Concept album takes on Orwell

By 1977, Pink Floyd had achieved the kind of lucrative success of which most bands only dream. The consecutive releases of Darkside of the Moon and Wish You Were Here launched them into international stardom. So how did they follow up these two career defining albums? By releasing what was easily their least accessible, and yet in many ways best album: Animals. With all of the songs coming in at under a minute and a half or well over 10 minutes, the album received zero radio play. The clear message was that Pink Floyd was not going to cater to their fans. And the result is a brilliant album that seems to have escaped the eye of most listeners save the true Floyd fan.\nBehind The Wall, Animals is Pink Floyd's most clearly conceptualized album. It is loosely based on the George Orwell book "Animal Farm," although it is influential more in its theme than its actual content. The album is a social critique of three segments of the population, the heartless corporate Dogs, the manipulative political Pigs and the manipulated masses of Sheep. \nIt is funny that on an album that is so clearly written by the band's lead singer and bassist, Roger Waters, the thing that stands out most is David Gilmour's guitar work. His guitar screams throughout the album, often sending shivers down your spine as one of his solos hits its crescendo. I wish there were a less geeky way to describe it, but I don't think there is.\nWhile Darkside, Wish You Were Here and The Wall will eternally remain the most popular releases from The Floyd, Animals is probably their most representative album, both musically and thematically, and is probably their most influential album as well. As you listen to the tracks you can almost hear the foundations for bands like Radiohead and Phish. In other words, this album rules.