The Dark Side Of The Moon

Dark Side of the Moon
LP by Pink Floyd
Released	March 1973
Recorded	June 1972 - January 1973
Genre	Rock
Length	43 min 00 sec
Record label	Columbia Records
Producer	Pink Floyd
Professional reviews
RollingStone review	5/5	link
VH1 top 100 rock albums poll	51/100	link
Pink Floyd Chronology
Obscured By Clouds (1972)	Dark Side of the Moon (1973)	Masters of Rock (1973)

Released in 1973 (see 1973 in music), (The) Dark Side Of The Moon (DSOTM; the definitive article is used on some versions, but not others) is a 45-minute Pink Floyd concept album dealing with the pressures of life such as money, time, mental illness and war. It is the 11th best-selling album ever (worldwide). The album has nine tracks.

Overview

The album's theme was, in part, precipitated by the earlier departure of Syd Barrett, a founder member of Pink Floyd.

The album contains some of the most intricate uses of instruments and sound effects in the studio up to that time, including the sound of someone running around a microphone, and the recording of multiple clocks going off. A quadraphonic version was also released, with some re-mixing and different takes. In making DSOTM, Pink Floyd perfected other effects such as double-tracking of vocals and guitars (David Gilmour able to flawlessly harmonise with himself), flanged vocals and odd trickery with reverb and panning of sound between the channels. To this day, DSOTM is a reference standard that audiophiles use to test the fidelity of audio equipment.

Dark Side of the Moon has spent a total of over 740 weeks on the Billboard magazine music charts with the longest contigious stint lasting 591 consecutive weeks. It also reached the #1 chart position in the US, Belgium and France. In 2002 over 400,000 copies were sold in the United States, making the record 200th bestselling album of the year. "Time", "Money" and "Us And Them" have become radio call-in favourites (with "Money" having also been a bestselling single in the USA).

It has also been claimed that the album can be played as a soundtrack to the film Wizard of Oz, with the various tracks timed according to events in the film. [1]. The band insist that this is coincidental.

Dark Side of the Moon has been released as a 30th anniversary hybrid Super Audio CD (SACD) with a 5.1 channel DSD surround mix, mastered from the original 16-track studio tapes. Some surprise was expressed, when James Guthrie was called in to make the SACD mix, rather than the original LP engineer Alan Parsons. This 30th anniversary edition won four Surround Music Awards in 2003.

Track listing

(The first CD track is split into two 'songs' and the third track contains a reprise of the first.

On the original release

1. "Speak To Me/Breathe"
2. "On The Run" (vorbis sample (112K))
3. "Time"
4. "The Great Gig In The Sky"
5. "Money"
6. "Us And Them"
7. "Any Colour You Like"
8. "Brain Damage"
9. "Eclipse" (vorbis sample (102K))

On the "Shine On" (Boxset) version, and 25th anniversary re-release

1. "Speak To Me"
2. "Breathe"
3. "On The Run"
4. "Time"
5. "Breath (Reprise)"
6. "The Great Gig In The Sky"
7. "Money"
8. "Us And Them"
9. "Any Colour You Like"
10. "Brain Damage"
11. "Eclipse"

Because the original LP Record was two sided, there was a break between "The Great Gig In The Sky" and "Money". Alan Parsons added a small crossfade between these two tracks for the digital remaster.

On later CD pressings, many people believe a hidden, orchestral version of the Beatles' "Ticket to Ride" is audible after "Eclipse". Why this is so is unknown, and was possibly a mastering mistake. (The bootleg "A Tree Full of Secrets" includes an amplified, enhanced version of this oddity.)

On the 30th anniversary re-release

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"

Personnel

• Roger Waters - Guitar (Bass), Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Vocals, VCS 3 Synthesizer, Tape Effects
• Lesley Duncan - Vocals (bckgr)
• Nick Mason - Percussion, Drums, Tape Effects
• Doris Troy - Vocals (bckgr)
• Richard Wright - Keyboards, Vocals, VCS 3 Synthesizer
• Pink Floyd - Producer
• David Gilmour - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals, VCS 3 Synthesizer
• Dick Parry - Saxophone
• Barry St. John - Vocals (bckgr)
• Liza Strike - Vocals (bckgr)
• Claire Torry - Vocals
• Peter James - Assistant Engineer
• Chris Thomas - Mixing
• Alan Parsons - Engineer
• Hipgnosis - Design, Photography
• George Hardie - Illustrations, Sleeve Art
• Jill Furmanosky - Photography
• David Sinclair - Liner Notes in CD re-relaease)

See also: The Moon

External links

• The official Dark Side of the Moon website
• The Pink Floyd HyperBase
• Pink Floyd lyrics for The Dark Side of the Moon