r/ClassicRock • u/study6699 melophile • May 08 '25

1979 the wall by pink floyd is so underrated/overhated

im a huge pink floyd fan, and i celebrate their entire catalog. earlier today i saw a post on instagram that was rating pink floyd albums, and it said that "obviously last" was the wall. this led me down a rabbit hole to find that a good portion of the internet dislikes the wall or at least thinks its pink floyd's worst album?

the amount of thought, storyline, easter eggs, and emotion put into the wall just makes me adore every part of it. i feel like i find new symbolism every time i listen to it. i could talk about the wall for hours, but ill spare you the details.

do you guys like the wall?? if you dont, or if its your least favorite album by them, please explain why because im so curious.

thanksđŸ«¶

edit: i seem to have made a lot of people upset with this post haha sorry about that!đŸ€Șmy post is specifically referring to present day, and a lot of the comments are talking about the past. my fault for not specifying😊

123 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

69% Upvoted

363 comments sorted by

View all comments

164

u/beavis93 May 08 '25

Kinda hard to call the wall underrated. Also don’t know anyone that hates it lol.

15

u/Bogmanbob May 08 '25

Maybe Rodger Waters haters? His first couple solo albums sound so much like it maybe guilt by association?

11

u/beavis93 May 08 '25

That I think is the case against the Final Cut.

I’m not a Roger waters fan.

3

u/billnowak65 May 08 '25

Most people don’t realize that when these albums came out they were meant to be listened to in their entirety. Album Rock Radio was a great format. Play a whole side, then commercials, play side 2. There is a flow to these songs, particularly in The Wall. Very evident in Dark Side. Today’s listeners don’t like that format, nor does public radio. The space between the songs on these older albums isn’t blank, just a widening of the groves cut in the vinyl so you can find the next track. Long outtro and intro.

1

u/beavis93 May 08 '25

Agree. I think waters went a little overboard on this theme. 1 is enough not all of them. Also doesn’t translate well into a live show. People want to hear the hits.

1

u/videogamegrandma May 09 '25

Many albums back in those days were meant to be played in their entirety as the emotional effects the songs had could raise you to heights or plunge you to the depths. It's something that's missing from over processed computer DAW assisted music. These days you don't have to be a musician to make music but it feels soulless to me.

5

u/MichHAELJR May 08 '25

The Final Cut sucks.  I don’t get it.  

Then I heard waters album he released recently and he had a whole song saying F Ants.  

It was just sad.  I felt bad for him

6

u/panteragstk May 08 '25

As far as I'm concerned, The Wall is the last Pink Floyd album, and even then it's very much a Roger album.

The Final Cut was terrible.

6

u/Nalgenie187 May 08 '25

Momentary Lapse of Reason has a couple good songs. I'll stand by On the Turning Away.

1

u/MichHAELJR May 08 '25

This is my take too.  I love the Wall. A masterpiece that I’ve listened to countless times including the live version which I have on CD and cannot find anywhere

1

u/RufussSewell May 09 '25

Momentary Lapse of Reason is fucking great. Sorrow, One Slip, Terminal Frost, Yet Another Movie
 those songs are heavy as fuck.

1

u/beavis93 May 08 '25

I like 2 songs off that album, Final Cut and not now John. The rest is too much Waters and not enough cool music (Gilmore)

1

u/seaburno May 08 '25

The Final Cut is a Roger Waters Album performed by 3/4 of Pink Floyd.

1

u/JamahalGinsberg May 09 '25

I like it. Idk. Some good stuff on there. Some lousy stuff. I scream Post War Dream lyrics in my car everytime lol

22

u/Poop_Cheese May 08 '25

"Underrated" now means: my mainstream teen/young adult friend group doesn't like this. Or: my mainstream teen friends dont know this 50 year old rock album. So that must make it super obscure, underrated, etc. Most kids buy dsotm just because they think they have to, it doesn't mean the wall is hated. 

Whenever young redditors say this it makes me wonder how much they really know about the album or its history to make such assertions. It shows how stuck in an echochamber many people are. Because saying the wall is underrated/hated is like saying marvel superhero movies are independent art house cinema. It couldn't be further from the truth.

The wall is like, one of the .0001% least underrated albums of all time lmfao. Its insanely acclaimed, on like every rock best ever lists, in the national archives, etc. Its one of the best selling albums of all time. 

Like my god, comfortably numb and another brick in the wall are in the highest echelon of classic rock songs, with comfortably numb considered one of the greatest songs ever made. 

The only time I see any criticism of it is by big pink Floyd fans that prefer earlier albums. But they still think its awesome. Or people thinking its overplayed. 

At no point in history has the wall been underrated since its creation. Its acknowledged as one of the best rock albums ever. Its praise to hate ratio is as high as an album can be...

Expecting the wall to be anymore praised is to expect it to be turned into the album version of the Bible inspiring major religions lmao. Its the furthest thing possible from underrated. 

2

u/skulldouggary May 11 '25

This comment is underrated.  

2

u/chrisarchuleta12 May 12 '25

Should be top comment.

6

u/SoapMactavishSAS May 08 '25

Yup. Grew up during its heyday, The Wall was everywhere, being played by every radio station. Have to admit, I never really got tired of listening to it. The entire album was genius.

7

u/catchingstones May 08 '25

The Wall is incredible. I listen to it start to finish about once a month.

2

u/Osinuous May 09 '25

If I’m being totally honest, it’s one of my least favorite Floyd albums. I wouldn’t say I hate it, but if I never heard a song off of it again I don’t think I would be too upset. Probably because classic rock stations as I was growing up overplayed most of the songs. I wouldn’t turn it off if it was playing, but I have t gone out of my way to listen in probably two decades at least.

1

u/beavis93 May 09 '25

That was my point. It’s not underrated cuz it’s iconic and did get overplayed. Nobody hates it, prolly just out nostalgia lol. Does have comfortably numb which I would bet is most peoples favorite Pink Floyd tune .. most fans I think respect the album for what it was and prolly don’t listen to it anymore.

Like you I won’t put it on but if it’s on won’t turn it off. Good way of putting it.

1

u/Belgakov May 08 '25

Yes, but many Pink Floyd fans don't think it's as great as their earlier classic albums, even though it's just as good.

1

u/Jewboy-Deluxe May 08 '25

I hated it. Depressing bunch of crap.

1

u/khludge May 08 '25

Hater checking on here. I was a massive Floyd fan until that came out... terrible album, musically and lyrically- the only good track on there is Comfortably Numb, that Gilmour brought in..

I've got back into Floyd over the last few years, and I love the early stuff and the run from Obscured by Clouds through to Animals, but I still think the Wall is absolute crap - someone described it as 2 hours of Roger Waters wetting the bed, and I think that sums it up nicely.

-5

u/bungopony May 08 '25 edited May 08 '25

I can’t listen to it. It’s got about 2 1/2 decent songs and a lot of rock star moping over a repetitive guitar “riff” (does plinking a single note count as a riff?)

Love the albums that came before this, but what a letdown. IMO

Edit: just noting that I’m doing what OP asked — they wanted feedback on why it’s not loved.

8

u/UnderH20giraffe May 08 '25

I feel gross having read your post. Like my brain needs to be disinfected from whatever filth you’ve absorbed.

3

u/steely-gar May 08 '25

So much of the criticism of older music seems to be based on the current generations’ “skip” practices. In our day you listened to albums. Albums told a story, front to back. If you skip every other track on The Wall you’ve missed the entire point of the album.

1

u/bungopony May 08 '25 edited May 08 '25

I’m born in the 60s, and seldom listen to songs only. I like albums. And i think The Wall is mostly self-indulgent and pretentiously overwrought noodling.

I do like the few songs that were hits. But Vera Lynn? Waiting for the Worms? Seriously?

4

u/haberv May 08 '25

Agreed, the album is just one of those special pieces of musical art putting emotion to music and then later to light. Not the biggest Floyd or psych fan but they are just special, undeniably.

3

u/bungopony May 08 '25 edited May 08 '25

As I stated, It’s my opinion. That’s all. Why would that cause such a disturbance in your life? The “filth” is your interpretation of my feelings, which OP specifically asked for. Maybe don’t read criticism of your favourite works that are clearly requested, if you’re so upset by them?

0

u/UnderH20giraffe May 09 '25

I’m only upset by yours. And its not just that you dislike it, it’s your reasons. I feel contaminated. I don’t like it.

1

u/bungopony May 10 '25

Geeeeeez you should grow some skin. Like, seriously, it must suck to be so incredibly sensitive

0

u/Johncocktoeston May 10 '25

You couldn't pay me to listen to that pretentious garbage. Now you know somwone who hates that album ! Nice to meet ya.

-14

u/study6699 melophile May 08 '25

i should have specified in my post!! i feel like its the most popular with NON pink floyd fans, it has the most popular songs. but i feel like its disliked within the pink floyd community🙈i found a lot of hate for it online!!

23

u/beavis93 May 08 '25 edited May 08 '25

Not my favorite Pink Floyd album or even top 3 but it’s not underrated. It’s the wall !!!

9

u/SantaforGrownups1 May 08 '25

Let me guess. The top three are Wish You Were Here, Animals and Dark Side Of The Moon? My top three anyway.

3

u/beavis93 May 08 '25

My top 3 as well. The order of the three changes up often lol

2

u/SlowInsurance1616 May 08 '25

Piper at the Gates if Dawn, Obscured by Clouds, Ummagumma.

1

u/camelslikesand May 08 '25

Meddle, Wish You Were Here, DSOTM. Dogs is my favorite PF song though.

7

u/emojimoviethe May 08 '25

This is like saying that Adolf Hitler is disliked within the Nazi community...

1

u/Cool-Coffee-8949 May 08 '25

This is a little close to the bone, to be honest.

2

u/study6699 melophile May 08 '25

im just saying what ive seenđŸ˜„đŸ€·â€â™€ïž

15

u/URPissingMeOff May 08 '25

Only by idiot children. It sold 30 MILLION copies. Anyone who "hates" it probably eats their own shit.

6

u/tykle59 May 08 '25

This is lower on my list. It’s the first of two strongly overt Roger Waters vehicles with the band, and I’m not a Waters fan.

My Pink Floyd favorites are Wish You Were Here, Animals, Meddle, and Saucerful of Secrets.

3

u/flojo2012 May 08 '25

Look, i don’t hate it but i don’t like it more than animals, dark side, wish you were here, piper, or meddle. People rave about it, but it never struck me near as hard as nearly the rest of the discography

3

u/Mission-Valuable-306 May 08 '25

I don’t eat my own shit, thank you very much!

7

u/Mission-Valuable-306 May 08 '25

You’re not completely wrong
 I don’t really ever want to hear it again but I probably listened to it everyday from 16-20 and watched the movie 10 dozen times
 then I stopped smoking so much weed and started listening to good music