Released two years after the beatific Wish You Were Here, but actually cooked up in the same mid 70's song-writing sessions, this record never the less has a very different feel to it than its predecessor and also to most other Floyd albums.
 
This is because of the socio-political, bleak, heavy lyrics. Roger Waters got depressed and political later, but this was like a slap in the face at the time! Musically Animals is the last Pink Floyd record to have anything to do with Prog Rock, with Dogs taking up nearly the whole of (the old) Side 1, and extended instrumental passages still featuring on both Pigs and Sheep.
 
It is an amazing if miserable record. Dogs is Dave Gilmour's sole co-write and it is an incredible piece, sounding not unlike Roy Harper in his extended pomp, but the rest of the record was written entirely by Roger Waters.