"The Wall," Pink Floyd's 1979 concept album about a rock star's mental breakdown, is a towering monster. It's an album with SO many audio, lyrical, musical & emotional nooks and crannies contained within, that one listen simply will not cut it. "The Wall" is not just an album to listen to, it's an album to be *explored*. It was inspired by then-bandleader Roger Waters' own mental collapse at the end of the Floyd's tour for the "Animals" album. Due to the grind of the mammoth stadium tour for "Animals," and sickened by seeing his own band, in his opinion, become part of the rock business "circus," Waters was mentally & emotionally exhausted beyond comprehension. At the final gig in Montreal, Waters finally snapped, spitting in the face of a young fan sitting up front. Coming home to England to recover, Waters finally decided to exorcise his demons by writing a conceptual piece about his disgust with his life as a rock star, and he began building "The Wall"....With the bulk of the double-album composed by Waters (with a few co-writing contributions from guitarist David Gilmour & producer Bob Ezrin), "The Wall" tells the story of a rock star named Pink and his downward spiral into madness, and all the things in his life that led him there: his father killed in the war when he was only a baby ("Another Brick In The Wall Part 1"), being smothered by his overbearing mother ("Mother"), subjected to abuse at school ("The Happiest Days Of Our Lives"/"Another Brick In The Wall Part 2"), and later, the pressures of his rock-star lifestyle ("One Of My Turns") and the breakdown of his marriage ("Don't Leave Me Now"). Quite simply, "The Wall" is a rock masterwork, and arguably Roger Waters' greatest achievement as a composer. However, to think of the album simply as a "Roger Waters production" would be wrong. Though Waters IS, indeed, the main architect of "The Wall," bravely wearing his heart on his sleeve with his powerful songwriting and tortured singing (not to mention playing a mean bass throughout), the album still would not be what it is without the excellent contributions of guitarist/vocalist David Gilmour, who also shines on tracks like the smash hit, "Another Brick In The Wall Part 2" (featuring his most famous guitar solo ever recorded with the band), "Goodbye Blue Sky," "Young Lust," "Hey You" and "Comfortably Numb" (featuring yet another classic Gilmour guitar solo). Keyboardist Richard Wright & drummer Nick Mason are, admittedly, dwarfed somewhat on "The Wall" by the inclusion of various session players (that's Jeff Porcaro playing drums on "Mother," to name one example). Still, Mason & Wright appear often enough, and they make their contributions count. The production on "The Wall" is also astounding---from the great stereophonic mix of the tunes themselves, to the treasure trove of sound effects & voices (such as fighter planes, helicopters, objects being smashed, singing schoolchildren, a telephone operator, a TV set playing "Gomer Pyle," and on and on), "The Wall" is truly a listening *experience*. Thankfully, Roger Waters, having left Pink Floyd in 1983, is living quite comfortably these days, no longer bothered by his rock star demons, and he continues to make great music on his own (he's also much more appreciative of his live audiences these days, thank goodness). Obviously for Waters, making "The Wall" was much-needed therapy. For Pink Floyd, "The Wall" became one of the group's biggest best-sellers, second only to "Dark Side Of The Moon." For the listener, "The Wall" is a spellbinding musical journey. It's music is at turns beautiful, haunting, and unquestionably powerful, and it's story is an absolutely gripping one. "The Wall" is a timeless, undisputed Pink Floyd classic.

My main purpose in purchasing this CD was for the bonus material. However, the Experience Version contains three CDs, not four as stated by Amazon. Furthermore, this edition contains twenty-seven demos on one disc, not thirty-five demos over two discs. So, unless Amazon is selling a special edition (I did extensive research in deciding whether to purchase this or the $119 Immersion version, and did not see any mention of this anywhere), this version contains three CDs.

Discs 1 and 2 are the 2011 James Guthrie remasters of the album. Disc 3 contains 27 demos, all of which are "band" demos rather than Roger or David's "home demos." Since the demos were my main interest and reason for buying this, I will address that topic first. The Immersion version does contain two CDs worth of demos, containing a total of 64. Since I do not have that version, I will not address whether I am lacking anything essential by not having the 37 additional demos that appear on that version. Based on my research I am not. At least 22 of the 37 demos on Immersion are excerpts of Roger's home recordings totaling about 15 minutes. Two others are David's demos of "Comfortably Numb" and "Run Like Hell." Other than that, the remainder appear to be additional band demos at various stages of development, all of which appear in at least one form or another on Experience. The actual demos themselves are titled "Work in Progress" and are aimed at giving a glimpse into how the project came to its final form. My interest was more in hearing alternate versions of songs and the two songs that did not make the album. In my opinion, except for completists, the Experience version does a good job at this. The two titles that did not make the album are "Teacher Teacher (later appearing as "The Hero's Return" a B side from the "Final Cut.") and "Sexual Revolution," (later re-worked as "4:41 a.m.") from Roger's "Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking." The remaining 25 demos range from interesting to "I only need to hear this once." Probably the most interesting item here is "The Doctor" which is an early version of "Comfortably Numb." The sound quality of the demos varies from mediocre to passable. In my estimation, there are probably no more than ten that are substantial and that I will listen to again. After listening to all 27 (totaling 75:04) minutes, I cannot imagine listening to another disc of demos. Therefore, for my purpose, I think the Experience Edition was the appropriate choice. Please note, I am merely comparing the Immersion and Experience versions for demos. There are numerous other reasons one might wish to purchase the 7 disc Immersion set.

As far as the Discs 1 and 2, I will not comment on the music because it has all been said before. The album is a classic. The main issue here is the quality of the remastering. I compared my copy from the "Shine On" box to this on high end equipment and honestly could not hear any dramatic difference between the two. The 2011 remaster sounded slightly less bass heavy, slightly louder, and the vocals and drums appeared to be more upfront in the mix. However, I had to strain to hear this and the difference was very slight.

Like the other "Experience Editions" ("Dark Side" and "Wish You Were Here"), "The Wall" is packaged in a cardboard case. The booklet is similar to the LP in attempting to recreate the artwork and handwritten lyrics. However, no information is provided regarding history, guest musicians, etc.

So how do I rate this? I give it four stars. Five stars for Discs 1 and 2 and three stars for Disc 3. I think it is the weakest of the three expanded albums from the series because it has the least essential bonus material. There is also less of difference in sound quality, which is excellent, over the earlier remasters. This is likely due to the fact it is a newer release and always had excellent fidelity.

If you are interested in getting a new copy of "The Wall" with an extra disc of material you probably won't listen to more than a few times, this is a great purchase. If you have either of the previous two "Wall" remasters, there is no substantial difference in sound here. If you merely want a new copy without the extra disc, the standard 2011 remaster is the best option. If you have the money and can spring for the Immersion Version, I would say go for it. It is the most complete version of this classic album available at this time. However, I do want to stress again that the Experience Version contains 3 CDs with 27 demos on Disc 3. Anyone interested in more than this must purchase the Immersion Version.

There is little that I can add to the many voices who have praised this great work. But I feel compelled to do so. Largely the work of composer/lyrical genius Roger Waters, the sheer scope of 'The Wall' is breathtaking in its ability to move and shock you, an effect that has not diminished as it now enters its 27th year. Mixing semi-biographical material with knowing fiction, Waters weaves a tale that is equal parts grim satire, near-operatic melodrama and gut-wrenching anger. Waters attacks the capitalist cynicism of the music business, the oftimes cookie-cutter putting-down of schoolkids, and most significantly, the complexity and pitfalls of familial and married life. And of course, the bitter futility of war, which is as relevant now as it was in 1944 or 1979. 'The Wall' has been and always will be a soundtrack for the angry and the disaffected. But don't get me wrong, there are moments of musical beauty that will stay with you long after the anger has faded. Water's voice flexes its considerable emotional range across a variety of moods. Guitarist David Gilmour's melodic lead playing sizzles with passion and power. His intensity and soaring tone makes 'The Wall' arguably his finest recorded performance. And his vocal contributions to the album also cannot be overlooked. Keyboardist Rick Wright and drummer Nick Mason make important musical contributions and Wiz Producer Bob Ezrin ties it all together into a soundscape that is timeless. 'The Wall' will take you on a journey through light and darkness, and you will emerge outside 'The Wall', like Roger Waters, better for the experience. One of Rock's true masterpieces and certainly not the least of them.