

"Pigs" is another great song, although the repition is a little annoying. Still a great song

"Sheep" is excellent all the wayn through, with some good lyrics and great vocals. However, the prototype of this song "Raving and Drooling" is by far a bteer version and is available on almost any live ROIO of PF between 1972 and 1979

A good album, but not without it's flaws. They should have stuck with the orginal versions.

The perfect "sequel" for the best album Pink Floyd ever created, Wish You Where here, Animals continues to express the feelings and emotions, the band induced in their last album, this one is a real masterpiece of music in general it has by far one of the best solos I've ever heard and even experienced in a way, as it is Dogs, also known before as You've got to be crazy, in this song David Gilmour plays at it best making an excellent song. This joined with Pigs on the wing ( I-II), Sheep ,and Pigs (Three Different Ones) create a one really enjoyable album a great addition and without a doubt a masterpiece of modern, and classical in a way music, and more specifically psychedelic progressive rock.

I won't waste time going over extensive details as to why this album is the best Floyd album of all time. Basically it's the best because it's the album in their career where they just PLAY. They show us how good theey really are without "hiding" behind synthesizers and sound effects.

"Dogs" is a purely guitar drivern song. David Gilmour shows his virtuosity and prowess with brilliant riffs and solos. "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" has some of the most brilliant bass work I've ever heard in a song. This song alone solidifies Roger Waters as one of rock's greatest bassists. The brilliance in the bass line is not which notes he hits, but how he hits them, and how they change ever so slighty as the song goes on. "Sheep" with it's strumming opening bass and Rick Wright's playful keyboard intro, is a song where the whole band is showcased.

I can't really explain how good this album is in words. You have to listen to it several times and you'll realize yourself that THIS, not "The Dark Side of the Moon", not "Wish You Were Here", not "The Wall", is the best album in the Pink Floyd discography.

Oh, yes. One hell of an album. Animals is probably the hardest Pink Floyd album (more David Gilmour than ever on the instrumental perspective), but it actually sounds much sharper than the majority of their works. Pink Floyd took this socio-political turn with Animals over 25 years ago, attacking with a zeal and anger that the group had never displayed before-or they were apparently waiting to show it. In only five tracks they pack a powerful punch that I am still waiting to see equaled. Bassist Roger Waters truly emerged as Floyd's premier songwriter by writing absolutely everything, and for good reasons (besides his growing ego, which would later lead to the disintegration after The Final Cut). I will admit that the man is a creative genius; he takes concepts and morphs them in such a way that creates a motion that stirs up the imagination. His voice is also similar to that of the brink of insanity, and I love it. Besides, his bass lines are underrated throughout. Still, he can't do it without the rest of 'em. Guitarist Gilmour is the true musical force here, running on all cylinders as the album rolls on. Drummer Nick Mason is continually steady, and he knows just how hard to hit the set (and it's hard). Keyboard player Richard Wright does not "exist" as much as previous albums, but his playing sets the tone for the three epic tracks here, especially during the break in "Dogs" (read on).

The two short "Pigs on the Wing" tracks, used as the album's bookends, are bittersweet, a message that I convey as telling us to watch out for ourselves. It's simply vocals and acoustics here. Truth is that he wrote those for his then-wife Carolyn, so I guess we can call these love songs. Then we go deep inside. There's "Dogs," co-written by Gilmour, a 17-minute tune featuring grinding acoustics mixed with great electric solos and vocals by both Gilmour and Waters that pinch the nerves, especially Waters' deliverance at the very end. The breaks feature barking dogs to enhance the music. The song itself defines the dogs as greedy mongers who won't survive if they are "dragged down by the stone." "Pigs (Three Different Ones) has a different eerie nature to it. I hear it in the keyboards and the opening bass most of all, and it goes on for 11 minutes. The pigs are mirages; they are upper-class stiffs who are "charades", as Waters uses incremental repetition to make his point. Gilmour is great yet again, especially during the ending solo. The animal effects are back, and Waters' vocal is the craziest part of all when he talks into a box. That's only a preview compared to what's next. We come to "Sheep", the 'shortest' at just over ten minutes, but the greatest one here, and one of the greatest Floyd songs ever. The sheep are the followers being slaughtered by the dogs and pigs above them. The entire band goes crazy with a nihilistic and rather psychotic drive, warping everything there is. Waters sounds like he ought to be committed, and he lets out a primal scream-laugh in the last verse to prove it (just had to throw it in-it was cool). His bass lines, combined with Wright's keyboard intro, set the tone for the song; it begins with sheep grazing, and then we go into overdrive. Gilmour screeches on the guitar, sounding so coarse but so good, and Mason bangs the drums like there is no tomorrow. They WERE angry, weren't they. I was especially creeped at the part where the sheep rise up and finally get revenge, and I actually imagined such a mass and bloody rebellion (let alone Waters' evil scream and laughter in the last verse). The end is the clincher, fading out with a crunching guitar-laden section repeated about four times. Then its back to the meadow, and back to the end, looking for a 'shelter from pigs on the wing.'

Animals is still excellent, as the band just goes completely goes to another end. It, well, it rocks harder than any of their albums. Too bad The Wall was their last great stand with Waters. That's why it is high on my list. Again, just one hell of an album.

"Who was dragged down by the stone"

The year was 1977. The Punk Revolution had firmly established itself. Jonny Rotten was wearing his infamous "I Hate Pink Floyd" shirt. So what did Floyd do in the face of such pressure? Write shorter, more commercial songs? No. Instead, they created 3 long songs; and in doing do, created something that rocks harder than anything Punk's 4 chord rock could achieve. It is somewhat inaccessible, but after a few listens I have come to conclude that it is Pink Floyd's finest hour, although WYWH is a very, very close second.

This album marked a transition for them; Waters was becoming increasingly controlling (which caused him in turn to shut out Rick and then later David), and his lyrics took a much darker turn. It also saw them somewhat abandon their ethereal sound; Animals rocks unlike any other Floyd album, except maybe for Obscured by Clouds. This album also features what I think are Waters' best lyrics and his best vocals; this is the first album which had him singing for most of the time. (You know, back when he could actually sing) The concept is loosely based on Orwell's Animal Farm; different types of people are compared to different animals. Dogs are the warriors; Pigs are the crafty overlords who control everyone else; Sheep are the unthinking masses.

POTW pt. 1--A short opening acoustic number. Musically, it is exactly the same as POTW pt. 2, but they have different lyrics. I have heard some people criticize Roger for writing a short song and then making it 2 songs so he would get more credit. While there's no doubt that Roger was being a credit-whore, (more on that later) they are missing the point of these songs. They are a soothing opening to prepare the ear for the madness that will ensue shortly, and braketing the album with them creates a wonderful circle effect, the influence of which can be heard on album such as Frances the Mute by The Mars Volta.

Dogs--The epic of the album, although it's more of a jam in structure. This song began its life as Darkside-era jamming sessions, and it's amazing. I could do without some of dog barking and repeated of the stone stone stone, but that's ok. What's most intriguing about this song (besides that's it's incredible) is that the structure is different from most long songs; there are not many hooks, and it doesn't follow the verse- chorus-verse-chorus progression that most songs follow. Don't be fooled by the Waters/Gilmour credit; just like the other songs, this is very much a group effort; Waters was just being a credit-whore. The lyrics compare peo The ending is one of the most powerful endings I have ever heard.

Pig (3DO)--Again, this is a group effort, despite what the credits may tell you. Roger started to show his expressly political side; this song takes a swipe at Margaret Thatcher, the conservative Prime Minister of England, by name. Normally this kind of thing really bothers me--keep YOUR politics out of MY music!--but the music is so incredible that they are forgiven.

Sheep--Pink Floyd's hardest song ever? Possibly. After a jazzy intro, the song launches into a real rocker with some excellent synth work by Wright. This song also grew from Dark-side era jams. Both were actually going to be included on WYWH, but the band thought that the album would work more coherently if it were more unified, so they dropped these songs for later.

I find the ending lyrics of Dogs "Who was dragged down by the stone" to be very telling of the things to come. Roger let his ego get in the way, and it brought down the entire band to the kind of suck level with The Wall when he refused to really cooperate. Then he didn't cooperate at all with The Final Cut, but that is for another time and another review.

Really great stuff on this lp. It must be heard from 'pigs on the wing 1' to 'pigs on the wing 2'. Actually I prefer "Shine On You", "Echoes", "A Saucerful Of Secrets" and "The Great Gig" to "Dogs" for example, but this album is the more coherent work the Floyd released since they formed. 4,5/5

I can't quite qork out whether or not this is favourite Floyd album or not, but it's at least in my top 3. Not as experimental as Dark Side - there are less of the excursions into sound effects etc, but the sound os the animals leading into the music is superbly done - I'm sure they were the masters of blending unusual experimental sounds with soundscapes and leading to crescendos of brilliant guitar work and keyboards. The long build-ups in all 3 of the major tracks are lush - leading you up to the brilliance of David Gilmour's solos - especially in Pigs (the anti-Mary Whitehouse lyrics here are a bit too much for me by the way). However, lyrically speaking, Sheep is awesome (not the corruption of the 23rd Psalm - I don't like that - you shouldn't mess with such a beautiful piece of scripture) - I mean lines like 'wave upon wave of demented avengers......' totally amazing - I think these lyrics outclass anything on the Wall (even Dark SIde) - and the way Roger Waters holds onto the notes at the end of the lines is superb beyond belief. Dogs is a great start, but it gets better with pigs, and just when you didn't think it could get any better - Sheep comes in - surely in the top 3 of Floyd songs ever. It's the only thing you can get in that long gap between Wish You Were Here and TheWall - and that makes it essential - to understand the transition between the two albums. Musically - its perfect - not a note, vocal, timing out of place - a fantastic experience, not to be missed - highly recommended - jsut shout a little when the lyrics get a little naughty! Actually, the bass lines are awesome - a good place to start if you're trying to convert a metal head to Floyd.

SUPERB!!!!

Possibly the LAST "REAL" FLOYD ALBUM..

I say this because after this release, keyboardist Richard Wright was fired from the group, but still played on "The Wall" and toured for that album technically as a "hired sideman". Also, "The Wall" involved heavy feuding between Gilmore and Waters, thus making the recording similar to the Beatles "White Album", where Lennon and McCartney did their work as seperate as possible. As for "Final Cut", that was basically a Waters solo album, with minimal contributions by Gilmore, and plenty of "outside" musicians to fill in the rest...

(..now back to this review..) "Animals" was recorded during the later 70's, when original Prog. was in it's "beginning-of-the-end" phase. Punk rock was gaining momentum in it's hatred for fine-musicianship and long epics, so this Floyd release was the final gasp of their "collaborative" era..

"Pigs on the Wing..(pts. 1 & 2)" bookend the album with a "love song" (according to Waters) because he didn't want the album to be completely "angry", since it deals with an "Orwellian" theme.

"Dogs" is my favorite because of a very meaningful guitar solo (after the section where various barks fill the background of an acoustic piece by Gilmore). This song (17 min. plus) deals with the businessman and his shortcomings..

"Pigs" entails the rulers of society, Waters angrily attacking everybody from Margaret Thatcher to the Whitehouse (..remember, Carter was president then.., so thanks Roger!!). Again, Gilmore's solo is amazing since he skillfully uses a wah-pedal to imitate pig grunts and squeals..

"Sheep" is started with a neat Fender Rhodes solo by Wright, then burst into the meat of the song with Waters angry vocals decrying the "sheep" of society who stand idly by, moving with the rest of the herd towards eventual slaughter..

If you can locate it, there's a wesite devoted to this album with extra pictures, live photos from the tour (featuring extra guitarist Snowy White"), and an interesting story about how the "flying pig" on the cover broke loose and floated away, causing an air-traffic dilemma and finally being shot-down in a field.

Roger Waters designed an inflatable pig, the said pig was built by a dedicated team and suspended by Battersea power station in 1977, and then blew away, much to the shock of air traffic control and the local public. But thankfully enough material was composited together to make another iconic album cover for Pink Floyd, by this time one of the biggest sensations in the music world.

After the landmark technological soundscapes of 'Dark Side of the Moon' and 'Wish You Were Here,' Pink Floyd, or rather Roger Waters, opted for a less polished and more 'live' attitude to the music, which primarily involved relegating Richard Wright's keyboards to backing duties (before firing Wright altogether during recording of the follow-up album). This allowed for even greater focus on David Gilmour's ever-improving guitar skills, Roger's vocals and innovative bass and Nick Mason's frantic drumming.

Surprisingly, despite its more aggressive and stripped-down sound, Animals fails to break in a completely new era for Pink Floyd due to the persistently slow pace of the consciously structured songs. The concept, written by Waters and the start of his almost totalitarian control of the band's output (culminating in 'The Wall' and 'The Final Cut'), is admittedly based on George Orwell's farmyard/politics allegory novel 'Animal Farm,' criticising a national and global climate that Waters was feeling increasingly dismayed and infuriated by.

I'm not put off by song length; some of my favourite albums are composed as one extended piece of music, but those extra minutes have to earn their keep. Pink Floyd's earlier albums and live shows were rife with long, improvised pieces or extensions to existing songs that are great to unwind to, but after the more precise concept focus instigated by 'Dark Side of the Moon,' the band seem to have lost their knack for crafting epics, and the material instead sounds repetitive.

'Dogs,' 'Pigs (Three Different Ones)' and 'Sheep' all follow the exact same structure: a gradual build-up from either silence or a basic rhythm to a recognisable main riff and verse section that repeats before fading into a quieter section with relevant animals sounds and exploding again towards the end.

This worked for the earlier twenty-three minute 'Echoes,' seen by many as the band's crowning achievement, and it is clearly successful in Animals due to the album's popularity, but I can't help feeling cheated out of several additional songs when the second half of the song basically reverses the style of the first half, save for the occasional good but ultimately disposable guitar solo. At under ten minutes, 'Sheep' is the only song that really gets away with this, the muted section being shorter and the closing minute dominated by Gilmour's brilliant guitar solo, but at almost double the length, 'Dogs' is a prime candidate for an editing job that was never performed.

This is a shame, as despite being ridiculously overlong, 'Dogs' is probably the best song on here and deserves to be included on best-of compilations without record company heretics earning the wrath of fans by shaving minutes off. The lyrics are bitter and bleak over the main rhythm, a dense and layered riff aided greatly by use of acoustic guitars, but the highlight is David Gilmour's laid-back first solo after five or so minutes.

The anticipation of the solo's return is what keeps the dull part of the song interesting, and its resurrection is one of the highlights of the album, but a similar effect could be achieved by playing the song again after it finished at around nine minutes, the point by which everything has been heard. Oh come on, I don't know the first thing about writing a song, I know that. But I know what I like! Without a live audience to bask in its harmony, Gilmour's guitar sounds increasingly lonely as the song carries on.

'Pigs (Three Different Ones)' is a funkier sing-along type centrepiece for the album and a good one too, even though the basic riff becomes a little irritating. The unusual zap sound that opens the song, and Mason's oddly successful light percussion both add to this song's originality, which I find myself liking more with each listen. The distorted vocals sound more ethereal and haunting than damning here, Roger trying out his (later-) distinctive vocal style for what appears to be the first time. Pigs are also clearly the best animal out of the three featured on the album, as well as being contenders for best animal in the world (if apes, lemurs and stuff didn't exist), so I may be a little biased.

'Sheep' is more accessible as the shortest song, but a little less impressive on the whole as the third song in a row to use the same structure. It opens with a great lounge jazz esque part before breaking into the fastest and most energetic riff of the album, quite a feat for the reflective Pink Floyd. Now that Wright's keyboards aren't flooding through too much, Waters' effective bass lines can be better heard, clearly the inspiration for many bands to follow. This song is certainly more laid back than its predecessors, seeming something of a jam at times and perhaps an excuse to insert bits and pieces that wouldn't have worked elsewhere. As mentioned earlier, David Gilmour closes the song in style, my favourite moment of the album.

Animals is bookended by 'Pigs on the Wing,' two short halves of one song that, fitting to the structure of the songs in between, are both almost exactly the same. But they're nice and pleasant, really deserving a place on the CD/LP precisely for being so different in tone from the long pessimistic prog.

Animals is a fairly unique and certainly memorable part of Pink Floyd's discography, and acts as a middle ground between the spaced out progressive rock that came before and the gloomy, more commercially minded rock opera format that was to follow. Not an entirely successful album, but one that has enough classic guitar parts to merit repeated listens.

Pigs are better than dogs or sheep, but chimps are best of all.

The only utterly forgettable Pink Floyd album.

It doesn't matter what you love about Pink Floyd -- the catchy riffs of The Dark Side of the Moon, the driving attacks of A Momentary Lapse of Reason, the grandiose construction of The Wall, or the subtle mystery of A Saucerful of Secrets -- you will find it completely absent from animals.

"Pigs pt. 1" is the worst singing I've ever heard in a Floyd song. Avoid it. The guitars sound more like the Eagles than anything Floydian. (Not that I dislike the Eagles... it's just unwelcome on a Floyd album.)

"Dogs" and "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" have better singing, and the lyrics... well, the lyrics aren't much to crow about -- they're Floyd, so obviously it's not gonna let you down. At the same time, the music is so bland and discombobulated that I found no desire to even listen to the lyrics. The guitarwork is good, but not Floyd-caliber nor Floyd-style. The result is an unfocused mess from start to end. The tracks clock in at 17 and 11 minutes, respectively. This album is the same length as the rest of Floyd's albums from this perid, but it only has 5 tracks, the first and last of which are only about 1:25 apiece. This means there are 3 songs whose average length of 13 minutes -- slightly uncharacteristic for this band (The Wall's longest track was 6:24).

"Sheep" nearly redeems this album, with its focused Zeppelinesque guitar and tight vocals. Less lengthy than "Dogs" and "Pigs," it rewards the listener with a classic, if not Floydian, riff at its end. It loses some momentum in the middle while waiting for sheep to baa to some background noise, but quickly picks up where it left off. It starts and finishes strong.

"Pigs pt.2" is more of the same -- just awful. The guitars remind me of "Mother" from The Wall, but unfortunately it never develops into anything nearly as incisive, beautiful, focused, or emotional as "Mother."

All in all, this would be a good album from any other band. But Pink Floyd is capable of so much more than this poor attempt at a "concept" album. See if you can find "Sheep" on a Greatest Hits CD.

P.S. -- Whitehouse is not a reference to the U.S. government but to the British prudes extraordinaire who used that name to lobby for decency in Britain.

Except fot "Piper at the Gates of Dawn", "Animals" is my favorite Pink Floyd album. I know that Wright said that the album was more a Waters solo album with Floyd as the backing band than a real group effort, i still think that that the music in it is better than "Dark Side..." or "Wish You Were Here".

"Pigs on the wing Part 1 and 2" are beautifull and very emotional intro and coda to the album, i really like Waters voice on those :)

"Dogs" is the first song from Pink Floyd that made me actually like the band. The guitars on this song are very strong. I really like the dogs effects in the middle of the song. Lyrically, it may be the strongest lyrics Waters has done in is life !!!

"Pigs (three different ones)" is very groovy and i really like the kinda pigs sounding guitar solo at the end.

"Sheep" is IMO the highlight of the album. The best song Pink Floyd as ever done! I really like the effect when you hear the voice of Waters transform into the keyboard sound every time he finish singing a sentance. The rhodes sound very good in the song, beeing a fan of the rhodes it really helps ;)

4 Stars, a must have.

Prior to this album, the band was clearly drifting away from the "space rock" genre, with tracks like Money, Have A Cigar and the title track from the previous album. Here, they give it one last hurrah before moving on.

All five tracks on here are somewhere between very good and pretty good. Unfortunately, none of them ascend higher than that. The Pigs On The Wing tracks are nice bookends, but nothing overly special. Dogs is nice and has some of Gilmour's best guitar work. It is a slight stretch to get to its length, though. It probably could've used some chopping down. Pigs is probably the weakest of the bigger tracks on here, but it's still a nice track and I love the cowbell! Again, Gilmour is the best part of the track. Finally, Sheep starts slow but certainly provides the climax of the album with famous riffing... again, Gilmour carries it. If this was supposed to be more of a Waters solo album, I'm really not seeing it.

I'd say this is the band's second best album, which followed its best album and came right before its third best album. Unfortunately, much like the few albums that followed it, it showed the band had already hit their (studio) peak in around 1975. 4/5.

I have never found this album depressing as many others do. Without doubt my fave Floyd. Always a fan of legthy songs, esp. with such lyrics. If you don't consider yourself in any of the 'categories' of animals then it is not depressing music. I get more from this album everytime i listen to it, my particular favourites being of course 'sheep' and 'dogs', the former having one of the most uplifting outro's ever. Find yourself some quiet countryside with real animals, lie down with mp3 player or equivalent on relax and either enjoy lyrics or let them go over your head and drift in the music. I constantly marverl at the astounding simplicity/compexity of the lyrics - favourite line being 'who was broken by trained personnel' and 'you house-proud townhouse'. Use of keyboards I think very Floyd but also neccesary. Guitar in sheep absolutely mind blowing, been playing for 19 years and can't come close to some of those sounds!! I cant go past Battersea Power Station on train from waterloo without the 'sheep' intro coming into my head! message from album i think is be neither sheep, dog, or pig. Be a nice person.

Funny that so many reviewers rate this album so high. I have to disagree. I'm an old Pink Floyd fan but I find it far below the rest of their output. In fact, it's uninspired, repetitive and pretentious.

First of all, there are no songs. Waters spits out his childish musings on western civilization in long lines without any melody. And it goes on and on, with very litte variation or development. The rest of the band sounds asleep. The material is actually leftovers from Wish you Were Here. Four boring short songs, inflated beyond all reason to fill the quota of 40 minutes.

The concept of men as animals is ancient and has seldom been used with less finesse and imagination. Paul Simon used in a song recently and said more in three minutes than Pink Floyd does in the entire album.

Those looking for an underrated Floyd album, check out The Final Cut. It's also something of a Waters solo work, but it is packed with musical ideas and moving real emotion. Unlike Animals, it's bombast WITH content.

Big man, pig man. Haha charade you are!

Pink Floyd's Animals is quite funny album. At first listen it is boring, at second listen you feel like all the songs are the same, and then it starts to open.

The intro and outro songs "Pigs on the wing's" are quite beautifully crafted acoustic songs. Waters' vocals are emotional and also catchy. I love both parts.

"Dogs" is a tough one, I never really liked it, at some times Waters' vocals are quite annoying and boring, and sometimes good. Gilmour's guitar solos keeps the 17mins together.

"Pigs (three different ones)" have always been my favourite. Vocals are great, the melody is fantastic and the guitar solo in the end is one of the greatest and most emotional I've ever heard, fantastic song. Also a big 'hey!' to Wright's keyboardwork.

"Sheep" is also a good song, not as good as the previous, but still very thoughfully crafted and nice variying melodies makes this one good.

I also want to credit Nick Mason for his drumming. He plays like Ringo but still it sounds amazing.

A solid addition to any prog music collection!

"Animals" in an album based loosely around George Orwell's classic novel Animal Farm which is an interpretation of the Russian Revolution. The story is put into a context we can all understand and for each key character in the real story there is a coinciding one. The book was looked on as a joke when it was first released and no one took is seriously. However over time it has become one of the essential books of 20th centaury. I read the book because it was one the school assigned us to read, and I had heard bad things about it. People said it was boring and stupid, I however read the book in one day and then grew very interested in the "real" story. It is a good book and I found it to be a good read, although I was a bit confused first time I read it.

Now the album Animals is basically a very loose around the concept of Animal Farm and I'm not quite sure where it refers specifically to the novel. The easiest identifiable song with direct influence from the book is Pigs, who in the book were the corrupt people taking advantage of "animalism" as it is called in the novel. Pigs, by the way is an excellent song, a very progressive one with great synthesizers and guitar solos, particularly towards the end of the song.

The album openers and closers are very dynamic songs which are simple acoustic songs running for little more than a minute but, but are still songs. In the album cover there can be seen an inflatable pig flying around in the background over a factory. Perhaps this implies that modern industry came with the Russian Revolution and destroyed the old style of farming. As you can see there are many meanings that can be deduced from Animals.

If you ever wondered why only farm yard animals were included on this album, then hopefully now you will realise why that is. Dogs is perhaps the best song from Animals and it doesn't seem to take anything from the book. The last three minutes of the song is among my favourite music Pink Floyd ever wrote, I congratulate the band on this song. The end of the song is rather sad really. Cloking at around 17 minutes this is a true prog epic.

Sheep sounds very similar to pigs and lots of experimentation with synthesizers took place in this song I believe. Sheep is another impressive Floyd song and it talks of the dangers of being a sheep and the hardships they face. There is great line where Roger Water sings "follow the leader" and those three words characterize the animals so well.

1.Pigs on the Wing pt.1 (4/5) 2.Dogs (5/5) 3.Pigs (Three Different Types) (5/5) 4.Sheep (4/5) 5.Pigs on the Wing pt.2 (4/5) Total = 22 divided by 5 (number of Songs) = 4.4 Excellent addition to any prog music collection

Animals is a very healthy 4 stars from me, it deserves such a high rating (which has already been taken care of) as it is an excellent album and it gets the mind racing and guessing as to what it means. If you like Pink Floyd then Animals is an essential, to everyone else it is just an excellent album to have in you're collection. If you haven't read Animal Farm then I laugh at you, hahahaha, and recommend the book to you. It isn't a bad book and should only take an afternoon to read.

Certainly one of my favorite PF albums, it was, at one time my all-time favorite. Needless to say I was less experienced then(though not by much). This is actually a fairly accesible album, unless the listener is sensitive to or unfamiliar with extened pieces of music(It was my first PF album, actually, bought when I was...hmmm, 'bout 10). Also, the listener might be disappointed at first if he/she is expecting early Floyd.

Pigs on the Wing Parts one & two- Nice quaint, minimalist folk song with many subtle meter changes actually. (9/10)

Dogs- all out classic, lovely guitar work, particularly the harmony in the middle. (10/10)

Pigs(Three Different Ones)- Nicely acerbic, great guitar solo. (9/10)

Sheep- Interesting, but less subtantial, unfortunately. I like the vocoder, though. (8/10)

A lot more dark angry sounding album then Wish You Were Here. This is where Roger Waters starts to take over and Richard Wright has stopping contributing to song writing until the Division Bell. Still a fantastic album, Dogs and Sheep are brilliant 10/10 tracks absolutely falwless, with great spacy sounds at the climaxs of both songs. Where this album suffers is on Pigs which although is a great song, is over long and gets a bit boring . Although the pig noises are excellent. Dogs has a great barking sounds courtesy of Richard Wright's keyboards a long side some real dog's barking, I also like Gilmours guitar work on this one, very atmospheric in parts.The two quieter pieces Pigs on the Wing parts 1 and 2, serve as a kind of introduction and epilogue to the album, they sound some what ironic in their relative piecefullness and serenity compared to the other three angry epics. I think that this is the last great Floyd album ( I find the Wall much too miserable). The lyrics are based on George Orwell's novel Animal Farm, with the animals being analogies of certain groups of people in society.It is a solid four stars from me, an excellent but slightly flawed album.

This is not an album that boldly goes where none has gone before. It's very dry and barren. This album clearly isn't of the level of sophistication of greatness as Dark Side, Wish You Were Here, or The Wall, but it still very entertaining, and probably their most psychedelic moment of their late careers. It's extremely atmospheric, but not very moving. The musicianship is not something to note, nor is complexity. In fact, it's actualy very simple. Usually, that annoys me, but here, it works well. Sheep is one of my favourite Pink Floyd rocker, Dogs thier best drug-induced tune (even though they all are...). Not my favourite by Pink Floyd, due to simplicity, lack of emotion and general creativity. But still very enjoyable.

This is my favourite album by my favourite band. It's a masterpiece from the first to the last second. The opening and closing Pigs on the wing are two short beautiful acoustic pieces. But the true genius of this record hides in three huge compositions. Dogs is, in my opinion, the best song ever written. The lyrics, the lenght and especialy the mood of this song are absolutely brilliant. It's strong, dark and very emotive. Pigs is the weakest here, although it would easily be a real gem on any other album. Finally Sheep is really energetic, fast, great crafted masterpiece. It's a shame that it only lasts for 10 minutes. One other thing that's worth mention is the production. I can't imagine what people thought when hearing this album in the late seventies. Production and the quality of sound is stil better than on the most of new records. It's absolutely amazing. This is THE album. The best of all times. Essential.

To me, I think "The Wall" is grossly overrated, but I think their previous album, "Animals" is much better. At this point, PINK FLOYD was obviously a household name. FM radio regularly played their stuff. They no longer had problems filling stadiums and arenas. For a followup to "Wish You Were Here", they had the balls to create no songs short enough to fit on the radio (except for the opening and closing acoustic pieces, "Pigs on the Wing" Part 1 and 2). While it's well known that when Waters started tightening the grip on the band, he started writing lyrics with basically an "I hate the world" theme (like on "The Wall"). Here he went for more a political bent, loosely basing the lyrics on George Orwell's Animal Farm, and being very highly critical of the political hierarcy, by giving certain groups of people names of "pigs" (greedy types), "dogs" (manipulative types), and "sheep" (mindless followers) in which the "sheep" eventually attack the "dogs" and "pigs".

Although some might like to think of this as their "punk rock" album, since it was 1977 and punk was the "new thing" in '77, to me, it's their last truly progressive album. For example, is "Dogs", at over 17 minutes long, you got yourself a lengthy, extended, adventurous number. I especially like the use of string synths and the sounds of dogs barking through a vocoder. "Sheep" has always been another favorite of mine. Many of the passages are quite reminescent of "Wish You Were Here", especially the synth solos. There's also a passage with the bass, synthesizers and some spoken vocoder dialog. "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" is also similar, but what's interesting is if you owned the cassette, they split the song in two, and it concludes on side two. The LP, on the other hand, has the song start on side two and no interruptions. Truly a great album, but my interest in PINK FLOYD stops here (as I hadn't been all that big on "The Wall", despite the immense popularity it has, not to mention being a fan favorite among many).

This album is great.... The matter is going on from a long time, but I never understood it: Everybody, I mean critics, fans, people generally talking, when they deal with this album always complain the role reserved to Richard Wright in the album, his absence.... In this album there's plenty of keyboards parts, there's no lack of him at all, the fact that Roger here took comlete control of the band doesn't affect Wright contribution to the work...of course not the same matter talking about "The Wall", but that's another story. We've got to think about Wright as maybe the most relevant part in the making of Floyd's own sound, and in this album, because this is a review, Floyd's sound is always there; it is also in my opinion very close to its predecessor "Wish You Were Here".

Let's talk about the songs

The weakest moments in it are surely Pigs on the wings p.1 and 2..which respectively open and close "Animals"...two songs very simple featuring Roger singing accompained only by an acoustic guitar. The songs are quite complex especially "Dogs" which has tempo changes, mood changes, and it is articulated in a way recalling the same way "Echoes" and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", in fact this song was supposed to be inserted in the "Wish You Were Here" album, but then it's been left on the shelf until 1977. With "Pigs (three different ones)" we can assist to Roger favorite argument: politic, in fact this song's lyrics are very strong and accuse Mary Whitehouse and some other politician of that era. Sheep is about those people who tend to "follow the leader" too much, so hypocrites and those who refuse to have personal thoughts and ideas, and let somebody else thinking for them; musically this song is the most direct and energic,for sure.

It's a great album, often underestimated, but very Floydian.

4 stars for sure.

Brillant album

After 'Dark Side', my favourite Pink Floyd album. Like the searing guitar riffs, animal sound effects, and the general pace of this. 'Dogs' has some memorable lyrics: 'you'll pack up fly down South,hide your head in the sand, just another sad old man, all alone, and dying of cancer'. I always think of the actor Steve McQueen at that point, who 3 years later (1980) headed desperately to a clinic in Mexico in search of a cancer cure, but sadly wasn't (died there). The line 'and when you lose control, you'll reap the harvest you have sown'. For those of us with revenge fantasies, what a great line.

Musically, Animals is a solid release. It features all of Pink Floyd's signature elements. It has the atmosphere that is sometimes easy to get lost in (as always), perfectly layering the mood-setting keyboards of Richard Wright, David Gilmour's signature guitar style, and the vocals and bass of Roger Waters. For me, this album has some of the best balance as far as these three go as well. I like how it features some pretty solid lyrics by Waters while still giving the band some time to create some great moods, and the vocals themselves never disrupt the flow of the songs. The vocals are relatively spread out throughout this album, even more so than some of Pink Floyd's other work. The only thing better than the keyboard work in Pigs is how the rest of the band compliments it. I think the two installments of "Pigs on the Wing" serve as great intro/outro pieces, making this album seem complete.

The lyrics themselves are some of my favorite work Roger Waters has done lyrically. Cold, and cynical, they take a long look at the world from a consious and at times harsh viewpoint. Waters focuses on external struggles, rather than internal ones, and takes quite a few brutal, but necessary shots at politicians and businessmen.

Id also like to add that this album manages to use a cowbell tastefully. It is one of the rare occuences where I dont find it annoying.

I know I am supposed to use 5 star ratings sparingly, but this is one of my favorites of all time, and I think this album is needed in ANY CD collection, regardless of genre preference.

I never tire of this album - one of the Floyd's greatest - It might even be my favourite, though not sure. Each track is better than the last, with Sheep being one of Floyd's greatest ever pieces. You get the feeling that the band were getting on well here - for the last time. The lyrics are scary - particularly that Psalm 23 alteration on Sheep (I can barely listen to that - too scary for me, but then I dont like horror movies - Shaun of the Dead gave me a nightmare!)

Everything about this is perfect - from the instruments (all 4 band members really shine on this), to the production and the mix. My favourite moment is the guitar solo at the end of Pigs - it's a long time coming, but when it does - wow!

Pink floyd have made some fantastic albums over the years. Animals rates somewhere in the middle in terms of quality.

The album is darker then previous albums or thereafter and doesnt have that lovely floyd sound that was associated with other albums such as Meddle or Wish You Were Here. The problem being that Rick Wrights contribution in terms of songwriting and actual sound composition is missing, this leaves a big gap in a floyd album along with lack of David Gilmour's beautiful vocals (Roger stick to bass guitar!!!)

However one of the key tracks that provided me with interest was Dogs. Mainly because it has Gilmour as lead vocals and guitar which is obviously the way floyd should always operate. The song is passionate and emotional and describes the struggle of survival in the real world with typically excellent Gilmour vocal.

Pigs is disappointing in the way it is a typical Roger Walters rant which sets the tone for things to come with future floyd albums such as the Wall. (Again, please stick to bass Roger because you cant bloody sing!!)

Sheep is an ok track but nothing special. In conclusion not a bad effort but not an album I would really recommend new floyd fans to buy. Try Meddle or Wish You Were Here first!!

What would Pink Floyd's response be after two masterpieces?

Animals was the answer. Released in 1977, on the surface it seems vastly different to it's predecessors The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here. The growing influence of Roger Waters is starting to show on this album, which became even more of a factor with the following albums; The Wall and the Final Cut.

Thus, Animals is a vital bridge between the style of Dark Side and WYWH, where all the members of Pink Floyd were still a unified and cohesive band, and the later Waters-driven The Wall and The Final Cut, in which the unity was no longer there - Waters' influence taking over completely. Animals was in a sense, the turning point.

But does it suffer musically? The answer in my opinion, is a firm no. There are still great contributions by all members. Gilmour's guitar work on the epic track 'Dogs' is brilliant, as is his bass guitar work on 'Sheep' and 'Pigs (Three Different Ones)'. Waters had become disinterested in his bass duties, leaving Gilmour to fill in on those two tracks. Yet lyrically he is in top form; his lyrics have now become scathing attacks on capitalism and society. Richard Wright is also impressive, particularly on 'Sheep'.

The concept is based on George Orwell's book Animal Farm, with themes of social stratification and different animals representing the classes. This becomes apparent after hearing the lyrics, which are among Waters' best. There is always a feeling of underlying anger and bitterness at the establisment and society. I think that Pink Floyd executed the concept well, and overall it works.

I was torn between four and five stars for this review. But after listening to it many times, I really am convinced that this is a masterpiece, and possibly the last great Pink Floyd album.

After 'Dark Side', my favourite Pink Floyd album. Like the searing guitar riffs, animal sound effects, and the general pace of this. 'Dogs' has some memorable lyrics: 'you'll pack up fly down South,hide your head in the sand, just another sad old man, all alone, and dying of cancer'. I always think of the actor Steve McQueen at that point, who 3 years later (1980) headed desperately to a clinic in Mexico in search of a cancer cure, but sadly wasn't (died there). The line 'and when you lose control, you'll reap the harvest you have sown'. For those of us with revenge fantasies, what a great line.

This is not only my favourite Pink Floyd album, this is my all time favourite along with King for a day by Faith no more. Perhaps it is a bit overshadowed by the huge success of The Wall and DSOTM and a bit more difficult to get into, but once it gets under your skin it stays forever. It is true that no song has the overwhelming beaty and bliss of Shine, Echoes, Breathe, etc. The songs here are a bit more like monsters: they are huge, fierce, aggressive and ugly. That is why they are so majestic yet real.

Animals is rather bleak and the pseudo optimistic Pigs on the wing intro/outro cannot change the overall mood. Dogs is undoubtedly the standout track here. It evolved from the song You gotta be crazy the floyds played during their 1974/75 tours and includes some of the greatest Gilmour solos ever, it makes you forget the poppish Momentary and Division records. It is also the darkest song on the record and goes for 17 minutes of pure perfection.

Pigs is a song that slightly resembles of Have a cigar, Time and Childhood's end rhythmically, but has a lot more depth (and is twice as long). Not to mention that Roger Waters' vocals are much more malicious. The song also features Gilmour on bass (and what a great bass line it is) as well as one of the first attempts to use the talk-box guitar effect.

Sheep is the most aggressive and fast paced song on this record and it completely contrasts to the excellent atmospheric keyboard intro. Despite the virtually non-existng contribution by Rick Wright in terms of composing songs for the album, his playing is superb all over. This song also originated from a song played at the 74/75 tour (Raving and Drooling) and has been played by Roger Waters on his recent solo tour.

Having mentioned touring, the tour following the Animals album was Pink Floyd at its live peak. The song arrangements were even more extended and elaborate than on the album (and they got Snowy White play a second guitar) and the set list was unique, featuring the Animals and Wish you were here albums in their entirety, as well as Money and Us and them off the Dark Side played as encores. That is why my advice is to not only buy the Animals album, but also get as many bootlegs from the subsequent tour as you can.

Animals is another transition album for Pink Floyd. Whereas Meddle marked the segue from the poppy fun of the early, Barret-influenced days to the mores erious 70s output, Animals marks the transition from Roger Waters' heavy input to his total control of the band. Lyrically, this is Pink Floyd's strongest concept, though Dark Side of the Moon has stronger individual songs. The concept draws its inspiration from George Orwell's Animal Farm. Its an entirely socio-political album about Pigs (corporate overlords and politcians), Dogs (the middle management lackeys of the Pigs), and Sheep (the "common" man who obeys the dogs and pigs). This stands as Floyd's most aggressive album; Meddle just barely bests in it heaviness.

Pigs on the Wing Part 1 starts off the album with a soft acoustic, but don't let that fool you. Apparently this and the later part 2 comprise a love song to Waters' wife in order to dillute the bleakness of the rest of the album. A nice piece, but it fails its mission to allieviate the depression.

Dogs is a Floyd classic, and Gilmour's solos throughout the song are awe-inspiring. However, the song drags between solos with Wright keyboards somehow being the only instrument playing yet you can barely hear it. Waters decided that Wright would be relegated to backup (he'd later sack the poor fellow). The lyrics are the darkest on the album.

Pigs (Three Different Ones) should in itself secure the album a place in some hall of fame. The lyrics come very close to unseating Waters' magnum opus, Time, and there are a lot more words to deal with in Pigs. Waters tears into politics, attacking censorship, corrupt CEOs, and the right-wing in general. Mason's weird percussion and Gilmour's riff hook you at the beginning and Gilmour's superb solo ends it beautifully.

Sheep is a frantic song and it's Floyd's most aggressive musically. Like Dogs, it starts and ends strong, but the middle drags as the band drops out for animal sounds.

The album closes with the second half of the love song, but there's no way to feel cheery after the barrage you've just received.

Animals is without a doubt Dave Gilmour's album musically. His domination of the album keeps Waters at bay from total control. His solos keep "Dogs" not only from being a big problem, they make the song enjoyable. Overall, this album is a Floyd classic, but it isn't quite a masterpiece.

Grade: B+

Its amazing how there was little indication that Animals would be the way Pink Floyd would head after the amazing yet somehow lacking in the "Wow" department of the highly successful album "Wish you were here", Have a Cigar excluded. A decidedly more focused "rocker" than the previous floaty psychedelic albums that made the legends that Pink Floyd are. The Floyd needed to change and it couldnt have been better. This essentially a Gilmour/Roger dominated album while this is a good thing and doesnt detract in any notable way. Animals Starts off with a short acoustic 2-part song (the latter the closer), Pigs on the wing which is nice but little indication of the rest of the album, a sharp contrast to the next song up "Dogs" which starts off with a slightly fast paced acoustic guitar leading some of Rogers best lyrics he ever wrote, all about how the dogs will do anything for the almighty dollar and screw over anyone they can in the process the lyrics truly shine, the solos are fantastic and definetly one of the finer tracks, clocking in at 17 minutes while not as accessible as the others is truly a song to behold, epic if you will. "Pigs (three different one)" is possibly the greatest song off the album though. With ultra dark lyrics, phenomenal guitar work by Gilmour, some very cool/effective voice effects, and the classic "pig" sounds echoing through various parts of the song are tremendous mood setters. Rogers lyrics once again amazing, about ruthless pigs (business leaders and such) sit on their fat selves with disregard to others also poking openly at a "high up" women named mary who openly was against the floyd since 67' advising people to censor them, never failing with a very enjoyable and somehow never dragging mid-section, with the guitar and keyboard trudging on with the infamous pig sounds squealing like crazy, amazingly great solo to close out too. Next up is sheep, probably one of my favorite floyd songs ever. Opening with fantastic keyboarding and sheep chattering in the background with the bass line comes in at the most perfect time almost magically which after roughly 1:30 explodes into absolutely amazing guitar work just pounding away with the keyboard never failing to add a very nice touch, also a very cool and innovative thing is when after he would sing a line he would hold the note for a long time which eventually transfered over to the keyboard which kept it going even longer which is intensely trippy and psychedelic, a psalm in the lyrics put in is a very cool touch as well. The song ends with a rocking rhythmic bluesy guitar jamming away. And the second continuation of the intro song is a somewhat lacking outro but finishes the album reasonably enough. Although the first and last songs are somewhat lacking compare to the magnificence of the middle section this still deserves a 10/10 and my personal favorite as their best album, their "peak" . While many overlook it, and definetly not the greatest album to ease into The floyd your first time, it grows on you and while rogers lyrics may be relentlessly dark and an indication that he was starting to really take control of the band (The wall comes painfully to mind), it still stands high as one of the best albums of all time and in my opinion last truly great album they ever made. An end to an era you could say similar to "Red" from King Crimson which was also an amazing album.

One thing about earlier Pink Floyd is they didn't rest long on their laurels before branching out into something new. After Wish You Were Here followed a similar polished, mellow mood from Dark Side Of The Moon, Animals did a U-turn and gave us something quite different and quite unlike any other Floyd album, much looser, and more aggressive with generally sparser arrangements based on cutting guitar figures. Gone are the extensive use of non-musical effects as the band consciously moved to a more direct sense of performance.

The album is mostly just three long glorious tracks, two of which had been extensively worked-out in concert for a couple of years before being recorded. The concept is thus rather an add-on afterthought, and is not perhaps one of Waters' best: the animals are metaphors for people in a similar way to George Orwells' book Animal Farm, though it isn't directly based on the book. The whole album is almost one faultless highlight, but personal favourites are Gilmour's ever changing phrasing during Pigs (Three Different Ones) [a perfect antidote to the perfectionism of the album's predecessors] and use of the voice-tube, and the anthemic crashing chords as a coda to Sheep. Brilliant. Masterpiece.

Very few bands in the music history could produce three masterpieces in a row (Genesis being one those with "Nursery", "Foxtrot" and "Selling"). So, will the Floyd achieve this challenge ? Let's see ... or hear.

This album is quite dark. Roger wrote all the lyrics and most of the music. We are already on our way to schizophrenia which will be even more explored in their next effort. David only co-wrote the music for "Dogs". For Roger, the human race is made of pigs, dogs and sheeps. "What" is he ? A pig ? A Dog ? A Sheep ?

The "animal" theme starts with "Pigs On A Wing" : just over one minute track : the acoustic guitar recalls the title track "Wish You Were Here" but since it is so short (I don't really like those ones) I can hardly be enthusiastic about this. Maybe the lead to a major diasapointment ?

Fortunately "Dogs" is a true Floyd song. A seventeen minutes great piece of music : good bass, great guitar riff and incredible melodies. The level of their earlier masterpieces, really. This song was already played during their live sets as soon as 1974 during the "Wish You Were" tour. At that time it was called "You've Got To Be Crazy".

Some sections are really reminiscent of "Shine On You". For once, the barking dog that you can notice around minute five does not annoy me like it was the case in "Seamus". Vocal parts are really brilliant. This is a very good one.

Lyrics being weird at times : "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" or

"And in the end you'll pack up and fly down south, Hide your head in the sand, Just another old man, All alone and dying of cancer". Sounds as desperate as in "My Room" from Van Der Graaf. Brrrrrr.

"Pigs" is another good song. During their live sets, a gigantic pig will virtually "fly" over the audience. Catchy melody, the rythm reminds me the one of "Money". It is rocking quite well, I must say. A bit monotonous, maybe. Great guitar again. So typical now since "Echoes". You're great David. The finale is really good : powerful and strong.

After a two minutes intro, "Sheep" really starts and is the other highlight of the album. Rythm is great. Lenght is fine. Nick is fabulous.This one is on par with "Dogs". I like it a bunch. Wright is very good (specially during the closing part). This song (as "Dogs") was already featured in their 1974 concerts. The title for it at the time was : ""Raving and Drooling" and was more extended (around sixteen minutes or so).

The album closes as it started with "Pigs On A Wing" part two. Same comment as for the intro.

Most of the songs are strongly rock oriented. Great (not the greatest) Floyd experience. I listen quite frequently to this album, and as a whole it is a quite remarkable piece of music.

During the supporting tour the Floyd will play the whole of "Animals" in a first part and the whole of WYWH in the second. Following the tracklist of the studio albums throughout the tour (no improv any longer). As far as encores are concerned, they will play "Money" (almost all the time) and "Us & Them" (as a second encore). Once they will play "Careful" (on May 9, 1977 in Oakland California). For the their last show of their second leg in North America (already called "In The Flesh") they will play a blues jam as a third encore (probably to say goodbye to America).

Two or three anecdotes from the "Animals" story :

1. The cover : Roger conceived the pig. He suggested to have it inflated and flying over Battersea Power Station. No retouching : a real one ! The day of the shoot was fantastic with a dramatic sky. The fourty feet pig long was inflated, but this took so long that it was not actually launched that day. The manager had hired a marksman with telescopic rifle to shoot down the pig if it escaped into the sky. On the second day, the manager, had decided not to hire him for the day, for economic reasons.

The inflated pig was launched into the air. Everybody was very excited... But then a violent gust of wind suddenly came out of nowhere, the pig lurched one way and then the other and then tore free of its moorings. It disappeared into the sky quickly. There was no marksman to shoot it down, there was no time to even get a photo !

The pig ascended into the flight paths of incoming jets landing at Heathrow. The Aviation Authorities took over and sent a general alert to all pilots that a forty feet long pink flying pig was on the loose in the airspace ! The pig, floated along and descended upon a rural farmers property.

The roadies rescued the pig from the farmer that night, returned it to London, did some repair so that it could be photographed the next day. It was cloudless, with a bright blue sky, but it was not very threatening...therefore the pig was layered into the final artwork from day three into the sky of day one !

A different technique could have been employed to save time, money and anxiety, but it also would have prevented a great story and good laughs.

2.The spitting incident : On July 6, in Montreal, the famous spitting incident occurred. In interviews, Waters had reported his frustration at the "meaningless ritual" of live performances, where his intensely personal songs were treated with a lack of respect by "whistling, shouting, and screaming" audiences. Finally he took an innocent fan in the front row and start spitting in his face. After Roger spat on the young man, Dave left the stage, unnoticed, slipped through the audience and made his way to the mixer, disgusted. This highlights how nice a person Roger was at the time...

It was during this tour that Roger conceived the idea of bulding a wall between himself and the audience (sounds familiar, right) ?

But let's be honest : to follow DSOTM and WYWH is a bloody complicated task. I would say that what is lacking to this album to be a masterpiece resides maybe in the fact that David was almost set aside for this effort (the best track being the one in which he is involved in the music - "Dogs").

To confirm this feeling, let's hear what Nick will say : "This was a bit of a return to the group feel, quite a cheerful session as I remember. We did it in our own studio, which we'd just built. By now Roger was in full flow with the ideas, but he was also really keeping Dave down, and frustrating him deliberately."

Rick will also feel that his time is (almost over) : "I didn't like a lot of the writing on Animals, but unfortunately I didn't have anything to offer. I think I played well but I remember feeling not very happy or creative, partly because of problems with my marriage. This was the beginning of my writer's block."

The album will climb to Nr. 2 in the UK and Nr. 3 in the US. Four stars.

Animals is definately one of the best representations of progressive music. It is the transistion album from WYWH and Dark Side to Final Cut and The Wall. And this mixes the old and new Pink Floyd wonderfully! A loosely based concept album about the three different types of people, (Dogs-street-wise scamers, Pigs-the bosses and leaders and Sheep- the majority of the population who just obey whatever they're told) Animals is quite a journey.

First we have Pigs on The Wing Pt. 1 which is a great mood setter. This song and the closing song, Pigs on The Wing Pt. 2 are relatively the same song musically, but with slightly different lyrics. They work very nicely as bookends to the album. 8/10 (for Pts. 1 and 2)

The first truely great song is Dogs. Although the lyrics are very dark on this song (this goes for the album as well) the music at most points is not. This creates a very cool balance. Dogs is full of great moments, but it also contains my favorite David Gilmour guitar lick at 13:57. This song is truely one for the ages. 10/10

But then again so is Pigs (Three Different Ones.) As the title suggests, this song is about three different types of Pigs. The first is a boss, possibly of a coal mine, the second is a "[%*!#]ed up old hag" and the third is Mary Whitehouse, who if I'm not mistaken is a politician from England who spoke out against Rock and possibly even Pink Floyd themselves. This song is great, very angry and and aggressive sounding. At times it is also very creepy, especially in the opening. 10/10

Sheep is another great song, even if it isn't on the same level as Dogs and Pigs. On the other hand though, there aren't a whole lotta songs on the same level as those two. Sheep is the only of these long songs that actually feels long. I can't quite put my finger on why this song doesn't click with me as much as the others, but by all means it is still a great song. If it was on most any other album I would probably consider it a highlight. But seeing as it is preceeded by two of my favorite songs, its hard not to be too judgemental. 8/10

Simply the peak of the band, "Animals" is the disc peak of PINK FLOYD, in we found of everything, the past, its present and its future (speaking in terms of that time), the smooth tonality which it acquires the disc in the course of the time, with líricas finely directed to the ideology of Roger WATERS (from it is possible here to be felt the principles of the emotional affectation and vomitiva that felt at that time, of wars without sense, hungers, handling of being able without wisdom, social contamination, etc.), the love and confusion of the same one, a band overwhelmed with world-wide fame, limitless money, jiras world-wide, excesses and, but in spite of that the creative power of the band is not affected more, we observed great connotations, but that if a band that conserves the touch, is to me clearly intriguing so that of many things that vivian the members, but leaving that of side, that side of morvosidad to know that it is what they feel the people, because in this disc or part of that is seen, clarified of such form who deliciously become a armed piece, for my is the best disc of PINK FLOYD, so that in I feel what in all discs is possible to be found or to be looked for, that acoustic beginning with the smooth full voice of feeling counting to its way you doubt them and the clear frustration of the same love, to take step to the acoustic guitars that perfectly create a spell filled by harmonious the keyboards and connected by the guessed right ones I am called on of the battery to make a mixture doubtlessly good that it causes that fills the mind of ideas and simultaneously no feels, a trip that begins with smoothness and that gradually it acquires hardness tones, between fillings constantly by details, the sounds of dogs barking as if they were people that in different forms expressed the same, here the dogs are those people who they do not accept the errors of its life, that howl that more than to make feel fear fills to you clearly with the cadence of the same guitars that does not stop in unisón of the varieties, with the crudity of a very revealing lírica that comes empacada in a very beautiful layer, the beginning of track three is the sound of a pig with echo, that is accompanied followed by an initial interpretation of the keyboards and the low one, the guitar opens the expansion possibility and enters the battery, in a rola of parodia towards the politicians that imagines pigs here, with a cadence and adjustments that are simply good us they make all the complaints and visions, to finish with a rhythmic tone but that in truth had liked that they extended I, but would let be what is, but as they did not make it and of it have made serious, the fourth subject this plenty of an inherent mystic who presents/displays Richard to us WRIGHT in the keyboards who adorns itself with the low cadente, at the moment to explode in the psicodélica flood of rythmical moments, here we see the lambs that have a submissive attitude towards the power of the dogs that are not more than beings with authority assigned by a pig, for in the end it discovers that nothing this saying and the own ewes they take the power overthrowing to the dogs, because that this saying when the power of the masses prevails, in this subject gives to understand nothing us can be listened said, but mainly desire to do something in unique and good truth, without leaving of side which they have on the inside, the balance of its ideals and their interpretativos tastes, to finish with the same sound that there will be the disc tonada of love that this time sounds reconciliadora clearly and including/understanding and respecting the ideas and feelings of the same one and of the person that it loves, in truth a unique masterful piece.

THE PIGS HAVE FLOWN!!!

After the overwhelming success of their two previous releases, Pink Floyd lets the light shine over us. This is a clear reflection of Roger Water's lyrical and musical progress through his career in the music industry. The democracy was over and the monarchy of the new Pink Floyd leader started with very good results, only helped by Gilmour in the majestic "Dogs". Song by song, the band's talent and their unique style is engraved with golden letters. This album also contains 3 of the best Pink Floyd songs ever, the music has, in my opinion, the more mature sound and continues the great musicianship achieved on "Wish You Were Here" and "Dark Side Of The Moon". The analogy made between human beings and animals is an unbeatable concept that only Roger could imagine.

"Pigs On The wing Pt. 1 & 2". These tracks are simply perfect to start and finish this wonderful job. They also prepare and conclude the landslide of sounds that's coming.

"Dogs" is my favorite Pink Floyd song of all times, lyrical and musically perfect. It shows again that the Waters-Gilmour couple is one of the biggest in contemporary music history. The ambient passages and excellent performed guitar solos add the right tone to the job by Rick Wright on keyboards.

"Pigs" is the ambition of the human being captured in 11 minutes plenty of glory; in which so many different landscapes are explored each second. Since the dark beginning with the keyboards through the bass and guitar solo, the nuance added by the cowbell and the pork sounds that harmonize in an incredible way. Everything fits perfectly to create this wonderful track.

"Sheep" follows the same line as the previous songs with a very slow start that is increased bar by bar. The chorus is one of the most humming moments in the whole album spiced with the guitar fills that really shows of this piece.

At the end of this work, Pink Floyd doesn't disappoint us, the strong concepts covered during this release and the orchestration is kept by the particular seal of this British band, and it's no less than another masterpiece by the creators of the Dark Side of the Moon.

To open i'd like to quote Will Romano from his book "Mountans Come Out Of The Sky". "While FLOYD clearly still owed a tremendous debt to Barrett (if, for nothing else, the concept of madness and the strain of madness being shoved under Waters' nose as a viable theme for rock records), the band increasingly became a vehicle for Waters' repressed anger, misanthropy, and childhood scars.This was never more apparent than on the next three albums released by the band-1977's "Animals",1979's "The Wall" and 1983's "The Final Cut". At it's most basic, "Animals", written nearly entirely by Waters(perhaps informed by George Orwell), divides the human race into these classifications: pigs (the priviledged and ruling classes), dogs (the rebels, mavericks, hunters) and sheep(everyday people just trying to get through their lives). By personifying animals, it forces us to see human behaviour and archetypal human personality traits more objectively." It should be mentioned that Gilmour and Wright didn't view mankind with the same kind of cynicism.

So like the last two albums Waters takes care of the lyrics while Gilmour creates the music. Usually Wright helped Gilmour with the music but not here as it becomes the Waters and Gilmour show. Two of the tracks on this album were originally written for the "Wish You Were Here" album but left off. "Raving And Drooling" became "Sheep" and "Gotta Be Crazy" became "Dogs". It's intersting from the original titles how much more "Wish You Were Here" could have been about Syd. Instead the music industry became a target for Waters' and the bands wrath, while on "Animals" Waters takes a shot at society.This would be the first album not recorded at Abbey Road Studios by the band, instead they did it in their own studio.

"Pigs On The Wing 1" and "Pigs On The Wing 2" are the bookends of this scathing work, and almost seem to have been added to soften the blow of this bitter reality or to encourage us that as long as we have someone to love and who loves us then all is well. Waters apparently originally wrote this song as a love song to his wife, and except for the song titles they seem out of place except for the above reasons. "Dogs" is one of my favourite PINK FLOYD songs and it's hard for me to give a reason why. I just love it. I do really like it when the song slows down and you can hear the dogs barking and then Gilmour's guitar just soars. Gilmour sings on the first half of this tune and Waters the second half.

"Pigs(Three different ones)" specifically points out three "pigs"(real people) and really rakes them through the coals. The vocal melody with the guitar is catchy. I'm reminded of THE BEATLES when the vocals are distorted. Some great scorching guitar from Gilmour before this one is over. "Sheep" has a jazzy intro before it gets uptempo with intense vocals.

This album certaily doesn't have the uplifting and emotional moments that "Dark Side Of The Moon","Wish You Were Here" or "The Wall" has, but it is still an amazing record in it's own way. I'm surprised at how abrasive the instrumental work can be as Gilmour really made the kind of music to suit Waters' lyrics. This has perhaps their most famous cover art next to "The Dark Side Of The Moon". Highly recommended of course. This is a top three FLOYD album for me with "Meddle" (second) and my favourite "Dark Side Of The Moon".

At the time this was released, I recall I really didn't like it, particularly as it seemed so bleak compared to the other more upbeat releases by Prog giants in 1977, especially Yes' Going for the One. But over time this has come, for this listener, to be the best of all the Floyd albums. Why? It's the most consistent, best realised of their music. The album is book- ended by the forgettable "Pigs on the Wing", but in between is probably the best music Floyd produced before they started to fall apart on the next album, "The Wall". Here, Waters' savage themes and lyrics are restrained - no, that's not the right word, they are balanced by Gilmours' drive to produce memorable music.

The album uses animals as descriptions for types of people; "Dogs" is an attack on businessmen with ambition and no scruples; "Pigs" is a sequence describing three different individuals who are all self indulgent, selfish, self righteous prigs (sic); and "Sheep" describes the vast unwashed ignorant majority (as Waters sees it) who meekly accept all that happens to them.

The music is the most consistent of any Floyd album, and the lyrics are far and way the best - lyrics, what am I talking about? How many Prog albums can be noted for their lyrics? Well, this one can. Waters' lyrics attack and sting - but they stop short of some of the melodrama of his later work. While Dave Gilmour may not be "technically" the greatest guitarist, every note here is considered, nothing is excessive or wasted. The riff that ends "Sheep" stays long in the memory after the album has finished.

The album cover merits mention - one of THE great covers, with its fantastic image of the balloon pig flying through the chimneys at Battersea Power Station.

This is - was - Floyd at its best. Essential stuff for any music fan - of any genre.

"Animals" came in 1977 after the two exceptional albums "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here". It showed the band maybe under a lot of stress, but Roger Waters has the most dominance in song writing.

The music is simple, but the emotion evoked in the couple guitar chords and strumming in "Dogs" or the ominous keyboard intro to "Pigs" leave you with a grin. The compositions are tight and nicely structured, with spacey interludes and suggestive, metaphoric vocal passages. The bookend pieces "Pigs on the Wing" are excellent acoustic numbers, perfect intros and conclusion!

Solid Floyd album, and an excellent additon to any progressive music collection. A space rock essential.

My favourite PF album........true masterpiece with all of the members on the peak of their abilities. I respect Rick Wright for this album actually, although this is the first album, in which he doesn't play any role as a songwriter....... and as for the Gilmour, what can i say? he's brilliant solo in Dogs, which creates the imrpession that he is using his teeth, is one of my all time favourites. The album is perfect both musically and conceptually (thanks to Mr. Waters of course).

Here is a somewhat generally underrated album, to which ProgArchives hands what it deserves... Animals stands at a very unlucky place in Pink Floyd's discography, namely just after two pinnacles of progressive music, DSoTM and WYWH. Therefore, it usually gets compared with them, and I must agree that "Animals" is inferior to both, and people fail to see the real worth of this brilliant album. Had this album been in another band's discography, it would have lifted the band's reputation very up high and surely would be placed at a better slot than it is right now.

Probably the most political Floyd has gone, Animals is a very complete work conceptually (mainly thanks to Waters' wonderful creativity), and the music, maybe a bit behind DSoTM and WYWH, but by every means top class! Gilmour and Wright are truly outstanding throughout the album; Gilmour's killer guitar solo in "Dogs" is a must for every proghead. In fact, I can label this one as a guitar album, it is more so than anything else. Of course, this is not to underestimate the excellent works of other members.

Like most conceptual albums, I don't like to evaluate the work here song by song, and prefer to see the whole album as a one song. Generally, this album has a continuous dark and powerful atmosphere, with aggressive and beautiful lyrics accompanying. A must have for every rock collection.

The message is still relevant today.

Pink Floyd complete their artistic plateau (along with WYWH) with a haunting album that I'm sure is not in favor with many high ranking execs. I often wonder why it is Dark Side is so revered, at least among prog fans, because this album is far "proggier" and more intellectually stimulating. But alas, there's something more important to know: David Gilmour gives a guitar performance of a lifetime, with patterns and arrangements that are not only challenging, but emotionally moving and deep.

The bookends of the album are really just entry and exit barriers to the madness within. As has been explained by others, the symbolism of the album, while a bit simple, is really fitting and highlights some rather depressing aspects of life. My personal favorites are Dogs and Pigs, but that is not to say that Sheep is not an excellent track as well.

All in all an album you must own, an album that was unexpected by many, considering the success of the two previous albums. But Animals might just be better than WYWH (and it is certainly more gripping than Dark Side). And the power in the lyrics is just as powerful today as it was in '77.

"You there, pigman, haha, charade you are!"

Now, I perhaps might say PINK FLOYD is my favorite band, having memorized most of the lyrics of their discography. "Animals" is perhaps their darkest release, a harsh political and social commentary with lyrics by Roger Waters. From the bursting synthesizers to the pumping guitars -- this album is not to be listened to as background music. This is not only a masterpiece of progressive rock, but perhaps one of the most underrated albums in music.

'Dogs' deals the businessmen: the backstabbers, the ruthless and dangerous. At 17 minutes it is the longest track on the album, however, it gets lost somewhere in the middle. The first five minutes and the last five minutes are the most solid. 'Pigs (Three Different Ones)' is the politicans: the fakes, the charades, the good for nothings. It is possibly the heaviest track on the album, and brings back memories of the PINK FLOYD album "Obscured By Clouds". 'Sheep" deals with the lowest class of society: the people who follow each other, the people who are living their life away.

I recommend this album for, quite frankly, anyone who listens to music at all! This would be a five star album: the message is clear, the music is good, however, it gets lost somewhere in between, and begins to stray.

I think Animals is one of the greatest albums of The Floyd, Just snapping at the heels of DSOTM and WYWH. But a masterpiece nonetheless. Would just like to point out one thing. Many reviewers have admired "Roger's incredible bass" or " Waters' stunning bass line" in sheep and pigs(three different ones). FYI it was Gilmour who did the bass in both songs and it shows why the man is a musical magician perfectly complementing Waters' lyrical genius. 5 stars !!!!!!

Forget 'The Wall'. 'Animals' was Pink Floyd's (and Roger Waters') most scathing political and social commentary album - not to mention some of their best compositions. Overall it is my favorite Pink Floyd album and certainly stands as an equal to DSOTM and WYWH.

Gilmour's work on this album is arguably his best ever. Just check out the 2nd guitar solo in "Dogs" - absolutely brilliant stuff, edgy, angry, moody and just plain beautiful.

Won't talk long, not much to talk about, but for the fact that I just found my new favorite Pink Floyd album! Went to good ol' Wally-World and saw it sitting there among all the other mainstream musics trying to hide it's hiding goodness. And I decided to buy because I was in the mood for some Pink Floyd at the time....

This CD is absolutely brilliant and it's my favorite of them all! I left it in my car for a very, very, very, very, very long time and listened to it a ton of times. It's got the music, the power, and the Pink Floyd goodness that proves their forefather pioneering of progressive rock. Just to say, if you like Pink Floyd, Pyschedelia, which most prog lovers do. Don't hesistate, love it and buy it! It's so good! It's so lovable! It's just a great CD from a Great band that get's the first 5/5 star rating from me! Ahhh, yay for such great Pink Floyd.

Oh, if only there were more good songs on this album, released Jan. 23, 1977 in the UK and Feb. 2 in the US, but Roger's voice started to get all wierd and stuffed up. Despite this, "Dogs" and "Sheep" are sufficient to allow for four stars. "Dogs", while being a little boring in parts is, I believe, intended to be so to let you think about the messages being sent to you. "Sheep" is one of PF's best, and stands out so much that I am conflicted as to what grounds I must rate this album on.

All other songs would be a little less disappointing if someone else had sung it. For example Listen to 8:30 into the song "Pigs". "Pigs" just seems devoid of substance for too long, and "Pigs on the Wing" is relatively pointless. Still, one of my favorite songs in the universe (bahahahaha!!) has accentally found its way onto this album, so excellent it shall remain.

Hey, it's an interesting concept and we could talk about what dogs and sheep and pigs are 'til the cows come home, but I want to talk about the music.

This gets 4 stars, by the way, and it's really close to 5.

Animals and Wish You Were Here are cursed by being sandwiched in between two masterpieces, to wit, Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. WYWH seems to me to be largely an attempt at an FM friendly album. Pink Floyd discovered that they could write FM friendly music and still stay true to their sound on DSOTM, and WYWH looks back to that.

Animals is very different. Animals looks back to their older experimental, space rock days, with lots of extended passages of spacey riffs against a throbbing bass background. I love the older, space oriented Floyd, and it's wonderful to hear them returning to that, albeit with a new sense of style and taste that elevates the music to a higher level. At the same time, parts of this album really foreshadow what we can expect in The Wall. Gilmour's guitar licks, the catchier (but still Floyd) parts of songs that are actually songs, the general pessimism all look forward to what Floyd would be doing on the next album. If they changed the lyrics and cut out the space passages, nothing here would sound out of place on The Wall.

So it's a great album that looks back to Floyd's past and foreshadows Floyd future. Why doesn't it get 5 stars?

My answer to that is that the two elements aforementioned just don't quite gel together. Floyd tries really hard to make it work, but the space passages seem too long and the song passages seem to change the mood. This is noticeable on all three of the long songs. In addition, I just don't find Pigs as enjoyable as Dogs and Sheep.

So it's a great album that every prog fan would enjoy and it's a must have for anybody interested in Piink Floyd, but it just doesn't make it as high as the masterpiece level.

Never has it felt so good to be depressed.

"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.."

Musically this is perhaps their most satisfying moment for those who like harder rock. Everyone in the band is simply in top form. Roger's words are pure dark poetry, Dave's playing has never been better and the bleak photography and cover art fit the music perfectly.

It's funny how punk rock claimed to hate Pink Floyd. When you read the lyrics to Animals, the truth is that punk and Floyd were allies philosophically at this moment, separated only by age, wealth, and fashion. Punk should have celebrated Animals as it is one big hearty F-YOU to the Establishment.

"And it's too late to lose the weight you used to need to throw around...so have a good drown as you go down, alone, dragged down by the stone.."

"Dogs" is one of the most important epics in the Floyd arsenal and laments the selling out of the human soul for money and power. It pulls no punches as it describes in blissful bloody gore how aspiring-for-power man will work himself to death ("sleep on your toes"), wear the conformist garb ("work on points for style"), lie, backstab, sell out his friends, and convince himself that everyone's as morally bankrupt as he is so what difference does it make. He ends up sad and alone, sinking like a stone, dying. He was "fitted with collar and chain, breaking away from the pack, only a stranger at home, ground down in the end, found dead on the phone." "Dogs" is also one of the most complete and satisfying musical pieces delivered by the Floyd with great depth and imagination.

He then goes after the Pigs with equal ferocity. And then after us, the Sheep, who put up with being abused and exploited. We, who pass the time pretending the danger isn't real, who follow the leader into the valley of steel. Or will we rise in revolution instead?

"So I don't feel alone or the weight of the stone, now that I've found somewhere safe to bury my bone."

It's quite stunning to behold the series of achievements these guys created during this time, while at their musical peak. Animals is a grim spin to be sure but one that is a favorite to most Floyd fans. Soon the band would begin to fray and the many fans would divide into the two Floyd factions, those who love David's undeniable performance talents and those who relish Roger's dark songwriting and stinging humor. Animals was perhaps the last moment where the band seemed to be on the same page and it is a classic that should be in your collection if it isn't yet.

Animals: on of the most underrated albums ever. Everyone always talks about Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall, or thinks about these albums when they hear then name Pink Floyd. But one album exceeds them all, and that is ANIMALS.

Pigs On The Wings Part 1 and 2 are amazing intro's and outro's to the album, with a great acoustic guitar

Dogs is just an epic song that is amazing in every way of the word. Dark lyrics, gilmor's guitar is just amazing, with a great solo in the song too. Listen to the song and you know what i mean, the barking of the hounds is also great and amazing singing.

Pigs is a great song, but the least one of the album, also heavier guitar sounds in it

Sheep has amazing keyboard playing in it. Gilmore's guitar is again perfect. the singing is also good, better then pigs, but not as good as Dogs

Conclusion: 5 stars Essential: a masterpiece of progressive music

Imo this is the best Pink Floyd album ever, and Dogs is in my eyes also the best song ever, defenitely try this album.

Perhaps one of the best Pink Floyd album ever. The album is considered to be dark because that was the time when Roger Waters was doing most of the writting in the band, leaving the others with little work. What may make the album difficult to buy is that not a single song on this album as been heard on the radio. Only "pigs on the wing" can be weaker, but you get used to it. All the other tracks on the album are real powerhouses. I think interesting to hear an album that talks about people "sheep" who are always controlled by back-stabbers "dogs" and the government "pigs". This album is a must have for any Pink Floyd fans.

Masterpiece is a term given to the single said greatest creation of an artist/author inside what we can call art, adressing that creation as a consummate display of the creator's excellence in contrast of the rest of his work. This stated, we could understand that the term 'masterpieces' is ambiguous. So, equivocally, let's say Pink Floyd has several masterpieces. This would certainly be one of them.

The theme of this album is based on social critique, in which the entities correspond with animal species to create an environment in which these animals symbolize, accordinng to their natures, the institutions and their members; a parody of the human behavior, and the subordination of the community bewfore their authorities.

The album begins with the first part of Pigs On The Wing, starting with flowing acoustic guitar that gives way to the melancholic voice of Waters. A dog is talking, stating that life is comfortable, but that if there was not a sense of community, then they could find some buggers to blame and watch out for pigs on the wing.

Dogs begins with a distant but busy acoustic guitar; The music is gradually gaining strength until Water's voice clashes, teaching us how to live like a dog; This entity represents the average businessmen that have the power to change the being overwhelmed by it. Chasing ignorance, but being chased by the arrogance of a situation of madness; telling us how do you have to live if you want to get your meat.

Next is Pigs (Three Different Ones). Three different pigs represent three different stages of government. The song is only eleven minutes long, opening with a obscure but catchy melody and a guitar trying to match Water's angered voice. Funky, it describes a character that cannot be shadowed, the one who flies over the dogs and rules the community not taking doubts.

Keyboards create the atmosphere and some remarkable guitar appearances keep the tune strong and balanced. Finally the solo receeds, leaving clearly that pigs are not to be loved.

A mellow tune now comes after. Sheep can be heard; a long scream starts the edict, that of our lowest individual, who lives it's own life, only 'dimly aware of a certain unease in the air'. The spontaneity of the riffs strikes measured, that until a passage in the middle takes over. Things are not what they seem. This space then gives way to a loud edict of Roger's sarcastic thoughts, once again; sheep don't care.

Aggressive and repetitive strumming closes the fourth piece and then the music fades, as the album ends with a nice statement, the second part of Pigs On The Wing. Similar to the first part, and telling a sad dog's truth.

When it comes to Pink Floyd's worldwide recognition, this is a very underrated album. But apparently, the last thing they would ever care about at that time was popularity. This time, the spotlight was facing else when the band was clearly aiming for pure and known quality.

"Animals" is a brilliant prog rock concept album, by the time of this recording, Roger Waters had basically taken complete control of the band and most of the album was his doing. Inspired by George Orwell's novel "Animal Farm," The songs of the album are named after Animals from the book. Dogs,, is about people who do what ever it takes to get ahead, but eventually die off like everybody else. This song contains one Gilmour's best solos. Pigs (Three Different Ones) is an attack driven song, attacking corporate pigs capitalists , Margaret Thatcher, And Mary Whiteside. Sheep talks about rebellion and the killing of the Dogs.With the powerful lyrics that Waters conveys, its easy to see why Animals is one of, if not the most clever album ever; lyrically speaking. This album intelligently combines the euphoric sound that is the Pink Floyd, with lyrics that are not only listenable, but serve as a lesson in life. This is truly a masterpiece of fine art. Highly Recommended!

My album of albums. That's all I have to say. My key to the eternal paradise above. I am this album a,d this album is me. We are one. Dave's guitar is an extension of me. ROger's bass and lyrics too. And Rrichard's hammond. And Nick's drums. Everything. The greatest guitar album by Pink Floyd. The ironic and satyrical atmosphere complements the lyrics. To me, this album feels like one continous song of irony and perfectness. Since I'm also a poor young cynical bastard, I just love this album.My only regret is that I wasn't born 30 years before my time ( 1989).

With Animals, Pink Floyd changed their style, going with a rawer sound. What didn't change was the legendary guitar work of David Gilmour, the dark, cynical lyrics of Roger Waters, and the band's ability to create great music. "Animals" is a concept album in which different roles in society are represented by different animals. The first and last tracks are basically the same thing; I'm not really sure why they bothered to put them on the album. The three main tracks, on the other hand, are some of the greatest songs they have ever recorded

Dogs is the longest of the three songs, and the best on the album. Gilmour is at his finest, which is great because it is a very guitar- driven song. Water's lyrics are fantastic; I'm pretty sure the dogs represent government agents (F.B.I., C.I.A. etc.), and lines such as "deaf, dumb, and blind, you just keep on pretending that everyone's expendable and no one has a real friend" and "and you believe at heary everyone's a killer" perfectly sums up that group of people.

Pigs (Three Different Ones) is the weakest of the three main tracks, but overall it's not bad. The strongest aspect of this song is the lyrics; where the pigs represent greedy politicians and power-hungry heads of state. The song starts with nice keyboard work by Rick Wright, who is rather subdued on this album The rest of the song contains some nice guitar pieces, but nothing like what was in Dogs

Sheep is a great song about those in society who blindly accept what the pigs and dogs are doing. Waters' lyrics are again on the mark, Gilmour's playing is again superb, and the few keyboard parts are good as well.

Overall, highly reccomended for fans of both the symphonic side and the Rock side of Floyd

Highlights: Dogs, Sheep

Lowlights: Pigs on the Wing parts 1 and 2

The Verdict: 4 stars

To me, this album definitely showcases David Gilmour. His vocals were never more raw and heartfelt than on "Dogs". His guitar solo's on "Dogs" and "Pigs (three different ones) never miss the point. The strongness in his guitar playing is not so much speed but more in playing the right note at the right moment, and with a touch and feel that are inimitable.

Lyricly speaking this album contains a combination of the most cynicle (Sheep) and the most tender (Pigs on the Wing) lyrics written by Roger Waters. There are some clever findings like the reciting of a psalm in Sheep, questioning the uncriticle sheeplike behaviour of some followers of religion.

Some call this the Floyd "punk" album, referring to it's power. When looking at the quality of the songs, the comparision is far from accurate. It is an album that you might easily overlook as it is less known than Dark Side, Wish You Were Here or The Wall and the songs are less accessible. Give it a go, you won't be disappointed!

Best Song: Dogs - Highlights: Pigs On The Wing (Parts 1 & 2); Dogs; Pigs (Three Different Ones); Sheep

My favourite album of all time. Lyric-wise, it's as good as Roger Waters ever got (the period comprising Animals and The Wall is his best, in my opinion). Musically, it's perfect. There are no overlong songs, everything seems to fit perfectly: the music, the artwork, the lyrics, man... thank God Rog didn't let anyone contribute more than what was necessary. Gilmour is as good as he can be, and both Rick and Nick are right where they should be: backing up. About the songs: Pigs On The Wing (Parts 1 & 2) is a beautiful acoustic love song, with some of my favourite pieces of Rock lyrics ever. Dogs is a 17 minute long suite with an acoustic rhythm, lyrics drenched in hatred and sarcasm and cool guitar solos. In the middle it has a break, featuring some sound effects, but this time, unlike on the much-praised "Dark Side Of The Moon", they don't get in the way of the music. Instead, they help creating a mood. Pigs is the irony song, funny, smart and having the best lyrics of the entire album (hey, perhaps the best Floyd lyrics ever). Musically it's a little bit (millimetres here) worse than the others, but its still great. Sheep is a really cool rocker, very angry, very fast, the song that gave this album the nickname of "Punk Floyd". Overall, it's a masterpiece in every level. The best Pink Floyd album and certainly one of the best Rock albums ever.

So, how do you top two consecutive masterpieces (The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here) that will forever leave their marks on progressive rock? Easy. You just make another one. And that's exactly what Pink Floyd did with Animals, a musical Orwellian experience where everybody is divided up into Dogs, Pigs, and Sheep. It paints such a bleak picture, but boy does this one get your brain going. Indeed, if this hasn't happened already, the intricacies of this concept would make a fascinating subject for an academic thesis.

Musically, Animals is the most energetic collection of songs Pink Floyd ever made and probably the most progressive work of their long catalogue of studio releases. Lyrically, Roger Waters hit his peak with this album. Waters also shows much improvement in his vocals here too, as he takes the lead on most sections of the album. Wright contributes many lush synths, though not as forward in the mix as on Wish You Were Here. Gilmour is still the guitar god as usual.

Is this better than Wish You Were Here? Lyrically, yes. Musically, maybe, maybe not. One thing Animals lacks that Wish You Were Here has is memorable melodies. What Animals has more of is raw energy and a more thought out concept. After many years of listening to these two masterpieces, I still lean towards Wish You Were Here. But Animals is still an essential must-have and in my opinion is better than the classic The Dark Side of the Moon. Definitely a five-star effort and probably one of the top 10 or top 20 greatest progressive rock albums ever released.

At this point the Floyd were under a lot of pressure from the industry, after having finished two best selling albums, to keep the creative juices flowing and to produce another masterpiece. And the pressure felt is evident in the lyrics here. Indeed, on their last album Waters described the industry as a relentless machine (Welcome to the Machine) run by cold, business savvy executives greedy for more sales - "You've gotta get an album out, you owe it to the people. We're so happy we can hardly count." But on Animals, he essentially devotes an entire album to describing corporate and political greed, and the little people who follow the rules of the powerful like mindless robots (or sheep). Waters is progressively becoming more and more bitter with each new album. Of course, their grand opus of negative energy would be the next one, The Wall. And one distinction that could be made between the pointed lyrics of Animals and The Wall is that on the Animals album, Waters seems to be primarily focused on the problems he sees in the world (at least Britain and America), whereas his observations are more inwardly directed on The Wall (although on The Wall he does blame a lot of the problems in his own life on outward influences before finally pointing the finger at himself and asking, "Have I been guilty all this time?").

Musically, as it's been noted elsewhere, Animals almost hangs with Dark Side and WYWH. Gimour's guitar soars and cries on this album like a desperate child lost in a maze. And his vocals on Dogs are among the most powerful and gripping I've ever heard from him, and his cries match the passion of his wailing guitar.

"And as you lose control you'll reap the harvest you have sown. And as the fear grows The bad blood slows and turns to stone.

And it's too late to use the weight you used to need to throw around. So have a good drown As you go down... all alone... dragged down by the stone."

Can someone slit my bloody wrists for me already? Jesus Christ! This is dark stuff! But it's brilliant and it moves me, as does the entire album. Another masterpiece from Floyd! Long shall the music live on!

"Animals" has always been my favorite of all the FLOYD classics and for all the right reasons. This recording is all about simplicity from the philosophical concept to the song structures. The lyrics and the songs work on 2 different levels very effectively. I love the feel to this recording and think that FLOYD were at their most creative in 1977. The intro and closing sections are brilliant and pull the whole piece together with a simple little acoustic guitar ditty. The keyboard work of Rick Wright is quite brilliant here and I love the journey everytime.

Great album by Pink Floyd. Released in 1977 is one of darker Floyd work. Album contains 2 short songs (opening and closeing the album) and 3 long epics. Each longer than 10 minutes (Dogs is over 17 minutes). Sarcastic and dark satire abaut society divideing it to three categories of people: dogs, pigs and sheeps. Musically album is harder and more rocking. It has more raw sound. It's hard to analise this album because every sound on it is perfect. The texture is very thick.

Prog for the sake of prog, and thats not a bad thing. My love for Floyd has died over the past three years, but it's hard to deny the innovativeness given in this album. Very experimental and very creative, and with lyrics I could connect with better than any other floyd album behind the wall. This album is probably the most accesible than most of the ther five song or less mega albums of the seventies, so if your new to prog, this album will definately get you into the whole epic song thing which may be progressive musics most beloved attribute. After their so called "masterpiece" Wish you were here (and many know I disagree majorly), the band tours and apparently loses a couple of synthesizers, cause there is a huge loss of synth from WYWH to this one. Also while on break RogerWaters takes up the book animal farm, and puts in lyrics the different animals expressed in the anti Stalinist book, and their attitudes and social status. And here they are...

The opener and closer songs are both only a minuete long, acuostic, and are on the animal farm subject about shelter from the pigs. Pretty and sweet, but nothing compared to the upcoming songs. Dogs is supposed to be the major song of the album, barely under eighteen minuetes and filled with Gilmour flying solo's. This song also strays from the given concept the most, and basically talks about the abuse dogs get, especially on the farm. While the beggining and ending parts of this composition are excellent, there is a part in the middle section where for about five minuetes the whole song drops to a quite mellotron and Waters trying to make a dogs barking noise on his bass, this gets annoying and very tedious very fast. I'm not really sure I believe this song is the centerpiece of the album, Gilmours acoustic strumming is very cool and Waters lyrics are at their best, but there is a lack of emotion in this song that dosent hit the peak like the next song. Pigs is my favirote song for many different reasons, the personal attacks, the experimaentalness, and one of Gilmours finest solo's at the end! The song starts with really cool keyboards and some awseome bass fills, then quickly picks up into an upbeat rant about the abusive control of the pigs (which is a definate animal farm reference) through the late seventies world leaders; The president, the queen, and the virgin mary. The song goes into an awesome jam session after the first two versus starting with a simple guitar riff, then builds with Roger on a talk box making some disgusting pig squeel noises... and it rocks! Afterwards the most angry verse, then Gilmour explodes and rips for the past minuete or two. Sheep is cool musically, but very creepy lyrically, with the talk of the mindless following sheep going to the slaughter, then lashing back at the sheppard and running free, but still being under the reighn of the pigs and the Dogs. One downside to this song is that it's easily the most prevelant God basher of any Floyd song, and easily goes right up there with Jethro Tulls blasphemies. Musically, it starts with some smooth electric piano, the bursts into awesome guitar riffing and vocals that phase into synthesizer. At the end of the song Gilmour go's onto an awesome riff, while Mason shows that he is not actually a drum machine. The album ends with pigs on the wing part two.

There are some disapointments brought on by this album of epics, the lack of synthesizers, the God bashing. Both of these are what convince to give this album what it's rating is. Musically the band is probably at it's highest peak, if you want Gilmoure, you want Dogs, if you want Waters you go for Pigs. Of course the other members of the band stand pretty firm as a rythym section, but hell, this is prog standing out just a little on three ten minuete plus songs will not kill you! Also if you are a veteran of prog, and for some strange reason you do not own this album, you probably shouldnt set your sites high for high complexity and serious virtusoness, like I said, this is a good album for begginers, and after you grow more into prog, you will find the album a bit more repetitive and stagnant. As for the first year or so of this album...

4 stars

What a wonderful album. This album blends hard and progressive rock brilliantly. Dogs is one of my favorite songs. The way each song is similar enough while still being diffrent enought to not seem repetative is amazing. I think that Pink Floyd should have stayed more along these lines then go towards Momentary Lapse of Reason and The Devision Bell. I think that if they releases an album more like this they would have been much more successful.

PINK FLOYD at their most progressive - and best.

Animals is a concept album centering around societal castes with dogs representing money hungry businessmen, pigs representing politicians and sheep representing the masses who follow (or so I'm led to believe. And so the format on the album consists of 3 epic songs (with an intro and outro) dealing with each animal. The music itself is quite spacey, surely the most space rock floyd album incorporating delay, reverb and effects in abundance (my personal favourite is the vocoded dog barks in 'Dogs'.

All 3 main songs are fantastically written, 'Dogs' is my personal favourite song on the album, it's quite dark and mysterious and the time seems to fly by, it's hard to believe that it's a 17 minute song. Pigs is a more traditional floyd song with more of a bluesy groove invoking shades of 'welcome to the machine' from their previous album. Sheep rounds out the album with a driving rhythm and is very climactic with some very dark areas in the middle (especially for floyd).

From a progressive point of view this is easily the best album from PINK FLOYD, an essential album for any progressive rock collection.

Any rock fan can recognize, and probably sing-along to "Time", "Welcome to the Machine", or "Another Brick in the Wall", but I feel that those who have discovered and understand "Animals" to be the real lucky ones-- because this might just be Floyd's smartest and most successfully ambitious album ever. It's very different than the other "big" ones, featuring tons of bluesy guitar, a less "open" feel to the instrumental sections, and razor-sharp lyrics of a darkly satirical (and cynically revealing) nature. Song structure is much swifter and more complex than the vast organ tapestries found in its predecessor "WYWH". There are few radio moments, but an endless demonstration of the band's songwriting prowess.

Not to be missed by those who haven't discovered it yet.

Songwriting: 4 Instrumental Performances: 3 Lyrics/Vocals: 3 Style/Emotion/Replay: 4

This is quite possibly my favourite Floyd album, and in my top 10. After hearing Wish You Were Here, i thought it couldn't get any better. Guess i was wrong. Animals was written in the time where Roger Waters began to control the band, and it really shows through on this album. The scenes are dark with haunting guitar lines and lyrics. The album begins acoustically with Pigs on the Wing (pt. 1), which in my opinion was an excellent way to contrast the loudness later in the record. Dogs begins the same way with a repeating acoustic riff, until the guitar solos come in. in my opinion, this is David Gilmour's best work on a song with the Floyd. The guitar really carries this song, as well as Rog's lyrics. The scene then changes to focus on the Pigs, which Roger describes crudely, yet brillantly. The end of this song has another rockin' solo from Gilmour. Sheep then begins with an awesome key part from Richard Wright, and then develops in a loud rock song. The effect on Rog's voice to blend into the synth has always amazed me, and makes it fun to listen to. Although there's no Gilmour solo in the one, the beautiful closing riffs more than make up for it. The album ends on part 2 of Pigs on the Wing, which is a perfect wat to exit, giving the record a repeating, cirlce-like feel. This is definately a five star album for me, and if i could give it six i would

Listening to this album I get the distinct feeling that not only was the band starting to fracture from the inside but that they also had no desire to attempt to reproduce the same meticulously nurtured sounds that characterized their previous two wildly popular releases. Despite the fact that it still took seven months to record, there's a palpable back-to-the-basics flavor to the proceedings that gives it an up-front, immediate and somewhat stark personality. All of this adds up to an album that doesn't sound like anything else in their catalogue, for better or for worse.

"Pigs on the Wing, Pt. 1" defines the no-frills approach that permeates the project with Roger Waters singing dispassionately over a folksy acoustic guitar that "if you didn't care what happened to me/and I didn't care for you" we'd all be at the mercy of the ruthless money merchants and, if we're not vigilant and courageous, we'll be run over. The sarcastic lyrics throughout the album are painted with a brush broad enough to allow us to interpret and recognize them as Roger's overwhelming distrust of both the music industry and society as a whole.

The 17-minute "Dogs" shows the group working as a tight unit, despite the well-documented tensions and infighting. It's the kind of music they could have easily recreated playing either a one-nighter in a small Irish pub or in a football stadium. David Gilmour's rhythmic guitar strumming sets the running pace as Richard Wright's thin organ tones give the song a rare fragility that offsets Waters' ruthless, mongrel-eat-mongrel commentary on the realities of climbing the corporate ladder starting from street level. "You gotta be able to pick out the easy meat with your eyes closed" and "strike when the moment is right without thinking," he preaches. Once you get your paw in the conglomerate door you then have to "work on points for style" and gain the trust of "the people you lie to." Gilmour provides unadorned guitar harmonies and a biting lead before Roger describes in ghastly detail the end result of living such a selfish life when one turns out to be "just another sad old man/all alone and dying of cancer" who discovers that it's "too late to loose the weight/you used to need to throw around." One of the most memorable moments occurs when he sings the line "dragged down by the stone" and his final word turns into a loop that evolves into less of a human utterance and more like a wailing siren that echoes inside a dreamy synthesizer sequence featuring electronically- filtered barking/howling dogs. After a return to the opening themes Waters relates that he must "stay awake, gotta try and shake off this creeping malaise" for "if I don't stand my own ground/how can I find my own way out of this maze?" The song ends with a repeating, labored, heavy riff where the vocals lament those who have been taken in by the hollow promises of the doomed road to riches. This epic tune is a brutal yet brilliant indictment of the industrial age.

The problem presented to radio programmers by this record was that they had one of the biggest groups in the world giving them three long cuts to play for their listeners. The one that they eventually put into heavy rotation was "Pigs (Three different ones)," a not-nearly-as-poetic diatribe against those self-righteous individuals who feel it's their God-commanded duty to tell the rest of the world what to do, feel and think. Wright supplies a memorable organ intro punctuated by surreal pig grunts and Roger's deft bass lines before Nick Mason kicks the band into a semi-funky groove. (I must register a tiny complaint here. I can't help but envision Christopher Walken barging into the studio, pleading for "more cowbell" because it gets to be annoying after a while.) Portraying these know-it-all swine as "well-heeled big wheels," "bus stop rat bags" and "house proud town mice," Waters calls them all out as the charades they are in the most direct and blunt of terms. Next there's a great, slow-to-build guitar solo section where David's sow-like, squealing voice-box effect adds to the rich aroma rising from the musical sty. A reprise of the original arrangement ensues where Roger reminds us that "you gotta stem the evil tide" before Gilmour finally opens up a large can of whup-ass and lets his fierce electric guitar escalate the song to a more forceful and driving level.

Barnyard noises lead into "Sheep" which features Richard's jazzy Rhodes piano stylizations layered over a pulsating bass line as the tune morphs into a rocker when the rest of the band joins in. Here the vocals are quite alarmist in their intensity and stress level as Waters warns the vulnerable, gullible public that "you better watch out/there may be dogs about/I've looked over Jordan and I've seen/things are not what they seem." His sly twisting of the famous passage from Psalms is not only genius but effectively unnerving, as well. "He maketh me to hang on hooks in high places/he converteth me to lamb cutlets/for lo, he hath great power and great hunger/when cometh the day we lowly ones/through quiet reflection and great dedication/master the art of karate/lo, we shall rise up/and then we'll make the buggers' eyes water." He goes on to briefly describe a spirited revolt by "demented avengers" that, when all is said and done, doesn't change anything at all. Musically there's a spacey segment where the earlier "siren" resurfaces for a few bars, then David lashes out with angry guitar spasms followed by eerie synthesizer wisps performed over bleating sheep sounds. My favorite part of the entire album occurs when Gilmore delivers gloriously triumphant descending power chords as the "victorious" sheep parade over the horizon. Beautiful irony.

"Pigs on the Wing Pt. 2" brings things full circle as Roger enlightens us to what is most important after all. "You know I care what happens to you/and I know that you care for me," he croons over simple acoustic guitar chords. The message of love thy neighbor is still valid over three decades later and will be a million years hence.

It's much too easy to criticize this album as not being as compelling as "Dark Side of the Moon" or "Wish You Were Here" but that wouldn't be fair. The group was suffering from the inevitable downside of worldwide fame and fortune and that's a pressure that few mortals ever have the experience of knowing. It certainly affected Pink Floyd. Lyrically "Animals" ranks with their best work while musically it comes off like the collective creation of a band that just wanted to be a combo again and, in that humble but admirable regard, they succeeded. 3.8 stars.

The reigns of power amongst the members of Pink Floyd had begun to shift imperceptibly on "Wish You Were Here; on Animals it was becoming certain who was in control of the artistic direction. Roger Waters pulls all the shots on Animals, and I have only one word to describe the outcome: Perfect.

Animals is sleazy, primal, and vicious. And...hopeful? The meat of the album (excuse the pun) are the three long tracks, in between parts one and two of "Pigs on the Wing". "Dogs" is a seventeen minute epic about backstabbing businessmen. "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" slinks along on clever bass-lines and creepy synthesizers, lyrically shredding the people in society who control others. "Sheep" is a powerful rocker describing the collapse of a brainwashed "flock" into rampaging mob mentality.

Never has Pink Floyd been sweeter than with Roger Waters at the helm. Animals is, as already stated, pure perfection, and no album I've ever listened to comes close to its level of brilliance.

Good album, but why it is higher than The Wall? The Wall is great album, but on this site it is not enough good voted. On Animals I like all songs, even the intro. Dogs is a great song, Pigs is too, only second part of Sheep isn't great. But the first part of Sheep is very great, it is a progressive rock hit, like Money or Time. And of course, Dogs guitar solos are fantastic. On this album all songs are hits and if they were shorter, they'd had good rotation in ratings, I think.

In my opinion Pink Floyds best album. The three main songs on this album are all great, "Dogs" being a fan favorite with it's recognizable vocal lines and guitar work, "Pigs", which has a dark, haunting feel to it, and my personal favorite, "Sheep", featuring a stunningly beautiful intro by Richard Wright and desperate sounding vocals by Roger Waters. I don't care much for the acoustic intro and ending, but this is easily a five-star album anyway.

'Animals' was so nearly a breathtakingly brilliant album. It fails to live up to its potential because, in the end, it is performed not by PINK FLOYD, but by ROGER WATERS and his amazing backing band.

WATERS kept the band in ideas from this point on - and, indeed, had been the major creative force behind 'Dark Side of the Moon' and 'Wish You Were Here'. Without him the full power of PINK FLOYD would never have been unleashed. But his creative skills were not matched by management skills, and he sowed the seeds of the band's destruction between 1977 and 1980 by alienating WRIGHT and GILMOUR. Why on earth he thought he was talented enough to sing the songs he wrote is a mystery of the age: his limited range and nasal, flat delivery makes for uncomfortable listening. I often wonder what some of the latter FLOYD material would have been like had WRIGHT provided more vocals. From being PINK FLOYD's 'go-to' singer in the early 70's, he is virtually absent on this album, and would become the first casualty of WATERS' takeover.

And what of ROGER WATERS' creativity? I find it ironic at best and hypocritical at worst that the man who, as NICK MASON said 'struggled to modify what had been a democratic band into one with a single leader' (Mason, Inside Out, p247) would use his expanded power to write concept albums lampooning the dictatorial and fascist behaviour of others. For this reason above all others I have never been able to take the sentiments expressed in 'Animals' seriously.

Only WATERS could have come up with such a daring, in-your-face concept, simple song titles based on Orwell's 'Animal Farm' in which - take note, ROGER - power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely - and then spoil it be taking too much of it on his own shoulders. PINK FLOYD worked best as a democracy, where the melodic talents of GILMOUR and WRIGHT could counterbalance WATERS' hard-edged audacity. Compositionally this record simply doesn't stack up against its predecessors: there's less actual music in this album than in anything since 'Ummagumma'.

So, what of the music? Three enormous, sprawling songs bookended by two guitar pieces, the tune for the latter freely liberated from the song 'Wish You Were Here'. Supposed love songs, they are rendered implausibly ugly by WATERS' voice. 'Dogs' is drawn out beyond the capacity of the music. The middle section, after the 'stone' echo', goes on far too long: unlike the space-rock of 'Shine on You Crazy Diamond' this bores rather than uplifts the listener. This is because it exists to amplify the concept rather than as good music. There's a piece of pure magic spliced awkwardly into the song: I think of this piece, starting at 3:40, as the 'GILMOUR parcel', a song fragment of real power dropped in here with no connection to the rest of the music. As powerful as it is, it loses meaning in this context - and, to make matters worse, is repeated verbatim near the end of the song. Other aspects of the song are indeed powerful. The vocals and guitar are excellent, the keyboards lush, and both WATERS and MASON take the rhythm section far beyond where they've been in previous albums. That's the irony of this song and this record - there's real progression here, but the in-your-face concept makes it difficult to appreciate. The song ends with an 'Eclipse'-like climax, but by this time I've generally lost any emotional connection to the music.

'Pigs (Three Different Ones)' is simply an insult to the intelligence. Here WATERS rails against individuals with his trademark hammerhead subtlety, and misses each time. The point about Mary Whitehouse, for example, was precisely that she was not a charade, but a real force of her time, irrespective of how unpalatable her views were. I do enjoy the way the band makes 'pig music': the guitars wallow, the bass is fat, even the keyboards are heavy and porcine. Trouble is, after the two opening verses, the song itself wallows in its own waste for three or four minutes, missing the chance for a classic FLOYD build. It's never a good sign when a song marks time, only to return to the third verse, same as the first two. And then, completely out of place, comes a guitar solo like a thunderstorm, backed by WATERS' rising and falling bass line, and suddenly the song wakes from its self-indulgent slumber. What could have been!

'Sheep' is the masterpiece on this record. It is so much cleverer lyrically and musically than the other songs. From WATERS' trademark rumbling bass, this song has an urgency missing in the rest of the sprawl. The effect of fading WATERS' vocal into a sound stab works wonderfully well, and the song never loses that momentum. If only it could have finished with the solo from the last song, we'd have a complete winner.

'Animals' heralds an angrier, more direct PINK FLOYD, mainly because an angrier, more direct person had taken control of the band - and the rest of the band were happy to let him do the work. The decline and fall of PINK FLOYD, when it came, was swift, but we only see signs of it here.

At least it wasn't about the war.

How does this grab you?? This is about the only five star record I have a painfully hard time listening to! Why, you ask? Because in his twisted brilliance, Waters lyrically projects his dark, bleak and pessimistic view of the human condition in such a way that every time I listen to this record, I find myself tortured by paranoia about the motives of everyone around me and find myself in the depths of depression for about two weeks. That being said, this recording's brilliant musicianship and the soundscapes that are sonically painted only serve to reinforce the nearly irrrepressible urge to cloister myself on some deserted island somewhere far away from the (other) "animals" out there. It's a brutal world and a brutal record. In true animalistic fashion, Waters, in his characteristic holier- than- thou pontification on the abuses of power was simultaneously creatively castrating his bandmates. That mission continued on the greatly overrated The Wall and was completed with the Final Cut. Despite asphyxiation under the heaviness of Roger Water's domination, Gilmour's plaintiff guitar wails on this record are unforgettable and Wright's textural keyboarding work hypnotic. The result of the effects is a sonic and emotional effect that simulates a Major Depression episode. Someone, pass me a Prozac.

Pink Floyd's Animals is probably the most dark angry album they have created. And that is why this is my favorite, The lyrics are just amazing and this is all Roger Waters doing. I'm not that fond of the Pig on the Wind 1 and 2, but the rest of the song are amazing. Probably my floyd track ever Dogs is just so epic, and David and Rogers voice go so well together on this album. I'm no that big of a floyd fan but anyone who is a Prog fan you need to have this in your music collection. Soon after this Roger Waters would corrupt the band and one more classic floyd would be made. I will give this album 4 stars, probably the most powerful floyd album ever.

So much has been said about Animals and I don't have too much difference of opinion here. I firmly think that Animals brought the best of Pink Floyd [Post-Syd Era], wihout losing individual experimental brilliance of any of the band members. The anger and passion shows up in all departments of music. A dark and sarcastic comment on Industrial arrogance from Roger. Synth effects just re-strenghen the theme. David's guitaring is at experimental best and drumming just knocks me over and over again.....The overall concept of the album coupled with master musicianship shines for me. It is the most progressive of Pink Floyd albums I believe. Yes, and I am saying that DSOM and WYWH are classics, yet there are moments when I feel the song transition doesn't flow with as much ease as Animals. Roger's vocals are so haunting in Pigs on the wings, it transcends you into the album's theme. My word: Impeccable coherence & seamless transition in the song line-up is Animals victory over any other Pink Floyd album. Rating's are not meant for such a masterpriece work.

In my review on DSotM I stated that I consider myself a Pink Floyd fan at least for a part of their history. Best albums to me are Wish you were here and Animals and I rated Wywh 4 stars although it was actually rounded down from 4.5. So if I really am (a bit of) a fan I should at least give one of their albums 5 stars I feel. So that's going to be this one. Animals is my true favourite anyway so I'm ok with that.

Why is it my favourite ? I like the compositions extremely much. This is real symphonic prog to me, at it's best probably. The three large tracks (because the other two are just poor short ones) are the real album to me. Very varied songs, good vocal parts alternated with great instrumental fragments and the songs really progress smoothly. I have listened to them almost a hundred times now in all those (25) years but I can't get enough of them.

All 3 tracks are 5 star-efforts in my book so the album is easily rewarded in the same way.

Floyd have already given us Piper, Saucerful, Dark Side... and Wish You Were Here, and still continue to blow our minds with this amazing album, 'Animals'. During 1973, the band reached almost unfathomable success with 'Dark Side of the Moon', and then decided to advance deeper into the prog portal by creating such highly inspired instrumental/lyrical displays like WYWH, and 'Animals'. That being said, the core of this album was composed during 1974, and did appear on several bootlegs (yes, guilty..) as 'You Gotta Be Crazy' (Dogs) and 'Raving and Drooling' (Sheep).

Central to the whole concept is Water's cynical view of the human race, likening various personalities within society to various animals via the epic compositions 'Pigs', 'Dogs', and 'Sheep'. The lyrics are hard-hitting and quite understandable. The music behind all this is not so complex, but superbly crafted and passionately performed. Wright's keys ( Mini-Moog, Fender Rhodes, Hammond, Piano, String-Synth) serve as a full sounding, symphonic back-drop to Gilmour's phenomenal guitar leads, and Waters shows his skill as a competent and able Bass player. Mason supplies the rhythmic back-bone to the whole affair. The 3 epic tracks are book-ended with 2 delicate, acoustic ballads, 'Pigs on the Wing - Parts I and II'). Yet another essential prog album.

Animals is a set of fairly good ideas criminally undeveloped. Dogs just has about enough material to make up 10 minutes, and cannot be expected to make up 17. That's nearly the same length as CTOE! The next two songs would have been better as 6 or 7 minute songs. Pointlessly repeating sections to make up extra minutes is a big no-no, readers. I could make quite a good 'how not to make a great record' peice out of various mistakes made in Floyd's catalogue. The best thing on the whole album is the two book-end songs, which says a lot.

Now we are talking, this is my favourite Floyd album by far. I'll be short here. This is the most angry album Floyd ever did. Stunning from capo al fine, Sheeps has really awesome concept and is stunning played, the rest are also very enjoyble. So the album is a concept about society, with dogs representing money and businessmen, pigs representing politicians and sheep representing the masses, the album has 3 long epics about each animal, and 2 shorter ones of course about the same animals. The album is well crafted balanced between smooth keys to angry guitars and rough voices in places. A 5 stars without hesitation. Maybe i said nothing with this rerview, but i have to wright some lines about this album because is one of my fav from the old school. Enjoy the smoothness of Pink Floyd.

Another incredible album from Pink Floyd, with Waters again at the helm, and a lot of David Gilmour solos. This album embodies Waters' anger at the world. They went to concerts expecting silence, so the fans could hear the soft, building intros of songs like echoes, but instead got fans screaming "Money, Money!". This made Waters angry because by this time, his ego had swollen to massive proportions. This got to the point where Waters spat on a fan out of anger. This album is harshly critical of society, with Dogs being about corrupt politicians, Pigs being about Politicians, and Sheep being about the mindless masses. The album is bookended by Pigs on the Wing, a bright, acoustic piece that misleads the listener as to the albums content. dogs has is a guitar song, through and through, with some of Gilmour's best soloing, and great singing from Waters. the middle spacey section is courtesy of Richard Wright, with some barking dogs to accompany him. Pigs is a hard rocker with a weird effect on the guitar solo, and more angry singing from Waters. Sheep has some amazing keyboard work, including Waters voice phasing into a synth note.

All in all, one of Floyd's more harsh albums and the beginning of Waters' ascent to Planet Ego. The second to last masterpiece the band would make.

As Pink Floyd dug through the years inside the human paranoia and inner issues, all beginning in the Meddle album and ending magically in The Wall (since the The Final Cut album was only bibliographic, to Roger Waters, and political, mainly critics to the world politics and political hypocrisy) and became more and more symphonic (like it or not, many floydian albums during the 70's shared characteristics with symphonic prog bands, like the album having a hole story, or being all about one theme and having increasingly classical elements), Animals was born.

Like all Pink Floyd albums from the 70's (except atom heart mother and meddle), Animals is a concept album, and by concept albums i mean albums with a central theme. Animals central theme is about the kind of people that exists on the planet: the leader that fools people (dogs), the owners of the world, or big capitalists, the military commanders and the politicians (pigs) and the ones that follows them (sheep). An interesting note is that Animals have a certain relation with the Orwels book Animal Farm.

Animals can be considered the most symphonic album of Pink Floyd, after The Wall of course, since the whole album tells that story about the resemblance of humans and animals and it has a whole connecting the three different stories, besides the long songs.

After all, the music is something you cant forget in a progressive rock album. On animals the music is becoming increasingly more guitar-centered than in the other synth/keyboard centered albuns. Also is noticeable the increasingly complexity of the songs, which, speaking of progressive rock, is not a bad thing.

overall rating: lyrics + music + theme = 4.5-5 stars

God, I am finding it VERY difficult as to what rating to give this one, and ultimately, I think five out of five stars is a very fitting one for this effort. The Floyd did better work, but not by much. The crowning achievement in Pink Floyd history as far as I am concerned is THE WALL, but trust me, folks, if you are wanting something in the same vein as their magnum opus, but something a little shorter and more direct, ANIMALS is for you.

We begin this journy with ''Pigs on the Wing Part 1'', an interesting little acoustic guitar soung which is only Roger Waters playing and singing. The tune is nice and simple, but completely misleading as to what will soon follow, because the listener is in for a special treat!

As soon as ''Pigs'' ends, ''Dogs'' begins, which starts out as a fade-in, and also the first appearance of Gilmour on guitar. This riff, which is played repeatedly as Gilmour sings the first verse, is oddly upbeat for Pink Floyd, but it just works, especial since the lyrics in this particuler entry don't necessarily scream 'happy thoughts'. Here, Waters' lyrics speak of people's need to take what they can when they can, and how the opposing forces at be lie and scam their way into having success, but in the end, it amounts to nothing, because the most important things in life were never obtained after all. I particularly like the line: ''Hide your head in the sand. Just another sad old man, all alone and dying of cancer!''.

At this point in the song, Gilmour plays arguably one of the greatest solos the guitar has ever had the pleasure of playing, once again proving (at least to me) that Gilmour is the greatest guitarist who has ever lived. At this point, the song goes into a very long, but pleasurable instrumental breakdown, yet again displaying Gilmour's genious on his instrument. Personally, I think the stuff he plays during this song is the greatest stuff ever done on a guitar, but that is probably a biased opinion, since I have clearly not heard everything done on guitar.

The song then becomes placid, and shifts gears to compliment Water's mournfull vocals, stating: ''And when you lose control, you'll reap the harvest you have sown . . . '' This is my favorite part of the track, as the melody is particularly tasty. Gilmour then harmonizes with him, and the song builds again, ending this particular section of it with a resounding climax. The final line, ''Dragged down by the stone!'' leaves a trail behind it, as the word 'stone' continues to echo throughout the next breakdown of the song for quite awhile before ultimately fading away.

During this section, we get to hear some of the first truly space-rock sounds on the album, as the synths and [%*!#]ed-out guitar truly give an out-of-this-world feel to the interlude. In the distance, we hear a collection of sound effects that are oh-so-fitting to the song, but you can find out what they are for yourself when you listen to it. Finally, the song seems to start over, with the same opening riff from before coming back into play, and the traditional verse is sung once again by Waters. This continues until the final shifting of gears within the song, and we are left listening to a series of short, similar lines of lyrics a la ''Eclipse'', backed by some truly heavy, poerfull guitar chords. The final lyric in this epic (and the best song on the album) is ''Who was dragged down by the stone?''.

There you have it; seventeen minutes and four seconds of Pink Floyd at their very best. Everything is there, trading of vocal duty between Waters and Gilmour, perfect balance of trippy ambience and straightforward rock, and no showoff-y moments from any members of the band. Really great.

''Pigs (three different ones)'' is the most 'cheeky' and aggressive of the songs in terms of the lyrics, basically slamming all of the people of importance in the world for being the way they are. This song is the most catchy and will most likely be the one to play first for the people who aren't all that familiar with this album, as it holds a sort of charm that appeals to most casual listeners. There is one profaine lyric in the song that some people may find objectional, but then again what are those people doing listening to good music anyway?

''Sheep'' - It's obvious to me what this song is about (Mindless flocking of the masses without foresight or individual thought), and the Dogs are even mentioned again, completeling the concept and confirming that all of the songs are inter-related. There is an especially nice section of this track that features a synthesized voice stating oh-so-subtly Waters' personal view on organized religion. There are certainly some of the most intense moments in Floyd history to be found in this track, including some passionate screaming from Waters, and once again some great playing from Gilmour. In all this excitement I forgot to give equal time to Wright and Mason, but trust me, they also shine very brightly on this album. Wright's real moment is during the synth breakdown of ''Dogs'', and Mason's skill is really prominent on this track. The outro riff of this song is one of my favorite moments on the album, and holds a sense of hope in it, even though the album's mood as a whole is very grim. This shows that there is indeed light at the end of the tunnel in life, and it is up to the individual to choose which way to go; toward the exit, or deeper into the darkness.

''Pigs on the Wing Part 2'' is more or less the same exact thing as part one, with only slight lyrical variation, and it works as a great way to close the album on a lighter note, which always leaves me drooling for more.

This album is Pink Floyd's second best as far as I am concerned, and it contains the least amount of filler out of any other Floyd experience. In fact, it has absolutely none to speak of. This album is what I like to think of as the appetizer before the main dish (The Wall), and it is even the very best in some people's minds. It is certainly the best Pink Floyd single album ever produced, but I have a feeling that had THE WALL not been a double album, it would be taking ANIMALS' place in that regard, at least in my mind. But overall this is a great piece of work, not to be overlooked by any progressive music fan. 5 Stars.

This is the one Pink Floyd album I would take with me on the famous isolated island. When I bought it some twenty years ago I couldn't dig what a big achievement this release was. Especially DOGS was too long and too strange - but now I think different about the whole album. I usually don't spend much time with the acoustic PIGS ON THE WING PT. 1 + 2, being in- and outdoor to the main tracks. The three important tracks (DOGS; PIGS; SHEEP) carry on for 40 minutes and are highly inventive and pleasant to hear - once you got used to them. The musical ideas are far from obvious, but they are top notch. Alas, the lyrics put an uncomfortable edge to the masterpieces. The whole record is much darker than WYWH and foreshadows the tristesse of The Wall - without the latter's self-pity. The only critical point I have to make is that Waters' voice often sounds nasal, as if he had cold at the time of recording. Even if one considers the last mentioned things to be shortcomings - this is still 5 stars.

It was 1977, My young, LSD saturated mind, was enthralled by Floyd, Syd being one of my cult heroes. Tripping to the soundtrack of Pink floyd was one of my favorite pastimes. From the Piper to WYWH, Floyd and I explored the galaxies at the speed of Interstellar overdrive. Imagine how excited I was to hear their newest release! Then came Animals and Crash!!!!!! Back down to Earth!! What is this? Where are the gnomes and scarecrows? No Echoes, no psychedic breakie,no saucerful of nothing but this sobering treatise on the wickedness and weaknesses of fallen man. In 1977 it didn't go down to well, In 2008? Well, I guess I've grown up alot in the course of these years and I've learned to appreciate this great album for what it is. Dogs, a Floyd classic. Gilmour's guitar, the vocals, the lyrics, The cynical bite of Mr. Waters. A Floyd classic, but truth be told, I still kinda miss Arnold, Emily and Corporal Clegg...

A lot of people always talk about Animals saying it's the best Pink Floyd album. Tha't not true, sorry for the fans. Released in 1977, year of the punks, Animals is a good album, I agree, but not a masterpiece - even if Dogs and Sheep are marvellous.

Only 5 tracks, including two very short ones (1,25 each, the two parts of Pigs On The Wing which opens and closes the disc). The three others last from 10 to 17 minutes.

Dogs is from far the best track, and the longest. Performed by Gilmour, except the last verse ('Who was...', etc) by Waters - who wrote all of the tracks, with Gilmour on Dogs.

Pigs (Three Different Ones) is the song I like the less, I found it a little boring and repetitive. 11 minutes.

Sheep is great, 10 minutes, and is probably the album's most well-known song.

The two parts of Pigs On The Wing are lo-fi, nce, but too short to be ttally interesting.

In its entirety, a special album, based in part on the Orwell novel 'Animal Farm'. Waters imagine the humanhood as a bunch of animals. The policemen are the pigs. The businessmen, the dogs. We simple people, the sheeps (in french, Moutons de Panurge, those of you who know about the french middle-age writer Rabelais would know what I'm talking about).

On the cover art, a floating pig above the Battersea electrical factory. A vision of a inhuman, polluted London. In fact, maybe the best Pink Floyd sleeve.

But the album itself is probably a little bit overrated, though very good indeed.

Dissectional.

Pink Floyd's third album in their ''classic'' era is somewhat overlooked in every circle of music other than the progressive one. As proven by this site, Proggers LOVE this album... for good reasons. Likely the least accessible of Floyd's music this one is a dark and brooding tale reflective of the time. Decidedly sticking more to the long song side of things, Floyd churns out 3 masterfully dense compositions here... each one having a life all it's own. The third (and not last) concept album in a row by the band, this album was all about the economical crisis facing Britain at the time of its release. Dividing society into three sections, Waters turns humans into Animals on this outing, asking society to look at themselves for what they've become.

DOGS is the first track up. This being the group of society that works for the upper class to enforce regulation upon the middle and lower class, the dogs are essentially the brutal taxmen of the animal world. While it would be impossible to completely dissect this track, that's the gist of it. An evil sounding track, (as is most of the album, due likely to Floyd's rebellion to punk and ''the man'') this one incorporates a lot of keys and heavy music that can really induce the 'wall of sound effect' if you're not carefully listening to it.

PIGS (THREE DIFFERENT ONES) refer to the upper class. Giving orders and getting fat the track is very representative of someone calling judgment on them and sitting back to watch the results (''haha, charade you are!'' [South Park's Eric Cartman would later quote this line for those who don't already know]). Another one of Floyd's rocky tracks along with all the other material on the album, this one is definitely a keeper.

Coming near the end is the bombastic SHEEP. This is, of course, the lower and middle class who must be herded if they are achieve anything. If there is any kind of storyline on this album this is where the heaviest plot twist lies (''Have you read the news? The dogs are dead!'').

Of course, those aren't the only songs on the album... the 3 minutes of bookeneding PIGS ON THE WING are rather pleasant with their soothing vocals and acoustic guitar, but nothing to write home about. Still a good intro and outro it really seems like Floyd wanted to take everything that they did on Wish... and invert it. Even the cover is much darker than it's predecessor.

Other than that there's not much to say about the album that hasn't already been said.

Everyone knows about the crazy (marketing scheme?) incident that saw the photoshoot of the album cover go terribly wrong and resulted in the band chasing a giant inflated pig around town. Most everyone also knows that the idea for The Wall would come from the tour for this album when Roger Waters would spit on one of the fans tring to climb on stage. As a rock star, he was becoming distant from his fans... almost building a wall between him and them. Bam, a concept album was born.

Like my other Pink Floyd experiences, this one also has a story to go with the unforgettable first time I listened to it. I bought this one and Obscured By Clouds at the same time, they were on a deal so it was the perfect chance to get them both. A bunch of friends were hanging out in a little hick town called Lantzville (our towns were in a sort of perpetual war) that I used to live a 5 minute walk from and so I trucked over there with discs in hand. Needless to say, the first time I listened to the disc I could not fathom the length of the songs. Listening to the different parts of DOGS alone I thought that the album was moving along until the end of the track when I thought the album had almost come to a close when, hey, that was only the end of the first (real) song! So needless to say... we spent a good long time enjoying the album and playing Magic: The Gathering on my friend's orientally themed kitchen table (don't rub it in too much now).

The last /really/ Pink Floyd album as Roger would do a complete take over after this (even if there's rumors of him re-recording some of Gilmour's parts on this album because he ''didn't like them'') this one is a masterpiece like it's older brothers and deserves all 5 stars that it sometimes doesn't receive from other critical sources. Essential... just don't expect to ''get it'' after one listen... this thing is DENSE.

After they had released two of the most commercially successful albums in rock history, Pink Floyd seemed to be treading water with ANIMALS. The multi-coloured world of DARK SIDE and WISH was replaced with a grimmer, more austere, guitar and vocal dominated approach. 'Pigs', the first song on ANIMALS' original B-side (with its opening apparently 'borrowed' from Dutch band Focus), was easily the least adventurous tune the Floyd had recorded ever since the much underrated OBSCURED BY CLOUDS. Whenever 'Dogs' (ANIMALS' longest track) slowed down and the band settled into the kind of steady, foursquare tempo that had blighted too many of their earlier albums, you felt they were merely marking time.

But oh, how gorgeous were those FAST bits from 'Dogs'! Their lyrics were probably the most memorable Roger Waters had ever written, and the way he sang them... you couldn't deny the power! To top it all, Gilmour illustrated them with some of his angriest, most masterful guitar solos. (I couldn't tell you how often I played air guitar to that particular track!) As for the album's remaining tunes... We all agreed 'Sheep' was a near-masterpiece (a shame it really took you no further than the second half of 'Shine on You Crazy Diamond'...) while 'Pigs on the Wing' (Pts. I & II) sounded wonderfully melancholic but slight.

Nowadays, if I ever listen to ANIMALS, it's strictly for 'Dogs'; Waters' bitter sarcasm seems as appealing as ever. But when that annoying bit with the barking and the old-fashioned string synthesizer comes on, I reach for the fast forward button.

This is the Pink Floyd album that pretty much slid right by me back in the day. 1977 was not really a great year for some British psych proggers past their prime to be putting out a new record, and surely not a record where they hadn’t exactly gone to a whole lot of trouble to come up with something new and wild to attract folk’s attention like ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ and ‘Wish You Were Here’ had done. To be fair this album didn’t sound a whole lot either of those albums, but the difference was primarily that it wasn’t as distinctive and original and vibrant as either of them either. The competition was stiff in 1977 with punk capturing a lot of young kid’s imagination and angst, disco giving the vapid airheads something shiny to stare at, and New Wave blurring the lines between the two by giving punkers something to do after rehab.

Pink Floyd had anger and anti-establishment themes as well, but theirs were more cerebral than Blondie and more philosophical than Johnny Rotten. The combination didn’t work for all of the band’s hard- core fans. While a lot of people demonize Roger Waters’ growing influence on the band, I kind of wonder what would have happened to them if ‘The Wall’ hadn’t followed this album and been such a logical progression both musically and lyrically. That combined with the massive promotional campaigns for the album and movie really forestalled Pink Floyd’s slide off the top of the mountain by probably a good ten years. If ‘The Wall’ hadn’t happened then ‘The Final Cut’ wouldn’t have happened, and if that hadn’t then it’s unlikely the remnants of the once-dominant band wouldn’t have sucked out one more sip at the well with ‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason’. And that would have meant the demise of Pink Floyd on the heels of ‘Wish You Were Here’, with ‘Animals’ being a whimper instead of a bang, especially knowing that ‘Animals’ was the band’s lowest-selling album in six years until ‘The Wall’ pulled it through by generating over half the album’s sales after it had already left the charts.

Anyway, my opinion only. I like the album and the music is known to just about every proghead so in some respects it’s essential since if you don’t know this album then the last decade of Floyd’s existence is lost on you. But you don’t rate an album based on its historical significance, or at least you shouldn’t. So musically I have to say that this is a three star record, one that combines some of the social misanthropy toward certain subsets of society that ‘Wish You Were Here’ had, with the philosophical detachment of ‘The Wall’ and just a touch of the musical consistency of ‘Meddle’. A little of all those things but nothing much on its own. I rarely listen to this album any more, and truth be told listened to it very little back then. Spring was coming when this hit the stores in 1977, Frampton was on the radio, disco hot pants were tighter than the year before, and there were just too many things going on out in the sunshine to get caught up in the institutional angst of one Mr. Roger Waters. There would be time for that as the decade drew to a close, but that’s a different album and a different story.

peace

Rating between 3,5 to 4 stars, Pink Floyd´s Animal was the right album at the right time. Although I cannot say this is a ´typical´ PF CD, it is nevertheless VERY good. Certainly the band was sensing the winds of change and they were bold enough to change. It would be much more comfortable and easy for them to just follow the path The Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here opened. Fortunatly they knew it better. The punks may have aimed at PF as their main target for what they called ´boring old farts´. But the band didn´t take notice and their survived the late 70´s unscathered (what can not be said of many other rock acts, big or not so big). Besides, this album is evertyhing but boring.

Animals proved that Pink Floyd could tackle darker, down to earth issues, with a rockier sound, and still come out sounding as pure Floyd. I remember when this album was released and the controversity it aroused. Oppotunism? No, because it stood well the test of time and I rate Dogs as one of their biggest classics. it certainly was a very well timed album, a semi-blueprint that would lead them to greater success with The Wall, some two and a half years after.

Certainly it caught fans by surprise: the music was quite heavy (for PF standards) and the lyrics were much less spacey. they dealt with what was happening in England and much of the world at the time. It was a remarckable piece of work. But they risked a lot. Fortunatly the album was a hit (albeit a smaller one than the two previous) and the tour drove packed houses. I saw them live in Anheim in 77, it was the first time I saw such a big name live. It was thirlling!

Although I still think the production was not as good as their earlier two albums, I think it was right for the time. The dominance of Roger Waters is quite evident here, and it would doomed the band some years afterwords, but here it worked well, even at the expense of some keyboards and guitar trademarks.

Not the best album for a newbie, I guess, And yet a fine record that every PF fan must have. Different, dense, dark and absolutely great!

To me, this album definitely showcases David Gilmour. His vocals were never more raw and heartfelt than on Dogs. His guitar solo's on Dogs and Pigs (three different ones) never miss the point. The strongness in his guitar playing is not so much speed but more in playing the right note at the right moment, and with a touch and feel that are inimitable. Lyricly speaking this album contains a combination of the most cynicle (Sheep) and the most tender (Pigs on the Wing) lyrics written by Roger Waters. There are some clever findings like the reciting of a psalm in Sheep, questioning the uncriticle sheeplike behaviour of some followers of religion.

Some call this the Floyd punk album, referring to it's power. When looking at the quality of the songs, the comparision is far from accurate. It is an album that you might easily overlook as it is less known than Dark Side, Wish You Were Here or The Wall and the songs are less accessible. Give it a go, you won't be disappointed!

The case represents the Battersea Power Station who was one of the biggest power stations of England,it ceased producing energy in 1983.They can see between both reactors of left the inflatable pig which is a bit the mascot of the group and that flew off during their concerts.

Taken out in full punk wave,the album in him the same shows here a certain reluctance of the society but all that says with class and chic.

Pigs on the Wing (part 1): This piece is a kind of very short introduction to the album with as the only instrument an accoustic guitar,Waters speak due to the fact that nobody cares about him and due to the fact that it cares about nobody.He saw so in monotony and trouble.

Dogs:Dogs is a piece which tells of a serial killer,cruelly,who slaughters people coldly,in the back,after this killer succeeds has earn the trust of its victim.It ends up having the cancer and is going to finish its life in the south but he realizes all the atrocity which it showed all its life and it becomes aware that he cannot come back any more rear,he is alone and do not have friend and thinks that everybody is as him,a predator. The end shows the report which there is between the title of the song dogs and this killer.This man was rejected in fact of the society,he was treated as an animal:Who was fitted with collar and chain;Who was told what to do by the man,he there was fed up of etre treated so and decided,also to become a predator and to walk on the others.Other signs link up this man with a wandering dog:he saw on the street,do not hesitate to kill to survive. In this piece,everything was caricatured,in the society,the dogs represent by way of businessmen become mad because attracted by money and power,what would encourage them to act as serial killers,in a lesser sense. The piece is purely progressive (as all album besides),the accoustic guitar is very nice,the main solo in 6'30 is very good but have got nothing to do with the airplanes solos of the album Wish you were here .It is not that searched the band puts together it here,the album was rather meant to be aggressive and to be informer of the society in general.The last singing passage is very good,interviewer,informer,in form of questions to show the true culprit of this situation.

Pigs:Its in this piece particularly that they realize that the group gets closer a tremendous number of the punk movement with words sometimes very crude towards politicians and fact to go contrary to English political ideas.In the 1st party,Pink Floyd reports a business man ready for everything,that tries to entertain the gallery.Its Stereotype here in the form of a rude figure, very fatty who is qualified here as man-pig.The group answers by saying You're nearly a laugh but you're really a cry. The left 2eme is dedicated to Margaret Thatcher(British prime minister of epoch)which is defined here as a nasty vermin, an old done skin and who am presented as a cold woman,without heart.The fact that it has a weapon has the hand is a reference to war in Northern Ireland that Thatcher supported since the beginning. Finally the 3eme and last party tries to demonize Mary Whitehouse (British activist for the stocks of morality and religious decency,with ideas extremisms and who,later,will be named commander of British empire).Here,its hown as being cold, adding machine and technician.The reason of this hate which the group has as this woman comes due to the fact that Whitehouse always considered Pink Floyd as a group praose of narcotics and sex.Pigs is a cynical piece which proclaims extremely that many people thought of any bottom, an action that they can once again bring closer to punk movement. As regards the musical party they can say that Pigs is difficult to classify.Its at the same time progressive, experimental rock,its indisputable and the same hard!Its Wright who begins the piece in the organ,Waters on the first rhythmic guitar or then comes to come along on top the rif of Gilmour or one see here that Pink Floyd is able of producing an ambience enough hard rock!Its for me one of the nicest intro that I heard,the very upper in that of Money to name only it, simply perfect all over the comprehension,there is a real exchange between the guitar of Waters and that of Gilmour,all that in a rather heavy atmosphere which they feel thanks to the synthesizer of Wright.The rif of David is simply very good, aggressif incredibly,they find it besides apparently after the 1st and the second verse(or it is this time accompanied with Mason's battery),just before the 3eme verse or they find the meme architecture that during the intro and finally everything has the end,before the solo or it is once again the battery which accompanies. The solo,let us come from it precisely,it begins very and of course,as the rest of the piece in consonances very hard rock notably with a quick game and a very violent solo high,who remains high during all piece to finish on harmonics that they have not usually find in the solos of Gilmour.For the anecedote,know that this one will copy it two years later in the piece Comfortably Numb of the album The Wall or it will copy the riff which one hear at the end of Pigs.Something else than whizz in commum Pigs and the album The Wall,its very experimental character that whizz Dogs,of a new type,as this album precisely which will hug a bend at this instant to produce what they could almost call of Glam rock...

Sheep:Sheep is a piece which tells the history of a sheep who saw quietly in his pasture;he eats in his hungerand drinks so much that he wants,as a result he does not care about big thing.He knows that something is hatched against him but does not care about it.It obeys has his shepherd(who is compared here with his Lord).In the 2eme verse,the sheep arrives at the valley of steel,and sees things opposite,understands that he going to be kill.The 3eme verse is introduced in form of cynical humour,or the life of the sheep he am shortly summed up,eats,drinks to his please to finish in lambs' coasts.The sheep is then transformed into a maitre karateka and assome the shepherd violently.He goes out then of darkness to enter the dream (the sheep is free,it do not have shepherd anymore).Finally in the last verse,Waters announce to the sheep that the dogs died(security guards of the herd)and once again cynical humour throws:You better stay home and do as youre told.;Get out of the road if you want to grow old. Here,the sheep are compared with people who make dictate a behaviour all their life and who are not able of acting by their own means.The passage or sheep are transformed in maitres karateka seldom shows which point Waters (and Pink Floyd in general) are defeatist and think that these individuals will be so ordered to her all their life,simply by the fact that a sheep will never be able to be transformed there maitre karateka and therefore the sheep of the society will never be able to free themselves from people who order them.It ends by saying simply to these people not to stay on the road otherwise they go otherwise they are going to make crush to translate by:go out of beaten tracks,act by yourlself,let you not dictate a behaviour to be held. From a musical point of view they can greet the intro very good in the piano of Wright,with behind musical plan of the sheep who bawl.The green landscape of a campaign populated with sheep is perfectly to recreate musically,on an air very jazz. In the 3eme verse,voice(Waters?)been changed to show that it is not a human being who speaks (here a sheep).

Pigs on the Wing(part 2):Its the opposite of the party 1.A kind of culmination in a way.The first two sentences from the part 1.summers reverses and Waters who was alone and thought of nobody else than shone whizz,found somebody who watches over him and somebody over whom to watch.This left 2eme is in fact a statement of love that Waters with fact to his wife.The 1st party representing the period or it had not met it yet.

Pink Floyd's 'Animals' is their second mainstream bluesrock infused symphonic progrock album, right after 'Wish You Were Here'. By now all sixties psychedelic charm is replaced by a disciplined and rather cold production that does sound rather good on a high-fi set. The short opening 'Pigs on the Wings' is symptomatic for the psychedelic preacher-like persona Roger Waters would pick for himself. The opening chords of 'Dogs' have a mystical charm about them and this section will prove to be the best the first side of the record has to offer. The rest of the song has some good synth and modernized bluesrock sections, but ends up not delivering on its promise. The whole 'Who was born in a house full of pain'-section is rather blunt in my opinion. On side two 'Pigs (Three different ones)' is one of the weakest tracks the band recorded in the seventies. To me it sounds like an awful reworking of 'Inside the Machine', which was also based on the same two-chord pattern. The ten minutes of 'Sheep' prove to be the highlight of the album; a strong and exciting space-rock song with a great instrumental section. In some way a good follow-up of what was established on the innovative 'One of These Days', back in 1971. Also a track that gets a spin once in a while on classic rock radio stations and will likely be the best song of that particular hour. As a whole this proved to be an lp I could give away to a friend who was quite happy with it, with me having not a single feeling of remorse. On the next album 'The Wall' the band (or rather Roger Waters) would find new song formats, atmospheres and lyrical ideas, which would prove much needed to regain my interest in Pink Floyd's music.

A quite different animal

Animals is in my opinion the first true Prog rock album Pink Floyd ever did. Meddle only had one really progressive song and Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here were still quite Psychedelic albums, rarely breaking away from traditional song structures. And also subsequent albums like The Wall had a more New Wave-ish sound to my ears.

David Gilmour is great on this album, as is Richard Wright. This is really a band effort despite the fact that Waters wrote almost all the material. A favourite moment is the guitar solos towards the end of Dogs with the keyboards and acoustic guitars backing up. It sounds great!

Much ink has been spilt on this album so I will not say very much. Great concept, great music - in my opinion the best Pink Floyd album (at least until the excellent Divisnion Bell)

Excellent addition to your Prog collection.

If there is one Pink Floyd album that can be called true and pure rock this is Animals!All other Pink Floyd albums are not exactly rock in its real meaning.They are perfect,but they are not rock.They are strange mixture of blues,psychedelia,country,electronic and so on.And that's why if you want to listen to rock album by Pink Floyd you need Animals!The guitar work is just perfect!Animals is another important moment for Pink Floyd.This is the first album where all band members don't contribute to the album enough!Roger Waters is the sole leader and he overshadow the others,especially Rick Wright.But I think this is not fatal for the quality of music,contrariwise!The genius of Roger Waters is developed completely and he show it here and on The Wall,which are albums with very similar musical ideas.On Animals the sounds of pigs,sheep and dogs are reproduced in magnificent way!Another album from the golden Pink Floyd collection!

I only purchased this album about a year ago and I'm not the biggest Floyd fan.However this must be reckoned as one of the best prog albums.Much like Close To The Edge and Selling England By The Pound this sounds like a well thought out and complete work.The theme is well explored on all the peices.Dogs is quite something as people have remarked while Sheep adds an almost punk like attitude.Those are the main peices but it it all stands up well.For my money this is Gilmours best album,his guitar work is stunning while Rick Wright compliments him perfectly on the keyboards.Easy to give this an essential rating.5 stars.

On of the most underrated albums ever. Everyone always talks about Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall, or thinks about these albums when they hear then name Pink Floyd. But one album exceeds them all, and that is ANIMALS. Pigs On The Wings Part 1 and 2 are amazing intro's and outro's to the album, with a great acoustic guitar

Dogs is just an epic song that is amazing in every way of the word. Dark lyrics, gilmor's guitar is just amazing, with a great solo in the song too. Listen to the song and you know what i mean, the barking of the hounds is also great and amazing singing.

Pigs is a great song, but the least one of the album, also heavier guitar sounds in it

Sheep has amazing keyboard playing in it. Gilmore's guitar is again perfect. the singing is also good, better then pigs, but not as good as Dogs

Conclusion: 5 stars Essential: a masterpiece of progressive music

Imo this is the best Pink Floyd album ever, and Dogs is in my eyes also the best song ever, defenitely try this album.

Take the umbrella dear, I see pigs on the wing out there!

Pink Floyd 3rd masterpiece and the last album without Waters' post war obsession, the first album where Water sing and maybe the last album of the old pink floyd. Since the start of the concept we have a prelude (pigs on the wing) to the opera which draws the humanity in 3 different forms: the dogs (lapdogs, gangsters and criminals), pigs (politics, corrupted and thieves) and for the last sheeps (the common man). All the concept is a picture of the society of our days where pigs and dogs play an important part to choke the sheep in their schema.

On the tech side we have an excellent mix of guitars from a renewed Gilmour style (very different from DotM & wuwh ones), sublime ambience from Waters' best bass (ever, imo) in all their strenght the 3 central tracks bring to the listener something different every time, from the great guitar solos in dogs to the echoes in sheeps (which simulates the bheeeee of sheeps) through the falsetto of the voice in pigs like an old radio. So what's this album a masterpiece? Oh I think yes it is... BUT we are in front of a certain kind of change in PF music, a bit less immediate (Shine was clear enough and Breathe is the same) and too bad a step near The Wall and Water's post war project. Anyway the music is perfect and the ambience reflects the lyrics with the right mix of them: 3/3

Lyrics & Voice: Excellent part from a great Waters, really outstanding performance of him both from contents and voice, Roger have done a great job with his homework: his voice fits perfect in the hard changes of Sheeps and is the true surprise of this disc, while Gilmour have the role as main guitarist in Animals Waters take the leader of everything (that's for me one of the reasons he left after the Final Cut, since at this time he and Gilmour start to have discussions eachother), drawning a perfect picture of his thoughts, till pigs on the wing part 2, the end when the 2 character (saw at the beginning) realize that they need to stay togheter to avoid the flying pigs: 2/2

Bonus Star: Nice draw (with the flying pig) on the sleeve, nice the famous pig-baloon, nice even the album talks about how a sheep can be a sheep (or if u prefer how the man can be a sheep): 1/1 even if it's not needed

I cannot understand why this album got so many controversial reviews back then in the 70's, and some more in the 80's as here in Greece there was always a lot of conversation about Pink Floyd albums in the domestic music magazines. In my opinion this is another great album by Pink Floyd. Released within the punk explosion which teared apart everything whether it was good or bad, Animals was the answer, or if you like the aspect of progressive rock for many problems that afflicted society and people in general at those times. It was the Cold War season, there were still aftershocks of the first petrol crisis which affected the global economy, called as stagflation with so many people unemployed, there was the crisis in middle east etc...a moody, dark and pessimistic season...ring a bell...? For me Animals has all this dark atmosphere and pessimism inside its music and in my humble opinion is edgier, more endoscopic...more punkier than punk-which was just a waste of energy and power(a good way the system provides for appeasement of social indignation...today we are wasting power in front of our wide tv screens), excuse my derailment. As for the music this is really big music-Dogs is one of those epics that you never get bored when listening to it-excellent guitars and vocals work by Gilmour, exceptional lyrics provided by Waters, majestic sound scape by the great late Wright, especially in the middle section of the song-i would say an agony middle section- and so powerful drumming by Mason-the end of the song is just unbelievable...i dare to say a heavy metal end. Pigs and Sheep are another two gems of great music with Sheep being a little better and with an slightly more optimistic ending. Forgive me for, in general , no music review, but i believe that Animals was and still is in terms of diachronic political and social conclusion, a great musical statement.

While the previous album began and ended with two extended tracks, filling the middle with shorter ones, this album has two extremely short tracks on the ends, with the epic pieces sandwiched in between. The lyrics depict the flaws of capitalism as the band saw them (perhaps ironic at the time, biting the hand that fed them, but Pink Floyd apparently had no qualms about doing that). The album concept is similar to George Orwell's animal farm. While the lyrics are well-written, they are not nearly as effective without the backing of the excellently crafted music one finds here. Each song has its own identity. This is one of Pink Floyd's most outstanding efforts.

"Pigs on the Wing (Part One)" Waters sings a delicate song with an acoustic guitar that serves as an introduction.

"Dogs" Twelve-string guitar and amazing singing dominate this song. Gilmour does a fantastic job through, showing himself to be an amazing guitarist and a capable singer. This song moves through several phases, describing the backstabbing businessman. I love the many aspects of this epic song; it is one of my favorite Pink Floyd songs. The subtle synthesizer work is wonderful, as is the vocal repetition that carries on until it is faded out.and then faded back in. Waters finishes up the song with some misanthropic vocal work. Gilmour's guitar work (electric and otherwise) stand out throughout. The track is one of the longest Pink Floyd songs, but unlike some of their other lengthy efforts (such as "Echoes" or "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"), the psychedelic passages fail to become stale.

"Pigs (Three Different Ones)" Beginning with snorting, this song has Waters play some high end bass notes over a keyboard riff, and Gilmour throws in some crunchy guitar. Waters's vocals are at their best on this one. Gilmour employs a talkbox during his solo in the middle; some of his licks remind me of "Rotten Apple" by Alice in Chains, but he doesn't overdo it. The percussion isn't very creative, but, almost humorously (because this album references animals), there's some major cowbell action.

"Sheep" Over the braying of the titular animal, Wright plays a panning electric piano, and Mason soon enters. Waters's voice becomes a synthesizer after he sings each line in the main verses. Waters would use this effect later on "The Gunner's Dream," only then, morphing his voice into a saxophone. In an odd way, the singing sounds a lot like that of Adrian Belew. The repeated vocal from "Dogs" returns here, albeit briefly, having a profound lyrical effect, since the sheep are warned, "You better watch out- there may be dogs about." There is a twisted, mechanical-sounding version of the twenty-third psalm recited in the middle.

"Pigs on the Wing (Part Two)" Waters sings the second part of the first song, vaguely summing up his concept. Apparently, this was written for his wife, and given the context of "Bring the Boys Back Home" from a later album, this theme makes perfect sense. He apparently identifies himself as a dog, and wants shelter from the pigs. But companionship can overcome all, he implies.

Review why?, Animals, Pink Floyd, 1977 (IIRC)

StarStarStar

For some, Animals is the Pink Floyd album. This is entirely understandable. The lyrics are top notch and absolutely venomous. It has a higher RAWK! percentage than its predecessors. It's fairly heavily polished, and the pieces are long and just about as complex as anything Floyd ever did. Furthermore, Waters and Gilmour are both working (relatively :p) overtime as instrumentalists on the first couple of pieces. It's not at all their best album for me, certainly, but I like it. Unfortunately, Dogs is a bit messier than I like, and both it and Sheep have noticeable weak sections. Anyway, introduction: Good album (especially Pigs), but not on the level with the great Floyd albums. Knocks the stuffing out of 90% of The Wall.

The two Pigs On The Wing sections basically act as bookends for the album's three long pieces. They're nice little understated acoustic pieces, with a good set of lyrics, and, as a pair, they work (even with a typically nasal Waters vocal).

Dogs, the album's big piece, opens with a little insistent Gilmour acoustic hook and Wright's rather eerie keys. Even Mason provides some rather drumming touches every now and then while he and Waters keep the background of the piece together. Wright and Gilmour wander between incredibly emotive and well connected solos and backgrounds and rather isolated little lines that don't really go anywhere or fit into anywhere. The howling dogs sound effect is used particularly well, though the 'stone' repeat is a cause for serious annoyance. The main melodies are strong and frequently recalled in new ways. The song's most striking instrumental moment is probably the guitar solo-with electric piano underneath about six minutes in and subsequent brief vocal bit, though all sorts of chipping guitar parts provide brief fascination throughout. Wright's extended atmospheric keyboard solo is more than a little uncomfortable, and while it holds bursts of neatness, and the awkwardness is perhaps an intentional element, the overall sensation is simply one of mild discomfort rather than real directed fear or panic or pain. Another Gilmour solo is slipped in between the last real 'verse' and the final section of lyrics, and though it doesn't really seem to link into the preceding bit, it is exceptional. The concluding section of the song, with all the instruments combined into one acidic, desperate Floyd entity, comes together fantastically, with Waters' gripping lyrics, vocal overdubs and classy guitar. Strong from the lyrics and vocals side, but I find it's let down by the band's occasional non sequiturs and rather loose grip of mood.

Pigs is a bit more solid, and while Gilmour is just as prominent as a guitarist, it's far more tailored to the piece. His little jibs and almost ironic chugs perfectly fit into the whole reprimanding, aggressive vibe of the song. Wright, though a little less omnipresent, is also much sharper on this one, adding in suitably silly pig effects and a whole range of little synth and piano ideas as well as a simple, but effective, organ theme. Though it's a strong song throughout, the instrumental sections are the definite ups, with Gilmour's fantastic WEBBEH! talk box moments and a lot of subtlety and depth, with a tendency to slip in guitar, synth and bass flourishes quietly enough to skip the attention one time, but importantly enough to catch hold of it another. The conclusion is pure brilliance, with a wandering Waters bassline, multiple simultaneous kicking Gilmour solos and Mason holding the fort by reiterating the percussion from the vocal bits. Another great one in terms of the lyrics.

Sheep is also good, even if Waters' bass is very much One Of These Days lite and the silly bleating effect introduction wanders on without really doing a lot (much as Wright's solo is perfectly nice, I'd appreciate the effort to give me a bit of contrast without such an annoying bass groove). Gilmour is again on top form, with surprisingly edgy and discordant guitar parts, and the way the vocal fades into a choppy organ or synth part is extremely cool. Wright seems re-energised, with generally thicker and more dynamic organ and synth tones, drawing on those of Wish You Were Here and Dark Side Of The Moon. The mid-section of the song perhaps drags a bit, with that hideous bass groove over an initially amusing (but soon ends up feeling a bit gimmicky) parody of psalm 23, but the full-on spacey-madness-among-these-dark-Satanic-mills burst immediately following it is apologetically entertaining. Now, this'd be a perfectly good piece if the bass sound wasn't simply insufferable, and even as it is it has a lot of merits, but I don't really enjoy listening to it just because of that ubiquitous Waters groove. Another bookend Pigs On The Wing section rounds off the album rather neatly.

Anyway, short review, that, but the point is made. Animals is a cool, fun rock album, with one exemplary track (Pigs), two OK ones (Dogs and Sheep) with a couple of particularly weak sections between them and two bookends. Unfortunately, it doesn't really stray beyond that. There's no doubt that Gilmour is a real standout here, and anyone who likes his solos needs to have this one, even if he's not quite as subtle as on some of the earlier albums. Equally, Waters' lyrics are brilliant throughout, with a clear idea of where they're going, wordplay, wit and a healthy dose of truth (and the delivery is to match, though I've basically ignored the vocals in the review). Three stars might seem a bit harsh, but I put this album on for the moments of brilliance, not for the merely OK whole.

Rating: Three Stars, but a high three stars. If you're a Floyd fan, it probably won't disappoint.

Favourite Track: Pigs (Three Different Ones)

A quick note: according to the might of Wikipedia, Gilmour's handling bass in Pigs and Sheep, and Waters is taking a few rhythm guitar parts. Musician references may well be wrong.

This is Pink Floyd's most arguably progressive and notable achievement, a true mark of any genius for which the band is oft praised. THIS is the only album I believe to be a masterpiece by this influential quartet.

1. Pigs on the Wing (Part 1)- Intro acoustic number with great lyrics and vocals by Waters; this really fits into the context of the album perfectly, but isn't much of a song on its own without its counterpart or the 3 main songs. 8/10

2. Dogs- Want to hear what Pink Floyd is all about? Look no further! Great vocals, great guitar, great atmosphere, this is such an inventive, sophisticated performance! Gilmour shines, the instrumentation and atmosphere are always interesting, and this illuminates a side to Pink Floyd that leaves music on the previous albums (and subsequent, unfortunately) a bit lacking. Whereas Dark Side had a brilliant concept but the music wasn't up to par, Animals fixes every problem that Dark Side had: the instrumentation is more intriguing, progressive, and the song is much more tight compositionally without being too empty. Fantastic. 10/10

3. Pigs (Three Different Ones)- My favorite Pink Floyd song of all time, easily. I absolutely love this song; every moment is magic. The pig sounds complement it as a cherry on top of an elaborate cake. Waters's lyrics are at his shining moment here, and the instrumentation is hypnotic. I love Wright's keyboard work especially. HA HA, charade you are! Flawless. 10+/10

4. Sheep- From the jazz-tinged keyboard intro, this is another solid song, but for me doesn't quite reach the perfection of the previous two tracks. Occasionally this track may drag a bit if I'm not in the mood for it, particularly the repetitive ending, but for the most part it continues the wonderful trend of what came before it: more effective use of instrumentation, tighter compositions, and more experimental and progressive tendencies. 9/10

5. Pigs on the Wing (Part 2)- This mirrors the first track. A perfect closer to this album... I wouldn't have it any other way. 8/10

If you want to hear Pink Floyd, pick up this album first. This is their short-lived pinnacle, as their other albums aren't quite the genius that they are cracked up to be, despite being decent rock albums. A perfect psychedelic mix of Pink Floyd's concepts and music.

I give this album a 4 star. I like this album a lot, it's great for prog collection, and one of the more well known Pink Floyd albums. However, There's something missing within this album that had been present since Saucerful, I don't quite know what it is... it's like... less spacey and surreal. What I'm talking about is Echoes, Shine on You crazy Diamond, Careful with that axe, eugene type of feel. This album is a lot more harder rock, especially Sheep. And it's a lot darker lyrically, as well. Mostly Roger Waters' fault, lol. But by no means is he a bad songwriter, he is amazing. However, when left along, I think Roger kinda takes it away from the progressive side and starts moving towards a different direction. As he began to lead the band, I could see it slowly start to change... starting with Animals.

The lyrics are no longer surreal things like in Echoes, about echoes of a distant time willowing across the sand... nah, it's a lot more serious and quite allegorical. The concept of the album is a satire, and it's mocking certain things like important figures and social classes. I think Dogs are rich people who obey their masters blindly to make money, and Pigs are the big dictatorial ring leaders, and sheep are mindless followers who rebel. I THINK, I'm not sure.

The best song is Dogs, I think. This song is the most progressive on the album. It kinda sounds a bit depressing though. But it's still good, and it has an epic ending, and features a keyboard solo in the middle with dogs barking across it.

Pigs (Three Different Ones) is a good song, and so is Sheep, both are 11 and 10 minutes, and when you look at them, they're kinda like ordinary songs, with the verse chorus verse chorus thing going, only each verse and chorus is slightly progressive and thus, longer than the usual verse.

The bookends of the album are acoustic Pigs on the Wing, which are pretty good. During live performances, they were on either end of Dogs, and part 2 featured an extra guitar solo.

Overall, this album is extremely good, a lot darker than their previous work, and more influenced by Roger Waters. In my personal opinion, this album went down from Wish You were Here, and further with the wall, and further with the final cut, my least favourite album. But I recommend it for all progressive rock fans, it's easily likeable. It was my first Pink Floyd album!

Now THIS is what I call a masterpiece.

Ever since I started listening to Pink Floyd, which was way before I knew progressive rock existed, this has always been my favorite album by the band. Yes, we have a concept album about how society has become a bunch of "sheep" to be used and abused by "the man". Understandable, since Pink Floyd was by this point starting to have to deal with worldwide fame and used their music to express the way that they felt like pawns in a big game of chess run by their record company. Or perhaps they were focusing on the social and political issues of the time. Either one is just as likely as the other.

As for the music itself, the track order from Wish You Were Here has been reversed, with the album opening and closing with a short track and the long tracks sandwiched in the middle. Dogs is probably my favorite Floyd song of all time. The guitar solo in there feels like it wants to reach deep into your soul and rip out your deepest, darkest secrets for the entire world to see. It's almost hauntingly beautiful to me, although the entire album is really. Pigs boasts some of the best vocal work that Waters ever did, and Sheep has beautiful keyboard work as well as... well, you get where I'm going with this. This is true psychedelic and atmospheric beauty.

As a last note, I also think this album fixes some of the problems that Dark Side had. This concept is much more focused and the instrumentation is much more progressive than I've ever found it on Dark Side. If you want to see what Pink Floyd is all about, start here. You won't regret it. 5 snorting and grunting barnyard animals out of 5.

By far distance Pink Floyds best, guirat oriented and progressive album. Wish You Were Here, The Wall, Meddle and Dark Side Of The Moon are stellar, but Animals not not from this world. I must have given this album more spins than I can remember.

Animals actually was the first CD I brought and not owned as a copy on a tape. Over the years I have collected several versions because I didn't dare to play it, the only one got damaged cos of playing it too much or because of the sound improvement. Too bad they never released it on SACD, DVD Audio or on golddisc as they did with several of the other albums. But who knows one day they will release it on SACD.....Then I have to buy my 5th version....not included all thelive versions I have on my harddrive of Animals.

Animals is absolutely Gilmour's moment to shine and shiing is what he does. I think never before, and never after this album he achieved what he did here.........absolutely phenomenal guitarwork....and if you all think the studio version Gilmour was at its peak....not quite, cos the live versions are even better, the extended solo's, the rough edges that are not pollished off.....(not to mention the extended WYWHalbum that they used to play on the same tour, Gilmour was literly on fire in 1977, I cannot make any other judgement as this one.....However it also was that same tour that escalated in Montreal, made Roger splat a fan in the face...and evetually come up with the idea to create an idea that I still surprised about that Fripp didn't do much earlier and that is to build a wall between them and the audience. Listen to the concert of that specific evening.........absolutely stunning....a band that played thier hearts out.

Animals itself.....plays in a way....adressing mankind as had been told many times before.....and another theme that greatly influenced the way I look at the world......Cos lets face it...Most are by far not Machiavellian enough, too weak and to easy to influence to be neither a Dog or a Pig......so that the biggest part of this planet indeed is doomed to be sheep, and sheep alone. Roger however takes every effort to make sure that any serious Floyd fan is repulsing every three of them....So perhaps the world should be re-arranged into Dogs,Pigs, Sheep and dedicated PF fans, that under the wings of Roger becaume way to soceity critical to be forced into any of these roles. To great extend one can defend that Roger already started this project with Dark Side, continued it with WYWH (although with lesser extend), went on with Animals, The Wall and ultimatly with Amused To Death.......As a dedicated fan I know everyone of this albums by heart (ofcourse).

The music......Dogs on top with its many intstrumental passaged (where some members began to develop the habbit of playing cards or have some tea on the stage) that greatly contribute to the depressiveness and dark views that go along with this album. Also.....really cool are the sound effects that lead in every song.....This was so cool in 2006 when Roger played Sheep....while being supported by a full quadrophonic system and the sound of pigs came from everywhere.......Also very nice of Roger was to add Dogs to the setlist of the In The Flesh Tour.....so that many of us had the chance to see this song played live after all...This music eventually is consisting of great guitarworkand great keyboards....cos rich certainly is the second star on this album, his keys are haunting........

Ok, enough said......this album simply belongs in any Prog collection.........but if you do better make sure you have the remastered version.

It is very difficult to say something new about a masterpiece of music; certainly I was tempted to say rock, but listen to it, is a meltdown of rock, blues, psychedelia, electronic, which makes it more valuable. It is one of the albums that resonate perfectly with my soul and mind.

After more de 3 decades of time after releasing, it is still one of my favorite albums, not only because of the sounds it delivers, but also for its theme. It is more actual than ever. Look what happens around the world. The businessmen (politicians??)-PIGS enforce their rules with the help of soldiers-DOGS upon simple, naïve peoples-SHEEPS. What?? It's not like that?? In my opinion it depicts the true nature of the capitalism, and what it takes to live in such a world. So, what kind are you, dear reader? Are you a dog, or a pig? Or maybe you seem to be a humble sheep?

Someone says that comparing to PF's Wish You Where Here, this albums has no memorable tunes. I must say that the whole album is memorable and without any hesitation it's a 5 stars album.

Is there any Floyd's album that harder than this one? Animal, in my thoughts, is the harder one than any. Listened to Dogs, I was satisfying. Long hard symphonic sound came into my ears. And the acoustic guitar rhythm played by Gilmour is just the basic sound! Introed by an acoustical jam by Waters, and, there was an long hard journey to sent the dog home.

"A dog needs a home; a shelter from pigs on the wing." Now, let's see the cover. There was a polluted sky in a rough industrial segment (or maybe a town?). So, I would say, Floyd would say no to torn the ozone-sphere apart, no to chemistry pollutant and fogs, but yes to give a shelter. Yes, for a green grass of homeland, and yes to saving the earth and human environment as well.

A dog just needs a home. An appropriate home; on this earth. So give yourself and your family, people of your neighbourhood, and biota of your environment-nature an appropriate home. Or your life; and you'll life; just would have been like a dog! Or you gotta be crazy!

'Animals> - Pink Floyd (9/10)

This could be said to be my favourite Pink Floyd album. The Orwellian concept behind it is very interesting, and a great starting-off point to write a masterpiece. The guitars in 'Animals' really shine through, more so then on any other Pink Floyd record. The album consists of three epics, and an acoustic piece split into two parts. The structure of the album really adds to it's togetherness. After a pleasant acoustic section, the longest epic 'Dogs' sets in, which is generally a depressing piece, but very well done. Theres some very nice soloing from David Gilmour in this piece, and the lyrics (which tell of the plight of the dog, who is always trying to go through life aggressively and claw his way to the top) are some of the most poignant Pink Floyd's ever done.

The album's concept revolves around three animals (Dogs, Pigs and Sheep) which are used as character stocks used to describe different types of people in the world. There are the Dogs, aggressive and paranoid. There are also the Pigs, who are manipulative and intelligent, and finally the Sheep, who are the 'followers' and docile ones. While it borrows alot from Orwell's 'Animal Farm,' the concept is expanded to a great musical depth, and sparks an originality of it's own.

Next, after 'Dogs' is 'Pigs (Three Different Ones)' which is actually the only song on the album which was written specificially for the album. The other tracks were made out of existing material that hadn't been used yet. Of the three epics, 'Pigs' stands as being my least enjoyed. I'm not quite sure, but I think it might be the vocal delivery by Roger Waters, which I'm not really a fan of.

Next is 'Sheep,' which is my favourite piece on the album. The production of the song is very cool (having the sustained vocal notes changing into electronic noise etc) despite a rather weak middle part, the end more than makes up for it in it's sheer intensity. There is a great Stratocaster(?) sound in the end, as the album reaches it's pinnacle climax.

As the album ends, the listener is treated to a recap of the acoustic 'Pigs On The Wing' which is more or less identical to the first part. This is a really fantastic album, and my most listened-to release of Pink Floyd. Total brilliance!

Dragged down by the stone...

Another classic Floyd album in the midst of the Roger Waters led era. This one is their darkest and most pessimistic, yet. The songs are in the opposite style of Wish You Were Here (two extended pieces book ending three shorter songs) in lieu of two shorter pieces starting and ending the album with three epic pieces in the middle.

The acoustic intro/outro Pigs on the Wing, is a beautiful piece. And ties the album together. Aside from that, the narrative is influenced by Animal Farm, and categorizes people as either:

Dogs - My favorite song of the album, mainly for its melancholy soloing that is simply blistering. The lyrics tell of the Dogs who stab each other in the back and lie at every turn, getting fat off of the pain of others, finally dying due to their own reckless deceit, being controlled by the pigs to lie and keep the sheep in line. The mid level businessmen. The ones who drown under their own ill gotten weight, just being used. Just being used by the:

Pigs - Another favorite (in an album of favorites) This song is a bit less depressing, but a bit angrier than its predecessor. It calls out the leaders in White house, and ones like Thatcher. The ones who greasily rake in the world under their oppressive control. The ones who use the dogs to control the sheep Everyone suffers so they may live the high life. The political and religious leaders. Intellectual slaveholders and moral crooks. It features a bit more upbeat feel, while still being angry and caustic. They rule the dogs, who keep in line the:

Sheep - This is to some the best track, and I can see why. It is a progressive mix of amazing music. The keyboard part near the beginning... At any rate, this song is about the lower and working class people, deceived by the dogs and controlled by the pigs. The blue collar man. Working and toiling hard to offer up his spoils to the pigs. There is a bit of a twist ending, however, that wasn't in the Animal Farm novel.

In all, this is one of Pink Floyd's best works. I enjoy it more than Dark side, about as much as Wish you Were Here, and less than The Wall. Five Stars.

After the huge succes of DSOTM and WYWH, Animals was commercialy not very good, compared to the precesors the sales were not very high. To make things worse, the album made after this one, The Wall, also was a big hit and sold millions of copies. I'm very happy music isn't about commercial succes, cause Animals is one of the bands most stunning, most powerful albums, it also is the last album before Roger would take control. In fact, Roger had more control than ever before on this album already, but I don't dislike that, Roger is a great musician and all the three albums of Pink Floyd under his lead (This one, The Wall and The Final Cut) were great.

I'll start of with the opener and ender of the album, "Pigs On The Wing (pt.1 & pt.2)". Roger did the lead vocals on these songs and played acoustic guitar on both, they are pretty much the bookends of this album.

The first epic is "Dogs", it's about the corrupt, money obsessed bussinesmen, who are being controled by the Pigs, their big leaders. The song has mellow vocals and a smooth acoustic guitar playing. The song has some softer parts and a lengthy (maybe a little bit too lengthy) synth solo. The Outro of the song is very powerful and confronts the dogs with their personalities. The true highlights of this song are the amazing guitar solo's, lot's of them. The first solo is fast, powerful, and gives me shivers every time I hear it. The second solo is played with two guitars in harmony, it's also great. The third solo is slower, but beautiful, it is the perfect example of a musician putting all of his emotions in his instrument, great job David! The fouth solo is once again a fast solo and the sixth is the same as the second solo. Dogs is an amazing song, beautiful lyrics wich are powerfully sung and great guitar playing, one of the best songs ever made.

After the amazing "Dogs" we get to "Pigs (Three Different Ones)". It's about the powerful leaders who only desire more power than they already have. The lengthy verses are very powerful, and have great lyrics. Mary Whitehouse, who claimed that Pink Floyd influenced young people to take drugs and destroyed their minds, is the one who is paid back in the third verse. The song features a great talkbox solo by David and a lovely outro solo, wich is often extended during live performances of the song.

The next song is "Sheep", it's about the people who always do what they are told because they are afraid of the pigs and the dogs. At the same time sheep is a parody about religion, for an example, during the instrumental section on the background are the lyrics of a psalm heard, whith slightly changed lyrics. The ending of the song is a powerful chord pattern. Sheep is, though being very powerful, much more accesible as "Dogs" and "Pigs (Three Different Ones)", nevertheless, it's a great song.

Animals is Pink Floyds most powerful, maybe even agressive album. Also, it shows slight signs of the dark, haunted mood of The Wall and The Final Cut. The album is essential for any prog collection, and definitely for a Pink Floyd fan!

"Animals" (1977); my favorite album by Pink Floyd (and that says a lot)! It was released when punk had its time. It had to live up to the prior extremely popular releases of the band; "The Dark Side of the Moon" (1973) and "Wish You Were Here" (1975). Well, Floyd were under pressure. What did they do? They created the hardest and most aggressive album in their career. The theme of the album caught me immediately; animals as metaphors for the classification in the capitalistic society. The lyrics are some of the best from Roger Waters; I studied them carefully and I think Waters is a genius when it comes to writing (even though the idea was "stolen" from George Orwell's popular novel "Animal Farm"). But Waters isn't the only genius in Pink Floyd; in my view, they all are! Listen to the keyboard that kicks of "Sheep"; amazing work by Richard Wright, the great drum rhythm throughout the album by Nick Mason and the absolute astonishing guitar play by David Gilmour.

I'll give a short song-by-song review:

"Pigs on the Wing, Part 1": a short, but beautiful acoustic piece. This is a brilliant song to begin the album and with its simple construction, it gives a great contrast to the longer songs.

"Dogs": the most progressive song on the album. It describes the businessmen who destroy themselves and their surroundings with their big ego. Probably David Gilmour's best work as a guitarist; the mix between acoustic and electric sounds is phenomenal. Besides, his vocals are great, especially in the intro. As the rest of the album, the lyrics are outstanding; I like the description of the dogs' ignorance. "Pigs (Three Different Ones)": I used to think this was the weak track on Animals. Well, now it's still my least favorite of the three longer parts but it's indeed not bad! I love the catchy guitar riff in the intro. Waters' lyrics here are aggressive and funny in a way - well, he makes no secret of his disgust for the ruthless leaders of the society. The peak of the song is the guitar solo at the end; one of my favorite guitar passages by David Gilmour.

"Sheep": my favorite song by Pink Floyd. The sheep are the hardworking rebels. When my dad introduced me to Pink Floyd, he emphasized that the more he listened to "Sheep", the more he was convinced that it's the best and most creative song the band ever made. At the time I didn't understand that statement, but indeed I do now. The figurative and atmospheric keyboard intro from Richard Wright, the almost spitting vocal by Roger Waters, the Gilmour guitar passages between Waters' vocals and the finishing guitar riff together with simple but great drum play, is what makes "Sheep" the best song on the album. "Pigs on the Wing, Part 2": the same construction as the first part. This is a great and relaxing ending.

The atmosphere of this album is truly unique and the ensemble playing of the band is impressing; a masterpiece of progressive music.

Animals is the third of the four great Pink Floyd albums from their classic '70's lineup of Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason. Two years after the melancholy Wish You Were Here, the Floyd strike back with an album that answers the critics and Punk movement that they are not a dinosaur band. While many Prog bands died, took a beating or greatly altered their sound, Floyd attacked with raging guitars, and bitter, snarling lyrics backed with foreboding keys. Loosely based on Orwell's "Animal Farm", Waters took aim at 3 types of people each represented by an animal. And take aim he did. The three main songs, Dogs, Pigs (Three Different Ones) and Sheep contain sarcastic, venomous words shredding all that got in the way, or made the rules or blindly followed along. Only on the intro and outtro Pigs on the Wing, did Floyd let up. The acoustic numbers stark contrast the big 3 songs with the ending even being a request for shelter from the terrible world outside. While all except Dogs are written just by Waters, don't let that deter you from picking up this album. Wright, while his parts and status in Floyd has diminished, turns in an excellent performance while Gilmour is outstanding . This may even be his finest work to date. The underrated Nick Mason again turns in a solid performance with enough power but always leaving plenty of room for the rest of the band.

An absolute must have. 5 stars!

(sorry for my grammar, English is not my native language) The greates album of all times. The progressive elements on the album as a whole are just incredible. The performances of Waters, Gilmour, Wright , and Mason are truly amazing. They are musical geniuses and this is their master pice (personal opinion). The musical composition and complexity of the songs is just impressive. I cannot dicide which song of the album I like the best because all of them are excellent.Gilmour truly shines through out the whole album. His solos (specially in Dogs) are incredible. (Dogs) The one that starts in minute 5:33 and in 6:44 is a brilliant display of Gilmour's talent, you can feel each note he plays. Overall excellent vocals and guitar.Waters also shines throught the whole album, the bass lines in Dogs, Pigs, and Sheep are great. At the end of Pigs the bass goes crazy. Amazing song. Great performance. Incredible lyrics in this album. Wright has an outstanding performance in this album you can hear that through out the whole album but personally my favorite song regarding the keyboard is Sheep, the transition of Roger Waters vocals to the sound of the synthesizer is impeccable, perfect. Great album, definitely a must have.

So have a good drown, as you go down, all alone, dragged down by the stone.

I'm a big fan of Pink Floyds music, especially the 2 albums before Animals. But Animals has actually taken a swing at me, and now time after time i'm starting to like Animals even more. The thing that makes it better than the controversial The Wall is that Waters actually hasn't got the full authority on the making of the album. This can also be a bad thing, i really adore Waters vision and musicianship, but the thing in prog has always been that it's a group effort. Even if Waters is a great great musician, he too, has his flaws, which can be seen in the next album. This album has just all the good sides of Waters we want, which makes the album kinda perfect.

There isn't a single bad track on this album. The acoustic is a great opener and ending to the album, "Dogs" is just amazing, listen the climax of the first solo, it's astonishing! "Pigs(Three Different Ones)" is a groovy and rocking track which has a great bass line and lyrics(Waters!), and "Sheep" is a really nice rock out track, with a nice guitar riff.

This album is easily worth 5 five stars, like the 3 albums before it, but i'm afraid that it was Pink Floyds last real masterpiece.

Dogs, Pigs and Sheep. This is Waters 'Animal Farm' inspired view of our Western world. There are dirty politician pigs sitting at the top, caring about little but their own good. There are sly business dogs that lurk around, make deals behind each others backs, pretending to like each other, keep up their facades, playing games. And then there's ordinary people. The ones being preyed upon. The sheep.

This album is how I think Pink Floyd should have stayed -- Waters mainly dealing with the lyrical concept while the others take care of the music. It just works great on this album. The acoustic intro of 'Dogs' lead us gently into the cynical, but sad world of many business men. They do what they can to stay on top of their destructive game. To gain more and more. But in the end, they've got nothing that really matters. They're just another bunch of sad old men, all alone, dying of cancer, as Waters coldly puts it. The lyrics are backed by breathtaking music. From gentle accoustic atmospheric passages to more aggressive parts, to the spaced out middle section with distant dog barks and finally the sad powerful ending. It's just perfect. One of my absolute favorite Floyd tracks. Easily a 10/10.

'Pigs' is more of a generic song musically. Not as spacy and atmospheric as 'Dogs'. It's more to the point, which is the politicians and them pretending to care while all that's in it for them is personal gain and moving up the career ladder. The whole pig concept is humorously referred to by various pig sounds and a steady, slow, lurking rhythm. Nearing the end both the lyrics and music get more and more aggressive, a side of Floyd not so often seen. I'll give it 8/10.

The album closer 'Sheep' is my favorite after 'Dogs'. It gives Wright a little time in the spotlight too, on the jazzy el piano intro (he is however highly present throughout the album, painting textures and creating atmospheres with string synths, organs etc.) The track soon picks up pace and features some great guitar riffs and licks. His stratocaster sound rocks! The song deals with ordinary people -- the sheep -- obeying their leaders, looking out for dogs. The album does however end on a high note, as the sheep kill the dogs. This is accompanied by a cheerful riff by Gilmour. I just love that ending! A 9/10.

Over all Animals is a really strong album. The short instrumental 'Pigs on the Wing' serves as a nice intro and closer to the album. It's so short that it doesn't really play that much of a role. It's the three conceptual pieces that count, and they are all great. I give the album 9/10 -- five stars.

Can't figure this one out. Every song begins nicely enough, and as a prog fan, the lengths of the three focus tracks shouldn't be that much of a problem. Unfortunately, all of ''Dogs'', ''Pigs'' and ''Sheep'' could have been trimmed by 1/3 of their length and I'd be more interested. Many of the jams are of little interest to me and either go nowhere or are too boring. The instrumental breaks are too sedated and slumpy with the rhythm section not really doing much.

''Sheep'' is the best song here as there is some form of dynamic building and dropping here. Both this track and ''Pigs'' show an aggressive side to Pink Floyd never before heard, possibly to counter the punk trend starting at that time. ''Dogs'' has a few interesting guitar chords and synth lines, and Gilmour delivers a fine vocal performance. However, ANIMALS brings out the weakness of Roger Waters's angry, higher registered vocals; they become so grating over time.

It seems that ANIMALS is the beginning of Waters assuming control of Pink Floyd; most of the writing credits are his as well as most of the singing. The long jamming is really the major problem here; I've always had problems with long Pink Floyd songs as many of them have five to ten minutes of fluff. The two ''Pigs on the Wing'' parts aren't necessary either, just two simple acoustic jams. Start your Pink Floyd search with DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, and come here after a couple of albums.

Pink Floyd back on track after the tame hit album that was Wish You Were Here. They're back on track because this time it sounds as if they're fully behind what they are doing again.

That is to say at least one member of the band must have been behind it, since this is clearly Roger Waters' game. It's his song writing, his vision, his drive. But the great thing is that Waters' thematic focus is backed-up by the very strong guitar and keyboard work. The two major forces in Pink Floyd's appeal that would disappear almost completely on the next two albums.

Animals is one of those few coherent Pink Floyd albums that flows naturally from start to end without weaker cuts, pointless experimentalism or sloppy filler songs. The first half of Pigs is a bit repetitive maybe but nevertheless it's my personal favourite together with Meddle and Live Gumma. 4.5 stars

This is my first review on this site. So, to ensure a good start, I decided to review one of my favourite albums by probably my all-time favourite band (well, my name doesn't lie...).

In my opinion, this album represents Pink Floyd at their progressive peak. All 3 main songs are masterpieces in their own way. The majority of listeners seem to rate Dogs above the others but I honestly think none of them really stands out. I wouldn't say the concept is as perfect as the music (maybe that's because this album was followed by an incredible concept album which is The Wall) but that doens't lower the fair rating to this amazing musical experience: 5 stars!

"Animals" is the 10th full-length studio album by UK progressive rock act Pink Floyd. The album was released through Harvest/EMI in January 1977. Most of the music on the album was written by bassist/vocalist Roger Waters, who at this point in Pink Floyd´s career, would more or less take over the creative process in the band. Guitarist/vocalist David Gilmour is credited as co-writer on the track "Dogs" though. Keyboard player Richard Wright has on more than one occassion commented that "Animals" was the album were Roger Waters ego centered ways really came out and the seed for the inevitable split of Pink Floyd was sown here.

"Animals" is indeed the brainchild of Roger Waters. The man wrote all the lyrics, wrote most of the music and sings most of the vocals too, leaving only a couple of vocal lines on "Dogs" for David Gilmour. As a consequence "Animals" comes off as a very different album compared to it´s two commercially successful predecessors "Dark Side of the Moon (1973)" and "Wish You Were Here (1975)". Personally I think "Animals" is the most progressive sounding rock album Pink Floyd ever made (if you don´t count the early psychadelic experimentation as progressive rock).

The album features 5 tracks. The two short tracks "Pigs on the Wing Part 1" and "2" bookend the album while there are three longer main tracks inbetween those two. The 17:04 minute long "Dogs" which occupied almost the entire Side 1 of the original LP release is an excellent track where David Gilmour´s and Roger Waters collaboration works wonders. I won´t hesitate when I call this track a progressive masterpiece. Even the ambient synth laden section in the middle of the track is greatly enjoyable to my ears and such parts can sometimes drag on for too long and become tedious. The 11:28 minute long "Pigs (three different ones)" and the 10:16 minute long "Sheep" which are dominated by Roger Waters presence and desperate sounding vocals are both very well written tracks too. Intriguing songwriting and great playing/singing.

To my ears the sound production is not quite as accomplished as on the two predecessors but it´s still professional and very well sounding, suiting the music perfectly. Upon conclusion "Animals" is another excellent album by Pink Floyd. I think it´s very admirable that the group opted for a more progressive and less commercial style on this album when they achieved so much success mixing their progressive rock with commercial pop/rock on the two predecessors. It shows that Pink Floyd were an act that went their own ways and always did what they felt was right. A 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is well deserved.

After 3 masterpieces such as Meddle, Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here, the always progressive Pink Floyd (with Roger Waters as indescutible leader of the band) decided to change style again. 'Animals' is totally different to his predecessor WYWH, there's no symphonic beauty , only just small influences of psychedelic sound. Probably this is the most Progressive record by the Floyd. 'Pigs on the Wing': Wonderful Folk acoustic melody that open and close the album, reminding us that this is a new concept album by Floyd. 'Dogs': My favorite song by Pink Floyd. All of which means this band is in this song: the smart and depressive lyrics of Mr. Waters, Gilmour's amazing solos, jazzy touch of keyboards of Wright and the always proper Mason on drums. 'Pigs': Rock song that starts with a psychedelic melody on the keyboard by Richard Wright. Waters's voice has never sounded better, the heavy guitar solo of Gilmour at the end of the sond is totally awesome ...the bass (played by Mr. Gilmour) is awesome. The anti-establishment point reminds us that this is a work of orwellian influences. 'Sheep': Wright shines in the introduction, a sweet tune of jazzy-psychedelic touches is followed by the roar of the guitar from Gilmour and Waters' aggressive voice .... probably the most Pink Floyd Hard Rocker. Definetly a MASTERPIECE.

I wouldn't say that Animals is a hidden gem for Pink Floyd, but at the same time it's not a house hold album name like Dark Side of the Moon or The Wall. While the album structure is very tight, there are a few weak points.

The opening and closing tracks are essentially the same song. The only difference is the lyrics, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. These two tracks provide an easy sing-a-long style vocal pattern and they're easy to get into. "Dogs" is definitely, without a doubt, the focal point of the album. Being the longest track it can definitely be quite a bit to digest on the first listen. While the lyrics and a lot of the guitar work are astounding, the track itself is a bit too long. From the point where "-one" is repeated for about a minute and a half, to the dogs barking, to the trippy synthesizer section, I just get bored. It isn't until Gilmour comes back in playing the rhythm again that I start to get interested in the song again. Overall a fairly top notch song.

"Pigs" follows "Dogs" and is a bit lack luster. The lyrics are interesting to say the least, but the presentation isn't that great. Honestly, I tend to skip this song after all these years of playing the album because it has failed to ever get me singing along. "Sheep" is the next highlight of this album. The part where Waters' vocals evaporate into the synthesizer always gives me goosebumps. The lyrics and musical presentation on this song is probably the best for the whole album.

Maybe it's because I've never done any sort of drug to help me enjoy this album for the six years I have listened to it. Who knows? All I can really say is that this album has always stuck out as the best Floyd recording from their entire discography. Due to the song lengths, I don't think that it gets the appreciation that Dark Side of The Wall get. This is definitely an album for any Floyd fan, or anyone interested in good prog with great lyrics. I'd recommend it for at least a listen, to appreciate the glory years for one of the most celebrated (prog)rock bands of all time.

Going Two Directions at Once

Pink Floyd's ANIMALS is the last of the major Floyd albums I digested. It is said to mark the beginning of the end for the band, and coincides with Roger Waters taking the reins. It marks a band in transition, a band both losing its identity but following a new muse. The result is perhaps the most coherent concept album the band would make, filled with Waters' nasty lyrics at their most razor sharp and David Gilmour's guitars at their most bold. But it also shows a tiredness I had never detected in a Floyd album before. Some of the retreads of old sounds aren't even thinly hidden, sections are extended to lengths the band must have known were overlong for record, and at least one song ("Sheep") has little identity on its own but is simply a prototype of the 70's Floyd sound.

There are some dazzling moments on this album. The opening build of "Dogs" and its great lines "Got to be able to pick out the easy meat" sung in odd rhythm is Floyd at its zenith. The song contains several of Gilmour's most signature leads, including a diminished harmony fall that is melodically out of character but perfect for the song. Still, the soloing gets a bit long, and the epic nature of the tune derives more from its endurance than from its sheer size a la Genesis, Yes, or even Opeth. The song had actually already been written for WYWH, as was "Sheep," and when the sounds of "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" come in eerily similar to "Have a Cigar" we find a band that is running on the fumes of its tank.

There are a few allusions from the glimmery new ideas that will appear on the subsequent THE WALL, itself another horrific vision of Waters sarcastic mind. While Floyd always had a sharp wit, there was also the sheer wonder of the psychedelic world it was creating. ANIMALS lacks this positive emotional aspect, and though the Animal Farm derived story line works quite well as a concept, the feel is overwhelmingly gloomy. Even the production is harsh, with each instrument sitting in such obvious isolation that you can envision the musicians doing their final takes on separate days while the others were out following their own whims.

In the time of the punk uprising, however, such nastiness must have made some sense. With other bands slowly catering to pop demands, Floyd made a harsh political commentary led by repetitions of "Oh, Charade you are." The songs are long, the solos indulgent, and unlike their contemporaries, the band is angry at the change of seasons. The authenticity of that negative energy makes this a powerful album. As a whole, it succeeds in its mission, probably more than its double disc follower. Certainly not a masterpiece, Animals, for this writer, does meet the standards for "excellent," as a piece of conceptual rock work ideal for the time it was written.

This album is definetly my favourite Pink Floyd album, and from my point of view very overlooked.

This album is quite similar to Wish You Were Here, keeping within a 5 song range. But in other ways it's the complete antithesis of Wish You Were Here, with Wish You Were Here having 2 long songs at the start and end, with 3 shorter songs in the middle, while Animals has 2 short songs at the start and end, and 3 long songs in the middle.

This album also has quite an angry sound to it that i think was Roger's answer to punk. The only problems was that Roger and punks both had the same attitude (anarchistic and spitting on peoples faces and all that), but unlike Punk, Roger and Floyd made amazing pieces of music.

The album has quite a symbolic concept, revolving around 3 animals, dogs, pigs and sheep. Basically, sheep want to be dogs, dogs want to be pigs and pigs just want to be lazy all their life. Basically, most of us are dogs, trying to achieve our own dreams, but we all end up old and dead anyway. Quite morbid, but gingerly true.

1. Pigs On The Wing 1 - The start and the end basically. Sums up the album when you hear the whole thing, then listen to part 2 at the end.

2. Dogs - In my opinion, the most underlooked Pink Floyd song ever.This song has it all, it's lengthy, doesn't get boring, the close melodies that give you a sense of unergency. How can you not love it. The lyrics are also very true and really do make you ponder. The instrumental passages are amazing and some of Dave's best guitar work are heard here.

3. Pigs (3 Different Ones) - A song about fat lazy people. Quite angry and sarcastic. I love the line "you think you're a laugh, but you're really a cry." Poetic genius. There are also some offensive obscenities in this song, so children beware.

4. Sheep - When the Bible meets karate. Amazing philosophical lyrics, with colourful language and some great colloquisms (the bugger's eyes). The instrumental work is amazing and the effects of Roger's vocals are amazing, make him seem more God like (if that's possible). The end section is also incredibly memorable and amazing.

5. Pigs On The Wing - The end. Basically

CONCLUSION: Their best album. Buy it now, or else you will never know the true genius of Pink Floyd.

We are indeed, a bunch of animals. Pigs, sheep or dogs? Well, that's up to our behaviors to establish.

Pink Floyd really surprised me with this particular album. Their music has never appeal to me, even though their concepts are quite OK, the end product never lifted me to a better state of mind. But with Animals, they really made it, because is good, fresh, original, simple and quite wonderful. The music is simple, with the acoustic guitar setting the pace for the rest of the instruments, which perform freely and with sense. The keyboards in particular gave an atmospheric approach and the result is a brilliant album full with well thought songwriting and showing that the musicians can work for the songs and not at opposite way.

This is a relaxed and fresh journey that will take you into a subtle protest against our behaviors, and how mankind has become into pigs, dogs and sheep. In the best form of classic prog rock, there are epic songs like DOGS and PIGS (THREE DIFFERENT ONES), that flows great and are those kind of songs that don't need too much to really appreciate because are great composed and everything seems to work fine in the final result. There's always a "bluessy" edge to the music and everything seems to be on their accurate amount, as noises and layering. I don't know too much about the insides of PF but after hearing DSOTM and The Wall, this album is quite impressive and way more interesting indeed.

If you don't like Pink Floyd (like me and few others) this is an album you should check. This is a good surprise and indeed a wonderful album. I never thought I would give a 5 stars to a PF album but I have to accept it, this is really a wonderful experience.

I don't consider a "not for everyone" album to be a bad album or even a factor that can diminish an album. This album has two songs (with the same tune but contradicting lyrics) at the beginning and end of the album that are under two minutes, and in the middle are three giants each over ten minutes. This couldn't be more anti-radio, and it's also very inaccessible to any casual listener. Regardless, it's still one of my favorite albums ever made, and by far my favorite album of Pink Floyd.

This album revolves around the concept of classifying the human race as either dogs, pigs, or sheep. Roger Waters knows how to create dark, disturbingly thought-provoking songs, and that ability shines here. Dogs is one of the most underrated songs of all time, with incredible guitar solos and shocking yet honest lyrics. Pigs (Three Different Ones) has a great feel to it, with strange percussion that only elevates the song's surreal yet frighteningly realistic tone. Sheep is my favorite song on the album, creating it's own genre I like to call: Progressive Punk Rock. It seems like a contradiction, but just listen to the song and you'll understand what I mean.

Overall, I can't say for sure that you'll enjoy this album as much as I do, but if you get into it I'm sure you'll discover a new favorite.

Like you're going to bother to take the time to read another five-star review for this album. I'll tell you up front, everything you've heard from everyone else is true: this album is excellent, one of the best in Pink Floyd's catalogue, and frankly, my favourite as well. By all means this shouldn't be true. The compositions are longer and more drawn-out than usual Floyd from this era, and sometimes the pieces get caught up in themselves and seem to move nowhere. And yet, rather than bogging the album down, this only serves to heighten the message of the pieces and make the album even more enjoyable to listen to. "Pigs on the Wing" is a great, uplifting bookender to an otherwise dark and dreary album, drawing inspiration from Orwell's Animal Farm to describe our roles in society. "Dogs" has the honour of being one of my favourite songs ever written. The combination of downtempo, minimalistic guitar and powerful vocal work creates an atmosphere unlike any I've heard before. "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" and "Sheep" are both harder rockers, and amongst the best in Floyd's catalogue. "Sheep" especially strikes me as a strong piece, leaving me wanting even more at the end of its meager 10-and-a-half minute running time. All in all, this is another excellent Pink Floyd album, and a masterpiece of progressive rock.

My favorite Pink Floyd album? Animals or Wish you were Here? Tough choice. I will give them both 5 stars I guess. Animals is classic Floyd with all that goes with it-biting Waters lyrics, guitar bombast, long compositions, great cover art- what more can you ask for? While the short into and end tunes are fine, it is the 3 massive compositions between them that make this a classic prog masterpiece. "Dogs" , Pigs", and "Sheep" are a barnyard trio of everything I love about Floyd. George Orwell would have been proud. If I had to pick one as my favorite I would have to say "Sheep" because of the great atmosphere and lyrics. But the others are equally as fine. I can't add much more about Animals that many others have not previously stated, so-5 stars!

This was by far the hardest Pink Floyd album for me to review. I gave 'Dark Side' 5 stars, and 'Wish You Were Here' 4 stars. Here, I was faced with a problem: I prefer 'Animals' to 'WYWH' by a long shot, but I can't really rate it equally to 'Dark Side'. 4.5 stars is the obvious solution but not an option on this website. I rounded down to 4 simply because the album has many more 5's than 4's already. But the extent of my reviewing justifies an album that I still believe deserves nothing more (or less) than 4.5 stars.

With 'Animals', the Floyd changed their tactics a little bit (not a lot though), deciding to do away with all their usual guest musicians (EVEN THE SAXOPHONIST!!!) and create a strictly four-man sound. This format lends itself nicely to the content and concept of 'Animals', resulting in a much darker and rawer sound. Gilmour's 'Dogs' is brilliantly nasty, with some top-notch soloing and appropiate instrumentation (not over-produced like 'Shine on...'). And lyrically it is faultless. 'Pigs' has a quirky yet equally dark nature to it, not entirely worthy of it's 11-minute length but effective nonetheless. And lyrically it is faultless. 'Sheep', my personal favourite, is fantastically hard- edged, very cruel yet fun, and showcases more of Wright's playing, which is always a good thing. And lyrically it is, you guessed it, faultless. The other little song(s) is irrelevant (existant only to increase the number of tracks on the album) but harmless anyway.

Overall, 'Animals' has some of the band's best lyrical content, and definately their best instrumental skill. But it does also have, to a lesser degree, the same problem I outlined with 'WYWH', which is that there is simply less to explore and appreciate then 'Dark Side'. On this album, the issue is nowhere near as large as on 'Wish You Were Here', and the production is suitably less tight. But it still just doesn't quite sit up there with the soundtrack to the Wizard of Oz. Shining moments outweigh those on 'WYWH' (excuse the pun), hence the 4.5 I wanted to give it, and I very almost chose the 5 star after refreshing my memory of the vocoder'ed Psalm 23 reference. But it's had enough praise. 4 stars shouldn't dent it too much.

To me this album was a disappointment.

The first song is a straight ahead strummer. I am glad they decided not to make it 10 to 15 minutes long like they did the majority of the CD.

"Dogs" starts off well, but after about 10 minutes I am wondering when it is going to end. It is just far too long for the limited amount of musical thoughts being presented.

"Pigs" Sounds like "Have a cigar's" big brother. It has some good moments, but again it seems to be too long for what little they do.

I liked "sheep" better than the rest, but I keep hearing a lot of things on this and the other tunes that I have heard them do on other albums. I didn't think this one was that original. I thought the band could have done much better here than they did. The album is really on the mediocre side to me. I can only give it 2 stars, due to LACK OF CONTENT. I know for certain that I have never listened to it more than 7 times. I have never enjoyed this album and I am a fan of theirs.

Pigs Might Fly, Impossible and Preposterous, but Pink Floyd Makes It A Reality

"Animal Farm" by George Orwell states, "all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. Pink Floyd were inspired by the thematic content of the novel, an anthropomorphic socio political saga of looking at the world differently; perhaps politically it only applies to the politics of the day, however this biting satire could apply to the politics of today. In Water's conceptualisation in this world you are either a pig, a sheep or a dog. Dogs are the corporate predators that have a no compromise attitude, are devilishly cunning and run in packs with survival at the top of their highest priority. 'Dogs' is the best track on this album taking up almost the entire side one of the vinyl at about 17 minutes, it has some of the most searing guitar that David Gilmour has played in his career. The lead solos are highly emotive ranging from soft, gentle and mellow to frenetic and aggressive. The lyrics are poetic and absolutely encapsulating, "I gotta admit that I'm a little bit confused. Sometimes it seems to me as if I'm just being used. Gotta stay awake, gotta try and shake off this creeping malaise. If I don't stand my own ground, how can I find my way out of this maze?". It is a mesmirising song, with melancholy vocals and exciting synthesiser from Wright, some of his best material is captured on this album, which could be viewed as almost a paean to his genius; RIP Richard.

The album is bookended by 'Pigs On The Wing' which has a memorable Waters vocal and soft acoustics. The pigs on this concept album are of course the tyrannical moralists who are motivated by power, that corrupts absolutely as usual, and they have the ability to go to the top of the hierarchical ladder despite who they tread on to get there, but it's lonely at the top. They are focussed to impose their estranged worldview on the other animals. The story is one of corruption with all its negativity, and deception, that will ultimately drag the antagonist to their doom. The tracks are best heard as part of the whole rather than as separate entities, they work well as bookends, and I count them as part of the lengthy tracks that require these short pieces to make sense.

Moving on to other pigs, there are three different ones that are visualised in the surreal 11:30 track that has some very nice melodies, and mordant lyrics; "Hey you, Whitehouse, Ha ha, charade you are. You house proud town mouse, Ha ha, charade you are, You're trying to keep our feelings off the street. You're nearly a real treat, All tight lips and cold feet, And do you feel abused?" Of course this was Waters attack on Mary Whitehouse, self confessed moralist of the British public who had committed some onslaught on Pink Floyd for their stage antics and lyrical nature. Waters' literally spat at a fan on the DSOTM tour which made headlines and of course led to the inspiration of "The Wall" stage show where a giant wall between the band and the audience was erected. Interestingly enough, much of the music on "Animals" was already written and performed on the DSOTM tour; 'Dogs' was known as 'You Gotta Be Crazy' and 'Sheep' was actually titled 'Raving and Drooling'. I am kind of glad they changed those titles.

So who are the three different pigs on Pigs (three different ones)? It is no secret among Floydians that pig 1 was the business pig, the lying, cheating, thieving fat suit that deceives their way to the top of the business rung; pig 2 is the politician, Thatcher at the time, who had already, along with Whitehouse, copped a heap from UK TV on "The Goodies"; and pig 3 was Mary Whitehouse, as has been mentioned, who was scared witless that the British public were being perverted.

The concept was further enhanced with the iconography of the album, the enigmatic pig flying above the smoke stacks of Battersea Power Station became an image of the band never to be forgotten. Pink Floyd literally got a pig to fly when the ropes gave way and the pig sailed in to the heavens; perhaps a fitting tribute to the band bucking against the pigs of the music industry that were jumping on the punk band wagon.

The fatalistic concept always works for Pink Floyd as it echoes the bleak psychedelic music, but there is a real sense on "Animals" of a ray of hope, the way Gilmour plays with those uplifting chords and melodic notes, Wright's soaring keyboard swoops, Waters' pulsating bass, and Mason's exceptional percussion embellishments; you could not get better than the virtuoso genius of this lineup. However, I always felt that "Animals" was one of the darkest Pink Floyd adventures primarily due to 'Sheep'. There is a section in this track that disturbs me everytime and it is the part where a very doomy synth is heard and a voice over narration. It is almost subliminal but if you listen closely you can hear a parody of The Lord's Prayer with a nasty twist; "With bright knives He releaseth my soul. He maketh me to hang on hooks in high places. He converteth me to lamb cutlets, For lo, He hath great power, and great hunger..." The sheep are the passive followers, docile and innocent, the common man, headed for the slaughterhouse to be chopped into little pieces (reminiscent of 'One of These Days'), exploited by the dogs and pigs. The exploitation continues until the sheep rebel and rise up against the oppressors only to be exploited again, a vicious cycle. In a sense Pink Floyd themselves. The sheep in the novel gain a consciousness when they see the corruption of the rich corporations, and they rebel, as Pink Floyd rebelled against the trash music of the late 70s by producing music like this. Of course the irony is the communists could never do such a thing or they would be slaughtered too, and Pink Floyd are well aware of these ironies, even making fun of themselves, after the incredible success of "DSOTM" and "WYWH". They had to face these corporations who wanted a piece of them too. The band had already touched on this theme on "WYWH" especially, 'Have A Cigar' The 'communist' record companies wanted the band to conform to the music of the day; they refused and the result was "Animals".

To conclude every part of this album is equally important to the rest. The music is lengthy, complex and houses a framework of some of Waters most scathing attacks on the music business and politics. When I first heard this on vinyl as a teen I just did not get it. I was confused by the high concept, the visuals puzzled me, and it is nothing like "DSOTM" at all, or "WYWH", except it was sandwiched in between "WYWH' and 'The Wall" as a transition to both, and I think a lot of us were expecting something akin to the previous masterpieces, which it is not. However, I listen to this today and it jolts me every time. The concept is Orwellian, the music is psych and symphonic prog, the vocals are exquisite, and this album paved the way for the grand concept masterpiece of "The Wall".

Pink Floyd's best and one of my top 20 records.

Pink Floyd's triumvirate of prog brilliance, Dark Side of the Moon, Wish you were here and Animals, never cease to amaze me. While I have ranked all three of these classic albums 5 stars, Animals is the best of these. A concept album concerning the strata of the modern society, Animals features excellent guitar work and the studio effects that Pink Floyd has come to be recognized for. The book ends of Pigs on the Wing, although simple, fit the album well. Roger Waters' singing actually sums up the album as a whole, but I will leave the listener to figure these out. Dogs, the album's longest song and one of Pink Floyd's longest (after the awful Atom Heart Mother Suite), features, in my opinion, some of Dave Gilmour's best guitar work. The solos are quite expressive and make great use of falling chords and strange tones to augment the soloing. A criticism of the businessmen and their loss of individuality to the system, the dogs, like Orwell's dogs in Animal Farm, terrorize the sheep and are at the beck and call of the pigs. Although I find Pigs (Three Different Ones) to the weakest song on the album, this really does not mean much on such a strong album as this. The bass work and the keyboard work really shine on this track, with Nick Mason's drumming complimenting each note. The end of the song, with screaming guitar work and pounding instrumentation, really shines. Sheep is my absolute favorite song on the album and one of my favorite Pink Floyd songs. Beginning with Rick Wright's almost bluesy keyboard intro, slowly melded with swirling bass lines before quickly shifting to a galloping rocker with huge guitar hits, pounding drums, atmospheric synth hits and wailing vocals, Sheep is a deservedly a Pink Floyd classic. Pink Floyd is a hard band to be disappointed by, and Animals certainly reinforces this fact. While the track lengths can be difficult to newer prog admirers, give them time. I hope they will make the same impact on you as they have on me.

I've always had a strange relationship with this album: first I think it's underrated, and then I wonder why I ever liked it so much in the first place. I suppose that's not a great sign for a masterpiece.

There's a clear lack of creative collaboration from the group on this album. I think that most Floyd followers can feel it. For example, Nick's drumming on Sheep is almost tragically simple. Fortunately, the band were still in a place that there was room for Rick and Dave to add much-needed musical complexity and melody to work that would increasingly be credited to Roger. Waters may have written the songs, but many of the musical ideas were not his, and that's why I think this album works as well as it does.

Interesting theme, good lyrics, famous album art, and lots of good playing make this essential listening (though, of course, we all know this already, given the Floyd's uniquely large share of the crossover prog market!). Not as good as what came before it, but inspired enough to make me just a bit sorry for what came after.

Animals is a wonderful record. Perhaps the Floyd's most angry, and despite Roger Waters' misgivings about it's concept (material greed) it seems to stand up to the highest scrutiny.

Dogs may well be the Floyd's finest single track, and despite the absence of credit, Richard Wright is fantastic throughout colouring the sound with great taste and skill.

After it's illustrious predecessors, Animals has a tendency to be underrated, like Meddle does. The fact that one side of each record houses the Floyd's greatest long-form achievements, in Echoes and Dogs.

I like the gloominess of Animals, it has a forboding that the Wall never quite achieves, due to the dramatic shift in style.

The last gasp of classic Floyd, but what a gasp. Buy Buy Buy.

Now this is acidic stuff.

This is the most spiteful, angry, cutting, most "Roger Waters" album that Floyd ever put out. This anger is expressed in typical Pink Floyd style, of course, always musically understated rather than loud, leaning towards the mellow instead of the high-voltage. But where the guys have whimpered before, they scream here. This style would be further cultivated (perhaps to overkill) on The Wall, but for the moment, it was the perfect balance of delicacy and agression. Instead of whimpering about a general topic, as Dark Side and WYWH tend to, Animals points a finger at a specific group of people and makes its fury apparent.

To be more musically specific, listeners will notice that Roger Waters does indeed dominate this record. The other three had not yet been pushed to the background, however, and each is given his time in the spotlight. I find Gilmour's work on all three longer songs to be the musical highlights of the album, from the extensive solo work in Dogs and Pigs to the album-ending explosion at the close of Sheep. The late Rick Wright plays as tastefully as he always does, adding touches to the album that are only truly appreciated with repeated listenings. And say what you will about his personality, but Waters is a highly expressive singer, and his voice really ties this album together. It may have been Roger Waters' band by this point, but it was still Pink Floyd, and that's why this angst was so well translated musically.

On most days, I will give Dark Side the honored title of "Favorite Pink Floyd Album". If, however, I am in a particularly bad mood and I need a slightly more vicious Floyd to listen to, it has to be Animals.

In Animals the Roger Waters ego started to dominate the Pink Floyd universe. Thanks God, Rick Wright was even there and could left his mark in the keyboard sounding, and Gilmour could co-compose one of the best progressive pieces of Pink Floyd, like Dogs. The album has only three long songs with two fillers (good fillers) like Pigs on the wing parts I and II (just both the same). The Waters main incidence can be noted because the music goes to a second plane, being only an accompaniment of the lyrics. Anyway, musically the album is even good, compared with The Wall or The Final Cut. Dogs, is the best track in the album. Maybe is too long in terms that the second half is just the same that the first, but with Waters in the voice (Gilmour is in the first). The acoustic intro with the rough Gilmour voice is just iconic. The guitar solos are stranges and unconventional, and this makes them great. Sheep is a good progressive track too, composed all by Roger. The keyboard work is really good, and the electric guitar fade out is simply outstanding. Pigs (three different ones) is the weak one of the three long tracks, but is even good, mixing keyboards patterns with a rough rhythm guitar and a psychedelic melody line by Waters. The acoustic Pigs on the wing (Parts I and II) are agradable pieces. As a complement, the cover art is superb and fits really well with the spirit of the album. If you don't have Animals, surely it will be a great addition for your progressive rock collection. Four stars.

Animals happens to be my least favorite out of the four classic era Pink Floyd albums that began with Dark Side Of The Moon and ended with The Wall. Of course this doesn't really say much considering that it's still a strong album from the band and the four star rating feels like a natural grade for this record. Still, this can be seen both as a privilege but also as a hinder for it ever becoming anything more than that.

This album was the first in line of releases where Roger Waters became the bands self-proclaimed leader by creating the record's concept, writing the lyrics and receiving credits for most of the songwriting. Even though I like when Waters gets control of the concept outline and lyrics, the songwriting is a whole different story. The three 10+ minutes compositions featured here are way too long for their own good. Dogs is obviously the biggest sinner with Pigs not falling too much behind in that aspect while Sheep has one of those unnecessarily prolonged intros that never seems to work for me, especially when it's added right in the middle of an album.

The experimentation with the sound effects have always been an important part of Pink Floyd's repertoire, but this time these effects are mainly used on vocals which gets old the moment they start using it on Dogs. Unfortunately one seems to really need to accept this new gimmick in order to fully enjoy this album and I'm obviously not the person this material was written for. As for the conceptual aspect of Animals, it does come off sounding way to cynical and never succeeds to engage me on the same level as The Wall or The Final Cut manage to do.

I realize that my review has been on the negative side but that's because I'm trying to balance out all the praise that Animals has received over the years. It's definitely a great album in its own right but problems do arise whenever I try to compare it to the other classics from Pink Floyd's career.

***** star songs: Pigs On The Wing, Pt. 1 (1:25)

**** star songs: Dogs (17:04) Pigs (Three Different Ones) (11:28) Sheep (10:16) Pigs On The Wing, Pt. 2 (1:25)

Bookended with the acoustic Pigs on the Wing, Animals features three lengthy and strong pieces from the group. Beginning with Dogs, this album is based roughly around George Orwell's Animal Farm as each track symbolizes different social classes (Dogs being those who enforce the law of the Pigs upon the Sheep). The first track contains some of David Gilmour's best vocal work as Rick Wright provides layered synthesizers backdropping some biting guitar leads by Gilmour. The lyrics are pushed to the forefront ("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"), illustrating the darker sides of human nature found in the actions of 'dogs' who are "told what to do my the man." A very well constructed piece of music that presents a number of reoccurring themes but really is bolstered by the lyrical progression as well as the work of Gilmour and Wright.

Pigs (Three Different Ones) begins side two, illustrating three different types ruthless businessmen and politicians. The centerpiece of this track is Gimour's talk-box solo after the second verse, simulating pig noises and achieving a sound which seems like a cross between a moog, a muted trumpet, and God knows what. Lead vocals come from the chief architect of the project Roger Waters and while they fit the music well, I prefer Gilmour's vocals to a larger degree. However, they fit the dark mood and scathing social commentary he presents in the material.

Rick Wright starts off Sheep with a wonderful introduction on the Fender-Rhodes. And then gradually a bassline builds in intensive, played not by Waters (who plays rhythm guitar) but by Gilmour and propelling the piece along. Wright's playing throughout this track is wonderful particularly his solo before the parody of Psalm 23 where the Sheep symbol is elaborated upon ("He maketh me to hang on hooks in high places/ He converteth me to lamb cutlets/ For lo, he hath great power, and great hunger/ When cometh the day we lowly ones/ Through quiet reflection and great dedication/ Master the art of karate/ Lo we shall rise up/ And then we'll make the Buggers eyes water"). The piece finishes with a very excellent passage featuring a great guitar lick.

A great album, with a dark tone that hinges on sardonic cynicism. Strong guitar and bass work for Gilmour fans to enjoy and really the last major contribution Rick Wright's keyboards had during Roger Waters' stay with the band. The project contains some great music and is a well worth a listen.

A truly haunting record, almost perfectly reflecting Orwell's Animal Farm, and a true masterpiece.

A thread brought to mind this album, "Albums that you bought based on cover art." Dark Side of the Moon was my first Pink Floyd album and it quickly become my favorite album and then I needed more Floyd. Instead of focusing on ratings and reviews I looked at the cover art an thought, EUREKA. Silly I know, but it really is great artwork.

Anyways the album starts of with a lovely little folk song, Pigs On the Wing. Water's pulls off the vocals almost perfectly (a rare occasion for him actually, but I still love all his vocals) and this little melancholy love song is the perfect start to the album.

Dogs begins with an acoustic guitar riff (many Porcupine Tree fans would say, "Hey! They stole that from Time Flies!') which gradually becomes heavier and Gilmour sings the vocals. After two verses, a lovely guitar solo which is flowing with emotion. After quite a bit of instrumental work (with dogs barking in the background) and some more verses by Gilmour, Waters takes over the vocals, a reprise of the earlier guitar solo and the an absolutely epic and heavy ending. "Who was found dead on the phone?"

Pigs starts off the second half of the album and is a very catchy tune. After some almost hypnotizing verses there is a lovely little talkbox solo done by Gilmour that resembles a pig squealing. After the hypnotic melody begins again Waters voice becomes more spiteful and eventually Gilmour bursts into another powerful guitar solo.

Sheep starts off with Rick Wright's highlight of the album, a keyboard intro that is beautifully played, and then bursts into a heavy and upbeat rock song. Waters spits out the lyrics as Gilmour's powerful riff keeps playing. After awhile there is a instrumental interlude with a guitar solo and a mechanical voice reciting the Lord's prayer. This creates a very uneasy effect with Gilmour and Wright's haunting playing in the background. After one last verse by Waters another powerful guitar solo fades out to chirping birds.

To end the album, a all-too-necessary reprise of Pigs On the Wing. A very sad ending to an album but it leaves the listener satisfied.

The overall feeling this album gives me is pure amazement at how the band pulled off such a masterpiece after two previous masterpieces. It may even be better than Wish You Were Here. The last "group" Pink Floyd record. 5 beautiful gold stars.

I always laugh when I read someone saying Wish You Were Here was better, more prog-oriented, etc. Wish You Were Here has 5 track, 2 of them having a 'pop' related sound, and one other being, in my opinion, just boring, except for the lyrics (Welcome to the machine). When you look at Animals, you hear a concept, some simple but great ideas of philisophy and a feeling of rage, coming straight from Roger Waters. The music is simply great, with alot of keyboard ambient sounds effects (thanks to Mr. Wright), great drumming, some of the very rare astonishing bass line on the Floyd's whole discography and of course, excellent guitar work, on solo parts as on rythm sections. Few people seem to notice how Nick Mason's drumming are an essential part of Pink Floyd sound, just as the three others bring their part of little details and inovations.

What to look at :

-Dogs : Guitar solos, drums, keyboard effects, lyrics. -Pigs (Three different ones) : Guitar solo, bass lines (especially during the guitar solo). The lyrics are the weakest of the three main songs (for me). -Sheep : Guitar details (mini-riffs incorporated on background or cutting trough the main riffs), bass solo, keyboard, drum fills, lyrics (the best of the album, for me).

Pigs on the wing (Part One & Two) is hard to define for me, these are not bad but seems not to be on the same level as the three others. Sadly, they had to cut the guitar solo when they released the album.

The three main songs are excellent prog songs, having a sound that's easy to appreciate and to quickly rely to. Animals would be a master peice of prog, in any way possible, and a really good album to start with if you're not familiar to the genre.

This was the last, and in my opinion, best of the truly great Pink Floyd albums (sorry, but The Wall has too many flaws, and despite amazing production, it doesn't sound like a band effort). This was the last time you would hear all four members working together to create the complete Pink Floyd sound.

The concept, as you know quite well by now, is loosely based on George Orwell's "Animal Farm", but delves deeply into political issues of oppression, complacency and uprising. It was refreshing to hear Roger Waters finally get away from writing about Syd Barrett's madness.

As I stated previously, despite Waters' lead role as composer, and his fantastic production work, the rest of tha band shines on this album as well. Gilmour plays flawless solos and haunting rhythms, Wright's keyboards flow eerily around throughout the album, and Nick Mason gets to actually play the drums (unlike the mostly simple timekeeping on the next album).

Each of the three major tracks is a masterpiece. But you should know this, too.

What more can be said about this record?

I honesty don´t know, simply put it is one of my favourite records of all time. It consist of a fantastic analysis of human behaviour made by Roger Waters. Even though the record is from 1977 its subject is still modern, If anything it has become more pertinent then it was when the record was first released.

I was lucky to see Roger live in Pavilhão Atlantico in Lisbon a few years ago and when the band played Dogs it was a very special moment for me. The performance had a very funny interlude in which the band whould sit at a table and played cards. Amazing.

I read somewhere that there was a Quadphonic recording of this record that I believe was never released. I am very curious as to what this album would sound like in that format. Let´s hope record executives read this... One can only hope.

An anomaly in the Floyd discography. It's the progiest thing the band did since at least Meddle. It's the first album where Richard Wright does not contribute any music. Judging by the writing credits, you would almost think it was a Waters solo album. Two of the songs here were already written and performed live before WYWH was recorded. There's lots of synths here(VCS3, MiniMoog, ARP Solina, Mini-Korg). Only AMLOR ten years later had more synths. But honestly, does anybody really care about that album? I didn't think so.

Waters had a concept about humans being portrayed as different animals as early as the DSOTM tour. As early as 1974 the band performed two songs that would later be recorded for this album. Of course the lyrics and song titles were changed to fit the animals theme. "You Gotta Be Crazy" became "Dogs", while "Raving & Drooling" became "Sheep". The writing credits here are very misleading. Gilmour wrote almost all of the music for "Dogs", while Waters wrote the lyrics obviously. Gilmour also deserves a co-writing credit on "Sheep"(the same way he deserved a co-writing credit on "Money"). Unlike earlier albums, Waters does most of the lead vocals on Animals. It would stay that way until he left.

Waters only plays acoustic guitar on the "Pigs On A Wing" songs and bass on "Dogs". Gilmour plays bass on "Pigs(Three Different Ones)" and "Sheep". Have you ever wondered why the bass playing on those two songs sound better than just about any other Floyd song? Well, now you know why. Although Wright had no input to the music, his playing here is great. Besides the synths he plays Hammond, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer and Hohner clavinet. This is the only Floyd album to feature both talk-box *and* vocoder. They even use the secret ingredient which can make any song better: cowbell!

Animals has some of Gilmour's best guitar playing on a Floyd album. He overdubbed so many guitar parts on this album that when they toured for it they had to hire a second guitarist. That guitarist was Snowy White. On the 8track cartridge version of Animals, the two "Pigs On A Wing" songs are joined together by a solo from Snowy. I still haven't heard this but I assume it wouldn't be too hard to find on torrent sites. Mason does some of his best drumming here since at least DSOTM.

This album didn't quite do as well sales wise as the previous two. That's understandable because there was no song suitable for radio. Animals is also more adventurous musically than those two albums. For people who loved this album when it came out, it must have been a shock to hear The Wall for the first time. This once great band's last good album. After this they became 'Roger Waters featuring Pink Floyd' and then later, 'The David Gilmour Band'. Still, for an album released in January 1977, it's pretty proggy. Pink Floyd could only make a more mainstream and radio-friendly album after this.

If it weren't for the pointless "Pigs On A Wing" songs, I would be tempted to give this 5 stars. The only other problem I have is that the Solina solo in the middle of "Dogs" goes on a bit too long. Otherwise a solid 4 stars.

My second favorite album of Pink Floyd after "Dark Side of the Moon".The reason why I like most of the "Animals" than "Wish You Were Here" (which to my surprise the album is the band's most quoted here site) is the fact that there are endless passages such as "Shine on you crazy diamond" (do not get me wrong, I like that song). Besides, my third favorite song from the band is here: "Dogs" . This is my favorite epic they've done, and I feel light years ahead of "Shine on .." and a little better than "Echoes". The other songs are not behind, "Pigs (three different ones)"and "Sheeps" are two fantastic songs, the first endowed with a great humor and cynicism and the second a dark, dark song, Wright dominating with yours syinthesizers.The two parts of "Pigs on the Wing" open and close the album.Not are an epic like "Shine on ..."( need to stop talking about this song ...), but send a message positive amid the dark theme of the album (each one of the centerpieces discusses a kind of human being).

Although this is a fantastic album, it was here that we have the first records of authoritarianism in Waters' band, unfortunately,but nothing that takes the shine on this album.

5 stars of course!

I've been into Pink Floyd for many years now, and as such, their music has had time to grow both on me and off me. While I used to be a junkie for The Wall and Wish You Were Here, these albums enjoy minimal rotation now. I used to play Animals an awful lot, too. The difference between it and other Floyd records is that I still do.

There's very little new to say about this album. It's been analyzed and reviewed to death. One thing I tend to see ignored about it, though, and one of its main strengths as I see it, is the album's incredible diversity. It doesn't tend to get noticed. There are only five songs on it, and only three that are the album's true meat and potatoes, and for the most part there are no dramatic mood swings in them or, for that matter, on the album's whole. But when you stop and think about all the parts of each song: there might be acoustic bits; slow, mellow passages where robots quote scripture; subdued animal sound effects; and fast, furious, hard rocking bits with screaming and the 'f'-word. In this regard, the album is like Thick as a Brick (another immovable object in the prog all-time Top 5). That one has just one song, technically, but if you just dropped the needle at any six or seven points on the album you'd never know it. Same is true with this one. And the comparisons to Tull's masterpiece don't end there: both it and Animals begin and end with the same song (or, uh, movement, if that's how you'd prefer to discuss Thick as a Brick).

On Animals, these acoustic pieces are short and lightweight. But they are by no means disposable. In fact, in spite of their combined running times of 3:30, they are as essential to Animals as the 17+ minute "Dogs". Who would want to dive right into that song's D-minor strumming and depressing lyrics about stabbing people in the back and drowning under one's own pompous weight? "Pigs on the Wing" just eases you right into it. And on the other end, would "Sheep" really be a psychologically satisfying ending? Somehow, the two "Pigs on the Wing" tracks manage to make an album ostensibly about betrayal, hypocrisy and slaughter a bearable, even enjoyable experience. But that isn't to say this is the one to spin if you're looking to throw a party. The album is very serious business, and that "Pigs on the Wing" offers some relief doesn't rescue the album as a whole. Think of it like the three middle songs, the album's overwhelming bulk, filling you with sorrow, regret, contempt, and disappointment in society. You're way down where you don't want to be, but all of a sudden "Pigs on the Wing" says "It's just the way things are and you'll never feel any better by dwelling on it."

Which leads logically into the next discussion, a discussion about which no review of Animals could possibly be complete without - the lyrics. As you've probably heard, they are among Waters' very best; his highlight, in fact, with Pink Floyd. Comparisons are often made to Orwell, but to my analysis they owe a far greater debt to Marx. Sure, the allegory is borrowed, but it's modified. This is Roger Waters's very own philosophy, derived in part by Marx and given an Orwellian aesthetic, but still, Roger Waters. The lyrics express all sorts of familiar views, but unlike Marx and Orwell, Waters seems to have little regard, at least on here, for the masses or the proles - his "Sheep". I've always found the album most sympathetic toward the "Dogs". This allegory is usually thought of as referring to the military, police force, business class, middle class, or something like that. I think it can just as easily refer to them all as a collective - society's bulwarks, that 20% or so standing between the bottom 79% and the top 1%. They work hard, they hold naive beliefs, and they think the "Pigs" know what they're doing and are doing their best to make everything OK. One could almost enjoy listening to Animals for the lyrics alone. Fortunately, unlike on some of those other records, the music is also imminently enjoyable.

Much as I love Rick Wright, he can also be one of the more offensive members of this band. Put him behind a real piano and he's one of my favorite keyboard players. Check out the solo in "Us and Them", for instance. But all too often, he digitizes the band's sound. He always uses a tasteful synth tone, of course, but when a Pink Floyd song starts to stagnate or sound tepid, much as I hate to say it, Rick's keyboards are often involved. On Animals, he doesn't do a whole lot, but what he does he does do well - like the intro to "Sheep". But mostly, this is a Gilmour and Waters affair. The album rocks harder than anything they've done before. It's about as grandiose as The Wall, but it sounds far more entitled to its pomposity. I've learned as many of the guitar passages on Animals as I could, and it contains some of Gilmour's finest hours. The leads in "Dogs" whine and bark and sing like Seamus. On "Pigs" he out-Belews Adrian Belew before Belew was even known about by playing a guitar solo in a pig's voice. But try as I might, there's no way I can emulate the incredible crashing noise Gilmour is able to pull from his guitar at the end of the verses on "Sheep". The one that goes, "BA-DA-BAAAAAM", or something like that. It's moments like those which justify Pink Floyd's trademark lack of a sense of humor. Who needs one when you're capable of backing up your seriousness the way they do?

Maybe that's what's best about Animals, at the end of the day. Too often, Floyd sound overblown. As George Starostin ably put it, "Too often, the simplicity of the music is incompatible with the 'grandiosity' of the message." A true and viable criticism of Pink Floyd, which is totally null if you try applying it to Animals. The music here is absolutely compatible with the message, and no more complete package exists in the world of rock music to my knowledge. It's a hallmark of modern music, easily one of the highlights of prog and a strong contender outside the genre as well. Truly, this one is right up there with Abbey Road. Not a wasted second on the album. Even if you might start to think a part of "Dogs" is getting boring, before you know it you're throttled back into the thick of things with the, "Who was born in a house full of pain..." part at the end. It's a psychological thrill ride from beginning to end, and the two "Pigs on the Wing" tracks guarantee that even if you're feeling it during the album's main part, when the record is turned off you can get over it and not dwell on the miserable state of the human condition and the manipulative, advantage-taking reality of capitalism.

No rounding, no ifs or buts, this is a five-star record. I could go on, but this is already the second time I've written a review for this one and I went on for just as long the first time, too.

Animals is one of my favorite albums from the 70s and one of the great albums of all-time BUT, like Selling England by the Pound, I do not consider this a masterpiece. It is flawed. Even as a teen I could not stand to listen to any of the "Pigs" songs. "Dogs" and "Sheep" --two of the greatest prog songs ever done--I can (and do) listen to all the time but I have no patience or tolerance for the others. I understand and appreciate the genius of the lyrical theme (based on George Orwell's Animal Farm) but the music--the guitar, simple chord play and unappealing melodies (what melodies?) and vocal style and effects just grate against my musical sensibilities (or insensitivities, as the case may be). A great album, highly recommended to all prog curious.

If I would say that "Animals" is the best Pink Floyd's album some of you could tell that I'm stone cold crazy. But it's the Floyd's work I enjoyed more. Many have written that these compositions were strongly influenced by the punk movement, but I think it's not a correct analysis: in my opinion Animals show the way out worst prog self- indulgence, but few prog bands (and not even the same Floyd) follow this way, getting too "pop" in the 80s'. More. "Dogs" and "Sheep" were actually old songs of the band written for "Wish you were here" and then descarted, so they were off the punk movement, but they were real progressive compositions, maybe the more proggies from the band. Great moody atmospheres, acid and desesperate Waters' lyrics, but especially great music. "Dogs" is one of my favourite songs ever, an epic 18-minutes long composition with excellent guitar work from David Gilmour (I love the breath-taking solo in the central part) and an outstanding finale by Waters. "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" is an abrasive hard rock number, maybe too long, but excellent. "Sheep" is maybe the best known song from the album and that's the only one that shows the quality of the keyboards by Rick Wright, quite hidden by the fury of Roger Waters' pen and David Gilmour's guitars.

Maybe the opener/closer "Pigs on the Wings" is the weakest moment of an excellent album, in my opinion one of the most important in the story of rock music.

The concept borrowed by Orwell's Animals Farm is just a starting point for Waters who divides the Mankind into Pigs, Dogs and Sheep. Later Gilmour will borrow this concept for "Dogs of War".

Animals is the darkest album of Pink Floyd's discography. It's where the pessimistic vision of Roger Waters reaches its peak. The album opens with a short "dialog". Probably two dogs, intended as cops or soldiers, "watching for pigs on the wings". A short acoustic intro which is effective in introducing "Dogs".

From a musical point of view this is an epic. 17 minutes opened by a jazzy acoustic guitar intro that develop into one of the best suites of the floydian history. A great work from all the band and a special mention for Wright's keyboards. This is the last album on which he features at his best before coming back "to life" on Division Bell. As said before, the dogs are the guardians of the establishment. "You gotta strike when the moment is right without thinking" it's the key sentence. But the dog has doubts. "And when you loose control..." Loosing control means opening his eyes and be able to see a glance of reality. "Sometimes it seems to me as if I'm just being used."

The side A is closed by an indirect description of who the dogs are: the sequence of "who" at the end of the song.

Then the counterpart comes. Pigs are not only the powermen, the governants or the "bosses" of economy. There is a direct reference to Mary Whitehouse: a christian integralist and "moralist" who promoted campaigns against what she called "permissive society". Her movement promoted censorship, in particular the "Clean Up TV". And everything when the Pink Floyd were moving the first steps and the summer of love were close to come. It starts with a keyboard harping on "E- C" on which Waters enters with one of the very few bass solos of his career. Then Gilmour places rhythmic full chords and finally a short drumming introduces the voice of Waters. The song is bluesy, sometimes hard with a long instrumental interlude with a structure similar to some parts of Echoes and Atom Heart Mother.

"You better watch out, there may be dogs about". Speaking about The Final Cut, Waters will explain the meaning of the sentence "everyone has recourse to the law". He thought to situations like when the Nazis were entering jewish houses to take people to the trains, or when in Argentina people was arrested by death squads. In a situation of this kind you don't have recourse to the law, because THEY are the law. This is already inside Sheep. The lyrics are sarcastic. "the Lord is my shepherd", then "we'll make the bugger's eyes water". This is a rocky song, very hard in some parts and another highlight.

The conclusion sees the survived dogs, after the sheep rebellion.

"Now that I've found somewhere safe To bury my bone. And any fool knows a dog needs a home, A shelter from pigs on the wing."

At the end, after all the blood, noting is changed. Somebody thinks that Waters had split "Pigs on the wings" in two to earn more money with the rights. It may be true, but closing the album in the same way as it starts makes absolutely sense.

Another 5 stars.

I stopped bying Floyd LPs after "Wish you were here" which in my opinion is one of the very best Floyd albums ever with a prominent role for Richard Wright.

I recently tried to listen to this one again on Youtube and YES!!! Nothing has changed!!! It is a stinker!!!

"Pigs on a wing" is boring to death, much worse than "If" on Atom Heart Mother, one of the lousiest Waters tunes ever. Dogs" has some of the most pathetic cliché guitar playing by Gilmour ever. "You gotta be crazy" yeah indeed... "Pigs" well... "Charade you are" Yeah sure... "Sheep"... I liked "One of these days"far better...

This is actually the first album by the "Roger Waters Band". Wright was still there but not for long (how could Mason and Gilmour agree to him being fired by Uberherr Waters???)

The Roger Waters Band would make some 2 more gloomy "artworks"... I'm glad I never spent money on this one AND the two follow ups.

Slaves to technology.

In 1977, the heyday of progressive rock was finished. Back in fashion songs of three minutes and three chords, also accessible for those who are not able to play very well, but unfortunately the evocative atmosphere of the grandeur of progressive rock was replacing by the heavy primordial essence of punk.

There are records in a way that justifies this change. At that time Genesis are veering toward an easy listening pop, Yes seem hopelessly trapped in the web of their own virtuosity, King Crimson are facing historical difficulties in finding a stable formation, and many other giants of prog as Gentle Giant or VDGG produce great music but lacks the innovative features typical of the early works. Pink Floyd, unfortunately, no exception.

The music of Animals is certainly not bad, just a bit flat, as it lacks the originality that often characterizes the masterpieces of prog. The three suites that make up the album (Pigs On The Wing is a brief acoustic ballad of marginal importance) demonstrate, in my opinion, a certain loss of inspiration: the formal structure of the compositions is very beautiful, with large use of technology, sound effects and electronic keyboards, but the atmosphere is more or less always the same, and also, as you could expect from Pink Floyd, the rhythmic variations are few and elementary, with almost total prevalence of the usual slow pace typical of the band. Dogs, of the three tracks, is the best mainly because of great performances by David Gilmour on guitar but also for the aggressive vocals. Pigs and Sheep are so-so: "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is of course another matter. In these two songs something reminds the atmospheres of "Meddle", so...nothing new.

Please don't misundersand: I always like listening to Animals, is a good album, I just do not feel the thrill inside me. Rating: 6/10.

Best song: Dogs

It has already been summed up here on PA. "Animals" was composed at a time when rock music was drastically changing with many great bands battling with the onslaught of Punk. Some Pink Floyd fans prefer the more quaint, ethereal sounds from the band's previous classics ("Meddle", Dark Side", Wish You Were Here"). For me, this and "The Wall" are also among thier masterworks, although they are much darker both conceptually and musically.

In many respects, given the times, it is quite fitting to have had such a change in mood. In fact, this extraordinary group ought to be commended for the way in which they revived their music. This was completely unexpected and very distant to anything that came before it. Waters took charge of the lyrics and concept and was on the rampage. In his harshest manner he rips apart society, intriguingly through the use of three types of animals: dogs, the materialistic, concerned only with wealth, power and their own well-being; "Pigs" are no less flattering, high- positioned and self-righteous and "Sheep" are the aimless and docile masses who get used and abused by the more powerful Dogs and Pigs.

The lyrics are often very sharp and downbeat but the music is fantastic and often a lot more pleasing.The melodic acoustic songs "Pigs on the Wing," parts 1 and 2, somehow work well with the overall vibe of the album. Perhaps a way of settling the nerves. Gilmour puts in plenty of creativity here with his tuneful, fluid guitar work and Richard Wright's keyboards are no exception. The chilling synths during the main intelude in "Dogs" is one favourite moment of mine. Music like this is certainly not heard every day.

It's hard to pick best moments here because everything is great but I particularly love "Sheep". Although the music has a harder edge, there's a sense of purpose and direction with "Animals". This was a prelude to an even more fascinating concept album to come. This is astoundingly excellent, profound music. Thoroughly recommended. 5 stars.

15+/15P.: an essential listen and, to me, the greatest record ever made. Period.

For the first time in my reviewer's life I am unable to discuss an album as soundly and detailedly as I want to do because the extraordinary emotions and the ocean of impressions which these sounds achieve can never be put in words. The whole is, needless to say, always greater than the sum of its parts, but in this case every attempt to analyze this record (I've tried several times) is guaranteed to be a failure.

I have been listening to music actively since I was about 10 years old, that means for about six or seven years, and up to this year my musical taste changed and developed quite heavily. Art rock blows me away, jazz and classical music are really fine, too, and this year I found out that the popular modern electronic music (Paul Kalkbrenner, Deadmau5, Meck ft. Dino etc.) is a superb continuation of the psychedelic music which I appreciate very much.

But Animals has actually always been my favorite record ever, not only compared to the other Pink Floyd albums but also to the works of all the other bands that I've had the chance to listen to in the last years. It feels as if this record had been done just for me because every note and every sound fits so perfectly well - although it's, of course, more realistic to presume that this record shaped my taste, thus giving me this '100% affinity' feeling.

Similar to Wish You Were Here, on this album the band managed to sum up everything which defines their music: the intense guitar solos, the wonderfully lush keyboard pads (Hammond organ, Solina string machine, Moog synthesizer drones etc.), the meaningful and sometimes sarcastic lyrics and the elaborate production. But what makes this sound even greater is a turn in the band's direction, the inevitable turn towards (relative) simplicity after a period of elaborate experimentalism and/or bombast. There's no orchestra, no saxophone, no female backing vocals, no guest musicians, but just a band which wants to make rock music: rock music which shoots directly in your face (and in your brain), raw power, but at neither place bland or overlong. This does not mean that Pink Floyd move back to the 1960s when they covered "I'm A King Bee" or something like that, but rather that there are, for instance, crystal-clear passages in Dogs without any pads or drones, just with bass guitar, drums, staccato electric piano and guitar improvisations. Pigs is unexpectedly funky (dig that cowbell, man!) whilst the ending of the manic Sheep is plain rock'n'roll transferred to the 1970s. But there is always the detail which decides the pieces, the effect or the sound placed at some place of a song, a simple stereo panning effect, and it all makes every second of this record that fulfilling and uplifting.

Like all the other Pink Floyd albums from 1969 to 1982 it's Roger Waters' split personality which shapes the lyrical component of the music: the man fighting for human rights, for peace and against fascism, but also the man who realises how hard these aims are to achieve, and who sometimes fails to live up to his own expectations: the dichotomy between hope and despair, between wishful and pessimistic thoughts. Anyone who has distinct moral values and who tries to change the system he is in, be it in politics, in public authority or in religious functions, reaches several limits. The limits of the own strength, the limits set by egoistic depots, the limits of systems which, as some would argue, are more fascist than most people guess them to be. Roger Waters knows these limits. And the music which is created by the four band members to equal extents sets this dichotomy between will and power, this abstract and theoretical status, into music and thus into feeling, into something which you can listen to and which you can feel. This is a short, and surely much too rational and formulaic approach to explain the 'magic' which certain people feel when listening to this music, and it also proves that analysis will never be able to fully capture art.

The wishfulness... as I've already stated this mood appears everywhere in the band's work, and it is also evoked here: classic moments are the double-tracked guitar parts and the 5 minutes long hypnotic synthesizer break in Dogs and the two-part frame Pigs On The Wing, proof that Roger Waters is perfectly able to get maximum effect and emotion out of four or five related chords, strummed on the acoustic guitar. Sheep is perhaps the most psychedelic piece on the album, being a more concise version of the band's late-60s one-chord improvisations with a fantastic Fender rhodes introduction and a biting adaptation of the biblic "My Lord is my Shepherd" psalm, spoken through a vocoder with slightly altered words to the steady thunder of Moog synthesizers and bass guitars. (Sadly, Rick Wright abandoned his Clavinet-through-Leslie sound which he used in early live versions of the album tracks in 1974/1975, but this shall and can not be counted as a drawback.)

The big difference to The Wall is that although Roger Waters is the songwriter here, the whole band shapes and coins the music to equal extents. The Wall is a genuine masterpiece, too, but on Animals one instantly feels that these songs weren't recorded by an armada of studio musicians. Don't let yourself fool by 1977, the year when the record was first published: Animals is closer to Dark Side Of The Moon than to The Wall, it was recorded in 1976 and more than 50% of the musical substance were already played the same way in late 1974: Dogs and Sheep are in fact older than some of the Wish You Were Here songs.

So I recommend this album to every interested rock listener since it is a definitive musical statement, a wonderfully balanced record between psychedelia, progressive and blues rock consisting of four songs full of marvellous chords progressions and melodies. 15*/15 points for each and every of the 41 minutes - it's strikingly powerful music that somehow manages to transcend its quite simple structure, and it could be a chance for everyone to see and feel that life is also so much more than what we can analyze by means of science, and so much more than the greed, egoism and opportunism in our world that Roger Waters contempts in the album's lyrics. At least I am given strength by this album every time I listen to it. A masterpiece beyond comparison!

My all-time favorite from Pink Floyd, "Animals" is an essential album for those who are either starting to get into Pink Floyd or who are completing their collection (or somewhere in between). The concept is simple on the surface, Roger Waters compares people to farm animals the same way George Orwell does in his masterpiece, "Animal Farm", yet he goes even further by reversing the concept, this time commenting on our own Capitalist society and its major flaws.

The opener, "Pigs on the Wing (Part One)", is a short, one minute track with a pleasant acoustic guitar, contrasted with Waters's slightly depressing vocals (apparently this and Part Two were based on Waters's relationship with his then-current wife.) Then, the 17-minute epic, "Dogs", compares megalomaniac businessmen to "man's-best-friend". The song is the centerpiece of the whole album, and never really lets down [the synth solo towards the end might bore some listeners, but in actuality it is preparing you for what I am sure is the best finale of a Pink Floyd song, next to "Echoes" and "Atom Heart Mother (Suite)"] The two guitar solos by David Gilmour are also magnificent, performed with two harmonizing guitars simultaneously, and evokes a certain, indescribable mood in one who listens to it. This is my favorite song on the album (and quite possibly my favorite Pink Floyd song). Gilmour wrote and performed most of the song, with the exception of Waters's lyrics.

On the next side, we start with "Pigs (Three Different Ones)", a harder song, and seems to contain most of the anger inside the album. The song details three types of "Pigs", who are the people who run the government and make the choices in the world. They use the "dogs" as their pawns in order to get what they want. "Pigs" is well done, but doesn't seem to hold up to "Dogs" as well as the next track.

In fact that particular song, "Sheep", is full of energy from start to finish, and even has a version of the Lord's Prayer ("The Lord is my shepherd...", they had to make that pun!). The "Sheep" are pretty much just ordinary people, living their everyday lives until they "follow the leader down well trodden corridors into the valley of steel", were they will be "[converted]... to lamb cutlets". The lyrics are superb on this track, even excelling the poetics of "Dogs" Not only that, but the energy emitted by the band is powerful and wonderful, Gilmour's guitar along with Richard Wright's keyboards are other highlights. Finally, the album closes with "Pigs on the Wing (Part Two)", almost identical to the first track, yet with a more optimistic view of society (and Waters's relationship with his wife).

Overall, "Animals" has few flaws, and is one of the greatest examples of combining great lyrics with equally great music. Everything is balanced, nothing is uneven or irregular. I would put this up there with "Close to the Edge" and "Thick as a Brick" instead of "Wish You Were Here", although that is my second favorite offering from Floyd (Most prog fans will think I'm crazy for saying that, but I don't care).

The first thing that i love about this album is the comparision of people to animals. The first song, "Pigs on the Wing, Pt. 1" may not be a real standout song but it starts the concept for a great peace of art. Then comes "Dogs" with Gilmour singing those memorable lines. The guitar work along with the lyrics for the song is brilliant. But to me the real great peace is, "Pigs (Three Different Ones)", the way Roger compares people to pigs. To me "Sheep", is my third favorite track. I really do enjoy it though. "Pigs on the Wing, Pt. 2", closes the album, but to me i think it's a great ending to a great album. When i went to see Roger perform the Wall in 2010, during "Run Like Hell", the projections on the wall would refer back to Animals. It would show a dog and say "I Kill", then a pig and say, "I Lead", then it shows a sheep and says, "I Follow". But anyway I would say this is one of my all time favorite albums.

Write a review of my favourite album of all time is very difficult, the intention to be objetive to that piece of art is impossible.

In 1977 Pink Floyd get born a lot of ideas, always their music want to express existencial ideas of the human race, the mind, but Animals look through the society and talk about that metaphorically. The music of this album is complex in some parts and ingenious in the others.

In the first part, the side A, there are two songs, one folk and softly: Pigs on the Wing part 1, and later begins the masterpiece, the most important song of the album: Dogs. This song is a lot of emotions, lot of moments and the composition have a particularity, David and Roger sing, one in the first part as lead singer and later the 12 minute, begins the lead voice of Rog, in represent of a dog character. Incredible! Amazing piece of Floyd's music.

Later, in the second part there are three songs, Pigs open the side B with more heavy rock, and the voice of Roger sound more stronger and high. In the middle of the song, the effects of the pig's voices are very interesting. Sheep is the next song and is absolutely complex in moments, the end is epic! David creates wonderful figures in the guitar at the end. The end of the album came with Pigs on the Wing part 2, softly like the first part, but sounds different with the words spoken in the end "A shelter from pigs on the wing.."

This album in the history of Rock is absolutely underrated and this is embarrasing..

This must have been a shock for people to listen to back in the day because it is a radical difference from the last two and is cynical at times but still is a fantastic album. Pigs on the Wing start and close the album effectively with Roger acoustic jamming on very simple but memorable lyrics. Then with Dogs probably the centerpiece of the album, It is a masterpiece top to bottom which talks about the corrupt high class business men who eventually die alone because of their cut throat lifestyle. Musically, it is fantastic with one of Gilmour's best guitar parts in any song he has performed on. Pigs (Three Different Ones) is the rocker of the album and sounds familiar to Money and Have a Cigar in the bluesy style. It talks about the high class individuals who run the world and corrupt us the Dogs and Sheep. Musically it is great and lyrically is impressive probably the first song I ever heard say [%*!#]. Then with Sheep which starts mellow with some light Wright keys but then explodes in a high energy song about how all the Sheep just go along with it and don't try to change it for the better, but eventually rise up and kill the Dogs only to retreat back to their normal lifestyle. Overall it is one of Pink Floyd's finest but you could sense that Roger was becoming the "Pig" of the band and the rest his "Sheep". 5 stars. Highlights: Pigs on the Wing Part 1 and 2, Dogs, Pigs (Three Different Ones) and Sheep

This is often referred to as Pink Floyd's "punk" album, and this description is both apt and completely insane. There can't be any doubt that this is a 100% prog rock album through and through. Aside from the brief opening acoustic ballad "Pigs on the Wing," along with its reprise at album's end, this album consists of a grand total of three tracks, all of which exceed ten minutes in length (with one that's more than seventeen). As usual, the songs consist of long instrumental passages in support of pessimistic, concept-oriented lyrics. So why would punk, which was coming into its own in 1977 with music that was pretty much the opposite of the art rock Pink Floyd had become known for, ever be mentioned in a description of the music found on this album?

Well, it turns out that this album, for all of its similarities to the band's established sound, has a lot of differences that strongly suggest the band had allowed punk to affect it. The last two albums were plenty pessimistic, but their overall tone was more oppressed and depressed than anything else. This album, though, redirects the band's (or rather Waters') pessimistic approach from sad and glum to completely and totally pissed off. The lyrical concept is simple and Orwell- based: all people can be classified as Dogs (cutthroat businessmen and politicians), Pigs (the ruling aristocracy) or Sheep (weak people). It's not just Waters' lyrics that have changed in mood, though. The instrumental parts are MUCH more aggressive than the band had shown at pretty much any time in its history. Mason plays more interesting fills than I'd heard from him since, sheesh, A Saucerful of Secrets, and his drum strikes seem to have greater force than anything I'd ever heard from him. Gilmour's guitar sound has a noticable increase in *OOMPH* and grit from everything he had contributed to the band previously, from harder distortion to a fuller sound to a greater reliance on loud, driving chords than in previous albums. Waters all of a sudden shows off a combination of groove, virtuousity and power that he'd probably always posessed but rarely bothered to demonstrate previously on the band's albums. Wright's style of playing on this album betrays a slight lack of his usual personality, but he's still just as central to the sound as ever, and he deserves plenty of credit for making this album as enjoyable to me as it is. The end result is that this album is clearly a prog rock album, but more than any other Pink Floyd album this is a rock album, and that says something from these guys.

The most significant change from previous albums, overall, is that Waters expanded his (already considerable) control over the band even further. Gilmour has only a single co-writing credit (in "Dogs"), and poor Rick Wright, as prevalent as his keyboards might be on the album, doesn't get any writing credits. Apparently, Wright and Waters had never really gotten along very well in the first place, and this was the point where their differences spilled over into their working relationship. Basically, Waters kept rejecting Wright's ideas, which in turn led to Wright no longer bothering to contribute any ideas, which eventually gave Waters an excuse to fire him ... but that didn't happen for a little while. Point is, this album is Waters' baby through and through, and marks the point where the others essentially became his backing band. Still, while they might have been treated as session musicians on this album, they certainly made the best of the situation and made their parts as interesting as they needed to be. It somewhat helps that the songs were apparently reworked versions of pieces that had been written by the whole band in years past, so while Waters got final credit for them, they actually had significant input from everybody in at least some form.

"Pigs on the Wing," split into two parts and bookending the album, is a pleasant enough simple acoustic ballad with an ambiguous lyrical message that really sounds nothing like anything else here. From the sweet acoustic lines of "Pigs on the Wing" we move into the driving acoustic part, underpinned by moody synths, that opens up the absolute magnificence that is "Dogs." Supposedly, Dave never really liked singing the lyrics assigned to him in this part, but he shows a lot of passion in delivering these lines about what it's like to live among those who have to hunt down and kill others in order to get ahead in life (and how it just gets harder and harder as you get older, until it's time to retire and wait for your empty life to end). The piece morphs into a lengthy instrumental passage with two different, equally great themes (and some of my absolute favorite Gilmour solos ever), eventually coming to a menacing mid-tempo section featuring Dave and Roger singing together. This section absolutely rocks, particularly the underpinning of one of my favorite lyrics from the band ever, "And it's too late to lose the weight you used to need to throw around."

The section ends with a resounding, "Dragged down by the stone (stone ... stone ... stone ... stone ...)," which leads into my favorite instrumental passage on the album. The next five minutes or so are nothing but Wright's synths mixed with sound effects designed to create the effect of slowly drowning and hearing a bunch of dog voices above the water. There's that cool synth effect that prolongs and mimics the "stone ... stone ... stone ..." line, those bits of processed howling and barking, and overall there's Wright, playing notes that are seemingly directionless and never ending but are SO effective in setting the right mood. Coming out of that we have a reprise of the opening acoustic-driven theme, only with Waters singing this time. It builds into yet another instrumental stretch that rocks like mad, before Waters sings the final 'verse' and everything comes crashing down on another, "Dragged down by the stone!"

Side two opens with "Pigs (Three Different Ones)," which I consider the weakest of the three but is nonetheless extremely enjoyable. The bulk of the track is based around the same rhythm track, featuring a bassline from Waters that's a weird combination of hard rock, art rock and some kind of stiff funk, and while I could see getting irritated with its monotony, I enjoy it way too much. The verses (all sung by Waters) are an attack on British politics, alternating between Waters all-out belting and singing quieter with some subtle effect on his voice (unless that's actually just him making his own voice sound a little off). The mid-section consists of a mid-tempo, nearly unchanging jam mixing a light synth covering and Gilmour having fun with a guitar effect that mimics pig grunts and squeals. I know people who hate it, and occasionally I start to wonder, "Man, how much longer does this last," but most of the time I'm perfectly happy to lose myself in the sound. And oh man, is that a POWERFUL sounding solo from Dave over the song's lengthy ending and fadeout, with the noises of sheep slowly creeping up.

"Sheep" opens up with a moody electric piano solo, kinda reminiscient of the one from "Riders on the Storm" (at least in tone), before the drums break in and Waters starts singing. This track is just full of awesome bits, the first of which is the way Roger sings, "Helplessly passing your time in the grassland awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay" and the last vocal sound morphs seamlessly into one of Wright's synth tones before Gilmour caps it with a *BAAAAAAM* sound from his guitar (with the same sort of thing happening on the next sung line, and reprised later). Gilmour's guitars are just set to balls-out RAWK on this track, from the aforementioned loud chords to the cool short breaks he throws in to the lengthy fadeout. Wright plays a lot of loud Hammond organ along with his usual synths, Waters plays a bunch of cool basslines, Mason rocks as well as he ever has, and the overall effect is stunning. Plus, the track has a cool midsection with a quiet voice speaking a variation of the 23rd Psalm through a vocoder, before building into the final sung verses, which include another one of my favorite Floyd lyrics ever ("Wave upon wave of demented avengers march cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream"). Awesome.

And that's the album in all of its splendor. I can understand the reasons why this album is largely forgotten by casual Pink Floyd fans, but frankly none of these reasons speak in favor of said fans. The songs are long, and the lyrics are very angry and misanthropic in tone, but the songs are great and the lyrics are clever, so those should hardly be considered problems. Credit should also be given to the band for proving that they could make a top-rate album without any guest stars (except for Snowy White playing guitar on "PotW"), whereas the albums surrounding it belonged as much to the guest star performances, vocal samples, various sound effects and producers as to the band. This is the "pure" Pink Floyd not seen since Meddle, even if the style is drastically different, and it's a joy to behold. A must own.

PS: Supposedly, this album works in a synchronicity with Casablanca. Anybody actually tried this?

PPS: From college until I started full-time employment, I had the following as a custom license plate: POTW3. I'm such a geek.

This is not only a "concept album" in itself - it is the culmination of a long-running Pink Floyd theme. The seed of "Animals" was planted in "Dark Side of the Moon" with the song "Money" - more specifically, with the lyric "Money is the root of all evil, so they say, but if you ask for a raise, they're giving none away!". This seed subsequently grew into a plant in "Wish You Were Here" with the song "Welcome To The Machine" - heavy lyrics about a young, innocent person who is just entering the evil corporate world (as illustrated by the album's cover art). Finally, this plant reached fully flowering adulthood as the "Animals" album.

Its first and last tracks - "Pigs on the Wing" - define the concept: the life of a married man in the corporate world. In Part One, the opening track, the man talks to his wife about their mutual oppression by "Pigs on the Wing" - a representation of society's most powerful elites, the CEOs and politicians who create and maintain the rules of society (as illustrated by the album's cover art - a high-flying pig overseeing a spirit-crushing, heavily polluting coal-fired power plant) - he is deeply thankful that the love that he and his wife share is enough to keep them both happy and sane, despite the evil situation that these "Pigs on the Wing" have created and in which both husband and wife are trapped. In Part Two, the closing track, the man reaffirms the deep love that he and his wife share and reaffirms that despite the dark, heavy situation detailed in the album's central tracks, he doesn't feel alone or dragged down - instead, he feels safe. Even though he is one of the "Dogs" (middle managers & supervisors) described in a central track, he has a "place to bury his bone" (this is a metaphor for the sexual comfort his wife provides), and the marital home is his "shelter from Pigs on the Wing". Properly analyzed, "Animals" is an extremely powerful affirmation of the resilience of the human spirit.

The second track, "Dogs", analyzes life in the brutally competitive "dog eat dog" corporate world - it is the direct sequel to "Welcome To The Machine". Incisive, highly critical, and painfully accurate, it illuminates the life-destroying nature of a corporate career. The third track, "Pigs (Three Different Ones) turns the microscope on powerful social rulemakers in England (American listeners may easily be confused by the reference to "Whitehouse", which refers not to the residence of the President of the United States but rather to a female social conservative in England named Mary Whitehouse!). The fourth track, "Sheep", focuses finally on average low-level workers and envisions that they will ultimately realize the evil nature of their situations and the strength in numbers that they have, and thus rise up in revolt to attack the Dogs and the Pigs with the goal of overthrowing the evil corporate system. The "Animals" album is most likely Pink Floyd's serious attempt to inform the "Dogs" and the "Sheep" (the "Pigs" are viewed contemptuously - anyone who is a "Pig" is considered unreformable) and thereby incite them to create a more humane world in which everyone can live happily, free of oppression. The alternative to such a revolution is the situation described in "Pigs on the Wing" - the deep love between husband and wife is enough to keep people safe and happy, despite the evil world that surrounds them.

Musically, in addition to the well-known awesomeness of Pink Floyd's post-Syd musical style, "Animals" forcefully reminds me of early Black Sabbath work, in that it employs the bass to very powerful effect, especially in "Sheep".

Although its heavy, radical lyrics turn off some listeners, Animals is THE masterpiece of Pink Floyd's discography. This is admittedly a thinking person's album - there is some intellectual heavy lifting involved in truly understanding it. But even if one buys it only for the music, it's awesome work. "Animals" is unquestionably a world-class masterpiece that everyone can and should enjoy, with the possible exception of "Pigs" like England's censorious Mary Whitehouse!

Some of Floyd's most brilliant music combined with Water's brutal take on societal (im)balance and politics, Animals is a behemoth of Prog Rock, and Rock in general. The 2-part itty-bitty "Pigs on the Wing" (6/10) provides musically interesting bookends to package the 3 giants: - Dogs 17:05: with an unusual but melodic guitar tone, weaving through various moods and a psychedelic interlude to a screaming crescendo at the end (8/10) - Pigs 11:26: possibly my favourite Floyd song overall - beautiful guitar on top of richly layered atmostpheric synths and mesmerising groovy syncopated bass solos (played by Gilmour, I believe) with solo parts from Gilmours's talk box carrying you away into a different reality. Waters' biting lyics about the various "pigs", half-sung half-snarled are a perfect match to the mood of the song. I can never listen to it just once...(20/10!) - Sheep 10:20: slows things down after the frantic end or Pigs and then launches into a scathing rave only to be interrupted for the weird and controversial version of the Lord's prayer and kicks back in until the eponymous sheep rise up and kill the dogs at the end of the song...(10/10) I'd give it 5 stars just for Pigs but there a whole 27 extra minutes of wonderful bliss across Dogs and Sheep....

I find it staggering that I have been here so long, and yet it has taken me until now to review one of the most fundamentally important albums in my collection, and, indeed, my life.

In 1977, punk rock was raging across the UK (to a lesser extent elsewhere as well), and THE band that the gobbing yoofs decided to target more than any other was The Floyd, supposedly the epitome of dinosaur rock; boring, overlong symphonic suites, and with no relevance whatsoever to life in the depressed mid 1970's. I should add as a backdrop that Britain in 1977 was not exactly a bundle of fun. The economy had stalled, unemployment was a real issue, especially for the disaffected youth, strikes abounded, and nobody seemed to have a clue as to how to address this (if this sounds familiar to the present situation, then that is because it is). Punk was the reaction against all of this.

So, what does a band of the "old guard" go and do? Well, what they release is easily the finest punk rock album of all time. Yes, that's right, a punk rock album, because, as a teenager around this time, I remember the movement and its supposed raison d'etre very well. It was supposed to rail and rant against the established order, thus providing the kids with an outlet with which to change things.

Just listen to Dogs, quite possibly Waters' finest lyrical moment amongst a crowded field. It exemplifies the bitterness that many felt (and continue to feel) against the idol, greedy, selfish classes. Content to feed off of others labours, living a life of a leech, bleeding others dry until, one day, your life crimes catch up with you, and you die of the massive stroke your indulgences and life crimes deserve, unloved, and missed by none except, possibly, close family. Heavy stuff, this track, more than any other, shaped my lifetime political views.

Pigs takes the mickey perfectly out of the ruling classes (the establishment), whilst Sheep is a direct pop at the rest of us, the "ordinary" people, for following said classes like lemmings into oblivion.

Musically, it is unrelentingly gloomy, again capturing perfectly the times. Richard Wright, although not contributing a single note in the writing, performs perfectly on the keys to cast an overall cloudy feel. Gilmour is nigh on perfect, whilst Mason provides a steady hand at the tiller.

The star, though, is Waters. His bass performance is workmanlike, but this is an album that is as important, no more so, for its words as it is for a musical performance. He was, of course, revolting against the untold riches that the success of the previous two albums had brought him and his colleagues, this going against the grain of all his personal beliefs.

At the end of it all, Waters has the sound and feel of a man who has laid himself open to the world, and tries to redeem himself - "You know that I care..... what happens to you".

Pink Floyd released many albums that were easier on the ear. You simply cannot compare this to the likes of Meddle or Wish You Were Here. However, in terms of the relevance of the band in the society in which they played, this is their definitive work. It is an extremely difficult album to enjoy, but patience rewards itself amply. For when you "get it", you realise that Waters speaks for an entire generation.

Five stars - a masterpiece of progressive, or, indeed, any other form, of rock music. Utterly essential in my opinion, and an album I will take to my dying day.

Recorded in 1976, when the punk scene in the UK was rapidly attaining notoriety through raucous live shows and a confrontational attitude but had not as yet begin the wave of album releases which would drive prog off the charts, Animals finds Pink Floyd looking at the waves of angry young men in "I hate Pink Floyd" shirts and thinking to themselves "Hey, you know what? *We* hate Pink Floyd too!"

All jokes about the increasingly poisonous interpersonal situation in the band aside, Animals finds the group crafting a murky, mildly grimy sound miles away from the clean, sterile atmosphere of Wish You Were Here, in which they explore thematic territory that is just as angry, cynical and accusatory as the punks were dredging up. Of course, this was not purely a reaction to the antics of the Damned, the Clash or the Sex Pistols - there's anger there in Wish You Were Here - but in crafting a more intimate sound and making more direct attacks on the objects of their disapproval (devastatingly so on Pigs (Three Different Ones)), the band appear to have recognised the mood of the time, as well as the increasing gap growing between them and their audience.

Nick Mason has said he was glad to see the punk revolution shaking up the musical scene and resurrecting the underground vibe of Floyd's early days, but it seems that he wasn't alone in the band in feeling more affinity with the angry punk audiences than the chirpy mainstream crowds who wanted another Dark Side of the Moon; Waters and Gilmour's compositions and the band's overall performance on Animals speaks to a powerful desire to return to the underground, and Waters' increasing lack of sympathy for his audience would lead to the infamous spitting incident on tour, which in turn led to the Wall - the album which both ended the run of universally-acclaimed Floyd albums and, arguably, made the eventual Waters- Gilmour split inevitable. But Animals is more than a mere sign of the times - it's also a third masterpiece in a row for a band who at this stage could do no wrong.

Is Pink Floyd the best band ever to walk the Earth? In my opinion, yes. Of course, that is just opinion and what do I know? It is impossible to pick a favourite album of theirs. For ages, I said it was this, their tenth studio release. However, listening again for the purpose of a small review, one does notice a few flaws here and there. So, that designation of 'Best Pink Floyd Album' is once again under debate. Don't get me wrong, this is still a masterful album. After the Floyd's previous release ('Wish You Were Here') told everyone that the music industry was full of money grabbing arse holes, they decided (or rather, Roger Waters decided) to tell everyone that they were no better. Taking George Orwell's 'Animal Farm' as a starting point, the band divide us up into Dogs, Pigs and Sheep. Each animal filling its place in society, the Dogs running the business, the Pigs believing they are in control and the Sheep blindly towing the line before eventually over-throwing the dogs. The album came out at the height of the Punk-Rock movement that Pink Floyd had been one of the main targets. The band themselves had all stated their support for the movement (Nick Mason even produced The Damned's second album at the Floyd's Britannia Row studios). The album has often been described as more punk than punk, mainly due to it's pretty scathing review of society, and went on to be another in a series of huge successes for the band. So, how do the tracks measure up now with the passage of time. Surely, the message has been lost to pits of dated nonsense that so much rock from the time now occupies. No, no it has not. If anything, the message could be seen as even more relevant now than it was then. With the revelations that our governments have more of an eye on us than a lot of us would like and no one really doing anything about it, 'Sheep' certainly has a lot to say. Relationships between our government and everyone else (namely the press and various business tycoons), both 'Dogs' and 'Pigs' are still pretty relevant. However, this is not a politics essay so I'll talk about the music. The album opens and closes with the small Waters penned love (?) song 'Pigs on the Wing'. It was written for his (then) new romantic interest Carolyne Anne Christie who was married to Rock Scully (manager of the Grateful Dead) at the time. This is a pretty if somewhat forgettable song. The second track is where the album really begins. Both 'Dogs' and 'Sheep' had originally been written for the previous album but were dropped. Both were then re-worked and included on this album instead. 'Dogs' is easily one the Floyd's best extended pieces of music. It is here that Gilmour provides his only lead vocal and his best guitar work on the album. It is also, in my opinion, Rick Wright's last really great contribution to a Floyd album with the middle solo being one of absolute best. Unfortunately, this is also the first album where he does not receive a single writing credit. The second half opens with 'Pigs (three different ones)'. This track is a much simpler piece than the other two longer pieces on the album. It is also the only one with a name-check of someone they are talking about, that being Mary Whitehouse. She had made a name for herself by protesting against the moral violation of the nation's children through TV and music; Pink Floyd had been one of her main targets. The band's response, whilst hardly being diplomatic, is certainly fair. 'Sheep' follows and is return to a kind of sound not heard since the band's 1971 release 'Meddle'. A very strong track with a nice show the band's sense of humour (the reworking of the Lord is My Sheppard prayer). The album, as I said before, ends on the second half of 'Pigs on The Wing'. This is definitely one of Pink Floyd's best albums, with another in a series of fantastic album covers. It was released in the middle of a string of extremely good records, starting with 'Meddle' and ending with 'The Wall'. As I said, there are flaws. These mostly extend from a slight lack of togetherness in the music. This may come from the entire band recording their parts separately due to internal conflicts in the band. There is also no getting away from the fact that David Gilmour is the only member of the band to receive a writing credit aside from Roger Waters. This is due partly to the members other commitments outside of music and also partly due to Waters' increasing grip on the band's creative direction and output. This would continue onto the next two albums with 'The Wall' seeing the departure of Rick Wright and 'The Final Cut' being pretty much a Waters' solo album in all but name. If you do not already own any Pink Floyd, I would recommend getting this album third (after 'Dark Side of the Moon' and 'Wish You Were Here'). If you already know a little about Pink Floyd but want to know more, then by this album. Recommended for people into either classic Rock or newer Rock seen as many bands today sight Pink Floyd as an influence. It's easy to see why.

Major part of western popular music is sung in English. This blocks out a lot of outsiders who understand written and spoken English, but who can't hang on with the finer nuances of poetry in English. Inevitably, this leads to non-native speakers to treat even most prog rock only according to music, and to overlook lyrics. Thankfully there's also a lot of instrumental prog!

I've read through the lyrics of Pink Floyd's Animals so many times that I can appreciate the philosophy behind them. One could wish Floyd were more outspoken, but then the power of poetry is in whispering, not screaming.

The problem with Animals is that its music is ashtonishingly dull. I know perfectly well it's a concept album, but that isn't an excuse to make a record out of one or two ideas only. With a similar duration as a typical romantic symphony has, Floyd doesn't have here one tenth of the musical ideas of, say Brahms, Liszt and their ilk. And you simply cannot compensate that with deep lyrics.

The only word that springs to my mind without an effort is pretentious.

My favorite Pink Floyd album, Animals manages to separate society into three distinct classes: dogs, pigs, and sheep. The politicians, in correspondence to the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell, are the pigs; the dogs represent the higher up, well-to-do business men who seek gain at other's expenses; and the sheep represent the lower and working classes.

The lyrics are very sarcastic, if not straightforward, in their criticisms of these classes, harshly condemning the businessmen in Dogs especially. The music too is a splendid tapestry of sounds, evoking beauty while simultaneously creating enrapturing atmospheres which seamlessly soar.

The album isn't exactly even in my opinion; Dogs and Pigs are better than Sheep to me, but even still they're all fantastic both on their own and on the album to deliver the concept. It manages to be a grand musical accomplishment while still delivering a timeless message of corruption in a hierarchical society that does not foster companionship and love.

The undisputed kings of Progressive Rock, Pink Floyd were the group who truly broke through into the mainstream conciousness, pulling off the remarkable trick of creating compelling, highly-progressive music and selling hundreds of millions of records worldwide, equalling the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin for sheer international popularity. Indeed, in all the history of Rock music there have been few bigger bands. Led during their formative years by the enigmatic lyricist, vocalist and guitarist Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd had been at the very forefront of the underground psychedelic movement that sparked into life during the late-sixties, releases such as their densely-cosmic debut 'Piper At The Gates Of Dawn' and the bizarre double-album 'Ummagumma' showcasing an extremely imaginative quartet of musicians who were willing to push the boundaries of popular music as far as they could. By the beginning of the 1970's, however, it seemed as if the dream was over. Barrett, who loved psychedelic drugs as much as the girls loved his handsome good looks, had completely overdone the LSD and subsequently fried his brain to the point where it made him unable to either perform live or function within the confines of a professional band. He was subsequently replaced by his ex-Schoolmate Dave Gilmour(vocals, guitar) and the music press, rather hastily it must be said, began to write Pink Floyd's obituaries, thinking that the game was up for the four-piece without their primary creative force. Fast forward seven years, however, and the group, which still featured original members Roger Waters(bass, vocals), Richard Wright(keyboards, vocals) and Nick Mason(drums) alongside Gilmour, had enjoyed unprecedented success with a series of ground-breaking albums that started with the brass-heavy 1969 effort 'Atom Heart Mother' and continued with the mysterious 'Meddle'(1971), the super smash-hit 'Dark Side Of The Moon'(1973) and the emotionally-charged follow-up 'Wish You Were Here'(1975). The group's next challenge would be to navigate the vicious punk onslaught that was ripping through British rock music's old guard(and particularly progressive rock groups) and 1977's thoroughly downbeat 'Animals' album, which was loosely-based on George Orwell's satirical fable 'Animal Farm', would be Pink Floyd's extraordinary and darkly-wrought response. In the classic prog-rock style 'Animals' would feature just five tracks, two of which would clock in at around the one minute mark and act as the albums prologue and epilogue respectively. Featuring just Roger Waters broken vocals over the top of a sparsely- strummed acoustic guitar melody, 'Pigs On The Wing' and 'Pigs On The Wing(Three Different Ones') act almost as the quiet before the storm, their gentle, stripped-back vibe exuding rare moments of clarity. The remaining three tracks, however, would all last in excess of ten minutes and find Pink Floyd exhibiting a dank, nihilistic streak and, lyrically speaking, at their most acerbic, with the stand-out 'Dogs' reaching just under twenty minutes. With it's juddering bass-lines, spacey keyboard effects and frightening lyrical content 'Dogs' would be the only piece on the album not to be written and sung solely by Waters, with Gilmour lending his gruff vocals to what can be only be described as one of the gloomiest Pink Floyd compositions. Featuring themes that meditate on death, disease, greed and loss, the bulk of 'Animals' is seen by many as the absolute antithesis to the hopeful material found on 'Wish You Were Here'. 'Dogs', it's rumbling follow-up 'Pigs' and the psychedelic-flecked 'Sheep' would find a group gradually moving away from their melodic origins, creating rough, discordant and seemingly hopeless meditations on the state of 1970s Britain that seemed to aim much of it's abrasive criticism directly at the policies of then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her right-wing government. Whilst also being a reaction to punk rock 'Animals' was also the album on which the first cracks in the relationship between the main creative forces of Gilmour and Waters would start to show, the duo apparently finding it difficult to now work in the same room together. From the outside it seemed as if Waters was slowly taking over the group and dictating the overall direction, and his methods alienated not only Gilmour but also keyboardist Richard Wright, who hardly features throughout the album. However, despite the ongoing concerns regarding the inter-band relationships, it didn't affect the quality of the music. 'Animals' would mark yet another outstanding chapter in the Pink Floyd story, spinning a darkly ominous musical tale that seemed a million miles away from the more upbeat material being produced by the likes of Yes and Genesis, two groups who were not adapting well to the changing musical climate. Although 'Animals' would find Pink Floyd at their least commercial, it also found the group at their most daring and creative, showing that, amongst many other things, the genre of progressive rock could also exhibit it's rarely- shown dark-side without stifling the instrumental complexity that is so important. In the face of so much criticism from both press and public, 'Animals' is very much the sound of Pink Floyd baring their teeth, flexing their muscles and fighting back.

Beautiful album. Based on George Orwell's book, Animal Farm, the album criticizes the hypocrisy, corruption and conformity of the world, with direct critics to Mary Whitehouse. The criticism combined with the great space rock made by Pink Floyd make this album a truly masterpiece. Pigs on the Wings ? Part 1 (1:25) -> Great acoustic song. Roger Water revealed a few years ago that It was a love song for his girlfriend, but you can interpret the way you want.

Dogs (17:03) -> Amazing song. Amazing guitar work, great synthesizers, nice drum work, perfect bass-line and strong vocals. The lyrics tell the story about the dogs, who are "above" the sheeps, but subordinate to the Pigs. In my opinion, the best track of the album.

Pigs (Three Different Ones) (11:25) -> Great song. The instruments in this song follow a line of sound, until the David Gilmour's solo at 9 minutes, but still a great song. Now the lyrics tell the story about the masters of society, the Pigs. Direct critics for Mary Whitehouse, leader of a "moralist movement".

Sheeps (10:25) -> Powerful vocals, and great line of instruments. David Gilmour's solo at the end is amazing. Now the lyrics tell the story about the sheeps. They're the "ordinary people", and blindly accept what the Dogs and the Pigs say.

Pigs on the Wings ? Part 2 (1:23) -> It's an acoustic song, continuing the first one line.

I think I understand why I like "Animals" better than "Selling England by the Pound". The latter is rather brainy than anything else. The former is just filled with bloody viscera and loud calls for humanity. The three epic tracks on here are beyond entertaining; they are rather bizarre and frightening. I must also note that this album really benefits from being guitar-driven in a melodic and somewhat economical fashion, courtesy of Dave Gilmour. Thank you so much, Dave. I also have to mention that the band had gone even further in their development of chord vocabulary, or maybe it's just Richard Wright. Anyway, these are the things that make much of the music on this record two-sided. First, you have Dave Gilmour's electrifying guitar licks and solos, and second, you have Richard Wright's rich in timbre and grim keyboard textures. And on top of all that you have Roger Waters' venomous social commentaries. Dirty. If you like this kind of stuff all over the place on a record, get "Animals" if you are still alive. I really don't want to start this whole discussion of whether rock-n'-roll is alive today, but back in '76-'77 it was certainly blossoming.

Ratings/comments (if you have to ask):

1. 'Pigs on the Wing, pt. 1' - ** (I guess I'm too cold to evaluate this kind of songwriting.)

2. 'Dogs' - *****

3. 'Pigs' - *****

4. 'Sheep' - *****

5. 'Pigs on the Wing, pt. 2' - **

Stamp: "I like it."

Animals was the first PF album that I listened to (and the first progressive album also). I hadn't heard anything like that before and it made an instant effect with its eerie and grim atmosphere. I can still feel it when looking at the record cover, the surreal and frightening image of a factory and a flying pig. The album consists of three long songs framed by an acoustic two-part piece "Pigs on the Wing". The three songs can be thought to categorize people to three types: Dogs, Pigs and Sheep. Despite being a very dark album, you can find it end with a positive note when you listen to the lyrics.

The best song is the mean and pessimistic 17-minute epic "Dogs" that introduces powerful, bluesy guitarwork by Gilmour and hypnotizing keyboards by Wright. "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" starts with sinister-feeling keyboard pattern and grows into a rolling blues song with lots of psychedelic elements and sardonic lyrics. "Sheep" is a bit more positive song with more upbeat guitar riffs and keyboard patterns.

Animals is one of the most essential psychedelic progressive albums. The overall mood that Pink Floyd creates is bound to absorb the listener into its world especially if he/she enjoys sad and hypnotizing music. However, those who are more into the grand and flamboyant side of Floyd might consider this album too monotonous or introverted.

4.8 stars

This is my favorite Pink Floyd album as a whole. It has the cohesiveness of Wish You Were Here, but has an extra edge that I find WYWH just doesn't have. It is raw, edgy, and represents Roger Waters' iconoclast view of the world even better than The Wall. "Pigs on the Wing, part 1 and 2" are nice transition pieces, and there's nothing bad to say about them. They don't really even matter as far as this album goes anyway. They are simply Roger Waters with an acoustic guitar, singing about something that's not either A) madness or B) his weird, depressing, and cynical view of the world.

"Dogs" is fantastic, to put it plain. It features some of David Gilmour's finest guitar work, and was the only song not written only by Waters on the album. The only thing about it is that it seems to drag on in the middle section. The rest of the song makes up for that, luckily, and gets it a certain 5/5 stars.

"Pigs (Three Different Ones)" is my favorite song on the album, and one of my all-time favorite Pink Floyd songs. David Gilmour's use of the talk box is great, and while Peter Frampton used it a lot more, he never used it quite like Gilmour did on just this one track. The solo at the end is inspired, and the funky part is really great (I mean, more cowbell anyone?).

"Sheep" is great, especially for electronic Pink Floyd sounds. My favorite thing about it is when Roger Waters starts singing a held note, and then Rick Wright's synths slip in without noticing the difference. The end is a little dragging, though. Overall, a great way to end the album. 5/5 stars.

Animals is pretty much 3 flawless tracks, and then bookends on either side. I absolutely love this album. It gets my highest recommendation.

Their most progressive album, containing their most progressive song, "Dogs", and it does follow the progression of their ever developing sound, but it also has some qualities that mainly belong to itself, like the playing being their most energetic and the sound in general having a more heavy prog feel to it, and "Dogs" having a very interesting blend of that sound and a somewhat contemporary jazz-rock influence. Each of the three main songs, "Dogs", "Pigs (Three Different Ones)", and "Sheep" have their own part that may seem to drag on a little too long, but those sections are more than made up for by the rest of the compositions, being some of the most creative and technically interesting to listen to music they've ever come up with. All of the guitar solos are phenomenal, from the slow-bending dual leads on "Dogs", and the extended solos in the song, to the ending solo at the end of "Pigs", and those heavy chords at the end of "Sheep", the bass playing is some of Waters' best for the band, especially the melodic lines in "Pigs (Three Different Ones)", and the drumming is very urgent and propelling, and the keyboard work sets the scene for the lyrics ideally, which are philosophically based, with some great lines in every song, whether or not you agree with the philosophy. (I happen to agree, sadly, but I'm glad there's hope in "Pigs On the Wing Part 2"... and I also happen to believe there's more to us than what we're trapped in right now...) Pink Floyd's Animals is another one of those albums you really should examine if you're at all into prog and/or Pink Floyd.

Though musically about as great an album as has ever been recorded, Animals is a scary piece of work. Edgy, abrasive, angry (personal relationships in the band were swiftly deteriorating and conditions in the studio were miserable; you can hear the band taking their frustration out on the songs, though to productive effect), misanthropic, insidious, cynical, vicious: all the terms apply. Unfortunately, Rick Wright was no longer involved in the compositional process; whether he was simply experiencing a personal block or felt stifled by Waters' domineering is unclear, but it's likely that both factors contributed. Gilmour provided the music for another great multi-part Pink Floyd epic, Dogs (thereby writing about 40% of the album) but aside from his guitar work was creatively uninvolved with the rest, leaving the other songs and all the lyrics to Roger. Nevertheless, the entire band contributed immensely to the quality and character of the album, making it the last truly collaborative effort by the classic line- up. Roger's dark, twisted spin on Orwell's already dark and twisted Animal Farm allows only a little bit of light or optimism to peek through, in the two touching Pigs on the Wing numbers that bookend the album, and at the violent end of Sheep ("bleating and babbling we fell on his neck with a scream") ? which though a victory for the downtrodden is an ethically questionable one: aren't the sheep now geared to become the new dogs? Not a bright vision, by any means, but a musically brilliant one.

'Animals' is the first album where we can see the dominance of Roger Waters starting to peak through. He has sole writing credit on almost all of the songs as well as most of the lead vocals and all lyrical content. Though, the band members still contribute greatly to the sound, with Wright providing plenty of keyboard flourishes and Mason's drums are good as always. Sonically, this is the band's most dark and tense effort, which no doubt coincides with the lyrical content by Waters. And of course the compositions are strong as well, mostly relying on that classic Floyd sound.

'Pigs On the Wing' parts one and two are acoustic pieces that function to bookend the album. These aren't terribly necessary, and the band probably could have gotten away with just three songs.

'Dogs' is the only song with co-writing credits to Gilmour, and it shows. Much of the song is dominated by guitar, and Gilmour offers some of his best solos throughout. The other members do a fine job, especially Wright, whose keyboards in some parts give the song a nice flowing jam-like feel. The only knock I can place on this song is the middle section that perhaps drags on a bit too long. But despite that, this is easily one of Floyd's best songs.

'Pigs' begins with a beautiful soundscape of flowing bass and keyboard, and some heavier guitar chords. The song follows this soundscape until about four minutes where the melody changes. Gilmour shows his creativity by providing a nice talk-box effect on his guitar for the middle instrumental section to slightly resemble pig sounds. The songs ends with a tense but classic guitar solo from Gilmour.

'Sheep' starts off very calm with Wright's tranquil keyboards, but by two minutes the band explodes into one of Pink Floyd's most upbeat and heavy sections, based around a simple but heavy bass riff from Roger. A more laid-back atmospheric section similar to One of These Days relives us for a few moments before chaos ensues again. The song ends with a simple but heavy guitar riff which slowly fades.

Animals is a classic Pink Floyd record and is on the same level of quality as Dark Side and Wish You Were Here. I would say this is the last album where the band is truly a cohesive unit, and thus the last "true" Pink Floyd album; but what a good album it is.

10/10

It was the summer of 2009. I was an innocent young boy, bored, with nothing to do. I was just browsing my older brothers classic rock cd's when this intriguing cover caught my eye. I had only heard of this album, but had never listened to it. So, i decided to give it a try. I had no idea what was about to happen..... My mind exploded. The prog awesomeness consumed my soul and sent me into a euphoric daze for a full week. I had died naked but emerged death clothed in a technicolor prog suit. I was never the same again.

Yes, this was the first album that introduced me to prog, but this is not why i am giving it a perfect 5 stars. This is Roger Water's and David Gilmour's finest work. There is passion, chaos, and beauty. If you have some how have not listened to this album yet, you should be ashamed of yourself.

"Animals" has always struck me not only as powerful, but also quite an important album. It is probably one of the strongest speaking and direct concept albums in rock history and strikes me as being a masterpiece. It is a concept album, based loosely on the roles of the animals in George Orwell's "Animal Farm", categorising humans as either Pigs (self righteous leaders), Dogs (greedy and money-hungry), or Sheep (mindless and unquestioning). But the concept is far deeper. It questions the human race in general, and how we all fit into it. The album is incredibly bitter and cynical, but is a pleasurable listening experience and ends on a surprisingly positive note.

This album holds some wonderful memories for me, I listened to "Animals" many, many times before I realised just how special it really is. It was appealing to me even before realising that it was a masterpiece - the music is colourful and powerful, and the lyrics are smart and direct. In my opinion, this is Pink Floyd's strongest album lyrically. But what makes this album is not only the lyrics, but how they are communicated. Despite the length of the tracks, the music of the album is incredibly direct and gets straight to the point. Another thing that I love about this album, is that this is probably the last "Roger Waters era Pink Floyd" album to have a distinct feeling of musical harmony between the members. Though most of the material was written by Roger Waters, there is an obvious sense of collaboration between the band members that is not present in any of their later releases.

Many people state "Animals" as David Gilmour's strongest moment. I can't fully disagree - the album contains some of the finest and edgiest guitar work ever presented. I find it surprising that "Pigs" isn't recognised as one of David Gilmour's greatest guitar solos. Richard Wright's synthesisers are excellent too, and they create an atmosphere that really makes the album what it is.

This is an album which should be listened to from top to tail to get the proper listening experience, though I do have a favourite track, which is "Dogs". It gives me chills on every listen and deserves recognition as one of the greatest progressive rock songs of all time.

Pink Floyd has been my very favourite band for as long as I can remember, and so it is no surprise that I give this album a solid 5 stars. But "Animals" has earned it's place among the essential progressive rock albums and deserves to be recognised as a masterpiece.

Well, this Pink Floyd album is rather rock oriented, It doesn't follow the atmospheric blueprint of the previous album, "Wish You Were Here". Although it is good that Pink Floyd did not keep copying the same ideas, I do prefer the more atmospheric approach. WYWH hums with an energy that draws you in to the music. I feel that Animals does not do so very well.

"Animals" has some great tracks, however. I feel that the last 3 tracks on the album are the strongest. And, with the iconic artwork, this album is certainly a solid piece of Pink Floyd's discography. Yet, the prominence of rocky tunes takes away from it a bit for me. Don't get me wrong, I love the guitar work, as Gilmour is one of the greatest guitarists ever; but I miss the more keyboard driven style. With that said, can Gilmour create an UNmemorable guitar solo? It doesn't seem like he is capable of this. All in all, a great album from one of the greatest bands to grace our planet.

The Pigs tunes are decent acoustic tracks beginning and ending the album. "Dogs" is great even though it runs a little long. "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" is surprisingly good considering there isn't a whole lot going on. "Sheep" is the shining moment on the album. Most concise and gets all of its ideas across best and maintains its own sense of direction best. The lyrical content of this album is great overall. There are a plethora of strange animal noises present, and they are oftentimes recorded or projected through voice boxes. The weirdest ones to me are the reciting of the Bible and the dog barking. That's where I just lose it. Also that verse of "Dogs (Three Different Ones)" where they start breathing in and out and in and out and then-HUHHHH. Nonetheless it's still all overall pretty great. All tracks here belong here with no filler. The only downfall is some of them are biting off more than they can chew. Shorten the lengths on these, and it'd probably be closer to 5 stars for me.

"A land of sheep, controlled by dogs, owned by pigs." -my black friend, 2014

And here we are. All with the same intention to honor the Giants. For this album there are 2257 ratings and 273 reviews. More than "The Wall" that surely has been more publicized and more talked-about. A fact is that the album was created when the band was still a Band, despite the absolute genius of Roger Waters, that has always dominated other members. Another fact is that this album marks the definitive break between the band members, with the departure of Richard Wright (for a series of misunderstandings and personal problems of Rich) by Roger Waters. Personally this is the first Pink Floyd CD I bought, so there is a blood bond between me and this album. After "Animals", my love for Pink Floyd never stopped. So I started to listen them by Syd-era.

"Animals" was released in 1977, in the midst of the Punk explosion in London. It is a Concept Albums, the third of the band, and is clearly inspired to the George Orwell satirical novel "Animal Farm". Following this line the album want to express, by a Roger Waters idea, critiques against capitalism and contemporary society, making analogies between animals and human, where dogs represents the law; pigs represents political class; sheep represents the blind herd. The story ends with the revolt of the sheep against the aggressive dogs.

A wonderful thing is the cover, where is depicted a distressing structure (a famous London electric station) in which smoke stacks there is a floating pig (Pigs On The Wing) called "Algie".

The opening track, on an unplugged background, is the first part of "Pigs On The Wing", a love song (a rare among their interests) which talks about what might happen if one does not take care of the other. Most likely this fact refers to Roger and his wife.

The second song "Dogs" (one of the most beautiful suites ever) starts with a memorable rhythm of classic guitar, precise and tensile load, which interprets well the dogs role as sponsor of the law. Here there is one of the best Gilmour's guitar solo. An interpretation of the album's topics worthy of the best moments of "Echoes", played masterfully by one of the most guitarist of all time. The oppressive hood of psychedelic/electric passages, "adorned" by barking dogs,howling and sharp guitar solos, carry the listeners to the scratchy voice of Roger, which express perfectly the feelings of the social climbers, willing to do anything for the success. They'll be a horrible end "Dragged Down By The Stone" of their faults. From this moment, each song will be sung exclusively by Roger.

A grunt introduces a bass solo accompanied by Wright's keyboard. It's the beginning of "Pigs (Three Different Ones)". This piece, which speaks about pigs as exploiters, want to refer to three political personalities of 70s (as title says three pigs). In general it describes them as people of power, politicians, whom fatten behind others. Here David plays a fantastic solo guitar with an effect that mimics perfectly a pig grunts, and after the third verse a final David's solo introduces the beginning of "Sheep".

On the blending of the previous guitar solo, Richard Wright takes the stage performing a unique keyboard, recreating restless atmospheres where bleating sheep continue to live unaware. Here the sheep, which represent the crowd, the herd are vulnerable, but they'll take consciousness of their position and will rebel against dogs. However their submissive nature can't change (as the feeble persons). In fact successful sheep will intimate to other sheep to stay in their home and do what they are told. After the first verse a suggestive atmosphere with a steady bass line, play as a rematch, where is preparing a "class battle" under a chorus performed against dogs. Roger's voice bring us to the heart of the battle, and after the death of the dogs, a glorious ending accompanies us, on a vibrant riff, towards "Pigs On The Wing - Part 2". It sounds like first part, but with a different text, where the author says that both (referred to 2 persons of pt. 1) knows of their mutual love, finding finally "A Shelter For Pigs On The Wing".

This album represent the monumental presence of Roger Waters, like in all other albums since Syd-era. His intelligence has created a masterpiece of Rock and psychedelic music of all times, a cultured example of contemporary music. The members of the band has performed brilliantly (as always) all songs, creating solos and atmospheres that will be remember forever. Unfortunately or fortunately Roger's Supremacy has won.

5 Stars - Absolutely Essential.

How started my love for progressive rock? On a rainy day in 1977 I bought Animals by Pink Floyd. It changed my life. How I loved this story of Dog, Sheep and of course PIGS! I I was deeply impressed by the inventiveness of the music and the brilliance of the lyrics. Four fantastic musicians telling us the truth about humanity. Listened the album over and over again, devoured the lyrics, went to the record shop and spent my pocket money on many more Pink Floyd LP's.

This is my all time number one progressive rock album and it aroused my love for progressive rock for always!

progpig66

Of all Floyd albums I have, this one is probably the biggest reach in terms of ambition and scale, but also sound. And yet it's also my favorite Floyd album of all time.

If you think that makes no sense, well, yes, you're right. It makes zero sense. Let's see if I can try to make it make sense.

By know you probably know that "Animals" is loosely based off the novel Animal Farm by "everyone's favorite communist" George Orwell, so the lyrical subject matter is based off similar themes presented in the book.

Of course I could care less about lyrical themes, I'm a musician, I need the music, and luckily for me, there's plenty of music. But while "Wish You Were Here" chugged along at a steady speed, there wasn't a whole lot of activity, save for the intermittent guitar solo and electronic ambiance. "Animals" is a bit different though. The pace is still quite leisurely, but there seems to be quite a lot more going on without dismissing their signature jams. "Pigs" is an excellent example. The addition of voicebox "wah-wahs" as I call them add a cool effect to the traditional Floydian jam, but the verses and choruses by Waters add additional elements that don't seem out of place, but they also don't sound like they're just offspring of the main jam and the body of the song like "Shine On You Crazy Diamond".

It is a rather different album than previous discs. "Dark Side" took the tunes and squished the length of the jams and soundscapes into individual tracks, or between verses and choruses. "Wish You Were Here" opened them up and expanded them into the actual songs, keeping catchy choruses to a minimum and leaving the main jams as the body of the song. "Animals" though, has a trend of interspersing these jams between different verses of different textures, especially on "Dogs", where there isn't really a chorus per se, but a number of verses that connect through slow jams and synth-swathed soundscapes, all the while dogs are howling int he background as their masters whistle to them. The jams are there, but they just seem a bit more... sophisticated here.

Same thing with "Sheep". Wright's absolutely hypnotic intro is full of bluesy, jazzy goodness that you'd expect another 10 minute jam, and so you relax in your recliner and get ready for the long haul. Except less than 2 minutes in Waters comes belting out of nowhere and shakes yo up, as if he doesn't want you to sleep. But that's a good thing though, because apart from the reprise of "Pigs On The Wing", this is the true closer, and it's a beauty. This is the first Floyd track in a while that really seems to pick up steam, a song that wants to push forward. I also hear an odd similarity to "One Of These Days" in here as well, or is it just me?

Either way, Animals is my champion of the Floyd discography. It's just a fun listen, it's loaded with jams, it's great to rock out to. Now, it's not as catchy as "Wish You Were Here", but I definitely considered this to be their apex of their careers. With "Dark Side", "Wish You Were Here" and now "Animals", the fun could only last so long, and after "The Wall", the party was well and truly over, but it left behind some tunes no one will ever forget.

I am sure that I am correct in regarding Pink Floyd as the originators of Progressive Rock and the entire progressive rock movement. It is impossible to underestimate or overestimate, either, the contribution that the band's second album, "A Saucerful of Secrets" (1968), has made upon the development of the genre. Of all of the works by Pink Floyd, only "Animals", IMHO, surpasses that one. Here, the band had not only reached the peak of their compositional and performing skills, but "Animals" had proven to be their most progressive album ever. This, in my view, is the most unique work of psychedelic progressive rock, and at the same time, one of the most underrated album in the history of Rock Music. I for one, however, will love it to death.

Review Nº 37

For the vast majority of the progressive rock fans, Pink Floyd can be considered as one of the best and most recognized bands in the progressive rock movement from the 70's, together with Yes and Genesis. We can even consider that those bands were, in a certain way, practically the founders and the most creative of the progressive rock music. They are probably also the bands that most have influenced the progressive groups, until today.

This is my third review of a Pink Floyd's album. "Animals" belongs to the famous trilogy of the greatest masterpieces of the band, starting with their eighth studio album "The Dark Side Of The Moon" released in 1973, followed by their ninth studio album "Which You Were Here" released in 1975 and ending with "Animals", their tenth studio album released in 1977. It was recorded at the band's studio, the Britannia Row Studios, in London, and was released by Harvest Records in the UK and by Columbia Records in the USA. With the exception of "Dogs", which was co-written with David Gilmour, all the five tracks on the album were written by Roger Waters. Curiously, "Animals" was the band's first album not to include a writing credit by Richard Wright. Those were probably, the early signs of discord inside the group, which several years later would culminate with Wright leaving the band, due to problems with Waters.

Of all the classic Pink Floyd albums, "Animals" is the strangest and darkest of all. It's a conceptual album, based on the George Orwell's political fable the "Animal Farm", where various groups in the society are represented as animals. The dogs represent the law, the pigs represent the leaders and the sheep represent the people. On the album, Waters equal the humans to each of those three animals' species. The dogs represent the megalomaniacal businessmen that end up being dragged into what they created. The pigs represent the corrupt politicians and also the moralists. The sheep represent those who don't fit into these two categories, which without thinking blindly follow a leader. Despite the Orwell's novel is focused on the Stalinist communism, the album is a critic to the worst aspects of the capitalism.

"Animals" has five tracks. The first track "Pigs On The Wing" is divided in two parts, and is the smallest track on the album. "Pigs On The Wing (Part 1)" opens de album and has only 1:25 minutes long and "Pigs On The Wing (Part 2)" closes de album and has precisely the same time. "Pigs On The Wing" is a love song written by Waters for his wife, Caroline, at the time. The message of this song is that when two people love each other, they can protect themselves from the evils of the world, referred on the other three songs. Waters refers to himself as a dog in the second part of the song. Musically, the song is simply constructed and features no instrumentation besides an acoustic guitar played by him. The second track "Dogs" is the lengthiest song on the album. Gilmour and Waters share vocal duties on the song. Gilmour sings the majority of the song, but Waters sings the last two verses. During the theme, we can hear the Wright's synthesizer solo and the sounds of dogs barking, on the back. Gilmour made brilliant mixes, with acoustic and electric guitars, together. The third track "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" is the heaviest track on the album and is a song more in the rock vein. It's the most aggressive song on the album and has very aggressive political lyrics, too. Halfway through the song, Gilmour uses a "Heil Talk Box" on the guitar solo, to mimic the sound of the pigs. The fourth track "Sheep" is probably my favourite song on the album. It has a delightful Wright's keyboard work, while Waters sings and plays rhythm guitar and Gilmour plays an outstanding bass guitar brilliantly on a simply and amazing way. For a Pink Floyd's album which is so clearly dominated by Waters, the Gilmour's guitars dominate throughout the album, but we have also the Wright's keyboards rarely rising above a mood-setting on the background.

Conclusion: For many of you, "Animals" is probably the last album released by Pink Floyd that can achieve the status of a masterpiece. Sincerely, I don't completely agree with that point of view. I really think that we can't forget their famous eleventh studio album "The Wall", released in 1979 despite is probably an album less progressive than their three previous studio works. In any case and in my humble opinion, "Animals" is one of the three best albums of the group, and one of the best albums ever made, in any time, by any band. Anyway and undoubtedly, "Animals" is one of the Pink Floyd's lesser known albums and is for sure the less known album of their trilogy. Of course it's not as easily accessible as "The Dark Side Of The Moon", it's for sure less personal than "Wish You Were Here" and it has a less interesting story and less familiar songs than "The Wall". It's shorter than most of the Pink Floyd's albums, too. But it's surely a great Pink Floyd album and that can be considered a true landmark in the progressive rock music. By the way, please read "Animal Farm", if you didn't read it before. It's a great novel which never gets old with the years.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

If you've scrolled this far down on the album's page, then you've probably already read the entire Pink Floyd band biography as well as the allegorical and sociopolitical/philosophical/whatever significance of the album's lyrics countless times. So I'm going to skip over that preamble and cut to the chase with the music.

"Animals", as we all know, represents a shift into much darker territory that Pink Floyd's earlier spacey musings had seldom touched. Whether this was a response to the punk movement or a reflection on English society at the time, I think it was a well- needed change. Floyd's previous releases, "Dark Side" and "Wish You Were Here", while containing some strong music, were on the whole very monochromatic and, frankly, sterile. This is not the case with "Animals". For the first time in a while, Pink Floyd has actually decided to expand past their typical tepid productions and create an album that rocks.

The meat of this album, of course, is contained in the three long pieces. Let it be said that "Dogs" is a masterpiece. Containing a very quick opening by Pink Floyd standards, it is here that Floyd realize how essential tension and release are to creating cathartic music. And man does it work. Ranging from tense ostinato-ed verses that give a sense of paranoia to spacey psychedelic interludes to more straightforward rock-oriented sections, the change of pace in "Dogs" is paramount at setting up Gilmour's best solo of his career, played not just once over the course of the song, but twice. Yes, that vast, expansive, Floydian wall of guitar sound that we all know and love, but this time accentuated so much more when put in the proper context. One other strength of "Animals" worth noting is that the use of sound effects is very effective. While dogs barking and pigs snorting could come across as a complete corn-ball cliche, on "Animals" they actually blend very well into the overall sound, heightening the atmosphere of the album.

There are only two real points of contention on this album as far as I'm concerned. The first is the inconsequential "Pigs On The Wing" pieces, which are not terrible, but certainly not necessary. The second is the tendency for "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" to overstay its welcome a tad with its very repetitive riff. While the song contains some very strong moments, such as one of Gilmour's most explosive solos closer to the end, it's enough for me to demote "Animals" from full masterpiece status.

Minor flaws aside, this barnyard triptych is one of Pink Floyd's best offerings. It's also worthy of the title "Pink Floyd for those who don't like Pink Floyd". 4 solid stars.

I've long been the anti-Floyd spokesperson, primarily because of oversaturation on popular radio and because of all the Stoner wastoids in high school and college that bragged about tripping to The Wall.

Upon entering middle age I've decided to try and leave my stubborn attitudes behind, including retrying some of the bands and albums I'd filed as dreck over the years.

From this, I've added a few masterpieces and several solid spins to my collection, and Animals is right at the top of the list. I'm not as keen yet on wish you were here, dark side, or meddle (although the tune Fearless is one I'd long enjoyed). I'd classify this as highly structured space rock with emphasis on rock. The singer (waters or gilmour I'm guessing, shows you how little I've paid attention to them) let's out a pure rock and roll "whooo"!!! at the beginning of Pigs, something that fits the mood perfectly and a surprise for me. This crew is ultra tight and focused, and the concept holds water. I'm glad I took another look at Floyd and am extra glad I hadn't heard animals on classic rock radio.

Five stars plus, a crowning jewel of the progressive rock golden period.

So, looking through my reviews, I was shocked to see that I haven't reviewed this album yet. I love pretty much all of Pink Floyd's albums, but I have to say that this is my favorite of all of them. Out of the 5 tracks, 3 of them are epic, progressive pieces. There have already been a lot of reviews for this album, so a lot of what I can say about it has already been said. It is a very strong social/political album, inspired by the book 'Animal Farm' written by George Orwell. In it, there are 3 types of animals, Dogs, Pigs and Sheep. In the songs, businessmen, millionaires, the clergy, politicians, religious organizations and follower, and so on are targeted and compared to these animals. The messages in these songs seem to be more and more timely as the years roll on, and listening to the lyrics will convince you that they apply now more than ever.

Most people on Prog Archives have heard and love this album. But for the layman, the songs are broken down as 3 long, epic songs bookended by two short tracks which are parts 1 and 2 of a mostly acoustic song called 'Pigs on the Wing'. Both parts are relatively short. However, on the 8-track edition, this song was place on the 1st track and was not separated in 2 parts. It also had an electric guitar solo which is not heard on any other format. The solo was performed by Snowy White, who was part of Al Stewart's band. Snowy White apparently had recorded other solos, and the band was considering bringing him in as a regular member. Unfortunately, the tracks that had White's solos were lost and so he recorded this solo which was only used on the 8-track edition.

After Part 1 of 'Pigs on the Wing', 'Dogs' takes up all of the rest of the first side of the album. At over 17 minutes, this is probably the best song, even out of all of Floyd's amazing music, that the group ever made. I find those 17 minutes fly by before you know it. The track is composed of several rhythm changes, different musical themes, many different moods and so on. Yet it holds together so well. Everything on this song, and on this album for that matter, just gels so well together. There is absolutely no feeling of disjointedness on this album. This track is so daring, so innovative and just amazing. So many reviewers have broken it down, so I don't see the point in doing it all again. Most people that are reading this have already heard these songs and know how they are, but if you haven't, then the best way to experience it is to listen for yourself.

Next comes 'Pigs (Three Different Ones'. This track takes up half of the 2nd side and instantly starts with an infectious guitar hook. This one doesn't change as much as 'Dogs' but it has several moods changes and returns to the main theme by the end of the song. I love the vocal processing that is used on this track as it invokes so many different moods and feelings. This one is overall harder than 'Dogs', with some great keyboard and guitar solos. The giant pig balloon on the cover ties into this track. The balloon was actually made by the same company that made the Led Zeppelin balloon. It was used as a publicity stunt to advertise the record, but it broke free of its moorings, scared a few pilots and citizens, and landed in a farmer's field disturbing his livestock. That field later was bought by an orange man who built a hotel on top of it.

Okay so maybe I took some dramatic license for that last statement. But wouldn't that be quite the coincidence?

The next track takes up most of the rest of the 2nd side and is called 'Sheep'. This one specifically targets religion and the sheep are the followers of those organizations. Everyone knows of the processed voice reciting a changed version of the famous 'The Lord is My Shepherd' psalm. Several churches condemned the album because of this and actually told their congregations not to buy it. This has more of an improvised feel to it as far as the instrumental breaks go.

Of course, the last track is the short 2nd part of 'Pigs on the Wing' which is similar to the 1st part with a different verse.

All three songs feature the sound effects of the various animals that the songs are made for. These effects are also processed to sound different and add a lot of atmosphere to the entire album. The sounds are accompanied, when the appear in the songs, by softer, yet eerie breaks to make things sound ominous, threatening and mysterious. The singing, musicianship, production, instrumentals, sound effects, everything about this album is just perfect. Everything fits in its place. The construction of the songs is amazing. I honestly can't say enough about this. But it goes beyond words. The best way to experience this album is to listen to it.

Of course, this is an essential prog masterpiece and deserves every one of the 5 stars. In my own personal rating system, it gets that rare extra star, 6 stars, that denotes a perfect album. Definitely one of my 'deserted island' albums.

The tenth studio album by Pink Floyd, it was plagued with a lot of problems in its conception, basically by the dispute with Waters ideas. Also, Gilmour only cowrite one of the songs (Dogs), and is the first album where Wright didn't contribute with lyrics. Two of the song were taken by unreleased song of Wish you were here ( "Raving and Drooling" and "You've Got to Be Crazy") and adapted to the new album concept. It is based in the book of Orwell, Animal Farm, with some modification in the history and focusing on capitalism. Musically a masterpiece, the band still corroborating, every one of them putting his best in the album. Waters with its ingenuous lyrics and rhythms, Gilmour putting his amazing solos and riffs, Wright setting the ambient with his keyboard passages and outstanding solos, Mason directing by the drum and his perfect changes of time. There is nothing more to say every second of this record is perfect, is difficult to say if it is the best or Wish you were here, but musically is more elaborated. Other masterpiece by Pink Floyd, they was still working together, although the problems had begun, they still put their best effort. As all know, although the main composer of the lyrics is Waters, every members collaborate a lot to the final product, Waters always have really good ideas, however without Pink Floyd, musically they will never be successful as this one, as we can see in each of his albums. Ironically, he became most of the things he criticized. A must have album for any prog listener.

Yep, this is Pink Floyd's apex. This is truly a masterpiece. Extremely focused and a great attention to detail.

What I really love about this is the aggressiveness that you feel in the lyrics and instrumentals. Also, it's Floyd in their prime, so the production is some of the best ive ever heard. We have the two great shorter pig songs, but i'm going to mostly speak of the longer tracks

We open with the epic Dogs, any time I hear that acoustic guitar fade in, my heart starts beating faster. This track goes through many different sections, but I feel that every single note of every instrument was meticulously thought out and played perfectly. This is Gilmours only song on lead vocals and he does great, but his Guitar playing really shines. The long "stone" section and playout is just so damn cool, it's hard not to notice Wrights synth playing there, but its a great detail. In the end, we are hit with a hard hitting climax with Roger on lead.

Pigs (Three Diff Ones) These to me are the best lyrics on the album, that intro has the same effect on me as Dogs does. By far my favorite part is the dark interlude where gilmour comes in with the talk box. It's also worth highlighting Rogers Vocal job and Gilmours explosive guitar solo at the end

Pigs fades out and Sheep fades in, Wright is given time to have a little bluesy jam on the keys. The band all explosively comes in at once, Rogers sustained vocal lines fade into a synth tone (which was a detail I only noticed while high but damn is it cool!) Once again my favorite part is the darker interlude that goes on for a bit right before the band comes back in full power. I may sound like a broken record, but the lyrics are great and the intensity throughout this track is top notch.

Animals is my second favorite album of all time and contains my three favorite Floyd songs, Easy 10/10

After the masterpiece "Wish You Were Here", full of slow ballads where the keyboards and synths played by Wright occupy the scene, comes Animals, a concept album based on the book Animal's Farm by George Orwell.

1. Pigs On The Wing Part 1 (1:25) is an acoustic intro, a lost chance because the melody is good but the song is too short.

2. Dogs (17:04) is considered the album's masterpiece, it's a 17-minute suite, which begins with rhythmic acoustic guitar, gritty Waters' voice, and keyboard carpet. Around 3'45'' comes a Gilmour riff which became very famous. Overall, the suite is a dilated song, based on drums, acoustic and electric guitar support and voice, sober as arrangements, more rock than the previous PF songs, with Gilmour's solo guitar in evidence. After 8 minutes the suite is finished, in fact we go back to the initial carpet of keyboards, time stops, static music is dilated in a rather long-winded and not very significant way. Then the same initial sequence starts again: acoustic guitars, vocals, drums, electric guitar solo. It doesn't seem to me like a great masterpiece. It is a song that has lost all progressive and psychedelic thrust, and that has more than anything else the grit of rock in Waters' voice and in Gilmour's solo. A song that is better when it is played live. Rating 8.

End of side A.

3. Pigs (Three Different Ones) (11:28) The song has an excellent beginning, bass and keyboards, vaguely psychedelic, then the rhythm begins with the singing. We are facing another rock ballad conducted by drums, vocals, electric guitar. Then there is a wonderful, obsessive long instrumental passage, with acid sounds, then another time the vocals by Waters, and the final solo by Gilmour. Rating 8,5.

4. Sheep (10:16) Sheep is a 10-minute mini suite that starts slowly, with a piece of keyboards and bass of almost two minutes that is not very useful, then the rock rhythm singing begins, which we have already heard in the two previous songs, but faster. Then there are some nice instrumental passages between keyboards and bass by Waters, in evidence. In the end, the rhythmic music starts again. In this song, the sung part and the instrumental part are not well integrated. Rating 7.5 / 8.

5. Pigs On The Wing Part 2 (1:25) is another useless musical piece.

With "Animals", Pink Floyd became the group of Roger Waters. He is the singer-songwriter who leads the group to develop a politically committed rock music album, with three long, dilated songs that have little to do with progressive and psychedelia. They are conventional rock songs in terms of structure and arrangement, without significant changes in rhythm and style, very homogeneous. Only in some instrumental situations there are art-rock passages (in addition to the sounds of animals). "Animals" is therefore the transition album to the third phase of Pink Floyd: The first is the psychedelic one, which goes from 1967 to 1970. The second is the progressive one, which starts with "Atom Heart Mother" and ends with "Wish You Were" (1975), where the songs are very dilated but also very accurate for arrangement and where the Wright's keabords are in evidence.

With Animals begins the third phase, that of "auteur rock", where Roger Waters is the boss of the group, where the lyrics matter more than the music. Here in Animals, to be honest, the music prevails over the lyrics and the songs are still long, similar to "Wish You Were Here", but more sober as an arrangement, with Wright's work on the background, and from the following "The Wall" the songs will become medium length, if not short, and the background music will be classic rock with orchestral and sometimes experimental arrangements. The golden age of progressive PF is over but Waters will be able to churn out two excellent albums as a singer-songwriter accompanied by the rest of the group.

Total Time: 41:38

Side A: 8, Side B: 8+.

Rating Album: 8,5. Four Stars.

The album prior to global mega success The Wall, shows us the great state of form of Pink Floyd, despite the fact that there are already multiple conflicts between Roger Waters and the rest of the band. Animals has little to do with the atmospheric travels of his previous albums and spatial references, and increasingly focuses on the problematic relationships between power and politics, morality and acid criticism of the type of personalities who rule the world, of which Waters feels increasingly disenchanted, and he divides the album into 3 parts, each represented by a type of animal, which categorizes humans: the materialists, who want to achieve their goals no matter how, and end their days alone and sick. , as a consequence of the arrogant acts in his life (Dogs), the false moralists, who want to project a moralistic and decent image more by appearances and private interests than by conviction (Pigs), and ordinary people, who in the end are the flock (Sheep), who pays for the consequences of dog and pig abuse.

The 3 songs maintain a superlative level, being Dogs with its 17 minutes what I consider musically outstanding, Gilmour's acoustic guitars and the development of the entire musical concept, and the ending with all the "who's" is simply incredible. One of the best Pink Floyd songs of all time without a doubt. Pigs very close to that level too, Richard Wright's keyboards and Gilmour's guitars with a flawless solo finish, are the best of the song. Sheep is also a very good one but I think it is one step below the previous ones.

The album starts and closes the same song but with different lyrics (Pigs On The Wing 1 and 2), each of just over 1 minute, a beautiful composition played only with acoustic guitar and Waters voice, highly recommended for who like unplugged sounds.

Animals is an album that is part of the most relevant works of Pink Floyd and an essential piece for every progressive fan.

Roger Waters won me over in his martyrdom of Syd Barrett in the band's previous album, 'Wish You Were Here'. In this album I find it more uncomfortable, his appropriating the noble animal characters of George Orwell's allegorical tale of the Bolshevik revolution and ostensibly using those characters to depict moral decay in contemporary Britain as a tirade against Capitalism. However, the bottom line is how the words mesh together and Waters is a brilliant wordsmith. And the words do have a prophetic ring to them. The mindless sheep do rise up against the predatory dogs, as we see in the Black Lives Matter protests in the world today.

First the negative. Pigs is just not a very good song and for once Waters lets himself down in the lyrics which are too acerbic, leveled against his target, Mary Whitehouse. Sheep has Waters best bass line on the album and Rick Wright delivers an interesting electric piano and organ part to the lyric. Nick Mason has nothing much to do on Sheep except have a good time and think about his next vintage car purchase and the biography of the band he's about to write. Graham Broad is a much stronger drummer of the same material on Roger Waters live 'In the Flesh' album. Roger Waters himself does all the singing on the Animals second side. His voice is grating on the ears. He is a much better singer today than he was back then. Dave Gilmour quit the album after the first side to be with his wife and new baby. He delivers his guitar parts to Sheep by courier to the recording studio with a message to Roger, 'wish you were here'. And I've never been able to work out the difference between 'Pigs on the Wing (Part one)' and 'Pigs on the Wing (Part two)'.

What remains is one of the finest Pink Floyd songs the band ever wrote, Dogs, which takes up the bulk of side one. The song begins with a catchy acoustic guitar rhythm that permeates through the entire piece. Rick Wright switches from a haunting organ melody over the top of the acoustic guitar to synthesizer, later on. There are two breaks during the song, the first featuring dog sounds and we get to hear Dave Gilmour's voice for the first time. Gilmour does four blinding electric guitar solos. It rarely gets better than this on a Pink Floyd song. The breaks are especially interesting. Roger Waters is a master at using the spaces between the notes to create atmosphere and capture feeling. The notes in the music can be as important as what's not being played. There is a subtle difference.

Animals is a difficult album to score. Like Yes's Relayer album, there's a combination of so much to admire against some fairly flat material that sags. Personally, I find myself playing earlier Pink Floyd albums like 'Obscured by Clouds' and 'More' in preference to this one. Back then they were a band, not a one man show.

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Posted Tuesday, June 30, 2020 | Review Permalink

Review #12

Pink Floyd's eleventh album was another Progressive Rock classical masterpiece.

After "Wish you were here" was published, the following album by Pink Floyd was "Animals". "Animals" was based on a short book by George Orwell titled "Animal farm". The album is ambitious: a short song divided into two parts at the beginning and end of the album and three long amazing pieces in the middle talking about the predominant species of animals (characters of Orwell's book).

The album is clearly in the vein of the last two albums: the long compositions filled with long instrumental sections in which the musicians kept rolling on the spacey improvisations that characterized the band are still there; it was the last album with this kind of compositions, because "The wall" was clearly an iconic change in their sound.

1.- Pigs on the wing (part one) (01:24): The album starts with a short acoustic song, no electric guitars, bass, or drums on this piece, which is the introduction to the conceptual album that is about to begin.

2.- Dogs (17:06): Album's longest song occupying almost the entire A-side. This piece is an amazing journey through the experimental long instrumental passages accompanied with a well-assembled rock ballad that goes and goes until reaches its climax. The band worked amazingly here as a group even when the song was almost entirely composed by Roger Waters.

3.- Pigs (three different ones) (11:29): This song has no acoustic guitar and it's mainly a bluesy rock piece that gets its Progressive Rock atmosphere from Rick Wright's keyboards and the incessant drumming of Nick Mason. The same guitar riffs and bass lines are played along with the song in a hypnotic way (it doesn't get boring) occasionally guitar solos as well.

4.- Sheep (10:19): The hardest rock song of the album, with an amazing work of Richard Wright giving it a very entertaining touch. The song is in the same style as its predecessor and ends with a guitar riff that repeats itself over and over again until the tranquility reaches the music and opens the door to the closing track.

5.- Pigs on the wing (part two) (01:24): The same acoustic arrangement of the first part, only changing the lyrics closes this work quite nicely.

After this album the band changed its style and legal troubles started to appear and all of that became a very uncertain era for Pink Floyd, so it's fair to say that this album was the golden button that closed an era.

SONG RATING: Pigs on the wing 1, 5 Dogs, 5 Pigs (three different ones), 5 Sheep, 5 Pigs on the wing 2, 5

AVERAGE: 5

PERCENTAGE: 100

ALBUM RATING: 5 stars

I ranked this album #8 on my TOP 100 favorite Progressive Rock albums of all time.

"Animals" is the 10th studio album by Pink Floyd. It is also one of the most progressive albums that they made with the concept behind it being very intricate. It was released on 23rd January 1977 and 44 years later, this album is still as important as it was back then. The album cover includes a pig floating between two of the chimneys at Battersea Power Station in South London.

The album starts just as it ends. Pigs on the Wing Part 1 is sung by Roger Waters. It is a love song that Roger wrote for his partner at the time. The song is split into two halves which sits nicely as bookends to the album. The song works so well. The song is so simple and just features Water's guitar and vocals. Dogs is the next song on the album. Waters compared Dogs to manipulative people who are always after something. The song is lyrically about trying to find who you are as a person and your place in society but getting stuck in the day-to-day life routine. Being the longest track on the album at a staggering 17+ minutes. This song has got to be up there in the greatest Pink Floyd tracks. It is progressive and melodically & lyrically superb. Dogs has always been one of my favorite Pink Floyd songs purely because when you think it has gotten to the peak of the song; it carries on. Pigs (Three Different Ones) is about the society and the government. The bass completely drives this song and makes the song so rhythmic, even though lyrically, it is really tearing into people. Animals is not just about one person; it is about a lot of people that really angered Pink Floyd (mainly Roger Waters.) The talk box is the most iconic part of the whole song purely as it sounds like a pig. Roger Waters bass tone on this song is energizing and placed so well in the mix. Richard Wright progressively starts Sheep on keys while a strange moody rhythmically tone comes from Roger Waters bass. Sheep is about the blind followers, which I feel was aimed directly at the public in the 1970's who stuck by all the politicians as the safe option, because they were scared to stand up for themselves in what they believe in. Politicians fool us all the way into thinking they are right and then once everyone has voted for them and put them in power, they change and come out as their "true selves". The albums just as it starts. Pigs on the Wing Part 2 has the exact same concept as Part 1 does but in this part, Roger Waters talks about how he has stopped being a dog and has settled down in the society with his partner.

Absolutely stunning album and still so iconic to this day.

Rating-100%

Recommended Tracks: Dogs, Pigs (Three Different Ones), Sheep

Animals by Pink Floyd is a concept album inspired by the book animal farm, However instead of criticizing communism with animals representing different people in society, it criticizes capitalism. And regardless of whether you agree with the message or not. You cant argue that Animals by Pink Floyd doesn't makes there argument well in the lyrics. The musicianship and production on this album is great, but in my opinion not the best, it can easily be overshadowed by the bands bigger 3 albums. However I still think its a great album and worth a listen. Arguably an essential to any prog and classic rock collection. 3.5/5

This is the first Floyd album I ever listened to. It happened to be the only Floyd record available at my library. I didn't have money to buy my own records, so it was my only way to get access to album music. Animals introduced me to a whole new world of music. I must have played it 100 times in two weeks.

These days, it is as relevant as it was in 1977, sadly. The lyrics are a punch in the gut indeed.

I still love it. I am happy it has been re-discovered these days as one of their greater albums. It ranks nr 2 or 3 on my Floyd list after WYWH, in fierce competition with Dark Side.

Dogs - Why is David Gilmour arguably the best guitarist ever? Well, this brilliant song has 5 different guitar solos that can all compete to be the best ever. It is only scratching the surface of what he did for Pink Floyd. 10/10

Pigs - A brilliant fierce attack on the pigs, those who rule the world in a ruthless way. The lyrics are outstanding. Guitar, base, keys and drums are too. 10/10

Sheep - Wright and Waters steal the show on this with their awesome keys and great baseline. But everyone shines. 10/10

Pigs on the Wing part I and II bookend the album in a fitting way. No rating (too short).

This is a near-perfect album. Their last one. 5 stars.

This is the album that really got me into Pink Floyd. My very first listen to Dogs made me realize that there must be a lot of Pink Floyd I hadn't heard yet that I was missing. 30 years later this is the Pink Floyd album I have listened to the most in it's entirety.

It was the heaviest album they ever recorded to date when it was released in 1977. Kind of makes me chuckle. After all Pink Floyd is generally quite mellow most the time. This album is as intense as the average Prog album. Maybe a bit angrier. Of course the concept and theme of the album is based off of the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell. Lots of axes to grind with music critics and the music industry as far as lyrics go on this album.

Like it's predecessor Wish You Were Here there is a lot to like on this album if you are a fan of Jazz Fusion. And like it's predecessor it is very symphonic sounding at the same time. In fact much of this album was recorded just before, during, and re-recorded after that album. Much of it leftover material being presented differently. Gone are the saxophones of Dick Parry who played on the previous two albums but the Jazz Fusion sounds are as strong as ever.

Dogs is one of my all time favorite epics and just one of my favorite songs of all time. Probably listened to it hundreds of times by now. What would Porcupine Tree sound like without this song? I feel like dozens of Porcupine Tree songs have this song's influence written all over.

Pigs is angry, funny, and hilarious in just about any way you can interpret it. The guitar riffs sound like they are speaking and have a funky sound as well as intensity. Hypnotic keyboards dominate the background.

Sheep is full of thunderous Jazz Fusion sounds and even the Doctor Who theme song(hidden in 3-4 other Pink Floyd songs)

This is an essential album for every Prog Rock collection. Overlooked by too many other Pink Floyd albums. Try getting a hold of the remix version that sounds even better.

Review #17!

'Animals' is a very gritty, daring album, tackling injustice in 70's English society and government. Referencing and continuing (?) Orwell's 'Animal Farm', Roger Waters covers accounts in the lives of three animals: dogs, pigs, and sheep. A two-part folk jingle bookends the main three songs, starting with the seventeen-minute 'Dogs', featuring an insane solo from guitarist Gilmour. On the flipside is 'Pigs(Three Different Ones)', an eleven-minute track which sounds like a bunch of fat-shaming, but when you dive deeper, you find its secrets. Pigs fades into 'Sheep', a classic progressive rock jam about the gullible middle class and being controlled by a higher power. 'Pigs On the Wing 2' beautifully closes the album, providing a hopeful ending to a dark, sad record.

Animals, Pink Floyd's 1977 release, saw Roger Waters dominate the songwriting even more than on the previous releases. David Gilmour only co-wrote one of the three big suites, and neither Mason nor Wright received any songwriting credits.

Loosely based on George Orwell's Animal Farm, Animals is a concept album about the socio-political state of Britain in the mid-1970s. Waters's lyrics became increasingly on-the-nose here, but it wasn't yet distracting. If anything, they work quite well in this instance, and the songs on Animals are some of the band's best.

Animals is bookended by a pair of brief acoustic pieces titled "Pigs on the Wing". On the 8-track release of this album, these two cuts were stitched into one piece, with a guitar solo by session musician Snowy White acting as a bridge between the halves.

"Dogs" was cowritten by David Gilmour, the only non-Waters songwriting credit on the album. This song starts off with a dark folk backbone, rolling along steadily. Rapid, acoustic strumming and quiet organ and synth provide a subtle backdrop for Gilmour's strong vocal performance. After a brief, mildly bluesy instrumental interlude, "Dogs" enters its extended, down-tempo midsection. There's a signature plaintive Gilmourian guitar solo, and Nick Mason's drumming is restrained but artful.

It's around the 8-minute mark of "Dogs" that Animals hits its one big snag. The drawn-out section of synth drone and dog sound effects overstays its welcome by a significant margin, and it could have been significantly shortened. In the final minutes, though, the opening theme is revisited with Waters on vocals and a wonderful twist on the lyrics.

"Pigs (Three Different Ones)" is the song with lyrics that have aged the worst. They're unsubtly about mid-'70s British politics. The general sentiment is discernible, but many of the specific details will be lost on listeners who don't do their reading. It's also my least favorite of the three opuses on Animals, but being the weakest song on Animals is like being the worst type of non-pineapple pizza. It's still pretty good.

There's a laid-back, funky grooviness to much of the song. This is what "Have a Cigar" strove for but failed to deliver on. "Pigs" carries an air of self-satisfied smugness which suits the subject matter so well. Gilmour's use of a talkbox is handled quite well. That's a tool which is often mis- and over-used, but it's deployed tactfully here.

Animals closes on my favorite of the three main tracks. "Sheep" is a snarling, biting cut that was (sadly) Rick Wright's last huzzah as a soloist. The languid, jazzy opening piano solo is the perfect lead-in to the charging verses. The guitar (played by Waters) slashes aggressively, Wright's organ swirls like a hurricane, and the bass (played by Gilmour) thumps and pounds.

The midsection of "Sheep" features big, bright synthesizers that complement the other instruments to build an anxious atmosphere. The vocoded pastiche of Psalm 23 is a little silly for my taste and presaged some of Waters's most brutally unsubtle songwriting tactics which would crest on Pink Floyd's next two albums. Still, it's a forgivable sin in this context.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2021/03/01/deep-dive-pink-floyd/

I remember buying this album as it came out in 77 and immediately noticed how different it was from their previous 2 smashes Dark Side (DS) & Wish You Were Here (WYWH). What would make it so different? Roger Waters. Reading the various band comments through this time Roger had started exerting full control over the band. The conflict between Richard Wright and Waters started on this album and would result in his firing during the Wall sessions. DS changed these 4 guys' lives as they suddenly became millionaires and as is so common, almost a necessity, marriages started breaking up and in Gilmour's case he had his first child. This gravely affected the writing and Waters was ready to full steam ahead push the next disc out and the others were going through various personal issues. Gilmour wanted more time to present some ideas but Waters was headstrong and pushed his way through.

Gilmour's own words on the album later were: "It wasn't one of the more productive periods of our life I don't think. We used those two tracks which went back to '74, changed the names, doctored them around and stuck them on the album. I love the album; it was exciting and noisy and fun. It really had some great bits and stuff of effects on there but it was not one of our creative high points really."

In the world of music, bands that pass from no one knowing about them to all out stardom, creates changes and sadly many for the worst. I consider Animals the last of the best of the Floyd albums with Waters. The Wall was way overrated in my opinion and I was not that fond of it when it came out and still am not today. Why? It was essentially a Roger Waters' album. There was very little collaboration. The Final Cut was just an extension of that album and was by far their lowest point musically.

When we read about the band's thoughts of the making of DS we hear of a band that were working well together and everyone was involved sometimes even treading into areas that were not normal theirs. WYWH was also more of a collaboration and it can be seen and felt but even then, Waters was exercising control. I cannot blame him for all of this alone. Again, the band's personal lives were a mess and busy so music took a backstage (pun intended) position rather than being center stage.

All this history and thoughts which my posts seem to have a lot of, the album is different but good. Gilmour only helped write Dogs and the rest was Waters. I personally think that Gilmour is a better vocalist so it would have been good to hear him more but Waters' voice on Sheep was perfect for him to sing. The book end Pigs On The Wong I think are nothing more than filler that really are unnecessary and just take up time on the record.

The sound effects with the various animals (dogs, pigs, sheep) are fine but a little too overdone. The mellow break in the middle of Dogs is somewhat reminiscent of Echoes off Meddle a but it drones on a little too long. Gilmour's guitar work on that song and the album was superb. The 3 main songs all have something to offer but they could have cut down the times a bit and made room for something else.

The best song for me was Sheep. Its attacks are brilliant and relevance to the sociopolitical situation at that time are brilliantly brought forth. As others have noted, like Orwell's writing's the world has taken its ideas far too seriously! It could be a 21st century anthem at this point! Prog wise, it is definitely that so I can give it a higher rating but Animals doesn't come close to touching the greatness of the 2 previous smashes. Sadly this led to the dreaded Wall and worse yet the Final Cut.