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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
Tributee: Pink Floyd.
Personnel: Adrian Belew, Steve Lukather, Tommy Shaw (vocals, guitar); Billy Sherwood (vocals, piano, keyboards); John Wetton (vocals, bass guitar); Dweezil Zappa, Elliot Easton, Robbie Krieger, Steve Howe, Bob Kulick (guitar); Ian Anderson (flute); Keith Emerson (organ); Geoffrey Downes, Steve Porcaro (keyboards); Tony Levin (bass guitar, Chapman stick); Jay Schellen (drums, percussion); Alan White , Aynsley Dunbar, Vinnie Colaiuta (drums).
Back Against The Wall Music
Pink Floyd / Various Artists - Back Against The Wall Songs
| 1 | In The Flesh? | | | |
| 2 | Thin Ice | | | |
| 3 | Another Brick In The Wall Part 1 | | | |
| 4 | Goodbye Blue Sky | | | |
| 5 | Happiest Days of Our Lives | | | |
| 6 | Another Brick In The Wall Part 2 | | | |
| 7 | Mother | | | |
| 8 | Empty Spaces | | | |
| 9 | Young Lust | | | |
| 10 | One of My Turns | | | |
| 11 | Don't Leave Me Now | | | |
| 12 | Another Brick In The Wall Part 3 | | | |
| 13 | Goodbye Cruel World | | | |
Disc 2 |
| 1 | Hey You | | | |
| 2 | Is There Anybody Out There? | | | |
| 3 | Nobody Home | | | |
| 4 | Vera | | | |
| 5 | Bring the boys back home | | | |
| 6 | Comfortably Numb | | | |
| 7 | Show Must Go On | | | |
| 8 | In The Flesh | | | |
| 9 | Run Like Hell | | | |
| 10 | Waiting For the Worms | | | |
| 11 | Stop | | | |
| 12 | Trial | | | |
| 13 | Outside The Wall / Isn't This Where We Came In? | | | |
Back Against The Wall Music Review
Average Rating: (3 out of 5 stars)   Few Revelations.
The only reason to make an album like this, or to make any "trubute" album, is to bring something new and unique to the underlying material. Note for note recreations serve no purpose. This is better than some such projects, but does not live up to its potential. There are few new ideas here, although there are a number of bright spots, including Ian Anderson's contributions, and the always unique vocal stylings of Glenn Hughes. Unfortunately, the majority of the album just sounds like the original. There is nothing wrong with the original, of course, but after buying it, the live version by Pink Floyd, the live version by Roger Waters, and the various bits and pieces of it on other Pink Floyd and ex-Pink Floyd live albums, I think we have enough of The Wall to go around. In the future, the makers of albums of this type should focus upon what, if anything, they have to say that is new and interesting. We assume that they are capable of copying the sound of others. What we want to hear is how they see the music in question from their own unique point of view.
Submitted by Dogboy (Durham, NC)
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