Pink Floyd: The Reason for The Wall
By Mr_Mike_Love
First, let me begin by saying, that I do not support or endorse a good portion of Roger Waters’ political views. He is a person, and is entitled to his opinions. I am a fan of his work, those opinions do not change my personal feelings towards him.
As far as I am concerned, Pink Floyd is one of the bands that rank right up at the top of artists that have shaped the music we listen to. Their style is a bit dark, a bit political, and quite relevant. Even for today’s standards and current world situation. The driving force behind all of their legendary songs is Roger Waters.
First, my experience with Pink Floyd. I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s. The 70’s I was adolescent, 80’s, I was a teen. I discovered the band known as Pink Floyd when the iconic album “The Wall” was released in the summer of 1982. I really didn’t understand the lyrics that much, as I was 15 years old, but, I loved the sounds. Flash forward a few years, when I was in the military, and a bit older, I purchased most of Pink Floyd’s catalogue of albums. They were in CD format, new at the time, and I had a pretty nice audio system in my barracks room. I would play those albums a lot and got to know what the writer of the songs was feeling, or, was describing. At that time, “The Wall” started to make sense, but not fully. I am now 50, and I know what the writer of those iconic tunes was feeling. Gotta LOVE Youtube.com.
A good video to watch, to get the full story behind “The Floyd”, is on Youtube.com. It gives a good insight of the history of the band. If you have an hour to spare, I would suggest watching it. It is quite good.
What I discovered, after watching that particular video, is the meaning behind almost every Pink Floyd album produced from 1973 to 1983. That would include; Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall, and The Final Cut. It is a short list, but all of it is some of the most amazing music my generation grew up with. All of those albums were written, composed, and performed by Roger Waters, as both bass player, and lead singer. There are a good handful of those songs sung by David Gilmore. I have to give him a good shout out as he is, also, an amazing artist.
Pink Floyd started out as a “pop” band in their early days, but changed their format in the early 70’s with Dark Side. The songs are entertaining, but have a hidden message, thanks to Mr. Waters. Great guitar riffs, driving bass lines, hard drums, and some imagination, made this album one of the highest selling albums in history.