Of the song's three pigs, the only one directly identified is morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse, who amongst other things is described as a "house-proud town mouse". " Sheep" contains a modified version of Psalm 23, which continues the traditional "The Lord is my shepherd" with words like "he maketh me to hang on hooks in high places and converteth me to lamb cutlets" (referring to the sheep of the title). " Pigs (Three Different Ones)" is audibly similar to " Have a Cigar", with bluesy guitar fills and elaborate bass lines. In his 2008 book Comfortably Numb, author Mark Blake argues that " Dogs" contains some of David Gilmour's finest work although the guitarist sings only one lead vocal, his performance is "explosive". The song also contains notable contributions from keyboardist Richard Wright, which echo the funereal synthesizer sounds used on the band's previous album, Wish You Were Here. In 1977 he produced The Damned's second album, Music for Pleasure, at Britannia Row. Nick Mason later stated that he welcomed the "Punk Rock insurrection" and viewed it as a welcome return to the underground scene from which Pink Floyd had grown. Pink Floyd were an obvious target for punk musicians, notably Johnny Rotten, who wore a Pink Floyd T-shirt on which the words "I hate" had been written in ink. Loosely based on George Orwell's political fable Animal Farm, its lyrics describe various classes in society as different kinds of animals: the combative dogs, despotic ruthless pigs, and the "mindless and unquestioning herd" of sheep. Whereas the novella focuses on Stalinism, the album is a critique of capitalism and differs again in that the sheep eventually rise up to overpower the dogs. The album was developed from a collection of unrelated songs into a concept which, in the words of author Glenn Povey, "described the apparent social and moral decay of society, likening the human condition to that of mere animals"Īpart from its critique of society, the album is also a part-response to the punk rock movement, which grew in popularity as a nihilistic statement against the prevailing social and political conditions, and also a reaction to the general complacency and nostalgia that appeared to surround rock music. Its construction took up most of 1975, and in April 1976 the band started work on their tenth studio album, Animals, at the new facility.Īnimals is the child of a Waters concept. Their deal with record company EMI, for unlimited studio time in return for a reduced percentage of sales, had expired, and they converted the building into a recording studio and storage facility. In 1975 Pink Floyd bought a three-story block of church halls at 35 Britannia Row in Islington, north London. The size of the venues on the band's In the Flesh Tour, and an incident in which Waters spat at a fan, prompted him to conceive the band's subsequent album, The Wall.
It was also a success in the United States, reaching number 3 on the Billboard 200, and although it scored on the American charts for only six months, steady sales have resulted in its certification by the RIAA at four times platinum.
The album was released to generally positive reviews in the United Kingdom, where it reached number 2. The album's cover image, a pig floating between two chimneys on Battersea Power Station, was conceived by bassist and writer Roger Waters, and photographed by long-time collaborators Hipgnosis. Animals was recorded at the band's studio, Britannia Row, in London, but its production was punctuated by the early signs of discord that several years later would culminate in keyboardist Richard Wright leaving the band. A concept album, it provides a scathing critique of the social-political conditions of late 1970s Britain, and presents a marked change in musical style from their earlier work. Britannia Row Studios (London, United Kingdom)Īnimals is the tenth studio album by Pink Floyd, released in January 1977.