Paranoid Floyd

http://www.neptunepinkfloyd.co.uk/articles/art-rev/art-paranoid.htm

That's why people likes Pink Floyd. They need no propaganda in order for them to continue being that famous band that they are. Stephen Demorest, author of the article Paranoid Floyd, which was written for the magazine Hit Parader, the spring of 1977; he published this article to inform the audience about Pink Floyd's new album released in that year, which was titled "Animals." He describes this album as a thinly-disguised sliced of weighty social commentary such as only the concerned English people can do, like the well known Ray Davis, who came to the author's mind as a good example.

The author says that Pink Floyd is a classic rock band who has the first place of acting like recluses, they have always lived apart from society. Because this article was written in 1977, when the Pink Floyd was still working together, the author says that when Pink Floyd vanishes, they woud make sure nobody would care that they were missing. He also says that Pink Floyd made their millions on a ninth album which hung in the charts almost as long as George Blanda hung on with the Oakland Raiders.

Stephen Demorest was told by Roger Waters about some of the problems they had when they did tours. Waters admitted he thought that some of their last tours were 'unpleasant, unnerving and upsetting.' He felt alienation from his fans. He says that "the quality of life is full of stress and pain in most of the people I meet--and myself." As a matter of fact, because of all these thoughts that he has had throughout his entire life, he is the one who writes almost all the lyrics of Pink Floyd.

In past albums, Waters has been ciynical about the business world. He has also criticized the self-deception and idleness of the "mature." This album wouldn't be the exception to stop his criticism. In Animals he makes his distressing observations more powerful by makingmore coherent allegorical quality of the lyrics, which figure more prominently than past albums. He introduces the idea that if we all didn't care about one another, life would be lonely, miserable and frightening. He says that we need to care about eachother afterall, because it is only in this common humanity that we can find shelter. I think that this is true, and I agree with him.

Demorest says that there are only three major tracks on Anomals--Dogs, Pings and Sheep--but each fable has plenty of telling remarks about inhumanity among the beasts of the earth, along with the fabulously rich instrumentals Pink Floyd is known for. For the author, "Dogs" is Waters' most effective indictment yet of the predatory ruthlessness of modern commercial society which destroys souls, where the music isn't particularly harsh, but it's the lyrics that really deliever the goods, though, describing the horror of being sucked into the web.

Pigs introduces three varieties of gluttons. One of them is a token patriot who is despised for his greed. The second is a sadistic older woman, and the third is a Britain's official censor. In this song the music is a strongly visual mixture. It is a muscular track, but the author says that its lyrics are even more slashing. The Sheep section is somewhat more confusing, says Stephen. These cowards (the Sheep) are no better off than the Dogs or the Pigs. Sheep are meek and obedient people who don't want to get involved, who "prentend the danger's not real... Only dimly aware of certain unease in the air." Ultimately, though, they have to wake up to reality.

That's what Demorest wrote in his article. These three animals represent every person. All people act like animals sometimes, and this album is an example of what Waters have seen in everyone. He has seen dogs, people who bite other people; pigs, who are interested in mistreating others; and sheep, afraid of being themselves. Which animal does Waters acts like? Which of these three animals do we act most like? This question is one that we should ask ourselves and find why are we behaving that way.