The Last Few Bricks

Song_infobox
Name = The Last Few Bricks


Artist = Pink Floyd
Album = Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980-81
Released = April 4, 2000
track_no = 15
Recorded = 1980, 1981
Genre = Art rock
Length = 3:26
Label = EMI (UK), Columbia (US)
Producer = James Guthrie
prev = Another Brick in the Wall (Part III)
prev_no = 14
next = Goodbye Cruel World
next_no = 16"The Last Few Bricks" is an instrumental bridge/medley used by Pink Floyd and Roger Waters at "The Wall" live shows, between "Another Brick in the Wall (Part III)" and "Goodbye Cruel World". It was composed specifically for the purpose of allowing the bricklayer roadies more time to finish constructing the wall, to seal off the stage almost completely, before Roger Waters appeared in the last one-brick-wide space in the wall to sing "Goodbye Cruel World", and end the first part of the show.

The piece doesn't have a strict composition, varying from venue to venue, but it usually contained themes from "The Happiest Days of Our Lives", "Don't Leave Me Now", "Young Lust", "Empty Spaces"/"What Shall We Do Now?", and occasionally, when the bricklayers were running especially late, a jam (in the jazzier style of the earlier, inmprov-oriented Floyd) similar to "Any Colour You Like" (D minor to G major). There is also an original musical theme not found elsewhere, an eerie and dissonant movement which slowly outlined a diminished seventh chord (last heard from the Floyd on "Sheep"). Like much of the album, "The Last Few Bricks" is in D minor or D Dorian -- which leads to an ironic "brightening" effect, when "Goodbye Cruel World" begins in the parallel key of D major.

The longest performance of this medley was on 7th February 1980 at Los Angeles Sports Arena when "Another Brick in the Wall (Part III)" was stretched to over 13 minutes.

Interestingly, before the release of the live album, this bridge never had an official title. Fans called the track "Almost Gone" on some bootleg albums of the shows, but the official name -- "The Last Few Bricks" -- was not used at the shows in 1980-1981, and instead was suggested to Roger Waters by producer James Guthrie during the mixing of the live album.