One common criticism of the modern digital music industry is that the album, as an artistic concept, is being destroyed by the endless streaming of individual tracks. That’s a shame, because it would mean that some incredible albums, like Pink Floyd’s The Wall (which celebrates its 35th birthday this weekend) might never have existed.
The Wall is one of the quintessential examples of album-as-an-artform. The album tells the story of an aspiring rock star, who with his success builds a ‘wall’, isolating himself from human contact. The plotline was tight enough for the album to be turned into a feature-length film (admittedly, one that you would have to be as high as a kite to actually understand).
In any case, as the album becomes firmly middle-aged tonight, it’s the perfect opportunity to sit down with a half-bottle of something strong, kick back, and actually listen to an entire album, distraction-free, from beginning to end. It’s honestly worth it.