The Wall Pink Floyd
Released in 1979, Movie made in 1982
Track listing courtesy of Wikipedia
The Wall is impressive on many levels. It is amazing as an album and powerful in it's influence on the history of music. It wasn't the first rock opera ever but it is definitely one of the best and most iconic ever produced. The difference between a rock opera and a typical rock album is that there is a story being told throughout the album. The Wall, like many rock operas, is best when listened to in it's entirety like you would any other opera, play or movie.
The story becomes a lot more involved if you read about the origins and motivation for it. It was composed during a time where Pink Floyd was playing stadium concerts and feeling increasingly disconnected and isolated from the audience. This is something that most superstar status performers experience except it was likely combined with a lot of hard drugs which probably made it a little worse. The protagonist of the story is Pink and is based on the bassist and lyricist Roger Waters. Different parts of Pink's life are told throughout the album. He progresses from a troubled child to a famous/delusional rockstar. The Wall is a representation of the wall that Pink wants to build between himself and his audience to further his self-isolation.
Pink Floyd The Wall is the film adaptation of the album. The idea of making a movie of it existed before recording the album even began. Watching the film is an entirely different experience but is also considered one of the greatest modern musicals. It's the same music from the album with a bit of dialog added. I haven't watched it in years but I probably should just to see if I view it differently now.
Listen to it. Watch it.
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