Reimagining Pink Floyd
BY NARENDRA KUSNUR
In a week that's seen new releases by Sting, Adele and the Robert Plant-Alison Krauss combine, one barely heard any buzz about this album called Animals Reimagined. One wouldn't be surprised if those who got to know about it dismissed it as yet another tribute album of covers.
As the title suggests, Animals Reimagined is a reinterpretation of Pink Floyd's 1977 masterpiece Animals. Interestingly, I got to know about it by accident when someone posted on a Jethro Tull Facebook fan group that the band's former guitarist Martin Barre had appeared on 'Pigs On The Wing, Pt 1', along with Cutting Crew vocalist Nick van Eede, known for the hit 'Died In Your Arms'.
Curiosity led me to Google, where a few things came to light. One, besides Barre and van Eede, this album was filled with big artistes, mostly from the progressive rock field, with a few jazz-rock legends thrown in. I shall come to them in due course, as there are far too many to name.
Secondly, the music label Cleopatra Records, a big name in hard rock, punk and metal, had earlier released similar tribute albums called Return To The Dark Side Of The Moon, Back Against The Wall and Still Wish You Were Here, again using an army of known names to reinterpret Floyd songs.
One is always wary of hearing adaptations of songs one has grown up on. Recently, I ended up with mixed feelings after hearing versions of Beatles songs by a host of Indian musicians. Obviously, it was hard to reimagine Animals, an album I admired not only for its music but also for its concept, loosely inspired by George Orwell's book Animal Farm.
The original album had been on my regular playlist in the mid-1980s, when I had own a recorded C-90 cassette which had Wish You Were Here on the other side. Even today, if someone asks me my favourite Pink Floyd record, I prefer to say Animals, though I myself haven't been able to figure out whether to choose between Dark Side, Wish, half of Meddle and a bunch of pigs, dogs and sheep.
With some trepidation, I pressed the Spotify button. The first thing I noticed was the change in voice texture, different on each song. I couldn't say whether they were good or bad, but they sounded vastly different from the Roger Waters one is accustomed to, or the David Gilmour part one has admired on 'Dogs'.
It was also apparent that the new album maintained the basic melodies and structures of the original compositions, and needless to say, kept the lyrics intact. Thankfully, there were no additional rap or 'ooh baby' interludes. Even the length was more or less the same. While Floyd's Animals was 41 minutes and 41 seconds long, the Reimagined version is 42 minutes and 28 seconds. Likewise, the original 'Sheep' was 10 minutes 19 seconds, and the reworked one is 10 minutes 24 seconds.
The main difference, however, lies in the instrumental layering and use of minute nuances. Take one of my Floyd favourites, 'Pigs (Three Different Ones)', for instance. Now hold your breath. It's sung by Dream Theater's James LaBrie, and for much of the song, keyboardist Patrick Moraz of the Moody Blues shows his wizardry, and what he does has very little in common with what the late Richard Wright marvellously 0did. On drums is legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra drummer Billy Cobham, with Blue Oyster Cult's Joe Bouchard on bass.
Did I miss the guitarist? Obviously it's not easy to fill in Gilmour's shoes, and his unforgettable solo coda isn't even attempted. But then, Al Di Meola is a giant in the jazz-rock guitar world, and he does his own take to close the song. He's an absolute delight, expectedly.
As Floyd fans know, Animals has three long-form songs and two short pieces at the beginning and end. While 'Dogs' was co-written by Waters and Gilmour, the other tracks were penned by Waters. The songs commented on the political system in the UK in the 1970s and took a dig at capitalism. The album's cover, conceptualised by Waters and designed by Storm Thorgerson, led to the creation of symbolic images like the Battersea Power Station and inflated pig which appeared on the front jacket.
Even the cover has been artistically reimagined here (main photo on top), and like the songs, the original thought is retained. Yet, each song has a different set of artistes. 'Dogs' has vocals by Graham Bonnet, formerly of Michael Schenker Group and Rainbow, guitars by Vinnie Moore of UFO and keyboards by Dream Theater's Jordan Rudess, among others. 'Sheep' has the great Rick Wakeman of Yes on keys.
Now all of these are remarkable musicians in their own right, and naturally they are experienced enough to bring in their own touch without disturbing the flavour of the original. Floyd's keyboardist Wright and drummer Nick Mason have an interesting and talented set of replacements. As such, these songs may not sound too different from the originals on casual listening, though a closer scrutiny will showcase the minute differences.
The most question, of course, is how many people will listen to such reimaginations closely, without bias. There will be different approaches. Some listeners will insist only on the originals, and dismiss any attempt to 'tamper' with them as sacrilege. Others may listen to the adaptations out of curiosity, or because some of their other favourite artistes are featured here. Still others will be open to experimentation, and may get into the intricate nuances the new album may offer.
In other words, there may be no broad consensus in opinion. To each his own. My own take on Animals Reimagined is that while 'Dogs' and 'Pigs (Three Different Ones)' are well-done and classy in their own way, 'Sheep' is too raucous, with Arthur Brown's timbre and throw just not suiting the song's mood, though Wakeman has some exquisite keyboard parts. I missed some of the flanging effects and of course that crackling outro of 'Dogs', though Di Meola compensated in his own stylish way. And while I'll keep going back to the original, I may play this once in a while for a change in mood. The production here is superb (we've moved 44 years ahead), though I couldn't find any detail of the producer.
Obviously, Cleopatra Records and its owner Brian Perera have done their research, considering that this is the fourth release in the series. They've had Joe Satriani playing on 'Wish You Were Here', Doors guitarist Robby Krieger on 'Time' and Styx vocalist Tommy Shaw on 'Money'. That should be temptation enough to check them out, besides Animals Reimagined, before one forms his or her own opinion.
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