deadpoet

Didn't Sparklehorse do that cover?

jackhammer

THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON (1973)


Dark Side Of The Moon. Quintessential floyd. The sum total of their individual parts. The pinnacle. It could also be seen as their nadir. The beginning of the end creatively. Dark Side Of The Moon is of course hugely successful. Over 40 million units sold. Over 700 consecutive weeks in the US chart and the sixth biggest selling album of all time. Let's examine why and does it deserve it?

Universally praised by both critics and fans alike, DSOTM was a revolutionary album. Not musically maybe but certainly tonally. One of the earliest uses of musique concrete (a term to explain the use of natural everyday sounds to denote a musical form) and it's sound engineering was something that the band explicitally worked on with engineer Alan Parsons (his contribution has contensiously been lessened with each passing year) to be as flawless as possible.

Paradoxically this is one of the albums shortcomings. In being so dedicated to what it sounded like I feel the band lost a lot of their organic quality and the album has a regimented quality to it. Of course the whole concept of the album was just that but in some instances it feels strangely distant.

There is no denying that the package as a whole is a watershed in popular music. From the iconic cover art to the superlative lyrical content. Herein lies the problem. Pink Floyd were never meant to be this successful. I think the band reached a commercial zenith that maybe was never their target. Of course they strived to make the best possible album they could but the success seemed to carry them along a tidal wave from which they never really got off.

So to the music and is it considered blasphemy to say that there are a couple of average tracks on here? Money is so recognisable and has that amazing 7/4 time but it is a simple rock track with an underlying blues theme and is something that the Floyd could do in their sleep. Brain Damage is also one of the weaker tracks on the album and has never really stayed inside my head as much as some of their other material. On the flipside, when this album hits it hits. Great Gig In The Sky is a joyous piece of music and every time you hear it you hear something different. There has been some debate about this track with original vocalist Clare Torry taking the band to court concerning the lack of a writing credit on the track (and quite rightly so), with Torry winning a co-writing credit on the pulse live dvd. Us And Them is the standout track for me. The lyrics and musical simplicity create such an easy listening aura it is hard not be dragged into its beguiling rythmn.

If you are completely new to Pink Floyd then this is probably the best place to start. To an outsider this is the bands masterpiece, to many fans it is a great album but this is not the true representation of what Floyd were or is it indeed their best album.

As a sidenote it has to be mentioned that the thematic quality of DSOTM supposedly fits the opening 40 minutes of Wizard Of Oz and it was purposefully made to fit the scenes.I will let you make your own mind up about a bunch of dopeheads catching both at the same time lol.

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Wayfarer

Nice review.

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Katey

About every other year, someone tells me, or the story reasserts itself, that Pink Floyd's album "Dark Side Of The Moon" works in perfect synchronicity with the first forty or so minutes of the movie "The Wizard of Oz."

It's not easy to make this happen, of course.

You have the set up the CD and the DVD. You must start the CD and then pause it. When the MGM lion roars for the third time, you start the CD and it's....magic! Amazing! Totally existential, man!

There are whole websites devoted to this phenomena, including one that is so meticulously detailed that I suspect the developer took four years off work to create it. Or perhaps he was on unemployment. Or maybe he's a burned-out pothead at some institution, I really don't know.

(At some point he links to certain recipes for foods you can eat during this viewing of "Oz" and hearing of "Dark Side Of The Moon" in your Home Theater, food that sort of synch up with the movie. I guess. I'd say he makes it a whole-body experience.)

And some websites assign far more sinister motives to this synchronicity than just entertainment.

I love Pink Floyd and right after I finished running "The White Album" in reverse and listening in amazement as the Beatles embedded in their work the words "Number NINE, Number NINE" I moved right on up to REAL stoners' music and did the "Dark Side Of The Moon" thing.

Here's a bit of news, though.

"Dark Side Of The Moon" also synchs with "Raising Arizona", "Rambo", "Dead Poet's Society" and, most significantly, "Lady And The Tramp."

I've been there, I've said, "Whoa! How did Gilmour DO that?" despite the fact that in interview after interview, the lead vocalist of Pink Floyd declared he had never seen "The Wizard of Oz" and had no connection with it whatsoever. What a genius, man! He did it without seeing the movie! That's, like, so totally chillingly bizarre!

There are some interesting details about the recording of "Dark Side Of The Moon" and frankly, the CD alone is well worth any listener's time without added enhancements of pot and/or "The Wizard of Oz", but it no more parallels Dorothy's adventures than Elvis Presley's All-Time Gospel Hits does with "Top Gun."

It's still a cool experience. If you have "Dark Side Of The Moon" but not "The Wizard of Oz", you can play it with any of PBS's "Nova" episodes set to "mute" or "ER" or, if you're into it, any episode of "Friends." "South Park" works well (but better with any Grateful Dead CD) and Steely Dan is awesome with "Survivor." (Any Steely Dan and any episode of "Survivor.")

It just depends upon what you're smoking.

jackhammer

WISH YOU WERE HERE (1975)


How do you follow up the commercial and critical beast that was DSOTM? No mean feat considering it's success. Initial plans were for tracks such as Raving and Drooling to be included (which later became Dogs from the Animals album) but already Waters discontent with the music business was beginning to rear it's ugly head.

There was also a conscious decision to honour Syd Barrett, thus Shine On You Crazy Diamond was born and bookends the album with the track split over a 25 minute running time. The track has added poignancy due to Barrett turning up at the Abbey Road studios at the recording of Shine On You Crazy Diamond.

SOYCD has now become a staple in the Floyd's live set and is usually the set opener. The central guitar motif is recognisable to even the most casual fan, yet I actually prefer Part two. Although it is essentially a set of musical jams pinned together, it retains a little of what the band were in the first place: experimental, improvisational and (playing the music they want instead of what's expected of them).

Welcome To The Machine is the highlight on this album for me. Many people quote DSOTM as one of the finest produced albums ever. WTTM blows that out of the water. 33 years later it still sounds stunning. Listen to the track on the best quality A/V kit you possibly can and marvel at the soundscape. Utilising a synthesiser rythmn that replicates an industrial machine and sprinkled with a simple acoustic guitar riff that is still the best reproduction of said instrument ever and you have one of Floyd's most underated tracks.

Have A Cigar is lyrically brilliant and features the immortal line "by the way, which one's pink?". Which was supposedly uttered to them by a music executive early on in their career who actually thought that someone in the band was called Pink Floyd! It is also an unusual track in that it featured Roy Harper on vocals instead of any of the band members. Initially Waters was to complete vocal duties on the track but had strained his voice on tour. Gilmour did'nt like the harsh vocal style (?) so Harper who was recording at Abbey Road at the time performed guest vocal duties. It is strange figuring out Gilmours reticence on this track as the end solo work is some of his best work for Floyd.

Wish You Were Here is a simple acoustic ballad greatly enhanced with possibly Waters most complete lyrics ever. "we are two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl" is one of my favourite lyrics ever. Unfortunately this introspection from Waters could be seen as an early terminal seed of destruction from Waters.

The production on WYWH is faultless yet it feels slightly sterile in SOYCD (Part One) and it's only when Gilmour kicks back in Have A Cigar or Wright glides on WYWH that you can appreciate the organic quality of a band that seems so desperate to get back to basics, yet are caught in the machinations of commercialism. Welcome To The Machine has never sounded so apt.

Welcome To The Machine:

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Fletch

Definitely Immortal! This sort of thing where an artist turns surreal life into timeless music is special.

Trying to think of another example.... ???

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No Bosses, Just Music

Seltzer

Brilliant review... after reading that I had to listen to SOYCD again. Such a beautiful and sad tribute to Barrett.

Wish You Were Here and Meddle are probably my fav Floyd albums, followed by Animals and Piper.

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SubPop

I have been a big floyd fan for a long time and I think those reviews are pretty good man. No "Relics" though? I know relics is just a collectoin of early singles but I rate it as one of the best early floyd albums.

Also, if you hven't heard any solo Syd you should really get "The Madcap Laughs" as it is a very good album. I think I like it more than saucerful in a lot of respects. I find saucerful a bit boring at times (however remember a day, let there be more light and jugband blues are all great!)

I saw Roger do darkside of the moon last year and it was bloody amazing. He also did a lot of other floyd, it made me think how great it would be to see all 4 of the boys back together playing live. The amount of money I would pay to see that!

jackhammer

When I finish with their studio/live albums, I will then review their compilations. I may even do the solo albums too.

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SubPop

Im looking forward to reading your Final Cut review, that is one album that divides many floyd fans. I personally think it is brilliant.