Published on Jul 15, 2005
Much like May’s Genesis retrospective, our look at Pink Floyd
this month has prompted me to plow through Floyd’s catalogue,
something which I have never done. At this point I’m only up to
Atom Heart Mother, however even after a few albums my
appreciation for
The Dark Side Of The Moon (hereafter referred to as
DSOTM) has grown considerably.
One word describes what Pink Floyd was lacking though most of
their earlier works: focus. While there are many stellar moments to
be found from
A Piper At The Gates Of Dawn to
DSOTM, there was not one album that consistently
“wowed”(though from what I hear,
Meddle comes close). I mean, maybe five minutes of talking
chipmunks strikes some people as compelling listening, but not on
my iPod.
The actual concept behind
DSOTM is somewhat up for grabs, depending on whose
interpretation you believe. The general belief is that the focus of
the album is the human mind, and what drives it. You’ve got the
slow passage of time, pure greed, and instability all covered at
some point on
DSOTM. This wouldn’t be the last time these subjects were
covered on a Floyd record either; arguably the next four albums
from Roger Waters and co. would take on this material.
Of course, the ideas behind
DSOTM would mean nothing if the music itself was not up to
par. This is easily the Floyd’s best sounding album, thanks to
wonder-engineer Alan Parsons. As the years have passed since
DSOTM‘s release, the record refuses to sound dated,
something that cannot be said for records like
Ummagumma or
A Saucerful Of Secrets.
Ironically, it is the beginning of the album that features the
weakest moment. While “Speak To Me/Breathe” is classic, spacey
Floyd; “On The Run” ruins the mood by giving the listener 3 and
half minutes of repetitive noodling on the synthesizer. Had this
number been cut out, it would have been hard to find a flaw with
DSOTM. Immediately following “On The Run” is the absolute
classic, “Time.” Sporting some memorable David Gilmour guitar work
and strong Waters lyrics, this number practically blows away
anything Floyd had previously recorded.
The rest of
DSOTM plays out as a pick-your-favorite-Pink-Floyd-track
compendium. “Money”, “Us And Them,” the closing suite “Any Colour
You Like/Brain Damage/Eclipse”… these songs often get
singled out as the best of Pink Floyd, and with good reason.
Personally, “Us And Them” gets my vote as quite possibly the
greatest Pink Floyd number ever. The epic sound Floyd was capable
of is brilliantly condensed into roughly eight lush, ethereal
minutes. The chorus particularly hits you hard, after the somewhat
lethargic pace the song originally opens with, suddenly a cacophony
of voices, sax, and synthesizers appears from out of nowhere. Gives
me chills every time.
What else is there on
DSOTM? Plenty more. With every listen I find something new
to enjoy. Along with “Us And Them,” I love the bass riff to
“Money,” definitely one of the best in rock history. The dueling
guitar and synthesizers of “Any Colour You Like,” make this
instrumental successful, as opposed to the empty “On The Run.” And
of course, the climatic ending of “Eclipse,” with the infamous
lyrics, “And everything under the sun is in tune / But the sun is
eclipsed by the moon,” send out the whole concept of
DSOTM perfectly before fading to the heartbeat that also
opened the album.
This album has achieved legendary status, and rightfully so.
Pink Floyd would never again reach this platform of creativity,
though they would come close with
The Wall, and maybe even
Wish You Were Here. The music, the message, none of it has
aged one bit. That is what makes
Dark Side Of The Moon a classic, and a work that everyone
who loves music should hear.