The story of Pink Floyd's iconic "Wall," inspired by spitting and childhood tragedies
"The Wall." - a great phenomenon in the world of rock. It's not just an album - it's a true play, rock opera, a profound narrative About PinkHe is a man who has separated himself from the outside world by a blank wall. There are references in this crazy musical performance to both childhood and the character traits of Roger Watersand to the first leader of Pink Floyd - Syd Barrettwho drowned in his own madness, but in spite of everything remained a legend in our hearts.
This concept album makes us wonder when detachment from society grows into something wild, insane. The work is different hard style and a well-conceived concept (the overlapping phrases at the beginning and in the final "...Where did we come from?" and "Isn't this the place..." create the effect of an endless narrative). What's more remarkable, this is the last Pink Floyd album that demonstrates the cohesion and mastery of classic lineup: at the mixing stage, the keyboard player Richard Wright was dismissed (although he did perform with the group on a subsequent tour).
The release of "The Wall" was accompanied by pompous tour with extremely high theatricality, and a few years later the world saw a feature film of the same name with Bob Geldof as the crazy hermit rock star Pink. "Wall" significantly different from anything Floyd had done before-what music bands had done before at all. Not surprisingly, the audience was surprised and, for the most part, admired. This work was the most commercially successful for the period of the early '80s: released on two discs, it went viral in 10 years 23 million copies only in the United States.
"Spitting in Eternity."
The idea for "The Wall" was born entirely by accident, after Roger Waters spit in his fan's face. It happened during the tour "In the Flesh" 1977 The fans behaved noisily and wildly, and eventually drove the musician out of his mind. It was an outburst of emotion, anger, anger... But soon the bass player regretted about what he had done. This incident has led him to think About the "wall" - the barrier between him and the public, which he himself had erected.
"Throughout the whole tour I was accompanied by a feeling of alienation. It didn't seem right to me...".
Overcoming financial difficulties
Work on The Wall boiled over in the middle of 1978But soon the unpleasant detail becomes clear: the group is in disrepair financial situation! For this reason there was no chance of low chart success. In order to create a true masterpiece, Waters even decided to back up and bring in an "outside producer.
"I needed someone who fully shared my spiritual, intellectual and musical views."
And that's what it turned out to be. Bob Ezrin.He was already known at that time for his work with Alice Cooper, Lou Reed and Kiss. But in spite of worthy track record, Waters immediately identified who was in the studio main:
"I just told him, 'You can write all you want, but don't even count on my violent reaction!
The work was painstaking! But Ezrin, Gilmore, and Waters pulled it off! When they introduced the other members of Floyd 40-page script of what would later become "The Wall," no one was left indifferent!
The concept and meaning of the compositions
At the center of the album Pink - the protagonist, who for years has been erecting around him "wall." (Not literally, of course). It all started when he was a child, when he lost his father. Then there was school, where, according to Pink, "teachers brainwashed children," a rock star career and disappointment in marriage, addictions and outbursts of anger... At some point Pink ended his wall "the last brick."and finally cut himself off from society.
Total album included 26 tracks. In these compositions Roger Waters expressed own frustrations from life: he lost his father early, he hated the English school, his wife was not faithful to him - however, he himself was spoiled by female attention on the side.
"The idea of The Wall was inspired by my own childhood. It's important to realize that all the sorrows endured at that tender age stay with us for life in the form of dark shadows..."
The Wall also contains references to Syd Barrett. For example - in "Nobody Home." describes the unstable mental state of the leader:
"My eyes goggle wildly,
And I am deeply convinced that I can fly.
But I have nowhere to go..."
"Hey You." - one of the most important songs on the album.
In it, Pink urges people hiding behind their walls to normal relationship. It also mentions about worms - they represent the decay of man from within.
"I put up a wall between me and the audience on purpose. I was genuinely afraid. I was afraid that people would find out that I was two different people on stage and I was two different people in real life!
