Pink Floyd – “Dogs” from Animals (1977)
I am among those who believe that punk saved rock and roll. It took on the creative, energetic mantle of its dying father. Indeed, a lot of classic-era rock artists had trouble coping with punk. Most of them were growing tired and could no longer maintain the rebelliousness or creativity of their glory days. Thus, the late 70s and 1980s saw the release of several horrible rock albums from rock mainstays like the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, and Bob Dylan. But there were some brilliant exceptions. For instance, NY’s Rust Never Sleeps is a terrific punk-era rock album. But even that seems a bit aged, a tad crotchety.
Pink Floyd’s Animals, in my opinion, was the ideal punk-era, non-punk album. It did not have the brash, youthful energy of the Clash or the Sex Pistols and the Floyd maintained their high-polish production, which was anathema to the punk movement. However, it is among the bitterest and most honest albums of the era, punk included. It is an encyclopedia of how disgusting, stupid, awful, and weak people are. Yet, in the spirit of all great art, it offers hope and redemption in its bookends.
The enclosed track, “Dogs,” is the album’s centerpiece.
Not only is this an important document in rock history, it is also very rewarding to listen to.
Posted by Jordy
So Well Remembered 
Although I like both Syd Barrett-era and post-Syd Floyd, Animals is my favorite. I’ve never considered it in the context of punk, mostly because I rejected their mid-70s bloat for a long time and thus didn’t really “re-discover” them until the late 90s (well into my 30s).
It’s one of the few albums composed primarily of long songs that I like to listen to all the way through.
I hear you. The Floyd were great composers of ‘album rock’ as they say, and I think Animals is the best of that category. It certainly stands alone.
Trans is awesome
I humbly disagree.
I had a cassette tape of Trans when I was in high school. I kinda liked it. Didn’t Sonic Youth cover one of those Trans songs?
Let me rephrase. Trans may not be the best but it is one of my favorites.
“You’ve got to be trusted by the people that you lie to, so that when they turn their backs on, you’ll get the chance to put the knife in” is my all-time favorite lyric, no counting “Imagine” by John Lennon. It’s the kind of lyric that I have actually experienced. And to me, that is a lyricist who is speaking directly into the lives of the listeners. As a song writer myself, I look to that one particular line of lyric as the guidepost and the one I wish I had written. Thanks for highlighting it. Oh, and I never saw “Animals” as a punk album, but I do really get your point. Truly excellent analysis.