The Wall is the eleventh
studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 30 November 1979
by Harvest/EMI and Columbia/CBS Records. It is the last album to include all
four post-Barrett–era band members. The album is a rock opera that follows the
story of "Pink", a jaded rock star, as he constructs a psychological
"wall" of social isolation. The Wall topped the US charts for 15
weeks and reached number three in the UK. It initially received mixed reviews
from critics, many of whom found it overblown and pretentious, but later
received accolades as one of the greatest albums of all time.
The group's bassist Roger Waters conceived The Wall during Pink Floyd's
1977 In the
Pink Floyd's 1977 "In the Flesh" tour, modelling
the character of Pink after himself and former member Syd Barrett. Recording
spanned from December 1978 to November 1979. Co-producer Bob Ezrin helped to
refine the concept and bridge tensions during recording, as the band members
were struggling with personal and financial problems. The group's keyboardist,
Richard Wright, was fired by Waters during production but stayed on during the
tour as a salaried musician.
Three singles were issued:
"Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" (Pink Floyd's only UK and US
number-one single), "Run Like Hell", and "Comfortably
Numb". From 1980 to 1981, Pink Floyd performed the album on a tour that
featured elaborate theatrical effects. In 1982, The Wall was adapted into a
feature film written by Waters. Some outtakes were used on the next Pink Floyd
album, "The Final Cut" (1983).
"The Wall" is one of the
best-known concept albums. With over 30 million copies sold, it is the
second-best-selling Pink Floyd album behind "The Dark Side of the Moon" (1973),
the best-selling double album of all time, and one of the best-selling albums
of all time. In 2000, it was voted number 30 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top
1000 Albums. In 2003, 2012, and 2020, it was included in Rolling Stone's lists
of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". From 2010 to 2013, Waters
staged a new "The Wall" live tour that became one of the highest-grossing tours
by a solo musician. In 2011, Waters declared "The Wall" to be his favourite album
he recorded with Pink Floyd.
„The Wall” este al
unsprezecelea album de studio al trupei rock engleze Pink Floyd, lansat pe 30
noiembrie 1979 de Harvest/EMI și Columbia/CBS Records. Este ultimul album care
îi include pe toți cei patru membri ai trupei de după epoca Barrett. Albumul
este o operă rock care urmărește povestea lui „Pink”, o vedetă rock dezamăgită,
în timp ce construiește un „zid” psihologic de izolare socială. „The Wall” a
fost în fruntea topurilor americane timp de 15 săptămâni și a ajuns pe locul
trei în Marea Britanie. Inițial a primit recenzii mixte din partea criticilor,
mulți dintre aceștia considerându-l exagerat și pretențios, dar ulterior a fost
elogiat ca fiind unul dintre cele mai mari albume din toate timpurile.
Basistul trupei, Roger Waters, a conceput „The Wall” în timpul turneului „In the Flesh” din 1977 al trupei Pink Floyd, modelând personajul lui Pink după el și fostul membru Syd Barrett. Înregistrările s-au desfășurat din decembrie 1978 până în noiembrie 1979. Coproducătorul Bob Ezrin a ajutat la rafinarea conceptului și la reducerea tensiunilor în timpul înregistrărilor, deoarece membrii trupei se luptau cu probleme personale și financiare. Claviaturistul grupului, Richard Wright, a fost concediat de Waters în timpul producției, dar a rămas în timpul turneului ca muzician salariat.
Au fost lansate trei
single-uri: „Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2” (singurul single numărul unu al
trupei Pink Floyd în Marea Britanie și SUA), „Run Like Hell” și „Comfortably Numb”.
Din 1980 până în 1981, Pink Floyd a interpretat albumul într-un turneu care a
inclus efecte teatrale elaborate. În 1982, "The Wall" a fost adaptat într-un
lungmetraj scris de Waters. Unele extrageri au fost folosite pe următorul album
Pink Floyd, "The Final Cut"(1983).
"The Wall" este unul dintre
cele mai cunoscute albume conceptuale. Cu peste 30 de milioane de exemplare
vândute, este al doilea cel mai bine vândut album Pink Floyd după "The Dark Side
of the Moon" (1973), cel mai bine vândut album dublu din toate timpurile și unul
dintre cele mai bine vândute albume din toate timpurile. În 2000, a fost votat
numărul 30 în topul All Time Top 1000 Albums al lui Colin Larkin. În 2003, 2012
și 2020, albumul a fost inclus în lista Rolling Stone cu „Cele mai mari 500 de
albume din toate timpurile”. Din 2010 până în 2013, Waters a organizat un nou
turneu live "The Wall", care a devenit unul dintre cele mai încasate turnee ale
unui muzician solo. În 2011, Waters a declarat "The Wall" albumul său preferat
înregistrat cu Pink Floyd.
Side one
1. "In the Flesh?"
3:19
2. "The Thin Ice" Waters,
David Gilmour 2:29
3. "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1" 3:09
4. "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" 1:51
5. "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" Waters, Gilmour 3:59
6. "Mother" Waters, Gilmour 5:37
Total length: 20:11
Side two
7. "Goodbye Blue Sky"
Gilmour 2:47
8. "Empty Spaces"
2:08
9. "Young Lust" Gilmour,
Waters Gilmour 3:29
10. "One of My Turns"
3:37
11. "Don't Leave Me Now"
Waters, Gilmour 4:16
12. "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 3" 1:14
13. "Goodbye Cruel World"
1:13
Total length: 18:43
Side three
14. "Hey You" Gilmour, Waters 4:41
15. "Is There Anybody Out There?" 2:39
16. "Nobody Home"
3:24
17. "Vera" 1:33
18. "Bring the Boys Back Home" 1:27
19. "Comfortably Numb" Gilmour,
Waters Waters, Gilmour 6:23
Total
length: 20:09
Side four
20. "The Show Must Go On"
Gilmour 1:36
21. "In the Flesh"
4:16
22. "Run Like Hell" Gilmour,
Waters 4:23
23. "Waiting for the Worms" Waters, Gilmour 3:57
24. "Stop" 0:30
25. "The Trial" Bob
Ezrin, Waters 5:19
26. "Outside the Wall"
1:43
Total
length: 21:39
80:42
Personnel
Pink Floyd
Roger Waters – vocals, bass
guitar (1–6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 19, 21), EMS VCS 3 (1, 7, 8, 11, 16, 21, 23),
acoustic guitar (6, 17), electric guitar (12),[131] sleeve design,
co-production
David Gilmour – vocals,
electric guitar (1–6, 8–12, 14, 15, 19, 21–23, 25), acoustic guitar (6, 7, 14,
17, 19, 20), bass guitar (7, 9, 11, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25), Prophet-5
(2, 7, 8, 19, 23) and ARP Quadra synthesisers (8, 21), co-production
Nick Mason – drums (except
3, 6–8, 13, 15–18, 24, 26), percussion (10, 25)
Richard Wright – Hammond
organ (2, 4, 5, 9–11, 13, 14, 19, 23), Prophet-5 (1, 3–5, 7, 10–13, 15–17, 20,
22), piano (2, 8, 11, 25), ARP Quadra (14) and Minimoog synthesisers (3),
Fender Rhodes (14) and Wurlitzer electric pianos (9), clavinet (4)
Additional musicians
Bob Ezrin – co-producer,
piano (6, 10, 16, 20, 23, 24), Hammond organ and harmonium (6), Prophet-5 (15,
20, 21), orchestral arrangement and music (25), backing vocals (23)
James Guthrie – co-producer,
engineer, percussion (4), ARP Quadra (8, 21), sound effects (14, 22)
Michael Kamen – orchestral
arrangement (15, 19)
New York Orchestra –
orchestra (16, 17, 18, 25)
New York Opera – choral
vocals (18)
Fred Mandel – Hammond organ
(1, 21)
Jeff Porcaro – drums (6)
Lee Ritenour – rhythm guitar
(10), additional acoustic guitar (19)
Joe (Ron) di Blasi –
classical guitar (15)
Joe Porcaro[132] – snare
drums (18)
Bobbye Hall – congas and
bongos (22)
Frank Marocco – concertina
(26)
Larry Williams – clarinet
(26)
Trevor Veitch – mandolin
(26)
Bruce Johnston – backing
vocals[133] (1, 20, 21, 23)
Toni Tennille – backing
vocals (1, 20, 21, 23)
Joe Chemay – backing vocals
(1, 20, 21, 23)
Jon Joyce – backing vocals
(1, 20, 21, 23)
Stan Farber – backing vocals
(1, 20, 21, 23)
Jim Haas – backing vocals
(1, 20, 21, 23)
Children of Islington Green
School – vocals (5)
Harry Waters – child's voice
(7)
Trudy Young – voice of the
groupie (10)
Vicki Brown and Clare Torry
(credited simply as "Vicki & Clare") – backing vocals (25)
Phil Taylor – sound effects
(22)
Chris Fitzmorris – male
telephone voice (9)
Production
Nick Griffiths – engineer
Patrice Quef – engineer
Brian Christian – engineer
Rick Hart – engineer
Doug Sax – mastering at The
Mastering Lab
John McClure – engineer
Phil Taylor – sound
equipment
Gerald Scarfe – sleeve
design
Krieg Wunderlich – remastering
on Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab 24kt gold CD
Doug Sax, James Guthrie –
1994 remastering at The Mastering Lab
James Guthrie, Joel Plante –
2011 remastering at das boot recording
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