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266 of 286 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Look out -- Roger Waters is on a tear!, July 12, 2000
Roger Waters and David Gilmour composed "Animals" at a time in England when the face of rock music was drastically changing, 1977. 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 an impressively guitar-driven album, musical 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 lengthy songs, much too long- winded for radio, thus spoiling the album's commercial viability. Also, "Animals" strangely opens and closes with two short and melodically pleasing acoustic songs about love gone bad; "Pigs on the Wing," parts 1 and 2, somehow work well with the overall vibe of the album. Call it a settling of the nerves.
In many instances, "Animals" is fairly stripped-down, with Gilmour's soothing voice completely missing, and Richard Wright contributing absolutely nothing, thus nixing past creative keyboard elements. The possessive Waters writes all lyrics, and the concept of "Animals" is entirely his. In his harshest manner, Waters rips apart late-1970s 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; "Sheep" are the aimless and docile masses who get used and abused by the more powerful Dogs and Pigs in society. It's pretty acrimonious stuff, and downbeat 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, Waters went on a musical 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 Gilmour, thankfully rescuing this one-man monopoly on creativity. Gilmour remains his usual 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 wails, "Have a good drown/Dragged down by the stone." The word "stone" is then repeated countless times 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 1977. The band's more quaint and drug-induced days of singing about lazy nature scenes or fairy-tale scenarios where one merely observes (see The Piper at the Gates of Dawn) were long over by "Animals." It became socio-political music with a harder edge, all run by Waters and Gilmour. There's a sense of purpose and direction from Waters on "Animals" that is eerily one-dimensional, but it's a prelude to an even better concept album to come. Though it's not Waters' creative apex (that would be The Wall (Deluxe Packaging Digitally Remastered), "Animals" is astoundingly excellent, profound music, and the continuation of the civil war within this band.
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190 of 205 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The most unfairly underrated album in rock., July 26, 2001
It's hard to call anything of Pink Floyd's underrated. The band has two entries in the 'Top 20 Best Selling Albums of All Time' list, matching the Eagles and the Beatles for two albums in the chart. Their best-known album, Dark Side of the Moon, spent 741 consecutive weeks (14+ years) in the Billboard 200 Album charts. Their devoted fan base includes millions. And that's not even half of their achievements. So to call anything of theirs underrated is rather unbelievable, but in the case of Animals, it's total truth.For an opener, Pigs on the Wing (Part 1) is a rather fitting start. It's short, cynically romantic, and simple; just an acoustic guitar with vocals with an animal metaphor from the get-go. Then comes Animals' most notable track, the seventeen minute 'Dogs.' Seventeen minutes is a rather long time on one subject, but in Pink Floyd style they make it count, with plenty of David Gilmour's wonderful guitar solos. For those who view rock and roll as guitar solo heaven, Gilmour is your god. Also add to the combination the lyrical genius that is Roger Waters. His imagery with the album-long metaphor of animals to humans is striking and fantastic. The dog in this song is a greedy businessman, who is always first to pick up stray meat, first to make a kill, etc. My favorite line is 'You have to keep 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.' Even more incredible imagery fills the song as the lyrics describe the painful, lonely death of the dog, specifically from cancer. Next on the album is 'Pigs (Three Different Ones).' Roger Waters' lyrics describe pigs as the overweight, overpowered authority of the 'farm.' This song spends more time criticizing authority figures like Mary Whitehouse (The Brit equivalent of Tipper Gore), than it does maintaining the pig metaphor. The song features plenty of grunts and voice box to decorate the song as it hops from one pig to another. You may have seen the South Park episode where Cartman tells his new fourth grade teacher 'ha ha charade you are, teach-a!' I say no more. Drummer Nick Mason keeps a great rhythm going through the slow track, certainly able to keep the beat. The last opus of a song is the ten-minute rocker 'Sheep.' This is my favorite of the album. It features the trademark Pink Floyd 4/3 jumpy rock beat (as also heard in 'One of These Days' or 'Money'). Richard Wright gets his moment of shine with this song since his solos decorate much of the middle. Waters again delivers a powerful vocal as his lyrics describe the most submissive mammal, the sheep. They are pictured as mindless lemmings that do whatever they are told with no objections. They do rebel, however, as you can barely hear the satirical version of the 23rd Psalm, rewritten to include karate and meat grinders in the middle of the track. Do your research, it's funny. My favorite part of this song is the ending, the crushing guitar is as hard a rock as you're going to get out of Pink Floyd and its anthem-like tone will stay in your head long after the song ends. The last track, Pigs on the Wing (Part 2) closes in its simplicity, ending what is a terrific album. Apart from the music, the artwork of the cover is fantastic. That flying pig is actually an inflatable that was brought into the air above the power station. Its dream-like cloudy sky looks more like a painting, but ask cover artist Storm Thorgerson yourself and he'll tell you, it's photograph. Just because you see two songs just over a minute and three songs averaging over ten, this does not mean the album is a messed up project or a throwaway. This album has such great consistency with defiant, symbolic lyrics, powerful guitar crush and Floyd cynicism. It was never appreciated when it was originally released, but it's totally worth reconsideration today.
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38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Maximum Pink Floyd!, October 13, 2000
How could this legendary progressive-rock band possibly top the classic double-header of "Dark Side Of The Moon" and "Wish You Were Here"? Simple---drop the saxophonist and the female backup singers, make the music less spacey and more harder-edged, and lay down some of the most powerful, enthralling, bone-crunching prog-rock ever committed to tape! The mighty Pink Floyd did just that with 1977's "Animals," an astounding rock album that is not only an all-time classic, but it's also hands down the band's best work. Hey, I love "Dark Side" et al just as much as the next Floyd fan, but with "Animals," Pink Floyd ROCK with everything they've got, and for the very last time as a four-piece (session musicians were once again used by the band for "The Wall" and every Floyd album that has followed it).The theme of "Animals," inspired by George Orwell's "Animal Farm," is a journey through society split into three caste systems of animals---dogs, pigs, & sheep. The dogs are the ruthless cutthroats, the pigs are the stuck-up authority figures, and the sheep are the blind followers. Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright blaze through this work with astonishing musical force. With no extra help from session musicians, the band have only themselves to play off of here, and because of that, the band's musical power is given extra strength. "Dogs," in particular, is a great example---Gilmour's shimmering acoustic guitar strums initially sound far off, but then draw closer. As Wright's eerie keyboards make a cameo, Gilmour lays down the strongest, most powerful lead vocal he's ever done for the band. Then the rest of the band kick in, and "Animals" becomes absolutely mindblowing as the band REALLY shift into high gear.I also love the album's intro and outro in the form of Waters' two parter, "Pigs On The Wing," which is actually a love song to Waters' then-wife, Carolyn. The first part of the song beautifully acts as a sort of "calm before the storm," as it settles you into your seat or on your bed, and gets you ready for the sheer musical force to follow. Forty minutes later, after the Floyd's incredible treatment of "Sheep" finally fades away into the distance, Waters comes in with the second half of "Pigs On The Wing," the peace *after* the storm, if you like. It ends the album on a very poignant, memorable note.Pink Floyd have got many brilliant albums in their catalog, but "Animals" is the big one for me. It's outstanding, and, as a concept album, it's also a very fascinating allegory about our own society. Simply put, "Animals" is a brilliant opus from one of rock's greatest bands.
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