This is a rare example of an album that I loved when it originally came out, but I’ve cooled on it in recent years. The concept is simple - a monstrously self obsessed rock star who blames everybody else for his problems. He starts with being angry with his father for dying in the war, his mother for being over protective, his school teachers for trying to educate him, his wife for not having much to say to him and even has a go at the “dirty” groupies who want to have sex with him. When all of that becomes too much to bear, he builds a massive wall and becomes a fascist. Is this all starting to sound a little familiar?
I mean, Roger Waters is not exactly being subtle here. I could even accept it as an allegory, if it turned out that fabulously wealthy rock star Waters hadn’t literally spat in the face of a fan at a 1977 gig and fantasised about building a wall to separate him from the great unwashed. He also managed to fall out with his band mates on a spectacular level, getting rid of keyboardist Rick Wright, refusing to comp producer Bob Ezrin a ticket for the touring show, before finally quitting the band himself in 1982 and refusing to speak to any of them again.
For an epic concept album about an isolated rock star with a tough upbringing who becomes a cult like figure, The Who did it first (and better) with Tommy, as did Bowie with Ziggy Stardust.
As much as I like the musicianship of Dave Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright, I just can’t take Waters self-pitying vocals any more - if I want to listen to these songs again I’d happily choose the Scissor Sisters cover of Comfortably Numb or if you can track it down online Luther Wright and the Wrongs countrified version of the whole album.
https://album.link/gb/i/1065975633
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