Animals is a concept album by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released on 23
January 1977 in the UK and on 2 February 1977 in the U.S.
The album proved a success in the United Kingdom, where it reached #2 in the era of punk
music. It was also a success in the U.S., reaching #3 on the Billboard album charts (#1 and #2
were Hotel California by The Eagles, and the soundtrack to the Barbara Streisand film A Star Is
Born). However, it was on the American charts for only six months even though it has continued
to sell solidly, to the extent of its having gone quadruple platinum, according to the RIAA.
In the UK, the British Phonographic Industry awarded the album Gold (100,000 units) in 1977. It
has yet to achieve Platinum.
Animals is a concept album, based on the flaws of capitalism. Various castes in society are
represented as different types of animals (Dogs as the businessmen, sheep as the powerless
pawns, and pigs as the ruthless leaders). Although this album mainly attacks capitalism, several
components are similar to George Orwell's novel "Animal Farm": In the book various animals
(mainly pigs, sheep, dogs, etc.) represent different roles assumed by individuals in a communist
society.
While singer and guitarist David Gilmour is only credited for the music of one track, the epic
"Dogs" (previously known as "You Gotta Be Crazy"), this song and "Raving and Drooling", a
Waters song which would later become "Sheep", were created at the same time as "Shine On
You Crazy Diamond", and originally destined for Wish You Were Here. Their creation process
was similar to the method the band used during the late sixties and early seventies. They would
adapt and expand their compositions by performing them live, and later in the studio find a
more coherent form and concept for the whole album, with Waters writing the lyrics. Animals
was the last Pink Floyd album created in this way, as the subsequent The Wall and The Final
Cut, were primarily conceived by Waters and worked out in the studio with some input from
Gilmour. Although Rick Wright admittedly did not contribute much compositionally, he had some
influence on the arrangement of the songs, including solo playing on "Dogs" and "Sheep". As
with "Welcome to the Machine" and "Wish You Were Here" on Wish You Were Here, Waters
wrote "Pigs on the Wing" and "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" to tie together the other songs in
the album's concept. His dominance in the writing credits and the discrepancy with the actual
creation process is directly related to the increasing tensions within the band.
The three core songs are bookended by a pair of love songs written by Waters for his then-wife
Caroline:[citation needed] "Pigs on the Wing, Part 1" and "Pigs on the Wing, Part 2". Both are in
stark contrast to the misanthropic middle three songs, and suggest that companionship can
help us overcome our flaws – though the final lines suggest that the singer is or was once one
of the dogs. For the 8-track cartridge release, which looped, Parts 1 and 2 were linked by a
guitar bridge performed by Snowy White (subsequently available on White's 1996 album
"Goldtop: Groups & Sessions"), and the 17:08 song "Dogs" was cut into two tracks.
The giant, helium-filled pig seen on the cover was actually flown over Battersea Power Station
for the photo shoot (under the direction of Storm Thorgerson). On the first day of shooting, a
marksman was on hand in case the pig broke free. However, according to Thorgerson, this was
considered an "insurance problem", and he was not hired for the second day of shooting.
Ironically, on December 3, 1976, during the second day, a gust of wind broke the pig free of its
moorings. Because there was no one to shoot the pig down, it sailed away into the morning sky.
A passenger plane reported seeing the pig, causing all the flights at London Heathrow Airport
to be delayed[citation needed]. A police helicopter was sent up to track the pig, but was forced
to return after following the pig to an altitude of 5,000 feet. A warning was sent out to pilots that
a giant, flying pink pig was loose in the area[citation needed]. The CAA lost radar contact on
the pig near Chatham in Kent, at a height of 18,000 feet and flying East. It finally landed in a
farmer's field, without much damage. They then repaired the pig, and flew it up for a third time.
The resulting pictures were not deemed suitable on their own (as the clear, blue sky from day
three was thought to be much less evocative), and the final image was made as a composite of
the power station picture from day one and the pig from day three.
The album had custom picture labels, using drummer Nick Mason's handwriting as a typeface,
as did the lyrics on the liner sleeve. Side one's label depicted a fish-eye lens view of a dog and
the English countryside. Side two's was similar, but featured a pig and sheep instead of the dog.
Originally released on Columbia Records in the U.S. and Harvest Records in the UK, Animals
was then remastered in 1992 for its inclusion on the Shine On box set. The remaster was
subsequently released on its own by EMI in 1994. In 1997, Columbia Records issued an
updated remaster in the United States, Canada, Australia, South America and Japan. Animals
was again re-released in April 2000 by Capitol Records in the US, and on the EMI label in
Japan, Canada, South America and Australia again using the 1992 Shine On remaster along
with the artwork from the 1994 EMI Europe reissue.
January 1977 in the UK and on 2 February 1977 in the U.S.
The album proved a success in the United Kingdom, where it reached #2 in the era of punk
music. It was also a success in the U.S., reaching #3 on the Billboard album charts (#1 and #2
were Hotel California by The Eagles, and the soundtrack to the Barbara Streisand film A Star Is
Born). However, it was on the American charts for only six months even though it has continued
to sell solidly, to the extent of its having gone quadruple platinum, according to the RIAA.
In the UK, the British Phonographic Industry awarded the album Gold (100,000 units) in 1977. It
has yet to achieve Platinum.
Animals is a concept album, based on the flaws of capitalism. Various castes in society are
represented as different types of animals (Dogs as the businessmen, sheep as the powerless
pawns, and pigs as the ruthless leaders). Although this album mainly attacks capitalism, several
components are similar to George Orwell's novel "Animal Farm": In the book various animals
(mainly pigs, sheep, dogs, etc.) represent different roles assumed by individuals in a communist
society.
While singer and guitarist David Gilmour is only credited for the music of one track, the epic
"Dogs" (previously known as "You Gotta Be Crazy"), this song and "Raving and Drooling", a
Waters song which would later become "Sheep", were created at the same time as "Shine On
You Crazy Diamond", and originally destined for Wish You Were Here. Their creation process
was similar to the method the band used during the late sixties and early seventies. They would
adapt and expand their compositions by performing them live, and later in the studio find a
more coherent form and concept for the whole album, with Waters writing the lyrics. Animals
was the last Pink Floyd album created in this way, as the subsequent The Wall and The Final
Cut, were primarily conceived by Waters and worked out in the studio with some input from
Gilmour. Although Rick Wright admittedly did not contribute much compositionally, he had some
influence on the arrangement of the songs, including solo playing on "Dogs" and "Sheep". As
with "Welcome to the Machine" and "Wish You Were Here" on Wish You Were Here, Waters
wrote "Pigs on the Wing" and "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" to tie together the other songs in
the album's concept. His dominance in the writing credits and the discrepancy with the actual
creation process is directly related to the increasing tensions within the band.
The three core songs are bookended by a pair of love songs written by Waters for his then-wife
Caroline:[citation needed] "Pigs on the Wing, Part 1" and "Pigs on the Wing, Part 2". Both are in
stark contrast to the misanthropic middle three songs, and suggest that companionship can
help us overcome our flaws – though the final lines suggest that the singer is or was once one
of the dogs. For the 8-track cartridge release, which looped, Parts 1 and 2 were linked by a
guitar bridge performed by Snowy White (subsequently available on White's 1996 album
"Goldtop: Groups & Sessions"), and the 17:08 song "Dogs" was cut into two tracks.
The giant, helium-filled pig seen on the cover was actually flown over Battersea Power Station
for the photo shoot (under the direction of Storm Thorgerson). On the first day of shooting, a
marksman was on hand in case the pig broke free. However, according to Thorgerson, this was
considered an "insurance problem", and he was not hired for the second day of shooting.
Ironically, on December 3, 1976, during the second day, a gust of wind broke the pig free of its
moorings. Because there was no one to shoot the pig down, it sailed away into the morning sky.
A passenger plane reported seeing the pig, causing all the flights at London Heathrow Airport
to be delayed[citation needed]. A police helicopter was sent up to track the pig, but was forced
to return after following the pig to an altitude of 5,000 feet. A warning was sent out to pilots that
a giant, flying pink pig was loose in the area[citation needed]. The CAA lost radar contact on
the pig near Chatham in Kent, at a height of 18,000 feet and flying East. It finally landed in a
farmer's field, without much damage. They then repaired the pig, and flew it up for a third time.
The resulting pictures were not deemed suitable on their own (as the clear, blue sky from day
three was thought to be much less evocative), and the final image was made as a composite of
the power station picture from day one and the pig from day three.
The album had custom picture labels, using drummer Nick Mason's handwriting as a typeface,
as did the lyrics on the liner sleeve. Side one's label depicted a fish-eye lens view of a dog and
the English countryside. Side two's was similar, but featured a pig and sheep instead of the dog.
Originally released on Columbia Records in the U.S. and Harvest Records in the UK, Animals
was then remastered in 1992 for its inclusion on the Shine On box set. The remaster was
subsequently released on its own by EMI in 1994. In 1997, Columbia Records issued an
updated remaster in the United States, Canada, Australia, South America and Japan. Animals
was again re-released in April 2000 by Capitol Records in the US, and on the EMI label in
Japan, Canada, South America and Australia again using the 1992 Shine On remaster along
with the artwork from the 1994 EMI Europe reissue.
(c) 2008 unclestinkstradingpost.com
Roger Waters – vocals, bass, acoustic guitar,
rhythm guitar, sleeve design
David Gilmour – guitars, bass, vocals, talk box,
synthesizer
Richard Wright – Hammond organ, Fender
Rhodes piano, Yamaha piano, ARP synthesizer,
backing vocals
Nick Mason – drums, percussion, sleeve
graphics
rhythm guitar, sleeve design
David Gilmour – guitars, bass, vocals, talk box,
synthesizer
Richard Wright – Hammond organ, Fender
Rhodes piano, Yamaha piano, ARP synthesizer,
backing vocals
Nick Mason – drums, percussion, sleeve
graphics
"It wasn't a great, one of the most productive periods of our life I
don't think. We used those two tracks, which went back to '74 and
changed the names and doctored them around and stuff and stuck
them on the album. I like them, I love that album. It's exciting and
noisy and fun and it's got really good bits of effects and stuff on it
but it's not one of our creative high points really. ”
- David Gilmour, May 1992, Pink Floyd: The 25th Anniversary
Special, Westwood One.
“ I didn't really like a lot of the music on the album. I have to say I
didn't fight very hard to put my stuff on and I didn't have anything
to put on. I played on it. I think I played really well but I didn't
contribute to the writing on it and also I think Roger was kind of not
letting me do that. I think it was the start of the whole ego thing in
the band, Animals. ”
– Rick Wright, November 1994, BBC Omnibus Pink Floyd Special
1994.
don't think. We used those two tracks, which went back to '74 and
changed the names and doctored them around and stuff and stuck
them on the album. I like them, I love that album. It's exciting and
noisy and fun and it's got really good bits of effects and stuff on it
but it's not one of our creative high points really. ”
- David Gilmour, May 1992, Pink Floyd: The 25th Anniversary
Special, Westwood One.
“ I didn't really like a lot of the music on the album. I have to say I
didn't fight very hard to put my stuff on and I didn't have anything
to put on. I played on it. I think I played really well but I didn't
contribute to the writing on it and also I think Roger was kind of not
letting me do that. I think it was the start of the whole ego thing in
the band, Animals. ”
– Rick Wright, November 1994, BBC Omnibus Pink Floyd Special
1994.
Pink Floyd - Animals