Well the chances are that even if you havent heard this album you have heard of it or at least seen the cover somewhere, iconic in every sense of the word Dark side of the Moon is one of them albums that is as big as god in fact it could be argued that this album has made more of a cultural impact than religion since its release back in 1973, beyond what is the most recognizable album cover of all-time is an album that was and still is one of the most interesting and respected pieces of music ever put on record, the facts pretty much speak for themselves here, nearly 15 years it spent in the american billboard charts and it is safe to say it would probabaly still be on it if the rules hadn't been sneakily changed in the late 80s, but even still it has spent more than twice as long in the billboard charts than any other album in history, also apart from michael jacksons thriller this album has sold more copies than any other album in history, to this very day the album apparently still somehow sells a quarter of a million records each year and this album is solely responsible for a worldwide audience taking an interest in progressive rock
As for the album itself it is a concept album based on the pressures of life and the causes of insanity as suffered by their original frontman syd barrett, it starts with the sound of a heartbeat as if to represent life and finishes with that same heartbeat fading away as if to represent death, but even if the words were taken out from this album it would still be a musical masterpiece in its own right, because the music has been put together in such a way that it works as one long continuos piece and the inclusion of everyday sounds such as the ticking of clocks and opening of cash registers somehow adds to the dynamics of each separate piece, couple that with some of the breathtaking songwriting and solo pieces played by each of the members of floyd on certain pieces then you start to get somewhere near this special vibe that this album gives out, through the years most of the songs on this album have became massive radio staples, such as money, breathe, time and us & them, but this album is a masterpiece when played all the way through with a decent pair of headphones on because the atmospherics on this album are jaw dropping and one of the main reasons that this album has made such an impact on people is that each of the atmospheric pieces on this album are completely different and yet change from piece to piece seamlessly, whether it be the beautiful sound of a womans voice on great gig in the sky or the funky bass rhythm of money, whether it be the superb sax playing on us & them or the wonderful synthesizer sound on any colour you like, this album continues to impress from start to finish even in some cases over 30 years since the first listen
All in all this is an album you probabaly already own, but if you dont you really should take time to see what the rest of the world already knows, this is a masterpiece, a wonderful cacophany of sounds intermingling with each other to create something truly spectacular, give it a try it may even change your whole outlook on music for the better, afterall this album proves that there is no boundaries when it comes to creating beautiful music except for the constraints of your own imagination that is, which is effectively limitless anyway