back to article All in all, it's just another hit in the stalls: Roger Waters The Wall

At a cinema near you on Tuesday 29th September we have Roger Waters The Wall. You may be forgiven for thinking, hasn’t he done this before? Yup, he notched up the honour of the highest grossing concert tour for a solo artist when he took his revamped staging of this rock opera on the road between 2010-2013, which this film …

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  1. Turtle

    Riddle.

    If he's so anti-authoritarian, then why does the whole production remind of me a Nuremberg Rally?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Riddle.

      Because that is exactly what it is supposed to look like. Considering Floyd's history though, especially starting with The Wall and later, I'm not too sure about the anti-authoritarian bit;

      Unbelievable he's still revisiting this after 35 odd years.

      1. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

        Re: Riddle. @ Peter R. 1

        Unbelievable he's still revisiting this after 35 odd years. .... Peter R. 1

        Methinks he is more recrafting it, Peter R. 1, for that more intense and immersive experience that leading media productions and promotions can offer quite magically remotely nowadays. Such novel live experience and virtual experiment has always been what Pink Floyd masters are really about.

      2. Chika

        Re: Riddle.

        Unbelievable he's still revisiting this after 35 odd years.

        Yeah. Probably because he has never been able to get over that whole "Final Cut" business. It's still pretty much the one thing he's remembered for (well, possibly a whole chunk of other Floyd stuff but nothing he'd be able to do live that Gilmour & Co. - what's left of them - couldn't do better).

    2. Thomas Gray

      Re: Riddle.

      That's kind of the point. The central character ("Pink") gets so wrapped up in his own delusion, and the isolation he creates for himself by building his wall, that he begins to see himself as the dictator of his own personal reality. Being obsessed with the war that took his father, he naturally leans towards Nazi symbolism to express this. What Waters is trying to convey is the danger of this kind of thing, both to the individual and the wider world.

      1. Richard Altmann

        Re: Riddle.

        @ Thomas Gray

        It´s Blues man, what are you talking about?

    3. Voland's right hand Silver badge

      Re: Riddle.

      So that you understand exactly how it looks like and what is awaiting you.

      Yet another brick in the wall...

    4. rav

      Re: Riddle.

      Actually it kinda feels like an Apple MacIntosh commercial.

  2. Yugguy

    Meh

    I realise this will get me hung, drawn and quartered, and I do like a bit of prog metal -Tool are one of my favourite bands, but Pink Floyd for me are like Led Zeppelin. Some songs are ok but a lot are just overlong self-indulgent dirges.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

      1. Ian 55

        Hanged / hung

        Source of one of the best jokes in Blazing Saddles:

        "They said you was hung..."

        "And they was right!"

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Meh

      Crimso tonight - yay !

    3. launcap Silver badge
      Coat

      Re: Meh

      > I do like a bit of prog metal

      Floyd ain't prog metal in any way, shape or form..

      Dream Theater, Magic Pie et. al. - now *that's* prog metal.

      Mine's the one with the progrock.co.uk catalogue in the pocket..

      1. Yugguy

        Re: Meh

        No, but they are prog. What I meant was I can handle it if a song is more than 3 verses punctuated by a chorus.

    4. Wibble

      Re: Meh

      Masters of the Progressive Rock genre: such as Echoes, the 23 minute masterpiece (the track I'd like played at my funeral!). Or the whole of Dark Side of the Moon which should be played in its entirety (maybe Money could be left out). Same with Wish You Were Here.

      Later 'Floyd was more rock than prog as the tracks were less groundbreaking which started with the wall, but is really obvious in the Final Cut (a good album, but very different to DSotM).

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

        1. TheOldGuy

          I'd just like to mention VdGG.

          Have an upvote for that!

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Meh

      Well, that may be the case (I've only heard Dark Side of the Moon and the The Wall), but this article is about The Wall, and it's definitely _not_ a prog album. Concept album, yes, but apart from the let's-try-making-these-ones-the-singles ABITW Part 2 and Young Lust, it's a group of good to excellent songs put together to tell a story.

      (Dark Side of the Moon might have been impressive for its time, but I listen to The Wall _waaaaayyyy_ more.)

      Anyway, back to the actual topic: Roger Waters can't sing very well at all*, so I think I'll stick with the album.

      * And that's OK, I like a number of songwriters who would be better off as songwriters, and might stick to it if the industry didn't hide the magic behind the pretty performers and the special people got the praise they deserve.

  3. Thomas Gray

    Cut scenes?

    If the narrative of the album/story is being interrupted by cut scenes of Roger gadding around Europe, I'll pass on this. The impact of The Wall is in the immersion: the only bit of the album I don't like is the middle stanza of "Hey You", when the fourth wall is broken by Roger singing "But it was only a fantasy/the wall was too high, as you can see/No matter how he tried he could not break free/And the worms ate into his brain". The story loses its immediacy and impact because suddenly the narrative voice has shifted to a third person, and I fear that telling "the story of The Wall" will take away from the the story of The Wall.

    Perhaps it would have been better to have the documentary part as an opening film, before the main event?

    1. Roland6 Silver badge

      Re: Cut scenes?

      "The impact of The Wall is in the immersion:"

      Totally agree, as having seen "the show" at Earl's Court back in 1980, and then last year Roger Waters "concert" at Wembley, it is obvious "The Wall" is a show and Roger Water's does not do "the show" but gives a concert themed on "The Wall"...

      For example, the sequence for "In The Flesh", following the build up, when the auditorium was pitch black (Earl's Court has no natural daylight), and a single spotlight scanned the audience pitching out individuals seemingly at random in time to the song did have a sense of menace; something totally lost at the Wembley Stadium concert where the spotlight seemingly played with to the fans.

      Whilst technology has progressed and the wall is much more effectively used as a screen, the show was lost also due to Roger's various digressions - such as his "I do politics" bit about Jean Charles de Menezes , which has no relevant whatsoever to "The Wall" (and I'm surprised it forms part of the film).

  4. Zog_but_not_the_first
    Windows

    Ye Gods

    1979! Nineteen seventy flipping nine. No wonder I look like the chap on the right.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Ye Gods

      We have all become, Uncomfortably Numb...

  5. Ol'Peculier
    Happy

    Cameras

    Camera's were NOT banned from being taking into the show. At both shows I went to, Birmingham and Wembley, there was an announcement that cameras were allowed providing flash was turned off as it would ruin the performance. At Birmingham I saw venue staff telling somebody off for just that.

    An amazing experience. Shame my local cinema isn't showing this and there is no word of it turning up on DVD.

    1. It'sa Mea... Mario

      Re: Cameras

      An amazing experience indeed. Saw it at the O2 Arena. Already got tickets for the local cinema* :)

      I am expect (hope) the DVD / Bluray will show up in time for Christmas after this cinema outing.

      *This is/was not intended to 'rub it in' btw

  6. Drudgery Leak

    Spitting at the audience was all the rage back in the late '70's.

    I'm happy to agree that "The Wall" was a brave and very personal artwork that was perhaps difficult to listen to or watch, but for those very reasons was a whole lot better than the self indulgent tripe the rest of the band continued to trot out for decades.

    1. jake Silver badge

      @ Drudgery Leak

      "Spitting at the audience was all the rage back in the late '70's."

      Not at the audience, but from the audience.

      "I see you've all read the Daily Mail and are spitting, just like punks are supposed to, but I don't particularly like being spat at ... ". Hugh Cornwell of "The Stranglers", on the album "Live at the Hope&Anchor". If you listen closely, you'll hear a Yank in the crowd between tracks. That was me ;-)

      1. Pat Att
        Angel

        Re: @ Drudgery Leak

        I'm surprised you're not claiming to be on the stage, playing the trickier bits of the bassline or something.

      2. jake Silver badge

        Re: @ Drudgery Leak

        I wrote "the Daily Mail". My daughter just dropped me a note to remind me that Hugh actually said "News of the World". Mea culpa. I must be getting old ;-)

    2. Drudgery Leak

      I have seen the Stranglers play live very recently and I can assure you nobody spits at them anymore. But then Hugh doesn't play for them anymore either.

      Me? Play bass in a band?? I must try to be more anonymous in future.

      1. It'sa Mea... Mario

        @Drudgery Leak

        Pat's comment would have been aimed at Jake ;-)

  7. Efros

    I still remember the

    first playthrough after buying this when it was released in '79. Stunned, all I could do was go back to the record deck and put side 1 on again. Over the years, I've probably played this album more than any other of theirs, I'm going to have to see this.

    1. Peter Gathercole Silver badge

      Re: I still remember the

      isn't this where....

      ...we came in?

      1. Laura Kerr

        Re: I still remember the

        Ohhhh, yes. Artfully recorded so quiet so that when you turned the volume up to hear, the first chord of In The Flesh was so loud it made you jump!

        Happy days.

    2. paulc

      Re: I still remember the

      transferred it all onto a C90 cassette... and then could play it on my hi-fi and have it auto repeat... now it's much easier with an MP3 player...

      Also saved wear and tear on the album which is still in 'mint' condition

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Thanks!

    I just had to play Comfortably Numb, turned up to 11 :o)

  9. Patrician

    While there are some cracking tracks on The Wall, Mother, Another Brick in the Wall Parts 1 to 3, Comfortably Numb and Run Like Hell, the rest are, in my opinion, less than those found on DSoTM, Meddle and Wish You Were Here. Especially side 4 where it degenerates into some kind of semi-opera.

    For me The Wall is the turning point where Waters tried to turn Pink Floyd into The Roger Waters Band and the problem is that I don't think Waters is a great, solo, song writer; he needs others, Gilmore/Wright at the least, to introduce a steadying influence.

    1. launcap Silver badge

      > I don't think Waters is a great, solo, song writer; he needs others

      A bit like the Genesis boys - much, much better together than any of their solo projects. Apart from (maybe) the first Steve Hackett album - usually called "the best Genesis record that Genesis never made" (largely because Mike and Phil both played on it and helped with the music..)

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bad Comparison

    Mentioning a poser like Ms Bush in the same discussion of one of our times classic music creators is just plain lazy and dumb. Great article otherwise. Note: keep you idiosyncratic poser music tastes to yourself.

    1. hopkinse

      Re: Bad Comparison

      Considering that Dave Gilmour effectively discovered Kate Bush and has performed with her on many occasions I think you're being somewhat narrow minded. Look past the OTT TOTP performances :-)

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: keep you idiosyncratic poser music tastes to yourself.

      Blew my irony meter!

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Bad Comparison

      Indeed. Bush is a better songwriter with a far greater range of emotion, and a far better singer. She can dance a lot better too. And she still releases new material rather than touring with 30 year old albums. So yeah, shit comparison.

  11. FredBloggs61

    Re: Re: Meh

    @ Symon - It's hanged. Hung is the past tense of Hanged. FTFY

    1. NathanD
      Headmaster

      Re: Meh

      Hung is not the past tense of hanged when talking about the execution by hanging. Hanged is the correct tense.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Meh

        Indeed. <puts on black cap> "You will be taken to a place of execution, where you will be hanged by the neck until you are dead!"

        Pre-1965 of course.

    2. This post has been deleted by its author

  12. jason 7

    I would have thought...

    ...the mortgage would have been paid off by now?

    1. Alien8n

      Re: I would have thought...

      His mortgage might be, but has The Wall finally paid off the tax bill?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I would have thought...

        A relative of mine did a lot of the lighting and staging work for PF around the time they were going through those "financial troubles" and he was owed a lot of money. He got a call from the Fraud Squad informing him that they knew where one of Nick Mason's treasured Ferraris would be on a particular day, and wouldn't it be such a shame if somebody happened to "borrow" it, perhaps as collateral against an unpaid debt.

        He was paid soon after.

  13. Graham Marsden
    Thumb Up

    Two memories...

    1) The first time I saw the film, after it finished I just sat there for about five minutes, absolutely stunned at the intensity of it.

    2) When I was in the 6th form, we were forbidden to play "Another Brick in the Wall". Naturally we played it frequently until Mr Parker, Head of the 6th Form, walked in to the Common Room one break time at the perfectly wrong moment and demanded we "Turn that off now!" As one, virtually the entire room, in time with the song, chorused "Hey, Teacher! Leave us kids alone!" :-)

    1. frank ly

      Re: Two memories...

      "But in the town, it was well known when they got home at night, their fat and psychopathic wives would thrash them within inches of their lives."

      Those lyrics would make some teachers a bit touchy, I suppose.

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