After the creative zenith of Wish You Were Here, not only from a commercial and creative aspect, it was also the band's last true collective recording as well. By the time of Animals, Rick Wright's input is second to null, even though his keyboards are still prominent throughout the record's 3 centerpieces Dogs, Pigs(three Different Ones) and Sheep, its much more driven by Gilmour's guitar attack and Waters' lyrics than anything else. The vibe of the record is also a bit of a downer and becomes increasingly cynical and caustic throughout its duration. The two acoustic pieces Pigs on the Wing pt. 1 & 2 are simple and sweet bookends within the center frame of the structure of the album giving a continuity to the record which unifies it, most convincingly.

 

Dogs and Sheep were originally written back in '74, then known as Gotta Be Crazy and Raving and Drooling respectively, and were eventually made available, via the Experience edition of Wish You Were Here. Comparing to the finished tracks, its interesting to measure the rawer, incomplete versions of their studio counterparts and as a result, these two numbers are essentially the base of the record and offer a solid foundation of success  to Animals as a whole. Pigs(Three Different Ones) echoes a bit of Wish You Were Here's Have A Cigar in melody, but lyrically, implies cynicism within the big wheels of society from the corporate machine of business to various aspects of organized government.

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Animals is a time marking record that begins Waters' dominance over the group's creative path and is fully realized on the proceeding  releases, The Wall and The Final Cut(which, to my mind, is Waters' first solo album). Despite the increasing lack of input from the other members, Gilmour manages to make his creative impulses known moreover on this release, and its all the better for it. In the ensuing years, it is argued that without Waters, Pink Floyd lacked a true continuity in its studio releases post Final Cut, within an overall theme lyrically, while Waters' main issues in his solo projects lacked a sense of melodic variation and  depth within the songwriting approach. Animals is the first indication of the two main factions of Floyd colliding, with the scales tipping towards Waters domination, but despite the downbeat nature of this piece, its still a strong effort added to the canon of Floyd's prodigious catalog.

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Rating Grade- A-