By Matthew Dunn
Pink Floyd’s 1973 release entitled “Dark Side of the Moon”, is to the 20th century what Beethoven was the 18th. It is an album whose style and sound resonate over time, and even though is now over 40 years old, it still manages to sound current.
Pink Floyd’s 1973 release entitled “Dark Side of the Moon”, is to the 20th century what Beethoven was the 18th. It is an album whose style and sound resonate over time, and even though is now over 40 years old, it still manages to sound current.
Originally
released in 1973, “Dark Side” spent 15 years on the charts and sold over 50
million copies. Although much of the
album was composed by singer and bassist Roger Waters, this album was a
complete collaborative group effort with each member of the band giving great
contributions. Richard Wright the
keyboardist shined greatly on this album with his mesmerizing riffs on both “The
Great Gig in the Sky” and “Eclipse”.
David Gilmour, the lead guitarist, contributes both leading sounds and
effects throughout on guitar, and Nick Mason sets the necessary tone, with both
driving and soft percussion. As well as
the four members of the band, they were helped by many other musicians, as well
as engineer Alan Parsons, who gave great experimentation to many of the sounds
on the album.
Throughout
the album, many themes are discussed on its songs. “Money” discusses the power of greed in
humans while “Us and Them” reflects on the relationship between those with
power and those without it. On “Brain
Damage” the band reflects on mental illness, probably relating to former band
member Syd Barrett, who exited the band because of his struggles with LSD, and
erratic behavior. The band also gives
time to innovative instrumental pieces such as “The Great Gig in the Sky” which
features powerful vocals by Clare Torrey, without any lyrics and “On the Run”
which seems to be an important precursor to modern techno music.
However,
it is when the band is reflecting on life’s nature and the passage of time when
they are at their best. The track “Time”
starts with the playing of a large amount of alarm clocks and then discusses
the passage of time, probably most poignantly with the lyric “and then one day
you find, ten years have got behind you”.
To anyone who has listened to this album for ten years or more, you will
find that this lyric resounds more and more every time you hear it. Lastly, the finale of the album “Eclipse” is
the grand conclusion to the great concepts that this album brings
together. On “Eclipse” each lyric is
started by “All that you” and Waters goes on to list all the things that we do
like begging, borrowing, and stealing.
In the song’s last line states “And everything under the sun is in tune,
but the sun is eclipsed by the moon,” referring to the fact that our lives are
greatly interconnected, but matter very little in the grand experience of the
universe.
“Dark
Side of the Moon” is a classic album, that any serious lover of music should
both own and love. The lyrical depth
combined with the experimental and powerful sounds, make for a great listening
experience for a person at any time of their life. It is not an album that will make your feet
dance, but your mind will dance for its entirety. This was truly one for the ages.
