The Wall

iTunes Review

1979’s The Wall was a two-LP concept album, composed by Floyd bassist Roger Waters, about an increasingly alienated, psychotic, selfish rock star (“Pink”) who manages to blame everyone — parents, school, society, fans, girlfriends — for his unhappiness. The puerile viewpoint, however, provides the teen anthems (“Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2,” “Hey You,” “Comfortably Numb”) with the necessary angst that — in conjunction with producer Bob Ezrin’s airtight, multi-layered and operatic arrangements — catapulted these tunes into the FM classic rock radio stratosphere. You can follow the storyline if you must. However, much like other conceptual rock pieces such as the Who’s Tommy and Quadrophenia, The Wall best survives as a collection of sonically united tunes that can be enjoyed as independent tracks. Mix the three pieces of “Another Brick in the Wall” together as one. Meditate to the acoustic reverie of “Mother,” “Goodbye Blue Sky” and “Vera.” Marvel at the paranoiac organ trills and arena-wide guitars of “In the Flesh?,” “The Thin Ice,” “Young Lust” and “Run Like Hell.” Guitarist David Gilmour’s compositions are in shorter supply, but his instrumental prowess and musical counterpoint to Waters’ lyrical excesses are in strong balance throughout.