On January 21, 1977, Pink Floyd released their album Animals. This album was Pink Floyd’s follow-up to Wish you Were Here. The central concept of this album came from the novel, Animal Farm, written by George Orwell. The novel inspired Pink Floyd bass player and songwriter, Roger Waters to turn this idea of Orwell’s into an album. The concept behind both the album and the novel has three different animals. First, the album starts off with the track, Pigs on the wing 1. The concept is comparing Pigs to corrupt leaders and this first track is more about dealing with the corrupt leaders than the “Pigs” themselves. This leads us to the song, Dogs. Which are ruthless, cutthroat businessmen who learn how to control others and be heartless. The third track, Pigs (Three Different Ones) goes more in-depth into the concept of the corrupt leader. Not caring about the people and trying to hide their feelings and of course, being corrupt. The next track, Sheep describes the people at the bottom level. The people who just “follow the Shepherd” for no reason. The last song, Pigs on the Wing 2 brings us to the end. The last line that you hear on the album is, “And any fool knows a dog needs a home, a shelter, from pigs on the wing” This makes you question who is telling the story, and who the point of view coming from. This album makes you think about society and how a human functions in it.
It has been 45 years since this album was released. Many people still find this concept relevant and this album a masterpiece. This got us to a remix of the album. In 2018, Roger Waters and other members of Pink Floyd had the album remixed by engineer, James Guthrie. With band-member disputes over sleeve notes and other things, this album was put on the back burner. It was finally released on September 16, 2022. For the last month, I have been listening to this album, so I can give the most accurate review I can. The track list is the same and the songs themselves have no lyrical or instrumental changes. The cover has been updated with a new picture of the Battersea Power Station, which was on the old cover. This new cover, while less colorful, adds a darker feel to the album itself. I get a warmer, modern feel as well. The new cover has the station surrounded by cranes and train tracks. Big gray clouds fill the sky of the station to overshadow its big presence. This remix overall gives the listener a clearer sound. Since the original album was recorded in Britannia Row with cheaper gear, all the modern sounds like the echoes and animal noises were muddy sounding. With this remix, all of that was cleared up. You can clearly hear everything and it doesn’t get lost in the mix. Also, the bass and drums are louder and not just background elements. The best example is in the intro of Pigs (Three different ones). I can clearly hear every single note picked in that song. The bass doesn’t just become the bottom buzzing noise. The drums throughout the album aren’t as smooth and washy as the original. The drums now have a nice sharp sound. They don’t blend in as one anymore. They all act as different elements to make one kit instead of just one big pile of sounds mixed in together. The only bad thing I get from the drum end of things is sometimes the cowbell gets lost in the mix of Pigs (Three different ones). But that’s really the worst I could find!
Now, on to my favorite part, the guitar. The first time listening, I could tell right away that the guitar was brighter. The lead and harmony parts in Dogs stick right out and fill the song with a smooth piercing tone. The acoustic guitar also sounds very nice. I can hear every single strum and echo. The vocals sound like they were done with modern equipment. Very prominent and tight. The word “Stone '' in the midsection of Dogs is repeated many times and I can tell that David Gilmour is saying it every time the echo comes through. The original mix kind of lost that sort of thing. Richard Wright’s keyboard work is also highlighted well in this remix. The remix really brings the important parts out when it needs. I feel like the original mix just kept all the volumes and eq levels the same for everything, which made it muddy. This new version really made everything as clear and modern as it could be without changing the classic sound or appeal to the music. This new remix really made this masterpiece something modern. The album sounds new but doesn’t take away the fact that it was made in the late 70s. I would recommend any music listener to this album. It is a classic idea with a modern feel!
David Gilmour (Pink Floyd Vocalist and Guitarist)