Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

I suppose the key word to use for this 1973 album is 'progressive' rather than any other description. Prior to the album's release, the entire length had been performed as a mammoth stage performance, provoking largely positive reviews. It then took a year or so before the resultant effect turned itself into one of the most commercially successful albums of all time. With varying degrees of speed and lyrical involvement, and a heavy level of innovative synthesiser sounds, the album is beautifully constructed and follows a theme of 'things that make people go mad'. The first thing I noticed ... more

This album was the first release by Pink Floyd where they had both written and toured the material before going into the studio; the original title for the album was "Eclipse". The album sleeve states that the recording process started in June 72 and finished in January 73 at the Abbey Road Studios, it didn't take six months to record. The reality was 38 days of recording was squeezed in around tours of Britain, Japan, and North America as well as a soundtrack for the Barbet Schroeder film "La Vallée (Obscured by Clouds) and work on a French ballet with input from the film director Roman ... more

I. DSOTM -- INTRODUCTION & HISTORY & BACKGROUND: A. Rock's Lunar Cycles: As in life itself, Rock & Roll's ongoing popularity and survival is due to its cyclical nature; it's perpetual metamorphosis. Nowhere is this theme more evident and poignantly conveyed than in Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon." DSOTM arrived at; was a product of, the gloomy period in rock history that followed the death of that musical era's "big three;" Jim, Janice and Jimi, at the end of the1960's. Just as the deaths of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper & Richie Valens at the end of the 1950's were for many, "the day the ... more

A few years back, it was rumored that this album was inspired by The Wizard of Oz. I agree that this album does seem to kill the boredom of the film, but I have to wonder if the theorist was not on LSD, or having a flashback! The album seems to end as the movie continues for over an hour longer. I once played a Rolling Stones album with an evening of muted TV viewing. The songs made the viewoing more pleasant, emotional and at times funny. I don't think Rodney Dangerfield inspired The Stones! I first encountered the 'play the album to what you're watching' many years ago. As children, we ... more

Dark Side of the Moon was released nearly 30 years ago, in 1973, but as the state of music has rapidly evolved, this masterpiece still sounds fresh, relevant and groundbreaking to this day. This is one of the most talked about classics, which makes it something of a challenge to review, as so much has been written about dark side! By 1973, Pink Floyd already had a lot of superb material under their belt. The playful Syd Barret Psychedelic material (singles like See Emily Play & Arnold Layne, and their debut album, Piper at the Gates of Dawn) was definitely ahead of its time, and in 1971 ... more