It would take something incredibly special to ever dethrone Animals as my all-time favorite album. I'm not sure it's entirely tied to quality, although this album's is unquestionably high. It is so tied with memory, nostalgia, and discovery for me that it will forever be unmatched in that department when combined with quality. I remember the exact moment I first heard this. Micki and I went to Barnes and Noble the day after Christmas with gift cards in hand, looking to blow them on books, DVDs, CDs, etc. I was definitely aware of Pink Floyd, had a few of their CDs, like The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, and felt it was time to branch out a bit, so I picked up Animals. We headed home from Mall of Georgia in Micki's CR-V, and she allowed me to play the CD as we drove. I vaguely remember her asking "what in the world is this" during one extended section of "Dogs," while I thought to myself the very same question, but in a completely different way. My mind was absolutely blown. It still is, every time I listen. For my money it's the band at their peak, not only from a songwriting and concept perspective, but the playing is top-tier. David Gilmour's slide guitar solo on "Dogs," Nick Mason's insane drum fills of "Pigs (Three Different Ones)," Richard Wright's nasty synths on "Sheep," I feel like every member got a chance to shine, with Roger Waters' songwriting at the forefront. It is always such a joy to come back to for me.

Reviewed on Tuesday, January 31st, 2023, 12:46pm.

I mean it's one of the greatest albums of all time. I vividly remember this being the first ever album I listened to front to back twice in a row. It was on the way down to the beach with the Urrutias, and I had my SACD version in the Discman, and just was so blown away that I had to run it back. Coming back to this album from time to time will always bring that feeling back, it's so good.

Reviewed on Tuesday, January 24th, 2023, 12:46pm.

A case could be made for "San Tropez" and "Seamus" being kind of throwaway tracks but it really doesn't matter in this case. That's about six less-than-perfect minutes out of an otherwise perfect 46 minutes that are really easy to ignore when you take the strength of the "One of These Days," "A Pillow of Winds," "Fearless," and "Echoes." A perhaps airier record than what comes after in their catalog, Meddle will always be a favorite due to those four tracks. The funky breakdown of "Echoes" sets the tone for some of my favorite styles of songs for the band that come later, while "Fearless" and "A Pillow of Winds" show a really nice, softer side of the band that mark some of their most famous tracks on later works. It all kicks off with the beast of driving bass and drums of "One of These Days," a forever-lasting track that always gets my head nodding.

Reviewed on Tuesday, January 24th, 2023, 8:59am.