Dark Side of the Moon

Pink Floyd

album cover

One Giant Step for Space Rock

Sometime in the mid-'90s, people began gathering in living rooms to share a curious mixed-media experience: watching The Wizard of Oz while listening to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, the enormously popular space-rock classic that stayed on the Billboard charts for more than a decade. If, the urban legend goes, you start the music precisely when the MGM lion roars for the third time, all sorts of unlikely coincidences happen. Roger Waters utters the phrase "look around," and Dorothy looks around. The chimes that usher in Floyd's "Time" coincide with the appearance of the Wicked Witch of the West on her bike, then stop when she gets off. And so on.

Such synchronicities can be interesting. But the Oz visuals are ultimately a distraction, because Dark Side, which spent 741 consecutive weeks (fourteen years) on the Billboard 200 top-selling album chart, is an engrossing movie all by itself. Make that several movies: Depending on where you drop in, it can seem a dour Eraserhead-style psychodrama ("Brain Damage"), or a riddling art film about existentialism ("Us and Them"), or a morality tale on greed ("Money").

Each song is a fully realized self-contained statement, but also functions within Pink Floyd's larger scheme: The album is an integrated suite, an extended listening experience with no pauses. The pieces drift along and float into each other, linked by plush instrumental atmosphere. Textures throughout are as soft as a padded cell; this is art rock that makes good use of multitracking to create layers of sound. The vocals are delivered with total stoner detachment—except, that is, for guest Clare Torry's tornado-like wordless gyrations, which define "The Great Gig in the Sky." And though much of the album moves at a crawl, it all feels thrilling. More than partial credit for this goes to guitarist David Gilmour, whose solo passages are filled with elegantly sustained notes. Where other guitarists look to stun, Gilmour rarely steps out of slow motion, and his exquisitely shaped phrases lift the music to plateaus of breathtaking grandeur. (A career best in this regard comes on the follow-up to Dark Side, Wish You Were Here, and the majestic twenty-six-minute "Shine on You Crazy Diamond.")

By the time Dark Side culminates in the sweeping cosmic koan "Eclipse," it becomes clear that Pink Floyd has managed a neat trick: Its grandiose journey just so happens to conform, at least loosely, to a familiar Hollywood storytelling arc. You know the one: We start out in a place kinda like Kansas. And wind up somewhere else entirely.

Genre: Rock
Released: 1973, EMI
Key Tracks: "Us and Them," "Money," "Breathe in the Air," "Eclipse"
Catalog Choice: Wish You Were Here
Next Stop: Radiohead: OK Computer
After That: Moody Blues: Seventh Sojourn
Book Page: 601

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Comments:

#1 from Whit Andrews, Over here - 09/23/2008 9:08

...This is is tame now, and consequently, maybe, more accessible in its most meaningful layers. The lyrics and the samples are more affecting now, drifting up from the time capsule… [more at link]

#2 from Josh Kirschner, NYC - 07/14/2009 10:54

Monumental album and definitely deserving to be on the list. I have to question why “The Wall” also didn’t make it. Far more impressive and influential than many of the other albums on the top 1,000.

#3 from Joe, places - 07/21/2009 9:24

According to his interview with Here and Now his album choices aren’t meant to be the most influential or what was better, but what was a more compete experience for that genre of music and stuff…

anyways, there are another 103 recordings included in the booked which doesn’t include another 27 he also wanted to include. Massive listings…

#4 from King Gypsy, Phoenix, AZ - 09/25/2009 3:07

I found your comment about “wish you were here” very poignant. I would have to agree that I always felt that it was superior to DSOTM, but not nearly as popular or revered.

I would also argue that “Animals” was as good if not better as well. With it’s Orwellian hooks and really, really fabulous music track. And who could forget those giant inflatables??

Speaking DSOTM, have heard and what is your opinion of “Dub Side of the Moon” the reggae cover of the classic?

KG/Rick

#5 from Joey, Milwaukee - 10/13/2009 7:33

It’s rather difficult to pick the best Pink Floyd album because all of them have so much to offer, but I think it can be slimmed down between Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, or Animals. I, personally think Atom Heart Mother and Meddle are often overlooked (and include excellent writing), but I can agree that both albums are not as cohesive and comprehensive as the following three albums.

Dark Side Of The Moon is obviously great, however “Shine On You Crazy Diamond [1-9]” alone defeats the Dark Side. I actually wished they would have released “Shine On” by itself, I always felt breaking it up with “Welcome To Machine” and “Have A Cigar” was (though both tracks are classics) unnecessary, maybe “Wish You Were Here” could have stayed. Animals is much more rock and roll, while hinting at the psychedelic roots of the band, which I love. But for some reason, the lack of Gilmour’s vocals and the “Pigs On The Wing” tracks seem to be the album’s downfall. “Sheep” seems to be Animals crowning achievement while “Pigs Three Different Ones” is far superior lyrically, but lacks musical development with Gilmour’s several-minute talk box solo.

So, in my estimation. Wish You Were Here wins out. However, Dark Side Of The Moon and Animals should be in no way dismissed, most bands never make albums anywhere near as good.

#6 from John Adcock, UK - 10/14/2009 4:08

Dark Side of the Moon is one of those rare recordings - it makes every conceivable list of all-time great albums, and is actually worth a place on such lists. I hear new things in this music every time I play it - and I’ll admit I was a late-comer to the music of Pink Floyd. It is deservedly a classic; a much over-used word, but rightly applied here. I’d agree with other comments here - The Wall is worthy of inclusion as well, but if push came to shove I could live without much of the Floyd’s other stuff.

#7 from tom moon - 10/14/2009 11:11

re Dub Side: the “purist” in me started out thinking it was an opportunistic joke. Then I had it with me at the gym. it works there, for sure. actually one of the rare “re-imaginings” of a classic that can enhance one’s appreciation of the original.

btw, thanks for the posts in this thread. the discussions of Dark Side, Wish and Animals and The Wall are almost exact replicas of conversations I had with friends when doing research for the book…

1000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die