One of the most anticipated reissues of the last few years is the 2018 stereo remix of Animals from Pink Floyd. The project has been delayed for a variety of reasons, most recently over differences of opinion on the thrust of the liner notes.
That difference of opinion was between David Gilmour and Roger Waters. While the two will no longer work together in the studio or live, there is a cooperative if uneasy working relationship when it comes to the various reissues of the group’s music and trying to coordinate solo touring schedules so as to not conflict with each other. This distant cold war escalated to very sharp disagreements over liner notes that may or may not have given one or the other more credit than they deserved for the creation of the album. Regardless of who one agrees with or which side is right, we now finally have the various editions of the reissues of the group’s 1977 follow-up to Wish You Were Here.
Differences of opinion over whether one likes or dislikes this reissue compared to previous versions of the album—particularly the original—will be as varied as the opinions of Waters and Gilmour about the liner notes. Nonetheless, it’s doubtful there are any fans of Pink Floyd who aren’t thrilled this reissue has emerged from the darkness and finally seen the light of the day.
Animals is an album in the latter Pink Floyd canon that has often sparked not so much criticism, but misunderstanding. Any album coming after Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here is bound to be viewed through the prism of elevated expectations. Animals is also an album that appeared just as punk and new wave were brashly superseding the progressive rock of monoliths like Pink Floyd and it was the first album recorded at the group’s own recording studio Britannia Row.
It was also a very murky and politically charged album. In addition, it very much marked the point when Roger Waters and his thematic vision of the group’s music unquestionably became dominant, eventually peaking with The Wall in 1980 and providing the coda for the group with The Final Cut in 1983, before Gilmour, Wright, and Mason would resurrect the group for two final studio albums—A Momentary Lapse of Reason in 1987 and The Division Bell in 1994.
The first element in the album rightfully claiming its place in PF history is how the major themes of the album—a total lack of trust in government and corporate greed—are probably even more relevant today than when the album was first released. Next, the symbolic image of the pig, part of the Animal Farm allegory of the album’s theme, has become infamous in symbolizing fat-cat greed.
The reissue appears in a variety of formats. We will take a look at the stand-alone vinyl album and the Blu-ray. It is also available on CD and in other combinations of all of the above. Since there are so many audio formats to listen to on the Blu-ray, that is a good place to start. First off, the authoring of the Blu-ray is superb. The menu music sounds but like period music, but nothing we’ve ever heard before.
The audio includes the 2018 surround mix in 24 bit/96 kHz uncompressed; the 2018 new stereo mix 24 bit/192 kHz uncompressed; the 1977 Original stereo mix 24 bit/192 kHz uncompressed; the 2018 5.1 surround mix dts-HD MA; the 2018 new stereo mix dts-HD MA and the 1977 original stereo mix dts-HD MA. Along with the six settings, the audio selection section offers a system setup with brief thumbnail instructions, diagrams, and sections on Speaker ID and “Pink Noise.”
Once again, Pink Floyd continues to be on the cutting edge of audio and even die-hard vinyl addicts should check out this expansive Blu-ray audio offering. Brian Humphries did the original stereo mix and James Guthrie did the new 2018, stereo and 5.1 mixes. The uncompressed 5.1 mix is brilliant. While there will be those who might think the sound is a little too cleaned up and some of the overall sonics and a few drum passages are a little heavy-handed, the overall disorienting paranoia remains, and the shroud of sludgy murk has been lessened considerably. The Blu-ray comes with a 16-page booklet.
The vinyl edition is much closer to the original album mix from 1977. It does, however, provide more clarity and detail, like the Blu-ray, but retains more of the queasy bubbling cauldron of sound. The album is pressed on 180-gram vinyl, and comes in a gatefold jacket, but does not come with a poly-lined sleeve. The beautiful gatefold package also includes a 28-page booklet.
In the deluxe limited edition 4-disc box set, there is a 32-page booklet in a hardcover book. The booklet that comes with the album is a work of art and includes old and new photos of the iconic album art, lyrics, period photos of the band, tour memorabilia, liner notes and more. It’s important to point out that a new, mostly black and white photo adorns the cover of the new remix album.
The Blu-ray and particularly the album edition are really priced quite affordably. The plethora of Floyd reissues over the past several years have been reasonably priced and offer value for the money. There have been a lot of overpriced reissues out there lately, with prices continuing to rise, but for the most part, Pink Floyd is consciously trying not to gouge their fans. This is a Pink Floyd reissue worth the wait and shows how nearly 50 years later, the group’s prescient lyrics and timeless music still resonate.
Pink Floyd, Animals 2018 Remix Vinyl
B+
Pink Floyd, Animals Blu-ray
B+
