Roger Waters
„The Wall“
Prog- and Psycedelic Rock. 3-Vinyl Trifold. Live. 2015.

What more shall i say to „The Wall“ by Pink Floyd? Nothing. However, I do have a few things to say about the "vanity machine" Roger Waters. A brilliant bassist, brilliant lyricist, and charismatic singer. And so, this purely musical review also becomes a critical look at Waters. This is the live soundtrack to the film Roger Waters The Wall.

Waters never made a secret of the fact that he had envisioned The Wall somewhat differently. For example, the song "When the Tigers Broke Free" was not included in the album. Waters, who had been considering retirement since "Animals," pushed for this step after "The Wall." The final Pink Floyd album, "The Final Cut," then brought about an unfortunate end, with Waters taking a few swipes at the band. I consider "The Final Cut" to be Roger Waters' first album, and musically speaking, it's of a very high standard.

But back to Roger Waters' "The Wall." In 2010, Roger Waters embarked on a gigantic tour, performing 219 superlative shows over three years. On this 2015 LP, the disadvantages of vinyl are glaringly obvious. Anyone truly wanting to experience the bombast of the show should opt for the DVD of the concert film. The LP is simply overwhelmed by the sheer volume of loud effects. That said, the LPs do a good job of conveying Roger Waters' vision of The Wall, even in terms of their presentation. And whenever The Wall quiets down and the all-encompassing bombast recedes on vinyl, it sounds good. 

My criticism is directed at the fact that a critic of capitalism like Roger Waters uses the very tools of capitalism to spread his (not unjustified) message. On the other hand, I could also argue that this is precisely how the message gets heard everywhere. Only capitalism manages to profit from its own self-criticism. And so, after the exhausting show, Waters boards his private jet to recover. I'll end here with a quote from the Porcupine Tree song "Sounds of Muzak": "Music of rebellion makes you wanna rage – But it's made by millionaires who are nearly twice your age."

And yet, Roger Waters is an outstanding, if somewhat vain, musician. "The Wall" is and remains a masterpiece. I don't begrudge Roger any money and his private jet. I agree with many of Roger's statements, and I think it's particularly important in these times to have controversial figures. People who, despite their vanity, have their hearts in the right place. Who abhor war and dare to ruffle feathers. And I hope this review will also ruffle feathers. This vinyl release can't truly capture the power of the live show. The packaging, however, is very well done. Anyone wanting to experience the show should opt for the DVD/Blu-ray. But this live interpretation of "The Wall" won't be gathering dust in my collection, because Pink Floyd's "The Wall" is and will remain a masterpiece.

Backing Vocals – Jon Joyce, Kipp Lennon, Mark Lennon, Pat Lennon
Drums – Graham Broad
Guitar – Dave Kilminster, G.E. Smith, Snowy White
Keyboards – Jon Carin
Piano, Harmonium – Harry Waters
Vocals – Robbie Wyckoff
Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Music By, Directed By, Written-By – Roger Waters
Written-By – Bob Ezrin (Titel: F3), David Gilmour (Titel: C1, E1, E4)

All photos are from my LP. The rights to all motifs, logos, texts, and fonts shown in the photos naturally belong to their respective copyright holders. The quoted lyric from the song "The Sounds Of Muzak" is by Porcupine Tree.

No AI was used in the making of this Review.
©07.12.2025