Pink Floyd. The Wall (1979)

The Wall is the 9th studio album, a concept album/rock opera by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in 1979. In 1999 the RIAA certified The Wall at 23x platinum for shipments of 11.5 million copies of the double album in the United States. The album reached #1 on the Billboard album charts in the US where it stayed for 15 consecutive weeks in early 1980, and it remained on the US charts for two years. The album peaked at #3 in the band's native UK.

"Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" was the band's only number one single, reaching #1 in both the UK and the US. Around the world, the album produced a number of hit singles for Pink Floyd, including "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)", "Young Lust", "Hey You", "Comfortably Numb" and "Run Like Hell". The Wall was the last Pink Floyd album to feature Rick Wright until his return in 1987. During the recording, Roger Waters demanded a great deal of artistic control, which led to tensions. The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and in 2003, Rolling Stone placed it 87th on their 500 greatest albums of all time list.

Track listing

All songs are by Roger Waters except as noted. All lead vocals performed by Roger Waters except as noted.

Disc 1

Side 1

1. "In the Flesh?" – 3:19
2. "The Thin Ice" – 2:27
   • Lead vocals: David Gilmour and Roger Waters
3. "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 1)" – 3:21
4. "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" – 1:46
5. "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" – 4:00
   • Lead vocals: Roger Waters, David Gilmour and the Islington Green School Choir
6. "Mother" – 5:36
   • Lead vocals: David Gilmour and Roger Waters

Side 2

1. "Goodbye Blue Sky" – 2:45
   • Lead vocals: David Gilmour
2. "Empty Spaces" – 2:10
3. "Young Lust" (Roger Waters/David Gilmour) – 3:25
   • Lead vocals: David Gilmour
4. "One of My Turns" – 3:35
5. "Don't Leave Me Now" – 4:16
   • Lead vocals: Roger Waters, "ooohh babe.." section at the end sung by David Gilmour
6. "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 3)" – 1:14
7. "Goodbye Cruel World" – 1:13

Disc 2

Side 3

1. "Hey You" – 4:40
   • Lead vocals: David Gilmour and Roger Waters
2. "Is There Anybody Out There?" – 2:44
3. "Nobody Home" – 3:26
4. "Vera" – 1:35
5. "Bring the Boys Back Home" – 1:21
6. "Comfortably Numb" (David Gilmour/Roger Waters) – 6:24
   • Lead vocals: David Gilmour (bridges and chorus) and Roger Waters (verses)

Side 4

1. "The Show Must Go On" – 1:36
   • Lead vocals: David Gilmour
2. "In the Flesh" – 4:13
3. "Run Like Hell" (David Gilmour/Roger Waters) – 4:19
4. "Waiting for the Worms" – 4:04
   • Lead vocals: David Gilmour and Roger Waters
5. "Stop" – 0:30
6. "The Trial" (Roger Waters/Bob Ezrin) – 5:13
7. "Outside the Wall" – 1:41

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Pink Floyd. Wish You Were Here (1975)

Wish You Were Here is a concept album by Pink Floyd. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios between January and July 1975 and released on September 15, 1975 (see 1975 in music), the album would later be regarded as one of Pink Floyd's greatest albums and was ranked 209 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. Its lyrics, composed by Roger Waters and concerning the music industry, question the market-oriented record companies' lack of understanding and interest for musicians. The album also pays tribute to Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd's former guitarist and chief songwriter, especially "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", and the title track itself.

During the first week of 1975, the band (once again producing) along with engineer Brian Humphries returned to Abbey Road Studios to begin work on their follow-up to the hugely successful The Dark Side of the Moon. Although the band had three pieces of music already sketched out ("Raving and Drooling" (which later became "Sheep"), "You Gotta Be Crazy" (which later became "Dogs") and the centerpiece "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"), all was not well within the band. The overwhelming critical, commercial and financial success of Dark Side had left the band physically and emotionally drained. The band spent the first few weeks recordings just sitting around. When the band did get around to recording, their bodies went through the motions while their minds and feelings were elsewhere.

The initial plan was to record the three tracks they had played live on their 1974 European tour (which were "Raving and Drooling", "You Gotta Be Crazy" and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond") but Roger Waters decided to change the vision of the album and split the two halves of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and write three shorter songs relating to the theme of absence (two of which ("Welcome to the Machine" and "Have a Cigar") were attacks on the music business and one of which (the title cut) was about fallen Floyd member Syd Barrett). This move was one of the first debates between Waters and David Gilmour. Gilmour wanted to record what they were playing live while Waters wanted to create a concept album. Gilmour was outvoted three to one. Despite this disagreement plus the hardships that occurred during the recording, Gilmour and keyboard player Rick Wright revealed on the radio show In the Studio with Redbeard in 1995 (which devoted an entire episode to the making of Wish You Were Here) that Wish You Were Here is their favorite Pink Floyd album.

Track Listing

Side one

1. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)" (Gilmour, Waters, Wright) – 13:31
2. "Welcome to the Machine" (Waters) – 7:30

Side two

1. "Have a Cigar" (Waters) – 5:08
2. "Wish You Were Here" (Gilmour, Waters) – 5:26
3. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX)" (Gilmour, Waters, Wright) – 12:28

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Pink Floyd. The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

The Dark Side of the Moon is a concept album by the British progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in 1973 and engineered by Alan Parsons. It is notable for its use of Musique concrète and philosophical lyrics, something that would eventually become a trademark of Pink Floyd's music. The album was a landmark in rock music, as it featured radio-friendly songs such as "Money", "Time", "Us and Them", and "Brain Damage/Eclipse". Some music critics use the album as a point of reference in determining between "classic" blues rock and the then-new genre of electronic music.

The Dark Side of the Moon explores the nature of the human experience. For example, "Time" deals with aging and the overwhelmingly fast approach of death. "Money" deals with materialism with tongue-in-cheek lyrics and wealth-related sound effects. "Us and Them" deals with conflict, ethnocentrism, and the belief that a person's self is "always in the right".

The Dark Side of the Moon is widely hailed by many critics and fans as Pink Floyd's magnum opus, and is generally considered their definitive album. In 2006 it was voted "My Favourite Album" by viewers and listeners to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. In 1990, Australian radio listeners voted it the best album to make love to, and in 2003, Rolling Stone heralded The Dark Side of the Moon as the 43rd greatest album of all time.

The Dark Side of the Moon spent 741 consecutive weeks (14 years) on the USA-based Billboard 200 album chart, the longest duration in history. It is also the fifth highest selling album globally of all time, selling more than forty million units.

The only time there is a gap of silence on the whole album is between The Great Gig in the Sky and Money, where there is a side change on the LP; this pause was filled in with a barely audible transition by Alan Parsons for one CD release.

Track Listing

1. "Speak to Me" (Mason) 1:08
2. "Breathe" (Gilmour/Waters/Wright) 2:48
3. "On the Run" (Gilmour/Waters) 3:50
4. "Time" (Gilmour/Mason/Waters/Wright) 7:04
5. "The Great Gig in the Sky" (Wright) 4:48
6. "Money" (Waters) 6:24
7. "Us and Them" (Waters/Wright) 7:49
8. "Any Colour You Like" (Gilmour/Mason/Wright) 3:26
9. "Brain Damage" (Waters) 3:50
10. "Eclipse" (Waters) 2:04
    

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