Review Summary: The Beginning of Roger's Reign
Definitely deserving of its overwhelmingly positive reception, this album oozes with creativity and is quite easy to get into for most people, making it a perfect starting point for someone unfamiliar with the band! The instrumentation on this album is incredible with a wide variety of different effects by using creative tactics of tape manipulation, splicing sounds together (like the cash register on "Money", clinking coins, tearing paper), and the concept, while a tad messy in moments (The unnecessary "On The Run", "Any Colour You Like", "Speak To Me"), is a great one that explores themes of madness, conflict, greed, and ultimately the cycle of life and death.
"Time", "Money", "Breathe (In The Air)" among others are some of the greatest lyrics ever penned and truly show Roger Waters' genius, while David Gilmour's guitar solos and riffs truly shine and paint a whole picture in your mind as they work alongside Rick's keyboard work which provides a backbone for the whole album. "Eclipse" has some of my favorite drumming from Mason too. I wouldn't call this their absolute peak, but it's definitely part of their peak from 1971-1979, and one of the greatest records of all time.
This is the start of what I deem the "Roger Waters Era", which is basically when he became the leading force of the band, and it is when most of their greatest works were released. "Us and Them" is almost barely a rock song and fits in with the R&B that the band played before they hit their peak, being one of the most iconic anti-war songs ever created. Dick Parry's saxophone work is utterly unmatched and Claire Torry's vocals on "The Great Gig in the Sky" are majestical and give the song such an emotional impact that it doesn't even need lyrics to be outstanding.
This and "Meddle" are interchangeable at third place for me actually, and while I don't ultimately consider this their greatest work, it is definitely up there as a classic album within their catalog, as well as all time. This one holds up perfectly many years later and is one that anyone should be able to enjoy!
Track by Track:
1. Speak To Me: ★★★
2. Breathe (In The Air): ★★★★★
3. On The Run: ★★★
4. Time: ★★★★★ 🎖️
5. The Great Gig in the Sky: ★★★★★
6. Money: ★★★★★
7. Us and Them: ★★★★★
8. Any Colour You Like: ★★★★ (for filler it's DAMN great)
9. Brain Damage: ★★★★
10. Eclipse: ★★★★★
