I CAN HEAR MUSIC

Perhaps it should read Pink Floyd The Wall as it is they who recorded the Wall album back in 1979.

The Original Wall

First a question. Where did Roger Waters and I meet? Answer at the foot of this article.

Roger Waters wrote most of the Wall and one day he said to the group, Pink Floyd. Which album shall we record as I have written 2 albums. One was the Wall and the other was The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking.

The other members of Pink Floyd chose The Wall and so it became a Pink Floyd Album. The latter a Roger Waters album after Pink Floyd split from him.

Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame has recently anounced a world tour performing the Wall.

The Wall is being performed in its entirity by Roger Waters and his band. It starts of in the US then next year in Europe including six concerts in the UK.

I think this was last performed by Roger when the Berlin Wall came down all those years ago 1990. He and other well known rock stars like Joni Mitchel and Van Morrison Marianne Faithful, Jerry Hall, Bryan Adams and many more all took part. See it here.

For those who dont know The Wall was mainly written by Roger Waters when he was in Pink Floyd.

It was released in 1979 and Pink Floyd performed it live 31 times in not quite a year.

The concerts were held in the US and UK and in some European countries and I was privileged to see it twice.

At the time and even now it was some concert. The Wall was built across the stage 40 feet (12 m) high, built from cardboard bricks. There were massive puppets and a aeroplane coming over the audience and crashing into the wall itself.

Then at the end after the wall was fully built across the stage it is pushed over by roadies and come crashing down landing very close to the audience.

You had to be there to believe it happened. A bad quality DVD is available and all though you can see the whole concert it s not as good as it should have been. Watch it here

In 1982 a film version was released starring Bob Geldlof.
as the chatacter Pink.
So is this time going to be differant. I bet it is. Technology has moved on leaps and bound since Pink Floyd performed the wall all those years ago. So I would expect it to be even more amazing then the first time around.

What I find quite amazing is that Roger Waters isnt doing a couple of concerts here and there at the time of writing he is performing it  at over 100 venus in 2 years, not bad for a 67 year old.

The wall was mainly written by Roger Waters with help from David Gilmour and Bob Ezin. One of the most famous tracks written by Waters and David Gilmour is Comfortably Numb. When David Gilmour does that guitar solo it gives me shivers down my back.

While touring there previous album , Animals. Roger was begining to feel alinated towards the so called fans who it seemed to him were more interested in making noises and causing disturbances etc and not wanting to listen to the music. On one famous occasion in Canada a fan tried to get on stage and in his anger and frustration Roger Waters spat at the fan.

Afterwards he was so disgusted with his own behaviour Roger began realising the fame and fortune had built a wall round him ailinating him from audiences and possible real life. So the wall was conceived. When it was finished it dealt with an imaginary Rock star called Pink and his coping with fame and life and madness.

It was released 1979 and the surpise Christmas No1 in the UK was the single Another brick in the wall. The album went on to sell 20+ millions of copies and is only surpassed by Pink Floyds album Dark Side of the Moon in terms of sales.

It is one one the top ten best selling albums of all time.

The Wall also marked the end to Pink Floyd.

Roge Waters fell out with Rick Wright to the point of Roger sacking him. But Richard Wright had an unplanned revenge. He was asked to tour the Wall with Pink Floyd as a paid session musican and as the Wall cost so much to put on the Group lost a load of money but Rick or Richard Wright was still paid and was the only memeber of the group to make money from the tour.

Nearly 2 years ago the Australian Pink Floyd (see them if you get the chance. Brilliant) toured with the Wall but Roger Waters tour is the first time for  30 years that he will be touring the Wall.

Tickets will go quicker then you can read this article. But you could go to Ebay to see if they have any Tickets.

To answer the question where Roger and I met the answer is …. we bumped into each other as he was leaving and I was going into the Gents at the Round House one December many years ago. He didn’t recognise me but I did him. I said… “Sorry” Wow. I bet your jealous now.

I have applied for tickets and hopefully will get one or 2. I’ll keep you posted.

I will properly do anything to get a ticket for this. One reason its a brilliant album and to see the concert , well it would be amazing.

( All I had to do to get a pair of tickets was apply on line. I ‘m glad I did it sold out in minutes.)

Play the whole album in your car while driving a long distance, 60 miles or more. Saturday night with friends play Comfortably Numb and Another brick in the wall.

For a good freak out play In the Flesh.
Great.

UP DATE ROGER WITH DAVID