This 70s Rock Masterpiece was Based on a Legendary Book - and is Better Than the Original
When I was a freshman in high school, I read George Orwell'sAnimal Farm for the first time, and it wasn't really for me. Little did I know back then that one of the greatest bands of all time had adapted the book into a better, more thematically interesting, and more emotionally resonant form. That album is "Animals" by Pink Floyd.
Heading out of 1975, Pink Floyd was coming off of genuinely one of the greatest albums ever put to sound in "Wish You Were Here." The monumental meditation on the destruction and selling of the soul is in an elite echelon of some of the hardest albums to follow up ever. An album that captures the vastness of the human condition in such a compelling and sonically expansive way is a feat that only a few bands have accomplished. The thing you need to understand about Pink Floyd however is that they made the best album of all time four times in a row.
"Animals" was the follow up to the enormous previous record, an adaption of Orwell's famous novel that features three of the band's absolute greatest songs. It's a politically charged, angry, groovy, and legendary record that sits as many fans' favorite album of theirs. Full of their acute understanding of the world around them, the system they exist in, and the musical mastery of one of the greatest bands of all time, the album is a firm statement that they have plenty left to contribute.
Legendary Songs that Elevated the Original Book to Another Level
"Animals" is unique in that it's an album that I consistently find myself having a different favorite song from every time I listen to it. The album is mostly composed of three behemoth tracks: "Dogs," "Pigs (Three Different Ones), and 'Sheep." Each of these fit right in with the pantheon of Floyd's most epic and enduring songs.
Dogs is the first of the trio of epic tracks that take up the middle part of the record. The song occupies this sonic space that is so cold, weary, and bitter. The opening lyric of "you got to be crazy" cuts extremely hard and immediately places you into the atmosphere of violence and desperation that the allegorical parameters of the album exist within. Dogs is a look at the violence the system perpetuates and the people who are avatars of that. It understands so clearly that aggression and hatred are fueled by sadness and unfulfillment, and the song takes you on a journey through the harshness of that concept for its entire runtime.
As I write today, "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" is my favorite song on the album. It features one of my favorite things you can hear on a Pink Floyd song, and it's not something that happens too often. Guitarist David Gilmour is on bass for this song, and this song here features my favorite bass part in any of their songs. It serves as this awesome, slinky groove that sits under Roger Waters' vitriolic and venomous delivery of the scathing lyrics. "Pigs" is about the elite, and the ways they suck up and destroy everyone below them. Easily the harshest song on the album, the squealing talk box solo and the escalation of sound at the end of the track make it one of my absolute favorite songs from the band.
Rounding out the trilogy of excellence on this album is "Sheep," a song about the blindness of the common man and the uprising that must take place. The momentum of this song is so incredible, with the thumping bass part combining with maybe David Gilmour's most underrated guitar work of the band's career. Seriously, the ending of this song is such an incredible piece of composition. As Roger screams "get out of the road if you want to grow old," the guitars explode into this rapturous and joyful groove that feels like pure freedom. It's a welcome solace from the oppressive sound and content of the album thus far.
Bookending the album is the lovely and overlooked "Pigs on the Wing," which is a heartfelt and simple reminder that the path forward is through love, compassion, and looking out for one another. If nothing else, we have each other in this cruel world. I'll let Waters' lovely writing speak for itself.
You know that I care
What happens to you
And I know that you care
For me too
So, I don't feel alone on the weight of the stone
Now that I've found somewhere safe to bury my bone
And any fool knows a dog needs a home
A shelter from pigs on the wing
I absolutely love "Animals." It's top three Floyd for me, and I feel it is consistently overlooked. Part of that is because of when it released in the band's history, as its sandwiched between two of the most popular albums ever. Nevertheless, the record is a musical marvel that never ceases to impress me.
Related: Discover the Story of One of the Greatest Bands of the '70s in Brand New Documentary
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This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 2:30 AM.