First published at 20:18 UTC on March 8th, 2023.
"The Wall," as a concept album, grew out of Roger Waters' own problems, infidelities, and frustrations in life. This "wall" represented a psychological barrier that isolated him from meaningful relationships and resulted in …
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"The Wall," as a concept album, grew out of Roger Waters' own problems, infidelities, and frustrations in life. This "wall" represented a psychological barrier that isolated him from meaningful relationships and resulted in a growing hatred of his own fans, exemplified in his own life where he spat on a particularly rowdy "fan." The loss of his own father in World War II played a part in the story. When Bob Ezrin was brought in to produce the album, Waters had already come up with more than three albums-worth of material. Ezrin brought the needed focus to the project and produced a fantastic double-album, resulting in some of their biggest commercial hits in "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" and "Comfortably Numb."
A movie was always in Roger Waters' mind, and while the project was fraught with in-fighting and controversy, it contained many memorable visual elements and additional musical cues not contained in the album.
This "alternative album" is provided as insight into a bigger picture of Roger Waters' original vision. Clocking in at 2 hours and 21 minutes, this version is far longer than the album (1 hour, 20 minutes) and the movie (1 hour, 35 minutes).
As with all my projects, my aim is not to "replace" or denigrate the official release, but expand and enhance the experience for those of us who have practically memorized the original source material. Hearing expanded selections and abandoned pieces in context will hopefully breathe fresh insight into a familiar classic.
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