Pink Floyd - "Animals"

I listened to Pink Floyd's 1977 LP "Animals" this weekend, something that I'm not sure I've done in 25+ years.  I certainly listened to it enough during and immediately after college, but it was an LP I never acquired on vinyl or CD.  Despite not having listened to it in so long, it's an LP that I think of frequently.  More on that later.

To begin, it's arguably Pink Floyd's most "forgotten" LP, if normalized for the status of the band at the time.  Sandwiched between landmarks of 1973's "Dark Side of the Moon" and 1979's "The Wall", and even 1975's slightly lesser masterpiece "Wish You Were Here", with no singles released and song running times of "1:24", "17:04", "11:28", "10:20", and "1:24", "Animals" is a singularity in their canon.  You could make an argument for "Obscured by Clouds" or "More", but those were movie soundtracks and probably should not count.  Even "Atom Heart Mother" had radio-friendly"Fat Old Sun", and "Meddle" had concert favorite "One of These Days".  Maybe "Ummagumma"?  But it doesn't feel right to compare Pink Floyd ca. 1969 to Pink Floyd ca. 1977 -- they were two very different bands in the space of about 8 years. 

This not to say the LP was not consequential -- in addition to providing an iconic cover (for example, see The Orb's 1993 tribute), did well on the charts, and generally had a cultural impact, if for no other reason than its associated tour providing the inspiration for "The Wall".*   It's just this: when's the last time you listened to this LP?  Even though you probably also quite like it?  

Why do I think of "Animals" more than I listen to it?  The reason is a theory that I hope to pursue further in future posts: "Animals" is the kind of LP that rounds out and strengthens a band's discography.  While every band wants to have a run of "Dark Side of the Moon", "Wish You Were Here", and "The Wall", most bands need more "Animals".  And you know who has released several "Animals"-level LPs?  Radiohead.  Not to belabor the Pink Floyd -- Radiohead analogy too much, but I would argue that their last three LPs, "In Rainbows", "The King of Limbs", and "A Moon-Shaped Pool", are all "Animals"-quality: important LPs that round out and strengthen the Radiohead discography, while still being obscured by LPs like "The Bends", "OK Computer", and "Kid A".  Think about it. 

Standout songs: All, but with special mention to "Dogs". (Full LP)

Skip 'em songs: none.

Final Score: 9/10

* Also, the lyrics give us a preview of "The Wall": It's the same "stone" in both "Dogs" ("Who was dragged down by the stone") and "Hey You" ("Hey you, would you help me to carry the stone?").

New Order - "Ceremony" (the song remains the same)

In my review of New Order's first LP, Movement, I stated that I especially liked New Order's early, post-Joy Division sound. Of all the songs to come out of that era, "Ceremony" is my favorite. It was written while Joy Division was still active, but Ian Curtis died before JD could do a proper studio recording of it. Two JD versions of "Ceremony" exist: a badly recorded live version (which appears on 1981's posthumous collection "Still") and a rough rehearsal version (on the 1997 box set "Heart and Soul"). The JD versions are of interest only to collectors and hard-core fans and these versions are not recommended for those unfamiliar with the New Order version and subsequent covers.

New Order's first single and its B-side, "In A Lonely Place", were both songs originally written by Joy Division. NO itself released two versions of this "Ceremony": the March 1981 version, which has a more raw, heavy sound; and the September 1981 version, which has a cleaner sound and a slightly faster tempo. The September 1981 version also features Gillian Gilbert, recently promoted to a full member of the band. The September version is the one that appears on the 1987 compilation "Substance" while the March version was not reissued until the 2005 compilation "Singles".

Perhaps the most well-known cover version of this song is on Galaxie 500's second LP, "On Fire". Galaxie 500 was well known for their excellent choice of cover songs (in addition to writing excellent original material). For their treatment of "Ceremony", they slowed it down to the point where it sounds like Black Sabbath covering New Order. Galaxie 500 was an amazing band that never got the recognition they deserved.

Radiohead* also covered "Ceremony" in their 2007 "Thumbs Down" webcast (the full 2.5 hours of which has been uploaded to Google Videos). The do a lovingly sloppy, garage band version of the song (which is obviously not indicative of their studio sound).

New Order: March 1981 version, September 1981 version, live 1981-02-06.

Joy Division: Live version, Rehearsal version (note: neither version has good sound quality).

Galaxie 500: Studio version, live version.

Radiohead: Thumbs Down Webcast version.

New Order B-Side Bonus Link for "In A Lonely Place": Original 7" version, 1981 Berlin live version, 1984 BBC Radio 1 version.

2023-05-24 edit: This 2017 cover by Chromatics is excellent. 


* = Despite all of Radiohead's accolades, they'll never be as good as Gooey.