IT WAS 25 YEARS AGO TODAY

If you lived in England 25 years ago on this date, you could have gone to your local record store and picked up a shiny new copy of Pink Floyd's latest, a two record concept album called "The Wall." It was huge, both literally and figuratively, and you were probably living a very sheltered life indeed if you didn't hear "We don't need no education" some time during the next two and half decades.

Today, if you live in Brooklyn, you can stop by my house and hear the Smoke and Mirrors Band's version of the record, entitled "All the Bricks." It took us approximately 14 months to do the thing, and we "finished" last night at about 10:30. Had to have it done by the anniversary, don't you know!

Ted's Blog has already outlined the reasons why we did it, which he sums up nicely-'cause it was there. It was hugely educational. I can read music much better now (though still not very well). I can place a microphone much better, too. I got to know a great drummer (Rob Machold, who moonlights as a biologist), a great guitarist (Dave Cavalier), another great guitarist (Andy Rock), a great singer (Mike Ingenthron, who also plays great bass, guitar, and keyboards). These guys actually played the parts we never could have, and as longtime fans of the record they made it all a very personal statement. Put simply, there's litterally no way Ted and I could have done this project alone; beyond the simple impossiblity of it, it also needs a group of people to filter the music through their own experiences.

It's the best sounding thing I've ever done, as a whole. From George Vitray I learned an enormous amount about recording, mixing, and mastering. He also did some great vocals (including "Stop" and a turn as the schoolteacher in "The Trial"), guitars, and yelling. While George was careful about the level of his involvement (he's got a lot going on, including our album of original material, and understandably wasn't about to spend 14 months on a bunch of cover songs), we were able to suck him in enough to get a lot of helpful ideas and criticism. George told us when things really needed to be redone, and for the most part we redid them. He also introduced us to a great cellist (and great person) named Gordie Smith, who played on "Mother" while taking a break from "The Defense Department Chamber Orchestra". As proof of their talent, there's an excellent chance you'll hear some of their work on NPR's "New Sounds" sometime in the near future. I'll keep you posted

Lots of other people helped out. Pat Phillips (old friend, proprietor of Grey Cat Sound in Atlanta) did some nice singing (taking the lead on "Young Lust'' and sounding eerily like David Gilmour), as did Chuck Debruyn (the lead on "Another Brick in the Wall Part Three") and Kevin Lacey (who also provided some drums). Annie Rusoff played all of the female parts on the record, so in our version I guess "Pink" ends up taking the operator home. Who also turns out to be his wife. It is a complicated story, after all.

For me, the record hinges around a BBC report about an accidental bombing in Afghanistan, in which 9 children were killed (out of 10 casualties). For Roger Waters, a lot of the record is about a son's losing his father, but I think he'd agree it can be as much about father's losing their sons, or daughters. War isn't any prettier today than it was in Black '44 (when Roger lost Eric Fletcher Waters at Anzio), or in '82 in the Falklands (see "The Final Cut"). "Amused to Death" was as much about the Gulf War as it was about mass communication and "edutainment." Some things never change....

What have we learned in 25 years? A good lick is still a good lick, a great song is still a great song, and the sound quality of the original is still phenomenal. But "The Wall" endures because it's themes are universal; like any great work of art it never goes out of style, just in and out of focus. Listening to our version today, the lyrics and musical themes are as relevant as they were in '79 and early '80, when I was five or six and hearing the cassette version over and over on the bus to and from school.

There are still kids losing their fathers today. "The Wall" isn't about policy, 'though, as much as it's about morals. 'Cause in the end, it's the protagonist himself who's put on trial; it's the building of the wall itself that's the sin.

So keep tearing down those walls....