Even by the standards of a band whose sound underwent some radical shifts over time, Pink Floyd’s Animals is an outlier. It bridges two periods in the band’s history — what I’d argue is the most popular version of their style (on Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here) with the more conceptually-heavy period that closed out Roger Waters’s time in the band (The Wall and The Final Cut). But it doesn’t sound too much like either of those two moments, either.
What is does have are some of the band’s most intriguing musical moments, along with some stunning guitar work from David Gilmour. (The solo that begins at around 3:45 into “Dogs” is just sublime, in this reporter’s opinion.) And later this year, fans of the band will get to hear Animals in a way it’s never been heard before — in a remixed version that’s several years in the making.
Ultimate Classic Rock has more details on the reissued version of Animals, which is set for release on September 16, with a deluxe version, complete with a book of photography, out a month later. The remixes themselves were made in 2018, but issues relating to the liner notes have led to some delays.
For now, the band has released audio of the remixed version of “Dogs,” which offers a sense of what to expect from the project. For many Pink Floyd fans, this one may prove to be worth the wait.
And stay tuned for next weekend, when I’ll explain my pet theory of how Atom Heart Mother anticipates several strains in 1990s indie rock.
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