In 1965, a British guitarist named Syd Barrett formed a little band that eventually came to be called Pink Floyd. Barrett, who would become a poster child for the bad effects of LSD, eventually lost touch with reality itself and was dismissed from the group.
The remaining members used ponderous walls of sound and massive amounts of production to produce albums that nearly collapsed under the weight of their own self-importance. But the albums were great despite themselves. Animals, Wish You Were Here, The Wall, and The Final Cut are all four- or five-star Rolling Stone rated, the only critical ratings I pay any attention to.
But it was their 1973 release of their magnum opus that put Pink Floyd on the map as THE progressive rock group.
Dark Side of the Moon, commonly referred to as DSOTM, was an amazing release that set a new standard for what would afterward define a concept album.
Where do you begin in writing about such an amazing piece of work?
First of all, it was produced by the band itself, all four members being credited. Quite an accomplishment it was to produce an album that is among the most perfectly produced ever. Alan Parsons oversaw the engineering.
The album also payed tribute to Syd Barrett, as Brain Damage described his psychosis. Shine On You Crazy Diamond, from Wish You Were Here, likewise payed homage to the group's founder.
The songs segued seamlessly throughout each side. Voices were interspliced among the music that were provided by roadies, road managers, a member of Paul McCartney's band, and an Irish doorman, among others.
And the songs! Pink Floyd hit a creative peak here, although they had more great albums to come. But the soaring vocals of The Great Gig in the Sky still raise goosebumps on me after at least a thousand listenings. Time is one of those songs that must be played loudly, or not at all. Us and Them is a dreamy voyage punctuated by two sax solos that soar.
And, for better or worse, Money introduced a barnyard term to mainstream radio.
The album spent 741 consecutive weeks in Billboards Top 100. That's 14 years. That record will likely never be broken.
And, shades of Paul McCartney's death rumors, it even spawned a "connection" to The Wizard of Oz. It seems that if you begin playing the album after the MGM Lion's third roar, the music meshes perfectly with the action of the film. The group denied any involvement in this coincidence.
DSOTM is one of those rare albums that sounds better with each playing. And if you remember JFK, you can remember when it began its 14-year ride on the charts.
Comments (4)
Wait: you pay attention to what rolling stone mag has to say???? Besides the fact that they may say an album is worthy of 5 stars at its release and 10 years later give it 2, they suck at rating albums and songs in general. You seem to love this album (rightfully so) that RS seems to think is only the 43rd greatest album of all time.
Posted by don't worry about it | July 13, 2007 11:02 PM
Posted on July 13, 2007 23:02
Go Cubs! Sorry, overwhelmed that the my
hometown Cubs have won
17 out of their last 22 games almost going into August, 2007!
Re Dark Side..I think this is an albume much like zep 4 or debut doors(light my fire album)..along with perhaps sargeant pepper....everything was of such a hgh quality you almost have to think there was divine intervention.
I mean, EVERYTHING was on the one for DSOTM.
I'm just amazed they had enough left after that for "The Wall", "Animals", and "Wish you were here"
after that......I saw Roger Waters perform DS
twice this and last year in its entirety and its even more haunting hearing it live....MY question is, is Roger Waters crazy too? Look at his eyes live....he has devil eyes occasionally if you watch close..maybe Roger actually is the craziest of all....
Posted by scott | July 20, 2007 5:55 PM
Posted on July 20, 2007 17:55
The Floyd is my favorite group of all time. I tend to like the early prog rock material like Atom Heart Mother and Relics. DSOTHM is priceless! Favorite song on the albus is Us and Them and Time! I remember the Floyd growing up but it wasn't until I was an early adult I started to love them! I never seen the Floyd in concert and that is a shame because it will never happen again! I have seen the Laser Light Show that waws fantastic especially with the Darkside pieces! I am slowly obtaining all their music on CDs.
The Floyd will always be my favorite! Favorite Floyd song over all is between Us and Them and A Saucer Full of Secrets! RIP Syd and Richard!
Posted by Rivers End | May 29, 2009 9:26 PM
Posted on May 29, 2009 21:26
I loved the instrumental “Any Colour You Like.” Breathe was great. The whole album was great. But you know, Syd Barrett had some good interesting material. It was a shame he had to dissolve and crash. Tragic because there was some talent there.
Like River’s End, I did not really warm up to Floyd till I was an adult in the 80s. But once I got going . . . What a great era for music. Too bad its all over now.
Posted by Scott Irv | June 1, 2009 1:51 AM
Posted on June 1, 2009 01:51