LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-NOV 23, 2019…ON THIS DATE FORTY YEARS AGO PINK FLOYD RELEASED ‘ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL PART(II)’ HERE ARE QUICK FACTS SURROUNDING THIS EPIC TRACK:
-ROGER WATERS WROTE “PART II2” AS A PROTEST SONG AGAINST RIGID SCHOOLING, PARTICULARLY BOARDING SCHOOLS
-THE SONG APPEARS IN “THE WALL” MOVIE. DURING THE ‘PT(II)’ SEQUENCE CHILDREN ENTER A SCHOOL AND MARCH IN UNISON THROUGH A MEAT GRINDER. IN THE SCENE YOU SEE SHADOWS OF HAMMERS POUNDING AWAY AT THE CHILDREN UNTIL THEY BECOME PERFECT MODEL CITIZEN “PUTTY FACED CLONES.” THE KIDS SUCCUMB TO THEIR TEACHERS RANTS BEFORE THEY EVENTUALLY RIOT AND BURN DOWN THE SCHOOL
– THE PRODUCER BOB EZRIN SUGGESTED ADDING ELEMENTS OF DISCO TO THE TRACK
– DAVID GILMORE RECORDED THE GUITAR SOLO IN ONE TAKE
-WHEN EZRIN HEARD THE SONG WITH A DISCO BEAT HE KNEW IT WOULD BE A HIT RECORD BUT FELT IT NEEDED TO BE LONGER WITH TWO VERSES AND CHORUSES
-WHEN HE BROUGHT THIS UP TO THE BAND THEY SAID “NOPE, WE RELEASE ALBUMS, WE DON’T DO SINGLES.”
-ROGER WATERS WAS SO SET AGAINST THE IDEA OF RELEASING IT AS A 45 HE TOLD EZRIN “GO AHEAD AND WASTE YOUR TIME ON SILLY STUFF.”
-WHEN THE BAND WASN’T IN THE STUDIO, EZRIN EDITED THE TAKES INTO AN EXTENDED VERSION, AND HAD THE STUDIO ENGINEER RECORD CHILDREN SINGING THE CHORUS
-THE CHILDREN’S CHORUS WHICH SANG ON THE TRACK CAME FROM A SCHOOL THAT WAS CHOSEN BECAUSE IT WAS NEXT TO THE SCHOOL. IT WAS MADE UP OF 23 KIDS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 13-15. THEY WERE OVERDUBBED 12 TIMES MAKING IT SOUND LIKE THERE WERE MANY MORE KIDS.
-IT TURNS OUT THE KIDS WEREN’T PAID ANYTHING FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION. THE SCHOOL RECIEVED A SINGLE PAYMENT OF $ 1,000 POUNDS ( APPROXIMATELY $ 1,300 U.S.). THE KIDS DID RECEIVE TICKETS TO A PINK FLOYD CONCERT, AN ALBUM, AND A SINGLE.
-RUH-ROH ! IN 2004 THE GROWN UP SCHOOL CHILDREN FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST PINK FLOYD WANTING TO GET PAID. THE SUIT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL.
-WHEN ROGER WATERS HEARD THE FINISHED PRODUCT, ACCORDING TO BOB EZRIN “there was a total softening of his face, and you just knew that he knew it was going to be an important record”
-THE BAND WAS CONVINCED THAT THEY SHOULD GO AGAINST THEIR POLICY OF NOT RELEASING SINGLES FROM THEIR ALBUMS. WHEN THE BAND RELENTED AND DID RELEASE ‘PT(II)’ IT BECAME THEIR ONLY #1 SONG ON THE BILLBOARD TOP 100.
-‘ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL PART(II)’ IS RANKED #375 ON ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE’S GREATEST SONGS OF ALL TIME
-THIS SONG WOULD TURN OUT TO BE THE FINAL #1 SONG OF THE 70’S
-TO DATE, ACCOUNTING FOR STREAMING, DOWNLOADS AND PHYSICAL RECORD SALES ‘ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL PART(II)’ HAS SOLD THE EQUIVALENT OF 16,700,000 COPIES.
AND HERE’S THE VIDEO THAT WAS PLAYED ON VH1 (6 MINS WORTH )
