One of the most popular, and analyzed,
rock albums ever is undoubtedly
Pink Floyd's 1979 sprawling masterpiece
The Wall. Although the definitive version remains the aforementioned studio album, there has also been a 1982 movie (starring a pre-
Live Aid Bob Geldof), and two separate live albums -- one by
Roger Waters in 1990 (
The Wall: Live in Berlin, 1990) and the other a delayed release of
Pink Floyd performances from the early '80s (2000s
Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall: Live 1980-1981). So you think that would be the last we heard from
The Wall, right? Think again. A multitude of classic rockers/prog rockers have united to cover
The Wall in its entirety, under the title
Back Against the Wall. Led by producer
Billy Sherwood, a rotating case of musicians was assembled to make anyone with a well-worn copy of
Tales of Topographic Oceans drool with excitement --
Yes'
Rick Wakeman,
Chris Squire,
Alan White, and
Geoffrey Downes;
King Crimson's
Adrian Belew,
Tony Levin, and
John Wetton;
Styx's
Tommy Shaw;
ELP's
Keith Emerson, and
Jethro Tull's
Ian Anderson, among countless others. Interestingly though, it can be argued that
The Wall was
Pink Floyd's least "progressive" album, as the group focused on tight song structures -- obviously inspired by the then burgeoning
new wave and
punk movements. The performances are expectedly spot-on (and it's quite impressive how they re-created all the sound effects/
spoken word bits so precisely), and stick very close to the originals -- except for a
Chris Squire-led take of
"Comfortably Numb," which adds a few extra bits. With an ever-increasing overabundance of versions of
The Wall to choose from, you've got to wonder if
Back Against the Wall was necessary at all. ~ Greg Prato
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