Posted on 07/29/2004 2:12:17 PM PDT by hope
Tear down the wall!
This is a WorldNetDaily printer-friendly version of the article which follows.
Thursday, July 29, 2004
TROUBLE IN THE HOLY LAND Posted: July 29, 2004 5:00 p.m. Eastern
By Joe Kovacs
Tear down the wall!
That was the lyrical message in 1979 from British rock band Pink Floyd, and it's now the message of the group's co-founder Roger Waters, who is looking to demolish the concrete barrier in Israel.
Waters, who has since left the band, is launching "the Writings on the Wall" campaign with his famous line "we don't need no thought control" scribbled under his signature on an eight-foot replica of the fence.
"The poverty inflicted by the wall has been devastating for Palestinians," said Waters. "It has kept children from their schools, the sick from proper medical care and continues to destroy the Palestinian economy."
Waters is the first of a handful of British celebrities to sign up for the campaign, which is sponsored by the London-based anti-poverty group War on Want.
For those outside Great Britain, a virtual wall will soon be active online where the public can "paint" their own messages.
As WorldNetDaily reported last month, the wall is being credited for a huge drop in terrorism in Israel.
At this time last year, there were 20 suicide bombings killing 141, while 2002 saw 25 such attacks in which 147 Israelis were killed. So far this year, there have been only two bombings in Israel proper, killing 19.
Israel says its tactics clearly are working and that life in the Jewish state may gradually be restored to the way it was before the violence started in 2000. The security fence completed in Gaza and the one being constructed in the West Bank are credited with keeping suicide bombers out, and raids in Palestinian areas and targeted killings of top terrorist commanders seem to be putting Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades on the run and unable to orchestrate attacks.
With 23 million copies sold, the original "Wall" concept album from 1979 is the third best-selling album of all time, surpassed only by the Eagles' "Greatest Hits 1971-75," and Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
In July 1990, to commemorate the demolition of the Berlin Wall, Waters staged a massive live performance of "The Wall" in Berlin, featuring artists such as Cyndi Lauper, The Scorpions, Thomas Dolby, Van Morrison, Sinead O'Connor, and Bryan Adams.
Related stories:
Here's shocker: Peace in Israel!
U.N. to Israel: Tear down 'the wall'
Arab bomb victim backs security barrier
Hague: Security fence must be dismantled
Related columns:
Hague-wash: Court of 'Justice' ruling a joke!
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Joe Kovacs is executive news editor for WorldNetDaily.com. |
Final Cut is great...but the new stuff sucks. I can't say it remotely qualifies as Pink Floyd. I went to their Delicate Sound of Thunder promo tour, and it's like they're trying hard to be Pink Floyd, but the conceptual heart of the band was Waters. He's a liberal flake, but he knew how to string a wild album together. The guys that are left are just putting a good vibe together and throwing in cheeseball lyrics. They will never have a sound or sense of togetherness like Waters did. Radio KAOS--great album. The Division Bell--not. It's like they think they can just link their new songs with weird sound effects and it'll be a-okay. They're wrong.
Sorry, you probably weren't expecting that tirade--but I hate the new 'Floyd.'
As far as the Syd stuff is concerned, there was some interesting stuff around. If you want a decent album to sample from, A Nice Pair is not a bad sprinkling.
Do NOT buy Works or Final Cut, however, unless you have everything they already made. Works is a wannabe collection of hits and some leftovers, and Final Cut is nothing BUT leftovers from other albums. However, Final Cut is a great album of the songs that would have fit into The Wall and into concerts. I think the story there is they had a bunch of cuts that didn't make it into The Wall and they weren't able to hang out together any more (Waters hated Gilmour, so I heard it) and they figured why not just do an album of leftovers instead of putting up with each other?
I think the early Syd stuff is not the same Floyd, really, but it's still good. I think the new 'Floyd' is hamburger instead of steak.
Animals is my favorite Floyd album. The Wall is great but full of pretentious psycho-babble and liberal crap.
Sheep and pigs and dogs...kick ass.
The SACD of "Dark Side of the Moon" may be one of the most amazing aural experiences ever. But musical ability does not appear to translate well into international policy making.
I didn't care for "Delicate Sound of Thunder", either--haven't listened to much since then, either group or solo. "Final Cut" still had a "Wall"-esque quality to it in certain songs I like okay but wasn't as consistently good as previous stuff.
Next time a busload of women, children, babies and old men blow up in Israel, maybe Mr. Waters will volunteer to get his hands dirty and help clean up the mess.
I agree with you on the Final Cut. That record probably scored up there in the top 10 as one of the all times ultimate waste of vinyl ever produced. Out the 12 songs on the record only one was semi listenable, Not now John, and that is only because the rest of the record sucked so horribly. It was so bad that my stereos diamond stylist rebelled by scratching it beyond playability saving me from ever playing it again.
Ping to 61...I actually LIKE lots of songs on The Final Cut, but I don't think it's a real coherent album, not even up to "Kilroy Was Here" standards. :) For instance, I think Southhampton Dock is great, and I like Two Suns In The Sunset (great road music). Not Now John is excellent--that we agree on--but the album isn't bad at all. It's just not up to snuff with the other stuff Floyd put together at their height.
I couldn't be happy about hearing Gilmour screech out any more old Floyd...or new 'Floyd,' for that matter. I LOATHE Dogs of War, which is possibly the worst sack of lyrical crap spewed EVER in the name of Floyd. I can't stand produced b.s. that is obviously written by cliche. And Momentary Lapse and Division Bell were 100% cliche.
Your interpretation is acceptable. :~)
I don't know if its still in print but there is a Floyd biography, "A Saucerful of Secrets," by Nicholas Schaffner, which is pretty insightful. It details Syd's meltdown, as well as the ultimate falling out between Waters and Gilmour. Schaffner was fairly unbiased when it came to the individual band member's warts. The book also cites "Dogs of War" as the worst Floyd song, IIRC. Good read.
Since George Harrison had to pay the Chiffons (I think that's who it was) for stealing their melody for his My Sweet "lxrd", why haven't Pink Floyd sued Phil Collins for that part of the chorus of Don't You Wish it would Rain (I think that's the title)?
I haven't heard that Phil Collins song, but I'd imagine his version was pretty lame compared to the original. I like some of his songs but he hasn't got the angst to do Floyd right.
Sick as it is, I just love "Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking."
The Clapton work on it is amazing.
There were Arabs with knives at the foot of the bed.
Sounds like the sort of thing a nice wall would fix, eh?
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