PINK FLOYD: The Dark Side of the Moon

Produced by Pink Floyd

Released: 1973


In commemoration of the passing of Richard Wright this week, The Sound Cellar has decided to take a look at what is undoubtedly his greatest work. Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon almost defies reviewing because it's so well known and so important that almost everyone has an opinion of it but there's no way to deny that this is one of rock music's defining elements, an immaculately conceived album that employed the cutting edge of musical and recording technology of the time and an unsurpassed masterpiece of progressive rock.



This was Pink Floyd's first full-fledged concept album, a dark journey through the human psyche that maps a path through insanity, beginning and ending with a heartbeat (the modified kick drum of Nick Mason) and winding its way through birth, death, the loss of youth, greed, despair and musings on the nature of madness itself. Tape loops and synthesised sounds helped to complete the band's vision, many of which were pieced together by the band and sound engineer Alan Parsons from taped interviews during the recording process. The Dark Side of the Moon was a portrait of a band using every ounce of new gadgetry available to them to create something that had not been attempted before, and it worked.

Unlike most of the band's work prior, the material on The Dark Side of the Moon was focused and linear, a successful reining-in of the ridiculous pretensions of albums like Atom Heart Mother that just rambled pointlessly, but without losing their progressive aspects. The compromise to more conventional songwriting did Pink Floyd far more good than harm and crystalised their vision for this album. Everything about this is just masterful, from the perfect harmony of Dave Gilmour and Rick Wright's uncannily similar voices in "Time" to the bass-driven plod of "Money" to the magnificent "Us and Them", one of the Floyd's career highlights.

While previous releases hinted at their genius and later volumes had some transcendental moments, The Dark Side of the Moon is where everything came together in total unison, an album for the ages the likes of which will never be seen again.

1. Speak to Me
2. Breathe
3. On the Run
4. Time
5. The Great Gig in the Sky
6. Money
7. Us and Them
8. Any Colour You Like
9. Brain Damage
10. Eclipse

Rating: 100%