The Wall
Studio albumby Pink Floyd
Released	30November1979
Recorded	December 1978 – November 1979
Studio	Various
Genre	Art rock progressive rock progressive pop
Length	80:39
Label	Harvest
Producer	Bob Ezrin David Gilmour James Guthrie Roger Waters
Pink Floydchronology
Animals (1977) The Wall (1979) A Collection of Great Dance Songs (1981)
SinglesfromThe Wall
"Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" Released: 23 November 1979 "Run Like Hell" Released: 17 April 1980 "Comfortably Numb" Released: 23 June 1980

The Wallis the 11th studio album by English rock bandPink Floyd, released 30 November 1979 onHarvestandColumbia Records. It is arock operathat explores Pink, a jaded rockstar whose "wall" represents his eventual self-imposed isolation from society. The album was a commercial success, topping the US charts for 15 weeks, and reaching number three in the UK. It initially received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom found it overblown and pretentious, but later received accolades as one of the finest albums of all time.

BassistRoger WatersconceivedThe Wallduring Pink Floyds 1977In The Fleshtour, modelling the character of Pink after himself and former bandmateSyd Barrett. Recording spanned from December 1978 to November 1979. ProducerBob Ezrinhelped to refine the concept and bridge tensions during recording, as the band were struggling with personal and financial issues at the time.The Wallis the last album to featurePink Floyd as a quartet; keyboardistRichard Wrightwas fired by Waters during production, but stayed on as a salaried musician. Three singles were issued from the album: "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" (the bands only UK number-one single), "Run Like Hell", and "Comfortably Numb". From 1980 to 1981, Pink Floyd performed the full album ona tourthat featured elaborate theatrical effects. In 1982,The Wallwasadapted into a feature film, for which Waters wrote the screenplay.

The Wallis one of the best-knownconcept albums.With over 24 million copies sold, it is the second best-selling album in the bands catalogue (behindThe Dark Side of the Moon) and one of thebest-selling albums of all time. Some of the outtakes from the recording sessions were used on the groups next album,The Final Cut(1983). In 2000 it was voted number 30 inColin LarkinsAll Time Top 1000 Albums.In 2003 and 2012,Rolling StoneplacedThe Wallat number 87 on its list of thegreatest albums of all time, and at number 129 for its 2020 revision.From 2010 to 2013, Waters staged anewWalllive tourthat became the highest-grossing tour by a solo musician.

Background

In 1977, Pink Floyd played theIn the FleshTour, their first playing in stadiums. Bassist and singer-songwriterRoger Watersdespised the experience, feeling the audience was not listening and that many were too far away to see the band. He said: "It became a social event rather than a more controlled and ordinary relationship between musicians and an audience."Some audience members set off firecrackers, leading Waters to stop playing and scold them. In July 1977, on the final date at theMontreal Olympic Stadium, a group of noisy and excited fans near the stage irritated Waters so much that he spat on one of them.

Guitarist and singer-songwriterDavid Gilmourrefused to perform a final encore and sat at the soundboard,leaving the band, with backup guitaristSnowy White, to improvise a slow, sad12-bar blues, which Waters announced to the audience as "some music to go home to".That night, Waters spoke with producerBob Ezrinand Ezrins psychiatrist friend about the alienation and despair he was experiencing, and he articulated his desire to isolate himself by constructing a wall across the stage between the performers—himself, along with the rest of the band—and the audience.

While Gilmour and Wright were in France recording solo albums, and drummerNick Masonwas busy producingSteve HillagesGreen, Waters began to write material.The spitting incident became the starting point for a new concept, which explored the protagonists self-imposed isolation after years of traumatic interactions with authority figures and the loss of his father as a child.

In July 1978, Pink Floyd reconvened atBritannia Row Studios, where Waters presented two new ideas for concept albums. The first was a 90-minute demo with the working titleBricks in the Wall.The second was about a mans dreams across one night, and dealt with marriage, sex, and the pros and cons of monogamy and family life versus promiscuity.The band chose the first option; the second eventually became Waterss first solo album,The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking(1984).

By September, Pink Floyd were having financial problems and urgently needed to produce an album to make money.Financial planners Norton Warburg Group (NWG) had invested £1.3–3.3 million, up to £19.1million in contemporary value,of the groups money in high-riskventure capitalto reduce theirtax liabilities. The strategy failed when many of the businesses NWG invested in lost money, leaving the band facing tax rates potentially as high as 83 percent. "We madeDark Sideand it looked as if wed cracked it," recalled Waters. "Then suddenly these bastards had stolen it all. It looked as if we might be faced with huge tax bills for the money that had been lost. Eighty-three per cent was a lot of money in those days and we didnt have it."Pink Floyd terminated their relationship with NWG, demanding the return of uninvested funds."By force of necessity, I had to become closely involved in the business side," said Gilmour, "because no one around us has shown themselves sufficiently capable or honest to cope with it, and I saw with Norton Warburg that the shit was heading inexorably towards the fan. They werent the first crooks we stupidly allied ourselves with. Ever since then, theres not a penny that I havent signed for. I sign every cheque and examine everything."

To help manage the projects 26 tracks, Waters decided to bring in a producer and collaborator,feeling he needed "a collaborator who was musically and intellectually in a similar place to where I was".They hired Ezrin at the suggestion of Waterss then-girlfriendCarolyne Christie, who had worked as Ezrins secretary.Ezrin had worked withAlice Cooper,Lou Reed,Kiss, andPeter Gabriel.From the start, Waters made it clear who was in charge, telling him: "You can write anything you want. Just dont expect any credit."

Ezrin and Gilmour reviewed Waterss concept, discarding what they thought was not good enough. Waters and Ezrin worked mostly on the story, improving the concept.Ezrin presented a 40-page script to the rest of the band, with positive results. He recalled: "The next day at the studio, we had a table read, like you would with a play, but with the whole of the band, and their eyes all twinkled, because then they could see the album."Ezrin broadened the storyline, distancing it from the autobiographical work Waters had written and basing it on a composite character named Pink.Engineer Nick Griffiths later said: "Ezrin was very good inThe Wall, because he did manage to pull the whole thing together. Hes a very forceful guy. There was a lot of argument about how it should sound between Roger and Dave, and he bridged the gap between them."Waters wrote most of the album, with Gilmour co-writing "Comfortably Numb", "Run Like Hell", and "Young Lust",and Ezrin co-writing "The Trial".

Concept and storyline

	Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2 MENU 0:00 The disco beat used in "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" presented a marked change from Pink Floyds previous releases.[citation needed]
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The Wallis a rock operathat explores abandonment and isolation, symbolized by a wall. The songs create an approximate storyline of events in the life of the protagonist, Pink, a character based onSyd Barrettas well asRoger Waters,whose father was killed duringWorld War II, which is where Pink starts to build a metaphorical wall around himself. The album includes several references to former band memberSyd Barrett, including "Nobody Home", which hints at his condition during Pink Floyds abortive US tour of 1967, with lyrics such as "wild, staring eyes", "the obligatory Hendrix perm" and "elastic bands keeping my shoes on". "Comfortably Numb" was inspired by Waters injection with amuscle relaxantto combat the effects ofhepatitisduring theIn the Flesh Tour, while in Philadelphia.

Plot

Pink is a rock star, one of the many reasons which have left him depressed. Pink imagines a crowd of fans entering one of his concerts, and we begin aflashbackon his life, and it is revealed that his father was killeddefending the Anzio bridgeheadduringWorld War II, in Pinks infancy ("In the Flesh?"). Pinks mother raises him alone ("The Thin Ice"), and with the death of his father, Pink starts to build a metaphorical wall around himself ("Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1").

Growing older, Pink is tormented at school by tyrannical, abusive teachers ("The Happiest Days of Our Lives"), and memories of thesetraumasbecome metaphorical "bricks in the wall" ("Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2"). As an adult now, Pink remembers his oppressive and overprotective mother ("Mother") and his upbringing duringthe Blitz("Goodbye Blue Sky"). Pink soon marries, and is about to complete his "wall" ("Empty Spaces"). While touring in America, he turns to a willinggroupie("Young Lust"). After learning of his wifes infidelity, he brings the groupie back to his hotel room, only to trash it in a violent fit of rage, terrifying the groupie out of the room ("One of My Turns"). Pink, depressed, thinks about his wife, and feels trapped in his room ("Dont Leave Me Now"), and dismisses every traumatic experience he has ever had as a "brick" in the metaphorical wall ("Another Brick in the Wall, Part 3"), Pinks wall is now finished, completing his total isolation from human contact ("Goodbye Cruel World").

Immediately after the walls completion, Pink questions his decisions, ("Hey You"), and locks himself in his hotel room ("Is There Anybody Out There?"). Beginning to feel depressed, Pink turns to his possessions for comfort ("Nobody Home"), and yearns for the idea of reconnecting with his personal roots ("Vera"), Pinks mind flashes back to World War II, with the people demanding that the soldiers return home ("Bring the Boys Back Home"). Returning to the present, Pinks manager and roadies have busted into his hotel room, where they find him drugged and unresponsive. A paramedic injects him with drugs to enable him to perform ("Comfortably Numb").

This results in a hallucinatory on-stage performance ("The Show Must Go On") where he believes that he is afascistdictator, and that his concert is aNeo-Nazirally, at which he setsbrownshirt-like men on fans he considers unworthy ("In the Flesh"). He proceeds to attack ethnic minorities ("Run Like Hell"), and then holds a rally in suburban London, symbolizing his descent into insanity ("Waiting for the Worms"). Pinks hallucination then ceases, and he begs for everything to stop ("Stop"). Showing human emotion, he is tormented with guilt and places himself on trial ("The Trial"), his inner judge ordering him to "tear down the wall", opening Pink to the outside world ("Outside the Wall"). The album turns full circle with its closing words "Isnt this where ...", the first words of the phrase that begins the album, "... we came in?", with a continuation of the melody of the last song hinting at the cyclical nature of Waters theme.

Production

Recording

The album was recorded in several locations. In France, Super Bear Studios was used between January and July 1979, with Waters recording his vocals at the nearbyStudio Miraval.Michael Kamensupervised the orchestral arrangements atCBS Studiosin New York, in September.Over the next two months the band usedCherokee Studios, Producers Workshop andThe Village Recorderin Los Angeles. A plan to work with theBeach Boysat the Sundance Productions studio in Los Angeles was cancelled.

James Guthrie, recommended by previous Floyd collaboratorAlan Parsons, arrived early in the production process.He replacedengineerBrian Humphries, who was emotionally drained by his five years with the band.Guthrie was hired as a co-producer, but was initially unaware of Ezrins role: "I saw myself as a hot youngproducer...When we arrived, I think we both felt wed been booked to do the same job."The early sessions at Britannia Row were emotionally charged, as Ezrin, Guthrie and Waters each had strong ideas about the direction the album would take. Relations within the band were at a low ebb, and Ezrin became an intermediary between Waters and the rest of the band.

As Britannia Row was initially regarded as inadequate forThe Wall,the band upgraded much of its equipment,and by March another set of demos was complete. However, their former relationship with NWG placed them at risk of bankruptcy, and they were advised to leave the UK by no later than 6 April 1979, for a minimum of one year. Asnon-residents they would pay no UK taxesduring that time, and within a month all four members and their families had left. Waters moved to Switzerland, Mason to France, and Gilmour and Wright to theGreek Islands. Some equipment from Britannia Row was relocated in Super Bear Studios nearNice.Gilmour and Wright were both familiar with the studio and enjoyed its atmosphere, having recorded solo albums there. While Wright and Mason lived at the studio, Waters and Gilmour stayed in nearby houses. Mason later moved into Waterss villa nearVence, while Ezrin stayed in Nice.

Ezrins poor punctuality caused problems with the tight schedule dictated by Waters.Mason found Ezrins behaviour "erratic", but used his elaborate and unlikely excuses for his lateness as ammunition for "tongue-in-cheek resentment".Ezrins share of the royalties was less than the rest of the band and he viewed Waters as a bully, especially when Waters mocked him by having badges made that read NOPE (No Points Ezrin), alluding to his lesser share.Ezrin later said he had had marital problems and was not "in the best shape emotionally".

More problems became apparent when Waterss relationship with Wright broke down. The band were rarely in the studio together. Ezrin and Guthrie spliced Masons previously recorded drum tracks together, and Guthrie worked with Waters and Gilmour during the day, returning at night to record Wrights contributions. Wright, worried about the effect that the introduction of Ezrin would have on band relationships, was keen to have a producers credit on the album; their albums since 1969sMorehad credited production to "Pink Floyd".Waters agreed to a trial period with Wright producing, after which he was to be given a producers credit, but after a few weeks he and Ezrin expressed dissatisfaction with Wrights methods. A confrontation with Ezrin led to Wright working only at nights. Gilmour also expressed his annoyance, complaining that Wrights lack of input was "driving us all mad".Ezrin later reflected: "it sometimes felt that Roger was setting him up to fail. Rick gets performance anxiety. You have to leave him alone to freeform, to create..."

Wright was troubled by a failing marriage and the onset of depression, exacerbated by his non-residency. While the other band members brought their children, Wrights were older and could not join as they were attending school; he said he missed them "terribly".The bands holidays were booked for August, after which they were to reconvene at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles, butColumbiaoffered the band a better deal in exchange for a Christmas release of the album. Waters increased the bands workload accordingly, booking time at the nearby Studio Miraval.He also suggested recording in Los Angeles ten days earlier than agreed, and hiring another keyboardist to work alongside Wright, whose keyboard parts had not yet been recorded. Wright, however, refused to cut short his family holiday inRhodes.

Accounts of Wrights subsequent departure from the band differ. In his autobiography,Inside Out, Mason says that Waters called ORourke, who was travelling to the US on theQE2, and told him to have Wright out of the band by the time Waters arrived in LA to mix the album.In another version recorded by a later historian of the band, Waters called ORourke and asked him to tell Wright about the new recording arrangements, to which Wright responded: "Tell Roger to fuck off".Wright denied this, stating that the band had agreed to record only through the spring and early summer, and that he had no idea they were so far behind schedule. Mason later wrote that Waters was "stunned and furious",and felt that Wright was not doing enough.Gilmour was on holiday in Dublin when he learnt of Waterss ultimatum, and tried to calm the situation. He later spoke with Wright and gave him his support, but reminded him about his minimal contributions.Waters, however, insisted that Wright leave, or he would refuse to releaseThe Wall. Several days later, worried about their financial situation and the failing interpersonal relationships within the band, Wright quit. News of his departure was kept from the music press.Although his name did not appear on the album,he was employed as a session musician on the bands subsequent tour.

By August 1979, the running order was largely complete. Wright completed his duties at Cherokee Studios aided by session musiciansPeter WoodandFred Mandel, andJeff Porcaroplayed drums in Masons stead on "Mother".Mason left the final mix to Waters, Gilmour, Ezrin and Guthrie, and travelled to New York to record his debut solo album,Nick Masons Fictitious Sports.^{[55]In advance of its release, technical constraints led to some changes to the running order and content ofThe Wall, with "What Shall We Do Now?" replaced by the similar but shorter "Empty Spaces", and "Hey You" being moved from the end of side three to the beginning. With the November 1979 deadline approaching, the band left the inner sleeves of the album unchanged.}

Artwork and packaging

The albums cover art is one of Pink Floyds most minimal – a white brick wall and no text. Waters had a falling out withHipgnosisdesignerStorm Thorgersona few years earlier when Thorgerson had included the cover ofAnimalsin his bookThe Work of Hipgnosis: Walk Away René.The Wallis therefore the first album cover of the band sinceThe Piper at the Gates of Dawnnot to be created by the design group.^{[71]Issues of the album would include the lettering of the artist name and album title by cartoonistGerald Scarfe, either as a sticker on sleeve wrapping or printed onto the cover itself, in either black or red. Scarfe, who had previously created animations for the bands"In the Flesh" tour, also created the LPs inside sleeve art and labels of both vinyl records of the album, showing the eponymous wall in various stages of construction, accompanied by characters from the story. The drawings would be translated into dolls forThe WallTour, as well as intoScarfes animated segments shown during the tour and the film based on the album. It is notable that the stadium drawn in the inner sleeve looks a lot like theMontreal Olympic Stadiumwhere the albums concept happens to find its origin. It seems plausible that the artist was inspired by the stadiums appearance in 1977 and its inclined tower which was completed only at a third of its projected (and present) height, reminiscent of the many "towers" pictured in the artists stadium.}

Release and reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The Daily Telegraph
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
The Great Rock Discography	9/10
MusicHound Rock
Music Story
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Smash Hits	8/10
Sputnikmusic	5/5
The Village Voice	B–

When the completed album was played for an assembled group of executives at Columbias headquarters in California, several were reportedly unimpressed by what they heard.Matters had not been helped whenColumbia Recordsoffered Waters smaller publishing rights on the grounds thatThe Wallwas adouble album, a position he did not accept. When one executive offered to settle the dispute with a coin toss, Waters asked why he should gamble on something he owned. He eventually prevailed.The record companys concerns were alleviated when "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" reached number one in the UK, US, Norway, Portugal, West Germany and South Africa.It wascertifiedplatinum in the UK in December 1979, and platinum in the US three months later.

The Wallwas released in the UK and in the US on 30 November 1979.Coinciding with its release, Waters was interviewed by veteran DJTommy Vance, who played the album in its entirety onBBC Radio 1.Critical opinion of its content was mixed.Reviewing forRolling Stonein February 1980,Kurt Loderhailed it as "a stunning synthesis of Waterss by now familiar thematic obsessions" that "leaps to life with a relentless lyrical rage thats clearly genuine and, in its painstaking particularity, ultimately horrifying."By contrast,The Village VoicecriticRobert Christgauregarded it as "a dumb tribulations-of-a-rock-star epic" backed by "kitschy minimal maximalism with sound effects and speech fragments",adding inThe New York Timesthat itsworldviewis "self-indulgent" and "presents the self-pity of its rich, famous and decidedly postadolescent protagonist as a species of heroism".Melody Makerdeclared, "Im not sure whether its brilliant or terrible, but I find it utterly compelling."

Nevertheless, the album topped the Billboard charts for 15weeks,selling over a million copies in its first two months of salesand in 1999 was certified 23x platinum.It remains one of thebest-selling albumsof all time in the US,between 1979 and 1990 selling over 19million copies worldwide.The Wallis Pink Floyds second best selling album after 1973sThe Dark Side of the Moon. Engineer James Guthries efforts were rewarded in 1980 with aGrammyaward for Best Engineered Recording (non-classical).Rolling Stoneplaced it at number 87 on its500 Greatest Albums of All Timelist in 2003,maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list,although this was updated to 129 with the lists 2020 revision.Based on such rankings, the aggregate websiteAcclaimed MusiclistsThe Wallas the 152nd most acclaimed album in history.

Track listing

All tracks written byRoger Waters, except where noted.