Pink Floyd Revisit 1977 “Animals” Cover Shoot

Pink Floyd revisited their cover shoot in a new video spotlighting the September 16 reissue of their 1977 album classic Animals.

The art director moved quickly to capture a new image inspired by the original cover shoot because the power plant was under regeneration and the surrounding area was likely to be dramatically changed. The iconic cover of the original release captures an inflatable pig in the skies above London’s Battersea Power Station; the concept was reimagined by Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis for the 2018 remixed version of the set. Powell said:

“I found a location from a nearby bridge.

“And with photographer Rupert Truman, I shot Roger Waters’ original idea but with a different slant. I then muted the colors to give the picture the bleak Orwellian feel of the record. The new album cover caught the essence of the original just in time.”

The studio album was recorded at the group’s Britannia Row Studios in London throughout 1976 and early 1977 and was produced by the band themselves. Animals is a concept album, focusing on the social-political conditions of mid-1970s Britain and was a change from the style of the band’s earlier work.

The album was developed from a collection of unrelated songs into a concept which describes the apparent social and moral decay of society, likening the human condition to that of animals. It also tried to depict the different classes of people as animals with pigs being at the top of the social chain.

It will be released on CD, LP (with gatefold artwork), Blu-ray, SACD and Deluxe Gatefold formats. The Deluxe Gatefold version includes LP, CD, audio Blu-ray, audio DVD and a 32-page book. The Blu-ray and DVD audio includes the 2018 remix in Stereo, 5.1 Surround (both by James Guthrie) and the original 1977 Stereo mix. A 32-page booklet features rarely seen behind the scenes photographs of the album sleeve shoot along with live images and memorabilia.