The Wall is the 11th studio album released by English rock band Pink Floyd.

Released: 30th November 1979 (Harvest and Columbia Records).

A rock opera about the jaded rock star, Pink, whose self-imposed isolations from society forms a figurative wall around him. The album topped the US charts for 15 weeks and reached number 3 in the UK. It had since its release received accolades as one of the greatest albums of all time and one of the bands finest works.

“In the Flesh?”	3:16
2.	“The Thin Ice”	2:27
3.	“Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1”	3:11
4.	“The Happiest Days of Our Lives”	1:46
5.	“Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2”	3:59
6.	“Mother”	5:32
7.	“Goodbye Blue Sky”	2:45
8.	“Empty Spaces”	2:10
9.	“Young Lust”	3:25
10.	“One of My Turns”	3:41
11.	“Don’t Leave Me Now”	4:08
12.	“Another Brick in the Wall, Part 3”	1:18
13.	“Goodbye Cruel World”	1:16
14.	“Hey You”	4:40
15.	“Is There Anybody Out There?”	2:44
16.	“Nobody Home”	3:26
17.	“Vera”	1:35
18.	“Bring The Boys Back Home”	1:21
19.	“Comfortably Numb”	6:23
20.	“The Show Must Go On”	1:36
21.	“In the Flesh”	4:15
22.	“Run Like Hell”	4:23
23.	“Waiting for the Worms”	3:59
24.	“Stop”	0:30
25.	“The Trial”	5:13
26.	“Outside the Wall”	1:41
Total length:	80:39

I copied the table from Wikipedia for ease of viewing. The album consists of 26 songs and is the second best selling album from Pink Floyd after the Dark Side of the Moon. Ranked numerous times as one of the greatest concept albums in the history of the world.

What can I say other than it really is magnificent. I first listened to this album many years ago, and tonight, I have listened to it again for the first time in a long time. I have listened from beginning to end, and the album has many vibes, including dystopian, themes of world war two, science fiction to an extent, horror, and more. Unbelievable is that this album sounds fantastic on YouTube. I do have the CD set, and have done for nearly ten years, but tonight I used my TV since the speakers are quite good. I began to listen and expected to feel like ‘Oh I’ve listened before.’ But I didn’t because its been such a long time. It all sounded great, and you could mistake it for a modern day album, no I am not kidding you. The accompanying movie shot to fame, and so too the various tours, specifically Roger Waters come back tour around 2013 in which he toured The Wall live and it was the biggest grossing comeback concert for a solo artist. There were many years of strife between the band members which is a shame, because looking at The Wall, Dark Side, and others in which they collaborated, you see real genius.

It isn’t often I say this, but Pink Floyd as a band stayed in my heart for many years, because their artistic ability and music defy age, gender, space, time and any notion that music is dead. The album The Wall produced the worldwide single hit ‘Comfortable Numb’ which went on to be covered by various bands and musicians, and used throughout culture and movie. Other great songs from the album include ‘Hey You’ and ‘In the Flesh’ both standout songs. The album can come across as melancholy, but in hindsight, is actually more of a dark disturbing drama. Remember, Pink is isolated, Comfortable numb, waiting for the worms. His life has taken a dark yet extremely recognisable turn.

The album is more relevant now to helping people with mental health problems, especially given the isolation issues over the last few years. We see also themes of mind control in ‘Another Brick in the Wall parts 1, 2 and 3. Each highlighting that ‘we don’t need no education. We don’t need no thought control.’ Each sentence conceived from the direct experience of the band members who grew up in an abusive school system which abused its students and used corporal punishment on young children. It is not a surprise then that the songs are conveying strong uncomfortable messages about reality, especially back in the British schools of the 70s. For me, the album is up there at number 2 as well.

Albums like this don’t need much reviewing, the music speaks for itself, and yet, people will be divided by the music and some will hate it, the same reason they never go back to listen again, because deep down they know its good ****.

Overall rating – 5 stars

It is British progressive rock at its best.