. . . .AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON (PINK FLOYD) 1973

March 1, 2013 marks the 40TH  Anniversary of the release of Pink Floyd’s magnum opus, Dark Side of the Moon (or DSOTM, as it is known as to its fans).

Produced by Abbey Road Studios in London, England, it debuted on March 1, 1973. It was recorded from June, 1972 to January, 1973. DSOTM was Pink Floyd’s eighth studio album. Band members who collaborated on the album included Nick Mason, David Gilmour, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright . The Dark Side of the Moon‘s includes themes of conflict, greed, quiet desperation, the passage of time, and mental illness, the latter partly inspired by departed member Syd Barrett’s deteriorating mental state. The album’s iconic sleeve features a prism that represents the band’s stage lighting, the record’s lyrical themes, and keyboardist Richard Wright’s request for a “simple and bold” design.

The Dark Side of the Moon was an immediate success, topping the Billboard Top LPs  & Tapes chart for one week. It subsequently remained in the charts for 741 weeks from 1973 to 1988. With an estimated 50 million copies sold, it is Pink Floyd’s most commercially successful album and one of the best-selling albums worldwide. It has twice been remastered and re-released, and has been covered in its entirety by several other acts. It spawned two singles,  “Money” and “Time”. In addition to its commercial success, The Dark Side of the Moon is one of Pink Floyd’s most popular albums among fans and critics, and is frequently ranked as one of the greatest albums of all time.

Thirtieth anniversary SACD re-issue:

Singles from The Dark Side of the Moon
“Money” Released: 7 May 1973 “Time” / “Us and Them” Released: 4 February 1974

With sounds of voices, footsteps, helicopter blade whirring, echos, and coins of money being counted and stacked, DSOTM broke ground in instrumentation and singing, most notably Clare Torry’s “singing” on the track The Great Gig in the Sky, the psychedelic instrumentation of Any Colour You Like, the soulful saxophone played on Money, to the somber melancholy of Us and Them.

The track listing is as follows:

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	“Speak to Me”	Mason	Instrumental	1:30
2.	“Breathe”	Waters, Gilmour, Wright	Gilmour	2:43
3.	“On the Run”	Gilmour, Waters	Instrumental	3:36
4.	“Time” (includes “Breathe (Reprise)”)	Mason, Waters, Wright, Gilmour	Gilmour, Wright	7:01
5.	“The Great Gig in the Sky”	Wright, Clare Torry	Torry	4:36

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	“Money”	Waters	Gilmour	6:22
2.	“Us and Them”	Waters, Wright	Gilmour, Wright	7:46
3.	“Any Colour You Like”	Gilmour, Mason, Wright	Instrumental	3:25
4.	“Brain Damage”	Waters	Waters	3:48
5.	“Eclipse”	Waters	Waters	2:03

All lyrics written by Roger Waters. With ten tracks, the album clocks in at 42 minutes, 59 seconds. To this day, DSOTM stands the test of time in its ingenuity and beauty.

If you have heard Pink Floyd’s DSOTM before, listen to it again.

If you have never had the pleasure of hearing it for the first time, then click on the following image and be prepared to be taken on a cerebral and enchanting ride from one of progressive rock’s most greatest album and band.