Pink Floyd Reissuing Animals for 50th Anniversary

Animals 50 includes the unreleased Roger Waters song “Young Nicholas Jon,” plus unearthed versions of “Sheep” and “Dogs”Pink Floyd (Getty Images)Pink Floyd are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their classic album Animals with an expansive new reissue. Animals 50, which lands via Sony on January 22, contains multiple unheard tracks—including the Roger Waters solo cut “Young Nicholas Jon” and unreleased versions of “Sheep” and “Dogs.” Listen to “Sheep (Original Radio Edit)” below.Animals 50 will be available in multiple formats, including CD, vinyl, and download. The original tracklist is augmented by a full recording of the band’s 1977 show at Oakland Coliseum Arena, filmed by teen bootlegger Reinhard Hohlwein. The box set comes with a 64-page book with liner notes from author Jonathan Lethem, an interview with Hohlwein, and an excerpt from the memoir of Hipgnosis’ Aubrey “Po” Powell about the creation of Animals’ cover art. The book also includes a number of unpublished images, including photos from the album recording, the cover shoot at Battersea Power Station, and the tour behind the release.David Gilmour said in press materials, “The mood in music was changing in ’77. Punk music was hitting everything and I suspect that had a little bit of an influence on the way we were working on the Animals album. I mean it’s quite an aggressive, stripped-back album. It was moving away from the sort of soundscapes that we had on Wish You Were Here. This album is more in your face and more rough and ready.”Last year, Pink Floyd shared a 50th anniversary reissue of the aforementioned Wish You Were Here.Hattie Lindert is an associate staff writer at Pitchfork. A former editor at Resident Advisor, she has written for Rolling Stone, The FACE and The A.V. Club, among others. She’s based in New York, and born and raised in Vermont. ... Read More