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Roger Waters The Wall [Original Soundtrack] [LP]
Barnes and Noble
Roger Waters The Wall [Original Soundtrack] [LP]
Current price: $17.99
Barnes and Noble
Roger Waters The Wall [Original Soundtrack] [LP]
Current price: $17.99
Size: CD
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is the second theatrical film adapted from
's 1979 concept album
, which makes this 2015 soundtrack the fourth official full-length rendition of
' rock opera to be released. Surprisingly,
's 1982 film never had an accompanying soundtrack -- its one original song, "When the Tigers Broke Free," appeared as a 7" but never made its way into live shows; as it happens, the 1982 film only existed because an attempted concert film fell apart (
, a 2000 double CD, excavated live recordings from 1980-1981) -- but that movie loomed nearly as large in the legend of
as the original double album, crystallizing it as an anthem of angst.
eventually emphasized the opera's origins as the loss of his father in World War II. After the Berlin Wall came down in 1989,
launched an all-star benefit show in 1990 (released as
), a not unsubtle nod to WWII, and by the time he re-created
's 1980 production as a solo tour in the 2010s, it had become a full-fledged, all-purpose antiwar piece. Most of the shift in message came through visuals and tone -- the only new song on
is "The Ballad of Jean Charles de Menezes," an explicit antiwar tune inserted between "Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2" and "Mother"; it also features "What Shall We Do Now?," excised for length reasons from the original double LP -- because otherwise
remained the same, right down to its analog synth sounds and guitar solos. Occasionally, there might be a bit of a breakdown -- such as a bit of hard, gleaming funk during an extended "Run Like Hell" -- but there are no rearrangements, so
could almost be mistaken for the original if it weren't for
's precise, open production and
' disarming sense of geniality. Sour throughout
and for a long spell afterward,
is settled into his skin as an older man, so comfortable he often performed his solo
with a smile. A grin can't be seen on this soundtrack but can certainly be felt throughout
and that brings up an interesting point: it's possible to chart
' personal growth solely through these four full-length renditions of
, hearing him transform from a dark, twisty rocker pining for isolation into an elder statesman longing to engage the world. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine