i listened to the vinyl double lp twice a day every day for my month long break my freshman year of college. yes, twice a day for a month. both an exscape and a release for a pissed off 18 year old.haven't listened to the whole thing in years, though. might be a to nic for a pissed off 50 year old.

The first time I heard anything from The Wall was 1980, when "Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. II" became a surprise radio hit. Since I was in elementary school at the time, the song's refrain, "we don't need no education," was confusing to me, less a rallying cry.

I finally heard the whole thing in high school, and loved it.

@Peng Hardin: The North American leg of Waters' tour concluded in December, and though there's been some internet chatter about adding additional dates (http://www.rogerwaterstours.com/index.php/60-wall-shows-to-go-additional-dates-to-come-roger-waters-wall-tour/), no official mention's been made about a return trip.

I was a high school sophomore when the Wall came out in 1980. Its message -- that all of your problems are the fault of your parents, your teachers, the law, and society in general -- is a very seductive one to a 15 year old. As I got a little older I was drawn to the messages of personal responsibility, humanism and engagement in the music of Bruce Springsteen and then the Clash, and I found I couldn't listen to the Wall without thinking of that callow 15 year old. So I didn't listen to it for decades. But last fall someone offered me a ticket to see the Wall and I really enjoyed it. Waters seemed to make subtle changes that played down the cryptofascism and emphasized the need to get rid of all the baggage so you could become a fulfilled, productive adult. And it was good to hear those songs again -- they were better than I remembered.

One last point: I disagree that the album was incoherent and hard to follow. As rock operas go, it's certainly more coherent than, say, S.F. Sorrow or Tommy, and even Quadrophenia or Arthur. Although all those albums are, to my thinking, musically superior to The Wall, the Pink Floyd album is better-constructed as a story.

I loved your story on The Wall. It took me back to when I was in 6th grade. I would listen to my cousin's record, laying on the floor both speakers turned to my ears. I would lay and listen to Comfortably Numb. Hearing that song today sitting in the parking lot waiting to go to work do SO much to make my work day bearable. Thanks!

I'm glad to see Waters bring the show to the States, but I don't see any US dates on the Tour website. Have we missed it already?

The Wall sucked. it still sux.

real Pink Floyd fans know that Wish You Were Here is the pinnacle of this group. Animals was good, Dark Side was good (despite the commercial success or Money). These are classic. Ummagumma was good. Atom Heart Mother was good. The early Syd Barrett albums were good.

These all had novel and creative ideas, they were wonderful to listen to, most albums from beginning to end (i didn't particularly like Sheep).

The Wall offered *nothing* new or creative. It was rehashed sounds and was dreadfully boring even back then in '79. Commercial and boring. It marked the undeniable decline of the band. They never were really good since.

The Wall came out when I was in college. I'd have to agree with the commentary in the studio360 piece: it was generally a dud for our age group. It had nowhere near the impact of Dark Side or Wish You Were Here, for that matter.

When The Wall came out I was in 10th grade at a private high school. My english teacher was an x-hippie that would occasionally smoke weed with his students on the weekends. During the poetry phase of our education, I xeroxed off the lyrics & brought my own personal copy of that album into class. For the next week we disected the album as poetry, while listening to it in class. I hope Steve is still teaching. He helped make a boring subject more interesting. POWER TO THE TEACHERS THAT INSPIRE THE YOUNG!!!

I was not aware that Waters is crusading against the Israeli policy of using a physical barrier to stop Palestinian bombers. It cost a lot of money and labor to put that wall up, they wouldn't have built it if it wasn't needed. A few years back it was a bombing every day in Jerusalem, the wall has stopped it. I'll do as asked, "Be Civil", but I am disgusted by the way some use Israel-bashing to make friends in rich places.

I have to say that I was really disappointed in studio 360's coverage of the record. I can think of no other feature-length piece of music, particularly popular music, which so effectively weaves together metaphor, leitmotif, social commentary, and insight into the human condition. I fear that the reason so few people get it is that so few people are willing to think deeply about a work of art. It seems that most people simply want entertainment, not art.