Various Artists: Animals Reimagined-A Tribute to Pink Floyd

A truly all-star cast was assembled to reimagine the classic Pink Floyd Album Animals. We all know this iconic album, and it seems daunting to record these classics only to have them compared to the originals. After a number of listens, I can honestly say it was very enjoyable to hear these musicians interpret music that has meant so much to me. Of the five tracks, 4 succeed, while one fails in every way imaginable.

“Pigs On The Wing 1� features the acoustic guitar of Martin Barre and I really enjoyed his take. “Dogs� (Graham Bonnet, Vinnie Moore, Kasim Sulton, Jordan Rudess & Pat Mastelotto) to my ears is the most successful. I love Moore’s phrasing, and although they add their own touch, it stays fairly true to form. Bonnet sounds quite convincing as well delivering Waters angry vocal. Rudess also gets room to play, but to me, everything fits well. “Pigs (Three Different Ones)� again stays fairly close to the template, but allows for some stretching out. This lineup is my favorite (James LaBrie, Al DiMeola, Joe Bouchard, Patrick Moraz & Billy Cobham), and just a side thought, could Cleopatra Records convince this lineup to record something original? Regardless, it really is well done, and a very enjoyable cover.

“Sheep� is where things go off the rails. I will hand it to this collective of musicians (Arthur Brown, Rick Wakeman, Jan Akkerman, David J & Carmine Appice), they get the award for most unique approach to recreating a track. Unfortunately, it fails miserably, and if you can get past the horrific vocals of Arthur Brown (I tip my cap to you if you can), even the music misses the mark. I like the idea of trying to spin the original, but nothing here works. Akkerman sounds like he is noodling to my ears and Wakeman doesn’t bring anything to the table. If I was not clear before, Brown is unlistenable, and even when he launches into a spoken word diatribe, it is as annoying as his “singing�.

Overall this is very well done, with beautiful artwork to accompany the CD. The only reason I gave it 3 stars, is that these cover albums are fun to listen to, but usually just collect dust on the shelf once you’ve had a few listens. If I am in the mood for Animals, I will grab the original every time.

Track Listing
1) Pigs On The Wing 1
2) Dogs
3) Pigs (Three Different Ones)
4) Sheep
5) Pigs On The Wing 2

Added: January 3rd 2022
Reviewer: Eric Porter
Score:
Related Link: Cleopatra Records
Hits: 562
Language: english

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