Pink Floyd - Animals (1977) - Lp

Animals is the tenth album by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in 23 January 1977 by Harvest and EMI. A concept album, it provides a scathing critique of the social-political conditions of late-70s Britain, and presents a marked change in musical style from their earlier work.

Animals is the strangest and darkest, a record that's hard to initially embrace yet winds up yielding as many rewards as its equally nihilistic successor, The Wall. It isn't that Roger Waters dismisses the human race as either pigs, dogs, or sheep, it's that he's constructed an album whose music is as bleak and bitter as that world view. Arriving after the warm-spirited (albeit melancholy) Wish You Were Here, the shift in tone comes as a bit of a surprise, and there are even less proper songs here than on either Wish or Dark Side. Animals is all extended pieces, yet it never drifts -- it slowly, ominously works its way toward its destination. For an album that so clearly is Waters', David Gilmour's guitar dominates thoroughly, with Richard Wright's keyboards rarely rising above a mood-setting background (such as on the intro to "Sheep"). This gives the music, on occasion, immediacy and actually heightens the dark mood by giving it muscle. It also makes Animals as accessible as it possibly could be, since it surges with bold blues-rock guitar lines and hypnotic space rock textures. Through it all, though, the utter blackness of Waters' spirit holds true, and since there are no vocal hooks or melodies, everything rests on the mood, the near-nihilistic lyrics, and Gilmour's guitar. These are the kinds of things that satisfy cultists, and it will reward their attention -- there's just no way in for casual listeners.


Side A
A1.  Pigs On The Wing 1  (1:24)
A2.  Dogs  (17:01)
        Written-By – David Gilmour, Roger Waters
       
Side B
B1.  Pigs (Three Different Ones)   (11:20)        
B2.  Sheep (10:22)        
B3.  Pigs On The Wing 2   (1:24)

All lead vocals performed by Roger Waters, except where noted

All songs written and composed by Roger Waters, except where noted. 

Pink Floyd

• David Gilmour - lead guitar, lead vocals, rhythm and acoustic guitar on "Dogs", bass guitar on "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" and "Sheep", talk box on "Pigs (Three Different Ones)"
• Nick Mason - drums, percussion, tape effects
• Roger Waters - lead and harmony vocals, acoustic guitar on "Pigs on the Wing", rhythm guitar on "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" and "Sheep", tape effects, vocoder, bass guitar on "Dogs"
• Richard Wright - Hammond organ, electric piano, Minimoog, ARP string synthesizer, piano, clavinet, harmony vocals on "Dogs"

Companies, etc.

• Phonographic Copyright (p) – Pink Floyd Music Ltd.
• Recorded At – Britannia Row Studios
• Manufactured By – EMI-Bovema Holland

Credits

• Art Direction [Organized By], Photography – Aubrey Powell
• Design [Inflatable Pig] – E.R.G. Amsterdam
• Design [Sleeve] – Roger Waters
• Engineer – Brian Humphries
• Graphics – Nick Mason
• Photography By – Colin Jones, Howard Batrop*, Nic Tucker, Peter Christofferson, Rob Brimson, Bob Ellis
• Producer – Pink Floyd
• Written-By – Roger Waters

Notes

Release date: 23 January 1977 

Recorded: April–December 1976, Studio Britannia Row Studios, London 

Genre: Rock 

Style: Psychedelic Rock 

Length: 41:41 

℗ 1977

Label - Harvest Records