Pink Floyd CD

The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

 

  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
  
  
  
  

Not only the quintessential Pink Floyd album, but many would argue the best rock and roll album in history. It certainly has spent the most weeks on the Billboard top 200 charts. The last I checked (which was more than a decade ago), it had been on the charts for more than 700 weeks. That's saying an awful lot. There's something about the album that appeals to a great number of people. Is it as "great" as the numbers tell? Well, that's debatable. Even the band members themselves are befuddled as to the endurance of this record. Most Pink Floyd fans don't even rank this as their favorite (usually that award is reserved for Wish You Were Here or The Wall), so what exactly is the makes this album so special?

Well, it seems that it's definitely the most perfectly balanced Pink Floyd album. The themes and sounds go well with what you picture a Pink Floyd album should sound like. The concept is loosely based around insanity, but there's a variety of song topics here: everything from greed, war, the quick passing of the years, and facing death. Normal things, but for Pink Floyd, "normal" always had a bit of craziness, so it shouldn't be too surprising.

One thing that Pink Floyd used to differentiate itself from its peers was its spectacular concerts featuring amazing light shows with videos, lasers and various projectiles. It may not seem like much now, but this was 1973, remember, so fans would get quite the show, indeed. It seems perfectly acceptable that decades after this album's release, planetariums across the world still feature "Dark Side of the Moon" shows. It is quite fascinating that generation after generation of new fans seem to flock to such events.

I remember when the compact disc made its introduction in the mid 1980s. This was the first album that I wanted. The clear, pristine sounds featured here made this a completely unique experience. The music sounds timeless. The songs on the album don't sound like anything else recorded in the early seventies, and have a unique quality that endures. There's a little bit for everyone here, but fans seem to like the entirety. I mean, what can you say when the band featured the whole album in its entirety on their last tour? Roger Waters did the same thing on his tour several years ago.

They would make better records, but it seems rightly justified that this album is their best known and, for the most part, the most appreciated.

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