How The Wall Nearly Broke Pink Floyd Before Becoming a Masterpiece

Pink Floyd's eleventh studio album, The Wall, was released on November 30, 1979. A rock opera centered on a character named Pink, it became one of the band's most ambitious concept records and is closely tied to a period of intense internal strain. Roger Waters had taken increasing creative control after Syd Barrett's departure, and on The Wall he dominated the lyrics and overall concept.

The project grew from ideas called "Bricks in the Wall" and "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking" and was inspired by an incident on the In the Flesh tour when Waters spat on an audience. Other members found their input increasingly sidelined; David Gilmour felt many tracks did not belong on the record, and keyboardist Richard Wright was temporarily fired.

The Wall ended up being the last studio project on which all four members fully collaborated. Contemporary reviews were mixed, but the album later received wide recognition.

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