Released on 23 January 1977, Animals is Pink Floyd's tenth studio album and, arguably, their most underrated. Sandwiched between the commercial behemoth of Wish You Were Here and the cultural phenomenon of The Wall, it has long existed in the shadow of its more celebrated neighbours. That is a significant injustice. Animals is a ferocious, politically charged record — the sound of Roger Waters at his most furious and Pink Floyd at their most uncompromising.
Background & Concept
Animals was conceived by Roger Waters as a loose adaptation of George Orwell's Animal Farm, transposing Orwell's political allegory onto the Britain of the mid-1970s — a country gripped by economic crisis, industrial unrest, and a growing sense of social fracture. The album divides humanity into three groups: Dogs (ruthless capitalists), Pigs (corrupt authority figures), and Sheep (the passive, manipulated masses).
Recorded at Britannia Row Studios in Islington — a facility the band had recently purchased — Animals marked a shift in Pink Floyd's creative dynamic. David Gilmour and Nick Mason contributed relatively little to the writing, with Waters taking almost total control of the album's concept and lyrics. The tension this created would eventually lead to the band's fracture in the early 1980s.
The Sound of Animals
Where Wish You Were Here was melancholy and reflective, Animals is angular and aggressive. The guitars are sharper, the arrangements more abrasive, and Waters' vocals carry a contempt that is almost uncomfortable to sit with. 'Dogs', the album's centrepiece at over 17 minutes, is one of the most ambitious pieces Pink Floyd ever recorded — a slow-burning portrait of corporate ruthlessness that builds to a genuinely unsettling conclusion.
'Pigs (Three Different Ones)' is a scathing attack on moral hypocrisy, while 'Sheep' captures the passivity of a population too beaten down to resist. Bookending the album are two versions of 'Pigs on the Wing' — brief, acoustic interludes that provide a rare moment of warmth amid the fury.
Tracklist
- Pigs on the Wing 1
- Dogs
- Pigs (Three Different Ones)
- Sheep
- Pigs on the Wing 2
The Battersea Power Station Pig
The album's iconic cover — a giant inflatable pig floating above Battersea Power Station — has become one of rock's most recognisable images. The pig broke free during the photo shoot and drifted into the flight path of Heathrow Airport, causing a brief aviation incident. It was eventually recovered in Kent. The image perfectly captures the album's spirit: absurdist, confrontational, and impossible to ignore.
Legacy
Animals was a commercial success on release, reaching number two in the UK and number three in the US. Critical reception was more muted — reviewers found it bleak and unrelenting. Over time, its reputation has grown considerably. It is now widely recognised as one of progressive rock's great political statements and a key influence on the punk and post-punk movements that emerged in its wake.
For Pink Floyd fans, Animals rewards repeated listening in a way that few albums do. Its anger feels as relevant today as it did in 1977.
Want to explore more of the Pink Floyd story? Read our guides to The Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, and Wish You Were Here.
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