'The Wall'

This album brings up many memories.

I didn't quite get into until later, at the end of my college life and the time afterwards. Few records have spun as much as this LP did at the time, especially after I graduated and moved back in with my dad for about a month.

It also reminds me of my friend, Matthew, from high school, who I'm pretty sure I referenced when I reviewed Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. He loved Pink Floyd long before any of us gave them any time and I really respected him for it.

Finally, it prompted an idea for a mix CD: Your favorite first songs on an album. "In the Flesh?" is one of my all time favorite album starters. It's a bit sweeping with David Gilmour's larger-than-life guitar riff serving as sort of a platter for the rest of the album.

The Wall was bit of a breaking point for the band. The impetus for the album came during the In The Flesh Tour of 1977 when bassist Roger Waters spat on some irritating fans in the front row. No one was really happy with playing large arenas and there was clear irritation with their fans, many of whom probably didn't share the same values with the thoughtful band members.

Waters thought about building a literal wall between the band and the audience. This became a literal wall once they toured.

During production, there was a lot of animosity between the band and the series of producers brought in as they recorded in France. Keyboardist Richard Wright grew restless having left his children behind in school. He was named producer for a while and was eventually delegated to working at night due to his strained relationship with Waters. Wright, along with bassist Nick Mason, were both replaced with session guys on some level throughout the recording.

What's more, the band was in desperate financial straits due to losing their ass in some risky investments that fell through and they really needed to release an album.