When Pink Floyd reconvened without Roger Waters in the late 1980s and hit the road, they avoided playing anything from 1977’s Animals album. Speculation ran high as to why. For one, guitarist David Gilmour wasn’t too fond of Waters’ gloomy lyrics. Nevertheless, he and the band reportedly toyed with the idea of adding “Sheep” to the setlist. Rumors also circulated that “Dogs” was pulled out on occasion at soundchecks. Of course, Animals songs are in regular rotation at Roger Waters shows. But the battle rages on. When the album was remixed in 2018, Gilmour and Waters were at loggerheads over the liner notes. Fortunately, that little snag was eventually level set and the highly anticipated Animals 2018 Remix has finally found its way to the marketplace.
The remix by longtime Floyd engineer James Guthrie surfaces layers, textures and nuance of Animals that one could only speculate were there in the first place. It’s always a sonic-enhanced adventure with Pink Floyd, and previous remixes tend to reveal buried intricacies. Here, Gilmour’s guitar is brighter, Waters’ bass boomier, and Nick Mason’s drumming punchier. The reverb of the vocals seems to ring out a little more as well. What’s most evident, however, is the maneuverability of Rick Wright’s keyboards. The subtle touch Wright offered tends to get overlooked, but the remix demonstrates just how essential his various voicings and tones were to Pink Floyd’s sound. One sweep through “Sheep,” and you feel the crispness of Wright’s approach to the Fender Rhodes as it cozies up to your ear drums. When Gilmour’s guitars come crashing through, you may feel compelled to raise a glass and salute your sound system.
Animals found much of its inspiration from George Orwell’s classic 1945 satirical novel Animal Farm. Whereas its predecessors — 1973’s The Dark Side Of The Moon and 1975’s Wish You Were Here — are self-indulgent affairs that address madness and the fate of the band’s original visionary, Syd Barrett. Animals casts a wider net, confronting politics and capitalistic greed head-on. When the album dropped, it was without any potential hit singles, though much of the material found its way to FM radio. The remix reaffirms it wasn’t meant for radio; it’s more about occupying headspace and atmosphere.
in the late 70s, Pink Floyd, one of rock’s progenitors of progressive music, was massively popular. The 1977 In The Flesh tour that followed featured the floating pig (nicknamed “Algie”) from the Animals album cover, alongside other surreal special effects. It was primarily staged at large football stadiums throughout the U.S. and Europe. Pink Floyd played before their largest audiences. It was the only time the band’s principal members — Waters, Gilmour, Mason and Wright — ever played Animals together on stage.
It’s a shame Gilmour never let “Dogs” out of its cage when he took the reins of Pink Floyd. The remix places the guitarist’s bluesy, singular attack on his instrument front and center. This is especially poignant on the 5.1 mix. If you think The Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here were made for the surround sound spectrum, brace yourself after you throw Animals on to the Blu-ray Disc player. The rumbling acoustics that open ‘Dogs” will have you reaching for the sauce as you salivate each and every turnaround.
Animals 2018 Remix, available on CD, LP, Blu-ray, SACD and vinyl, is rounded out by the “Pigs” trilogy — “Pigs On The Wing (Part One),” “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” and “Pigs On The Wing (Part Two)” — which is pure Roger Waters. “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” is especially venomous in its onslaught upon the big-wig elites (“Pig stain on your fat chin, what do you hope to find, down in the pig mine?”). The remix makes sure the cowbell and talk box give your speakers a run for their money.
Sure, it might have been nice to get an outtake or two — or perhaps both parts of “Pigs On The Wing” with the guitar bridge in between, made exclusively for the eight-track tape release. What are you going to do? Along with the remixed stereo, surround, and original 1977 mix, there’s new, updated cover art and a detailed booklet with photos and the agreed-upon liner notes. As it is, we can only hope the ongoing feud between Gilmour and Waters is in remission, and more remixes (like The Wall in 5.1) are in our future.
~ Shawn Perry
