Great Rock Albums You Must Give A Listen To: Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd
Roger Waters
All lyrics written by Roger Waters of Pink Floyd.
Produced by Alan Parsons.
Dark Side of the Moon: Track Listing:
Side 1:
1. Speak To Me
2. Breathe
3. On the Run
4. Time (containing Breathe (Reprise)
Side 2:
1. Money
2. Us and Them
3. Any Colour You Like
4. Brain Damage
5. Eclipse
Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd is one of the top 10 great albums of all time, imho. Hard to believe that this came out all the way back in March of 1973, (I was in grade 11 at the time). Even harder to believe that this was Pink Floyds’ 8th, (yes 8th!!!) studio album!
This album cemented Pink Floyd’s place in the pantheon of Rock’n’Roll royalty and set the stage for their later historic album, The Wall.
And it may also be hard for you to believe that Dark Side Of The Moon holds the record for most weeks on the Billboard 200 (Top 200 albums) at 923 weeks – that’s 17 and 3/4 years on the Top 200! (Next closest – Johnny Mathis Greatest Hits – at a mere 490 weeks…really?!?!?! Johnny Mathis?!?!?)
Even today, on a “slow” week, Dark Side Of The Moon continues to sell between 7,000-8000 copies!
Anyway, on to the music of Pink Floyd and Dark Side Of The Moon!
First, be aware that many of the songs on this album segue from one right into another.
Track 1: Speak To Me – An instrumental, sets the atmosphere for the rest of the album. The first time I heard this, was my 2nd or 3rd night at college. I had never even heard of Pink Floyd before, and as I was heading off to sleep, my room-mate suggested listening to this would help me to sleep. LOL – well, for a few seconds it did. The track starts off quite slowly and quietly with a beating heart sound and then gains in intensity and loudness before segueing into…
Track 2…a soothing, psychedelic groove, “Breathe”
Segue into Track 3, On The Run, a very futuristic turn, with lots of synthesizer and hypnotic drums propelling you quickly along until it turns into…
Track 4…Time…which you’ve probably heard, at one time or another, as it is still often played on classic rock stations. Deep lyrics dealing with the important issues of life over a very cool musical background….Pink Floyd definitely ahead of their time here…no pun intended. Time segues into a reprise of the 2nd track Breathe, to finish off Side 1 of Dark Side Of The Moon.
Track 1 on Side 2 opens up with Money, which you’ve heard one way or another…it’s still receives regular airplay on radio and has been used in countless TV commercials, shows, movies, etc. A very catchy tune with some interesting and amusing lyrics about how we use and abuse and bow down to cold, hard cash. The middle part of the tune features a great sax solo. At the end of the track, listen for the different conversations going on in the background, as this track segues into…
Track 2….Us and Them, a very mellow and somewhat dark and deep rumination about relationships between groups and individuals, built on a beautiful melody interspersed with dynamic crescendos. A very spacey feeling to this tune. Again, great saxophone throughout this tune!
Track 3 follows a short, abrupt segue from Us and Them, into Any Colour You Like, an instrumental with a very psychedelic feel to it, underpinned by a solid bass rhythm. Again, features some futuristic synthesizers in spots. Any Colour You Like leads into the more mellow…
Track 4…Brain Damage. This tune gives the album its’ title, as you will see as you listen to the lyrics. It’s a look at how life can mess up your head in ways you would never imagine. As this track moves on into the next, you can hear the lunatics talking in the background.
Track 5…titled Eclipse. This lyrically, and sonically, really wraps up the album. As with all the other songs, you should really listen carefully to the lyrics (or read them as you’re listening to the tunes). In the end, you’re back at the beginning, with a heartbeat leading you out of the album.
I can’t more highly recommend an album! In fact, I listened (again) to the entirety of Dark Side of the Moon while writing this blog! It is a great album and still holds up in terms of music, lyrics and production quality after all these years! Give it a listen on youtube or elsewhere on the internet, you won’t be sorry.
| Pink Floyd |
| Year |
| 1967 |
| 1968 |
| 1968 |
| 1969 |
| 1970 |
| 1971 |
| 1972 |
| 1973 |
| 1975 |
| 1977 |
| 1979 |
| 1983 |
| 1987 |
| 1988 |
| 1989 |
| 1994 |
| 1995 |
| 2014 |
| Discography |
| Album |
| The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn |
| A Saucerful Of Secrets |
| Soundtrack From The Film “More” |
| Ummagumma |
| Atom Heart Mother |
| Meddle |
| Obscured By Clouds |
| The Dark Side Of The Moon |
| Wish You Were Here |
| Animals |
| The Wall |
| The Final Cut |
| A Momentary Lapse Of Reason |
| Delicate Sound Of Thunder |
| The Wall |
| The Division Bell |
| Pulse |
| The Endless River |
|
