Pink Floyd – Animals (2nd UK Press)

Pink Floyd – Animals

Released in January 1977, Animals is one of Pink Floyd's most uncompromising albums, a dark, politically charged masterpiece that combines expansive progressive rock with biting social satire. Conceived largely by Roger Waters, the album reflects the tensions of mid-1970s Britain, transforming themes of power, greed, conformity and social division into five interconnected compositions. For listeners who appreciate the band's more adventurous, guitar-driven work, it remains an essential entry in their catalogue.

Inspired by George Orwell's Animal Farm, Animals divides society into three symbolic groups: the ruthless, ambitious dogs; the privileged and manipulative pigs; and the sheep who follow the herd until they finally turn against their oppressors. The concept gives the album a harder political edge than its predecessors, The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here, while retaining Pink Floyd's trademark atmospheric arrangements, extended instrumental passages and meticulous musicianship.

The album opens and closes with the two parts of “Pigs On The Wing”, short, intimate acoustic songs that provide a striking contrast to the longer, more confrontational pieces between them. Their personal warmth suggests that human connection offers a possible refuge from the hostility and corruption explored throughout the record.

“Dogs” dominates the first side with an expansive, seventeen-minute journey through shifting moods, intricate guitar work and unsettling vocal passages. Built around music developed by David Gilmour and lyrics by Waters, it is one of Pink Floyd's most ambitious extended compositions. Gilmour's expressive guitar playing is central to its impact, moving between melodic precision and fierce, sustained intensity.

On the second side, “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” delivers some of Waters' sharpest social criticism, driven by a memorable bass line, biting lyrics and a powerful guitar-led arrangement. The track's use of talk box guitar effects adds to its distinctive character. “Sheep” builds from a hypnotic, synthesizer-driven opening into an increasingly aggressive performance, combining pulsing rhythms, muscular bass, atmospheric keyboards and Gilmour's incisive guitar work. Its dramatic progression gives the album a thrilling sense of momentum before the closing return to “Pigs On The Wing 2”.

The album's striking sleeve, designed by Hipgnosis with a concept developed by Waters, features a giant inflatable pig floating above London's Battersea Power Station. The image has become one of the most recognisable in rock history, perfectly capturing the album's industrial atmosphere and satirical outlook.

Recorded at Pink Floyd's Britannia Row studio in London, Animals marked a significant stage in the band's development. Its extended structures, abrasive guitar passages and uncompromising political perspective also placed it in an interesting relationship with the emerging British punk movement, even as Pink Floyd continued to operate on the grand scale of progressive rock.

For fans of classic Pink Floyd, progressive rock, concept albums and politically charged 1970s music, Animals is an essential listen. Fierce, atmospheric and musically adventurous, it remains a compelling example of the band using ambitious compositions and studio craftsmanship to explore the darker side of human behaviour.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Pigs On The Wing 1 – 1:22

2. Dogs – 17:00

Side B

1. Pigs (Three Different Ones) – 11:22

2. Sheep – 10:28

3. Pigs On The Wing 2 – 1:22