When it came to the year 1979, there were plenty of hits that were released from Motorhead, Bob Dylan, Donna Summer, Scorpions, KISS, AC/DC, and one Pink Floyd album that went above them all. The infamous rock band released their eleventh studio album, which dominated the charts in 1979.
According to a list by the Ultimate Classic Rock, Pink Floyd developed one of the late ’70s’ biggest hit albums. The Wall was released in late November of that year and was the last album to include all four post-Syd Barrett-era band members. It initially received mixed reviews from critics, but still ranked at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 charts, and globally across Europe, Australia, and South America. It held its spot for 15 weeks and sold millions of copies within its first few months.
Pink Floyd’s bassist, Roger Waters, was the one to have developed the concept storyline for the album during their the Flesh tour in 1977. The album became one of the best-known concept albums as Waters crafted a storyline based on a character named Pink. The album character was inspired by Waters himself and former band member Barrett.
“He never got over his father’s death during World War II, and the band’s gargantuan success was heavily weighing on him. All this and more went into the creation of The Wall, Waters’ autobiographical story of a rock star’s isolation from his loved ones and his increasingly demanding fans,” said UCR about Waters’s inspiration.
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According to reports, Waters grew irritated during their 1977 tour at rowdy fans and their not fully experiencing the music. It even led Waters to spit at a group of noisy fans near the stage, with his actions surprising even himself. He explained the experience as wanting ot build a wall between the band and the audience.
The album’s creation also occured duringa rough patch for the band as they were facing their own personal and financial issues. Waters even fired keyboardist Richard Wright during the recording, but stayed on during the tour.
The Wall released hit singles like “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2,” which became one of Pink Floyd’s chart-topping hits. They also released “Run Like Hell”, “Comfortably Numb,” and the album was tagged as one of the best by Rolling Stone. The Wall was later adapted into a feature film in 1982 with Bob Geldof.
