Animals is the tenth studio album by Pink Floyd and it came out on 21 January 1977, released through Harvest and Columbia Records. It was recorded throughout 1976 at Britannia Row Studios in London, which was the bands own studio. This is important because it meant Pink Floyd had complete control over how the album sounded, which really shows in how harsh and stripped back it feels compared to their earlier work.
The album continues the long, drawn-out song structures Pink Floyd had been developing since Meddle and Wish You Were Here, but Animals feels far less emotional or comforting. Instead of warmth and reflection, the music is colder, angrier, and more aggressive. There’s no short radio songs on the album. Everything is built around extended tracks that slowly develop and repeat, making the listener feel trapped inside the sound.
George Orwell’s loose concept
Animals is a concept album that focuses on the social and political atmosphere of mid-1970s Britain, a time when the country was dealing with economic problems, strikes, and growing distrust in people in power. Roger Waters uses animals as metaphors, inspired by George Orwell’s Animal Farm, to represent different groups in society. These ideas aren’t explained directly, it’s for the listener to figure out through lyrics and the overall mood of the album.
The cover artwork was an important part of the album’s message. It was designed by Storm Thorgerson from Hipgnosis, with the original idea coming from Roger Waters. The image shows Battersea Power Station with a giant inflatable pig floating between its chimneys. The power station represents industry and control, while the pig symbolises authority and greed. The image is intentionally bleak and industrial, matching the sound of the music.
Pink Floyd didn’t release any singles from Animals. This album was intended to be experienced as a full piece rather than individual songs. It was promoted through the In the Flesh tour, where tensions between the band and audience increased. Roger Waters became frustrated with crowds who treated concerts like entertainment rather than listening experiences, and that later played a major role in inspiring The Wall.
When it was first released, Animals reached number 2 in the UK and number 3 in the US. Although reviews at the time were mixed, the album has been re-evaluated over the years and is now often considered one of Pink Floyd’s most powerful and uncompromising records. Many fans see it as the band at their angriest and most honest, with no attempt to soften its message or make it easier to listen to.
Recording
By 1975, Pink Floyd’s deal with EMI (Harvest’s parent company) had ended. That deal had given them unlimited studio time in exchange for a smaller cut of sales, so once it expired the band decided to take full control. In the same year, they bought a three-storey block of old church halls at 35 Britannia Row in Islington, North London. Most of 1975 was spent turning this building into a recording studio and storage space. This later became known as Britannia Row Studios.
Work on Animals began there in April 1976. The album was engineered by Brian Humphries, who had worked with the band before, and recording continued through late 1976 into early 1977. Because the band owned the studio, there was no pressure to make radio-friendly material, which explains why the album sounds so raw and uncompromising.
Most of the album was written by Roger Waters, with the exception of “Dogs” which was co-written with David Gilmour. Compared to earlier albums, Richard Wright contributed far less, and Animals became the first Pink Floyd album where Wright did not receive a single songwriting credit. This marked a clear shift in power within the band, with Waters becoming the dominant creative force.
Reworked Sheep and Dogs
Two of the album’s main tracks began life years earlier. “Raving and Drooling” and “You’ve Got to Be Crazy”, which had been played live during 1974–75 and considered for Wish You Were Here, were rewritten and reworked into “Sheep” and “Dogs” to fit the album’s concept. These songs were separated by “Pigs (Three Different Ones)”, while “Pigs on the Wing”, split into two short parts at the beginning and end of the album, was the only entirely new piece. This song was more personal and reflected Waters’ private life at the time, particularly his relationship with Carolyne Anne Christie.
During the sessions, the band discussed bringing in another guitarist for live performances, and Snowy White was invited to the studio. After Waters and Nick Mason accidentally erased one of Gilmour’s guitar solos, White recorded a solo for “Pigs on the Wing”. Although it was left off the vinyl release, it appeared on the 8-track version, and White went on to play with the band during the Animals tour. Nick Mason later said he actually enjoyed working on Animals more than Wish You Were Here, despite the growing tension inside the band.
Concept
The album is loosely inspired by George Orwell’s Animal Farm, but instead of focusing on Stalinism like the book, Animals uses animals to criticise capitalism and class systems. The lyrics divide society into groups: dogs as ruthless competitors, pigs as corrupt leaders, and sheep as people who follow without questioning. Unlike Orwell’s novel, the sheep in Animals eventually fight back, which slightly shifts the message.
What started as a group of unrelated songs slowly turned into a full concept album. Writer Glenn Povey described it as a record about social and moral decay, where humans are reduced to animals driven by instinct and power. The album’s bitterness reflects how disillusioned Waters had become with politics, authority, and even the music industry itself.
The album can also be seen as Pink Floyd’s response to the punk movement, which was emerging at the time as a reaction against mainstream rock. Punk musicians often targeted Pink Floyd as symbols of excess, although this was sometimes exaggerated. John Lydon famously wore a Pink Floyd T-shirt with “I hate” written on it, later saying it was meant as a joke. Nick Mason welcomed punk as a return to underground music culture, and in 1977 he even produced The Damned’s second album at Britannia Row.
Music and Tracks
Critics and fans have often pointed out “Dogs” as one of David Gilmour’s strongest performances, especially his guitar work. Even though he only sings one lead vocal, the song is intense and explosive, with major contributions from Richard Wright’s keyboards, which echo the synthesiser textures of Wish You Were Here.
“Pigs (Three Different Ones)” is built around blues-style guitar fills and heavy bass lines. One of the “pigs” is directly aimed at Mary Whitehouse, a well-known British morality campaigner, showing Waters’ willingness to be openly confrontational.
“Sheep” begins quietly with Wright’s unaccompanied electric piano before slowly building into chaos. The song includes a twisted version of a religious psalm, mocking blind obedience. By the end, the sheep overthrow the dogs, completing the album’s narrative arc. Despite his major musical contribution, Wright again received no writing credit.
The album is framed by the two halves of “Pigs on the Wing”, which are simple and emotional compared to the heavy material in between. These songs offer a brief sense of hope and human connection, standing in sharp contrast to the anger that dominates the rest of the album.
Packaging and Artwork
Once the album was finished, work began on the cover. Hipgnosis suggested several ideas, including a deliberately shocking concept involving humans behaving like animals. In the end, the final idea came from Roger Waters, who regularly passed Battersea Power Station while driving near his home.
A 12-metre inflatable pig, later named Algie, was constructed and flown between the chimneys in December 1976. Due to bad planning and weather, the pig broke free and drifted across London, even causing disruption at Heathrow Airport, before landing in Kent. Although filming continued, the final image used a photograph where the pig was added later.
The album’s imagery extended to the record labels, typography, and gatefold sleeve, which featured bleak, monochrome photos of the decaying area around the power station. Even decades later, the pig has remained a symbol of the album, including a brief appearance during the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony.
Release
Animals was released in the UK on 21 January 1977 and in the US in February. It reached number two in the UK and number three in the US, and helped Pink Floyd overtake ABBA for the most weeks on the UK Albums Chart that year. Although it was initially divisive, the album later achieved quadruple platinum status in the US and is now widely seen as one of Pink Floyd’s boldest and most uncompromising works.
Tour
Animals became the centrepiece of Pink Floyd’s In the Flesh tour, which began in Dortmund, Germany, on the same day the album was released. The tour moved across continental Europe in February, the UK in March, and then into the United States for several weeks during April, May, June, and July. By this point, Pink Floyd were playing stadium-sized venues, which completely changed the relationship between the band and their audience.
The album’s imagery heavily influenced the tour’s visuals. The inflatable pig, Algie, became a recurring symbol, floating above the crowd during performances. Each night, the pig would later be swapped for a cheaper version filled with gas and deliberately exploded for effect. On one occasion, the explosion was far more dangerous than intended when propane was replaced with an oxygen-acetylene mixture, creating a massive blast. During the tour, German promoter Marcel Avram even presented the band with a real piglet in Munich, which quickly caused chaos in its mirrored hotel room, leaving manager Steve O’Rourke to deal with the aftermath.
Bricks in the Wall
Although the band was supported onstage by familiar musicians such as Dick Parry and Snowy White, relationships within Pink Floyd were rapidly breaking down. Roger Waters began arriving at venues alone and leaving immediately after shows, keeping his distance from the rest of the band. At one point, Richard Wright flew back to England and threatened to quit altogether. The tour also raised serious issues around money and control. In Chicago, promoters claimed to have sold out Soldier Field at its official capacity of 67,000, but Waters and O’Rourke suspected otherwise. After hiring a helicopter, photographer, and lawyer, they discovered the real attendance was closer to 95,000, resulting in a loss of around $640,000 for the band.
By the end of the tour, morale was at an all-time low. David Gilmour later described this period as deeply depressing, feeling that Pink Floyd had reached the level of success they had aimed for but had nothing left to look forward to. The scale of the shows had turned music into something distant and impersonal.
The breaking point came in July 1977, during the final show at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. A small group of noisy fans near the front of the crowd frustrated Waters so much that he spat at one of them, an action he later said he immediately regretted. Gilmour, already disillusioned with the tour and the size of the venues, refused to return to the stage for the third encore. Shortly after, Waters spoke with producer Bob Ezrin about his growing sense of alienation and described imagining a wall separating himself from the audience. This idea became the foundation for Pink Floyd’s next album, The Wall.
Reception and Legacy
When Animals was released, the reaction from critics was split, and in some cases extreme. Some reviewers immediately recognised how aggressive and uncompromising the album was, while others found it bitter, unpleasant, or simply exhausting to listen to. This divide has followed the album ever since.
British music papers were generally more positive at the time. NME described Animals as one of the most intense and relentless records ever released, while Melody Maker praised it for being uncomfortable and confrontational in an era when a lot of rock music had become safe and predictable. These reviews focused on the album’s refusal to soften its message or make itself easy to listen to.
Not everyone agreed. Rolling Stone critic Frank Rose was openly dismissive, arguing that Pink Floyd sounded bitter and repetitive, and that the album’s message felt obvious and overdone. He suggested that the band had only just realised how flawed human behaviour was, which made the album feel tedious rather than insightful. Robert Christgau, writing for The Village Voice, gave the album a B+, but defended it against harsher criticism, arguing that Animals worked well as political music that was deliberately ugly and forceful where it needed to be.
Pink Floyd’s punk record
Later critics have often been far more generous. Some writers have pointed out that by stripping away the lush production of The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd created something tougher and more physical. One critic described Animals as the band’s closest equivalent to a punk album, not because of speed or simplicity, but because of its attitude and refusal to compromise. Because it isn’t easily digestible or suited to radio play, it has often been described as a “lost” classic within the bands catalogue.
Over time, retrospective reviews have ranked Animals highly, with some modern publications giving it near-perfect scores and reassessing it as one of Pink Floyd’s boldest statements. Its reputation has grown largely because it feels less polished and more honest than many of the band’s other releases.
Turning point
Members of the band themselves have been divided about the album. Nick Mason later suggested that its harsh tone may have come from a workmanlike atmosphere in the studio, as well as an unconscious reaction to accusations from punk musicians that bands like Pink Floyd represented outdated “dinosaur rock”. David Gilmour has said that while he loves the album and finds it exciting and noisy, he does not see it as one of the band’s most creative periods, noting that some of the material had been reworked from earlier years.
Richard Wright was more openly critical in later interviews. He said that he did not enjoy much of the music on Animals and felt sidelined during its creation, contributing performances but not songwriting. Wright also described the album as the beginning of serious ego problems within the band, particularly due to Roger Waters’ increasing control. In hindsight, Animals is often seen not just as a turning point in Pink Floyd’s sound, but also as a moment when internal tensions became impossible to ignore.
Reissues
Over the years, Animals has been re-released multiple times as formats and technology changed. The album first appeared on CD in the UK in 1985, followed by a US CD release in 1987, as compact discs became the dominant way people listened to music. In 1994, the album was reissued again as a digitally remastered CD, this time with updated artwork, and in 1997 it received a limited-edition remastered vinyl release. An anniversary edition was also released in the US around this period.
In 1992, Animals was included in the Shine On box set, and later appeared in the Oh, By The Way box set in 2007. It was also part of the Why Pink Floyd…? reissue campaign in 2011, where it was released both as part of a larger box set and as a standalone Discovery Edition CD. These reissues helped introduce the album to new listeners who may not have experienced it on its original formats.
Remix dispute
Despite this, Animals became the centre of a long-running dispute within the band. In April 2020, Roger Waters revealed that he had been pushing for a new remix and remaster of the album by longtime Pink Floyd engineer James Guthrie, but said the project had been blocked by David Gilmour and Nick Mason. In June 2021, Waters announced that the remix would finally be released, including stereo and 5.1 surround mixes, and explained that the delay was caused by a disagreement over liner notes written by music journalist Mark Blake. Waters later published the rejected liner notes on his website.
The long-delayed remix was eventually released on 16 September 2022 across vinyl, CD, and Blu-ray, with a deluxe gatefold edition following in October. This version included multiple formats, surround sound mixes, and a 32-page book, aimed at collectors and long-time fans. A hybrid SACD featuring both stereo and surround mixes was also released around the same time. In the lead-up to the remix, the band released the 2018 remix of “Dogs” as a digital single in July 2022.
The 2022 reissue brought Animals back into the charts, reaching number 21 on the Billboard 200, its highest chart position since the original release in 1977. This resurgence showed how the album continues to be re-evaluated and rediscovered decades after it was first released.
Before This Section
At this point, the writing part of the paper is finished.
If you haven’t read one of my papers before (this is only my third one), I usually end by putting all the technical details, credits, and visuals at the back. This is the part I enjoy most, because it shows how many people were actually involved in making the album, not just the band members.
Below is a full list of the tracks and everyone who worked on Animals. After this section, I include artwork, photographs, and images of recording and mixing equipment used during the album’s production.
Track Listing
All tracks written by Roger Waters, except “Dogs”, written by Roger Waters and David Gilmour.
Side One
- Pigs on the Wing (Part One) – 1:24
- Dogs – 17:04
Total length: 18:28
Side Two - Pigs (Three Different Ones) – 11:28
- Sheep – 10:20
- Pigs on the Wing (Part Two) – 1:24
Total length: 23:12
Album length: 41:40
Personnel
Musicians
- Roger Waters – lead vocals (all tracks), vocal harmonies (tracks 2–3), rhythm guitar (track 4), acoustic guitar (tracks 1 & 5), bass guitar (track 2), EMS VCS 3 (tracks 3–4)
- David Gilmour – lead vocals (track 2), vocal harmonies (track 2), electric rhythm & lead guitar (tracks 2–4), acoustic guitar (track 2), bass guitar (tracks 3–4), sound effects (track 3), backing vocals (track 3)
- Nick Mason – drums (tracks 2–4), cowbell (track 3), vocoder (track 4)
- Richard Wright – keyboards (tracks 2 & 4), Hammond organ (track 3), ARP Solina (track 3), piano (track 3), Clavinet (track 3), Minimoog (track 3), EMS VCS 3 (tracks 3–4), vocal harmonies (track 2), Hammond organ (8-track version of Pigs on the Wing)
Additional Musicians
* Snowy White – guitar solo (8-track version of Pigs on the Wing)
Production
* Pink Floyd – producer
* Brian Humphries – sound engineer
* Nick Griffiths – assistant sound engineer
Remastering
* Doug Sax & James Guthrie – 1992 remaster (The Mastering Lab)
* James Guthrie & Joel Plante – 2011 remaster (das boot recording)
Artwork, Design & Photography
Concept & Design
* Roger Waters – sleeve concept
* Storm Thorgerson – sleeve design (organiser)
* Aubrey Powell – sleeve design (organiser), photography
Photography
* Peter Christopherson
* Howard Bartrop – cover photography
* Nic Tucker
* Bob Ellis
* Rob Brimson
* Colin Jones
Other Visual Elements
* E.R.G. Amsterdam – inflatable pig (Algie) design
* Nick Mason – graphics and typography
Charts (Overview)
Instead of listing every re-entry, the key point is that Animals:
* Reached #1 in multiple European countries
* Peaked at #2 in the UK and #3 in the US on release
* Re-entered charts repeatedly between 2006–2025
* Returned to the Billboard 200 in 2022 following the remix
Certifications (Selected)
* United States – 4× Platinum
* United Kingdom – Platinum
* Germany – Platinum
* France – Platinum
* Canada – 2× Platinum
What Comes Next
After this section, I include:
* images of mixing desks, tape machines, and studios
* photographs from the Animals era
* album artwork, alternate covers, and promotional photos
This part is meant to show how the album was made, not just what it sounds like.
The Art Of Animals
Battersea Power Station and Algie the Pig
The factory on the cover isn’t random — it’s Battersea Power Station in London, and the inflatable pig was meant to float above it for real during the photo shoot. The pig even broke free and flew across the countryside before being recovered.
Later reissues of Animals, like the 2018 remix edition, revisited the cover and captured updated photos of Battersea, showing how the album’s imagery continues to evolve while staying rooted in that original concept.
Vintage Britannia Row Session A historical shot of an engineer or musician working at the studios mixing desk in the 1970s setup.
Pink Floyd on stage with fog and lights
Live visuals were a big part of the experience, with lighting and atmosphere making each show cinematic.
David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason on stage
A rare clear shot of the band playing together during the European leg of the tour.
Final Conclusion
Animals is not a comfortable album, and that’s the whole point. It doesn’t try to be pretty or welcoming, and it definitely doesn’t care if you like it on first listen. Compared to The Dark Side of the Moon or Wish You Were Here, this record feels colder, angrier, and way more direct. There are no obvious hits, no radio-friendly moments, just long tracks that slowly build, explode, and then leave you thinking.
What makes Animals special is how focused it is. Every song fits the idea. The lyrics, the sound, the production, even the cover — everything is working toward the same message. You can hear the tension in the band, especially from Roger Waters, and instead of ruining the album, it actually fuels it. This is Pink Floyd at their most political and most confrontational, and they never really went this far again.
Final Words
This isn’t an album you put on in the background. Animals demands your attention. It’s the sound of a band fed up with the world around them and not bothering to hide it. The music is heavy, sharp, and sometimes uncomfortable, but that’s what makes it honest.
In a way, Animals feels like the bridge between Wish You Were Here and The Wall. You can hear the anger growing, the distance between the band and the audience getting wider, and the ideas that would later turn into something even bigger. It might not be the most loved Pink Floyd album, but it’s one of their boldest — and once it clicks, it really sticks.
Rating
9/10
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