See all those fives? There's a reason they're there. The Dark Side of the Moon is the greatest album of all time. You may have a favorite album over this one and that's alright, you may believe there is a better album out there and that is fine too, but the reality is that this is the greatest album of all time. There now that I got all that pretentiousness out of the way we can proceed. Crimson King may have introduced the world to Progressive Rock but Pink Floyd perfected it with this album. The Dark Side of the Moon is one of the most memorable recordings in history both in terms of production and music composition. This is Pink Floyd high on musical integrity not shrooms. They reached maturity with this record, showing their fanbase and themselves that they understood the hardships of life. Love, Madness, Money, Time, and the entire human spectrum is present in this monumental achievement. The album introduces you to the first sign of life, your heart-beat. Speak to Me makes use of every sound effect present in the album. The madness and screams make way to the album's iconic groundbreaking composition. Breathe, the song built out of King Miles'Opus lays down the groundwork for the album's structural composition. The pitch bends, reverberation, and the way Mason makes love to his drum-set can be summed up with one word: perfection. On the Run puts the prog in progressive rock. Gilmour's and Waters' curiosity led them to compose one of the most important proto-electronic rock composition. A simple arpeggio pattern sped up to create a sound equivalent to anxiety. This is spiced up by the airport announcer, airplane sounds, and road managers laughing. Oh, also a crash.
Time is the most sophisticated composition in the record. Classic rock is present with the guitar solo, progressive rock is present with the use of special effects and reprises. The album's concept is also summed up in the lyrics leading up to the guitar solo. Life can catch up to you and when it does be ready for the shit-storm. The classic one-take by Clare Torry is the most memorable moment in The Great Gig in the Sky, however more credit has to be given to Richard Wright and the mastery of his craft for creating (using the recurring melody) some damn powerful chords. Money, the forced single of the record, achived what it set out to become; a money maker. The album summarizes the lives and personalities of the high class. It also includes one of the best saxophone solo present in Pink Floyd's Discography. Dick Perry is a hell of a saxophonist.
Us and Them is the heaviest of songs in the album. The sophisticated production behind the track only serves to help send the listener into a state of bliss. The Violent Sequence remains with Gilmour singing about the dark aspects present in humanity. For wanting the price of tea and a slice the old man died.
Any Colour You Like is my favorite composition. It has been since I first started listening to music and it will probably be my favorite long after I die. The reason why I have fallen in monogamic love with this tune is due to its perfection. The production behind it is unmatchable by any standard, the synthesizers take front row for most of the production, and the guitar/bass/drum combo serve as a base. In my mind this is what a song should try to achieve if it wants to be perfect. I don't know how many times I have cried to the synth solo in Brain Damage but I do know that I will always look back at this piece as the music embodiment of nostalgia. The lyrics take in spirit the view of a madman in an asylum. It also serves as a transition to one of the greatest endings in the history of music. Talk about an amazing way to close an album. Eclipse fittingly closes the album with an epic mixture of jazz organ roars, chorus shouts, lyrics summarizing the concept, and the one sustaining product of life. The beating of the heart. There is no dark side in the moon, really. As a matter of fact it's all dark. You can have it any colour you like though.
By: Perfect Prog
Originally released in 1973, The Dark Side of The Moon became Pink Floyd’s first number 1 album in the US, remaining on the chart for 741 weeks between 1973 and 1988. One of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed albums of all time The Dark Side of The Moon also introduced The iconic album cover artwork by Hipgnosis featuring a prism representing the band’s stage lighting, the record’s lyrics, and the request for a ‘simple and bold’ design. This version is remastered from the original analogue tapes by James Guthrie, Joel Plante and Bernie Grundman.
LP Reissue on 180g Heavyweight Vinyl.
A1 Speak To Me
A2 Breathe (In The Air)
A3 On The Run
A4 Time
A5 The Great Gig In The Sky
B1 Money
B2 Us And Them
B3 Any Colour You Like
B4 Brain Damage
B5 Eclipse
Comes with a sticker on the front of the shrinkwrap, two original posters and two stickers.
[Sticker text]: The stereo remastered album on heavyweight 180g vinyl
Remastered from the original analogue tapes by JAMES GUTHRIE, JOEL PLANTE and BERNIE GRUNDMAN
Original UK release date: March 1973.
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London between June 1972 and January 1973.