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. Behind 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.
