Pink Floyd - Animals (Poll and discussion thread)

That's why we invented self-loathing.

Definitely some of the best Floyd lyrics too -- the way the first verse refashions cliches into new idioms that sound like cliches but aren't ("Sleep on your toes" "pick out the easy meat with your eyes closed" "you've got to strike when the moment is right without thinking")

And honestly probably Gilmour's bet soloing, and one of Nick Mason's finest moments too

Definitely some of the best Floyd lyrics too -- the way the first verse refashions cliches into new idioms that sound like cliches but aren't ("Sleep on your toes" "pick out the easy meat with your eyes closed" "you've got to strike when the moment is right without thinking")

― longtime caller, first time listener (man alive), Sunday, December 6, 2020 11:46 PM (thirty-two seconds ago) bookmarkflaglink

It's too late to lose the weight you used to throw around

Also a great balance of lead vocal between Gilmour and Waters. You can't imagine them switching which verses they sing, even though it's the same melody.

I will never not stan for Dogs

we don't deserve Dogs

mods, lock thread, thx

BLEATING AND BABBLING WE FELL ON HIS NECK WITH A SCREAM

WAVE UPON WAVE OF DEMENTED AVENGERS MARCH CHEERFULLY OUT OF OBSCURITY INTO THE DREAM

AND AFTER A WHILE

YOU CAN WORK ON POINTS FOR STYLE

LIKE THE CLUB TIE, AND THE FIRM HANDSHAKE
A CERTAIN LOOK IN THE EYE AND AN EEEEASY SMILE

WHAT A SURPRISE! A LOOK OF TERMINAL SHOCK IN man alive

This album on paper is the sort of thing I assume I'd hate but listening to it this year, just while doing mundane shit around the house, really hit me hard.

sheep 4 ever

When I reached a certain age of young adulthood, I started to think Pink Floyd's themes were a caricature of adulthood by people who had never really had to experience it, and started to think that it was music for moody 15-year-olds. But now as an adult I see that it's a caricature in the best sort of sense -- one that captures certain qualities and exaggerates them for biting effect.

dogs: perfect song
pigs: perfect song
sheep: perfect song
pigs on a wing: fitting that this extended meditation on alienation is bookended by a love song

Pigs and sheep are both v good songs but I can't imagine this record as one of the "big 4" without Dogs.

that's probably fair, i should've described "dogs" as the "perfectest song"

<3

at the risk of breaking up our harmony . . . pigs is less perfect than dogs and sheep

but i'm sure we can agree that they all rule

yeah, it's good but it sounds a bit like a very strong pre-Wall outtake or something.

idk man every time i listen to “pigs” i think “wow i love this song the bass is really good”

ha ha charade you are + that creepy harmony on “cryyy”... song is sick

i don't mean to suggest that it's not sick or doesn't rule

but i do suggest a line between it and some others

perhaps

i just have this experience listening to animals where every song comes on and it is the best song but y’all are right

ugh sorry for interrupting the infinite bradness

charade you are

Pigs seems more aligned with Have A Cigar, rather than with any track from The Wall.

My personal Rule of Rules is that the classic quartet rules, anything less does not.

Pigs could seem like merely a finger-pointing song, it's the bridge that really makes it transcendent and gives it universal significance.

It was a real coup to decide to split the weakest song in two; seeing as if you put both verses of Pigs On the Wing at the beginning or end, it would throw the entire record off balance.

YOU RADIATE COLD SHAFTS OF BROKEN GLASS

xp Pink Floyd were masters of the reprise

TIL from Wikipedia that the bass on Pigs is Gilmour. I shouldn't be surprised, it is indeed really good

both of those dudes played a mean bass

mentioned this in the controversial opinions thread, but the rhythm section grooves like crazy on this record, especially on "pigs" and "sheep," which probably not coincidentally both have gilmour on bass. waters had many strengths as a bass player, i love how his gentle loping style adds to the vibe on slower tracks and obviously he could come up with a snappy bass line when he felt like it, but gilmour's style is a much better match the driving, almost funky style that those songs require.

checking some of the groovier songs on the wall like "young lust" and "run like hell" and gilmour is credited on the bass for those too.

yeah that's basically what I was getting at. Love Waters too but Gilmour is funkier.

Animals and Meddle are probably their most underrated albums.

I don't think either are underrated? Hardly the right time or the place but I think "Animals" is now probably their most overrated album.

The Wall wins for most overrated imho

Animals and The Wall are both overrated imo.

you're all...about correctly rated

PINK FLOYD RULES

Animals (a great album; I listened to it two days ago) is overrated on ILX. Out in the real world, the response is generally, "Oh yeah...they did make one between Wish You Were Here and The Wall! You're right! Wow, I'd forgotten all about that! What songs are on that one?"

Most underrated? Neither More nor Obscured by Clouds appears on Acclaimed Music's Top 3000 albums. I think Ummagumma should get equal credit with The Court of the Crimson King for ushering in full-fledged progressive rock.

of all the major floyd records, animals is prob still the least thought-of and canonized on u.s classic rock radio so it is hard for me to think of it as overrated. maybe it’s overrated in the uk and on ilx

Not only on ILX tbf. RYM rates it ahead of Meddle and right behind Dark Side of the Moon. Its reputation seems to have greatly improved over the past decade or so, which is totally warranted, just… not to this extent.

the response is generally, "Oh yeah...they did make one between Wish You Were Here and The Wall! You're right! Wow, I'd forgotten all about that! What songs are on that one?"

yeah I think the main thing is it's the one "peak" Waters era album that didn't produce any radio staples

i guess for me, someone whose gone through several phases of disowning the waters-era stuff in favor of the barrett-era (piper still rates high for me and i think it's a really special record) and later the sort of headless exploratory unit they became after barrett left (their live peak, it takes a really incredible band for me to seek out their bootlegs but pink floyd rules), rediscovering animals was revelatory; i know there was a really black mood growing among the members at this point but they all sound like they're at the peak of their powers and are responding to each other's ideas even as these ideas were growing increasingly siloed from each other. also anytime wright stretches out it is just beautiful. every song brings something to the table sonically, melodically, and thematically, which is also true of wish you were here (i love dark side and would include it but i lost the ability to actually hear it decades ago) but it's not necessarily true of my previous favorite floyd record meddle. in conclusion pink floyd rules and i think debating what is internally overrated and underrated in their discography may be really silly

also as many ppl have pointed out animals is really groovy