Review Summary: One of the most ferocious and raw commentaries on society that still holds true today, backed by phenomenal music!
Progressive Rock and Punk Rock... two completely different genres that never mingle with one another, the first one was the complete opposite of the entirety of what the original reason the punk movement came about for. That being as a response to the "over-blown", "pompous" music that had been brought to the forefront of the rock music scene during the middle and early 70's. Pink Floyd were a big staple in being labeled "pretentious muzak" that held no message by the community that ran the punk scene (Johnny Rotten of The Sex Pistols even wore a shirt custom-made that proudly stated, "I hate Pink Floyd"), and this was a time where bands such as them were looked down upon unfavorably by critics and rockers alike in the wake of music that attempted to capture the simplicity that rock had in its early days. Most bands were trying to play what they deemed to be smart by not releasing an album during these trying times, but Pink Floyd didn't seem to ever want to slow down.
In fact, perhaps Pink Floyd had more in common with this movement than punk rockers would have wanted to admit.
Animals is the most biting, sardonic, and aggressive piece of progressive rock ever produced, and is definitely Pink Floyd's most socially-aware album to date. This album is like mining through a dark cave and stumbling on a once-in-a-lifetime chance of pure, real diamonds. This album is yet again where it all completely worked despite Roger Waters' increasing control over the band's direction and music style, and perhaps the last time they were able to craft an album with absolutely no filler or any bad songs.
Now, one could say that the bookend songs
"Pigs On The Wing 1" and
"Pigs On The Wing 2" don't really fit too well on the album and are more soft acoustic numbers, but that isn't the case at all. Rather, these songs are important to the albums flow overall and are magnificent in their own right and are basically breathers before and after all the furious and spiteful, yet true critiques on the corruption of society come crashing through your speakers. These are nice songs that feature Roger on acoustic guitar and him doing the vocals that are lighthearted and lovely, being love songs that have the "dog" of the songs break out of those societal norms as he is able to feel trust in someone.
The main three songs are all influenced heavily by the concept of George Orwell's novel, "Animal Farm", but instead of Stalinism, the album critiques capitalism which is something that holds 100% relevant today. Society is painted as three archetypes, that being the sheep who follow the herd that tells them lies and controls them, unquestioningly and mindlessly, the dogs who are businessmen who take advantage of the consumer and normal people, and the pigs who are the people at the top of the social ladder, you know, the rich politicians and the likes who prey on society and are in charge of manipulating society into being the dystopia it is.
"Dogs" is an incredible piece of music that while long, it features one of the greatest guitar licks ever done by the band with David Gilmour giving it his all as Richard Wright's synthesizer work drives the song along on its eerie and unnerving vibe, with David's vocals on the first two voices being one of his greatest performances yet.
"Pigs (Three Different Ones)" oozes pure fury at the horrendous movements at the time and issues with politics as it tackles the greed and filth that politicians spew with verse two attacking Margaret Thatcher and verse three aimed at Mary Whitehouse, a known homophobe who tried miserably to keep people from experiencing love. The use of cowbell really gives this song a groove that allows the guitar, bass, and everything else to shine. This song is definitely one of their finest hours!
The real standout to me however, is
"Sheep" as Richard Wright's keyboard work is essential on this song just as it was on
"Dogs" and paints the perfect atmosphere for the band to work on, the song itself is probably the strongest when looking at it from a narrative perspective as well as it furthers the plot as the sheep rise up against the dogs towards the end, taking society into their own hands. Nick Mason's drumming is also some of the most dynamic it has ever been and you can really hear the band go all out here. This is the first album where Nick and Rick did not receive writing credits, as again, Roger was taking over control, but their work is vital to the sound of this record, and elevates it to greatness.
This is truly one of the greatest works of all time in the history of music, and one of Pink Floyd's crowning achievements. It is for sure their most cohesive album when it comes to overall concept, and the most cohesive musically start to finish as well. It's really only bested by
Wish You Were Here but really puts up a tough competition for that crown.
Track By Track:
1. Pigs On The Wing 1: ★★★★
2. Dogs: ★★★★★
3. Pigs (Three Different Ones): ★★★★★
4. Sheep: ★★★★★ 🎖️
5. Pigs On The Wing 2: ★★★★★
