The Dark Side of the Moon [Vinyl]

Although there are nine tracks on DARK SIDE, each one comes immediately after the other, making essentially a long 43-minute suite. All of the sounds that will come on the album are meshed together at the beginning of "Speak to Me/Breathe," which is a soothing and relaxing opener before leading into the sound effects bash of the frantic "On the Run." "Time" is definitely one of my favorite songs of all time. The imagery that Waters uses on this track is spellbinding. David Gilmour is one of the best guitar players on the face of the earth; he knows when NOT to overplay, and his solo is just--in a word--amazing, as well as Nick Mason's cool drum intro.

The emotional high point of the record is "The Great Gig in the Sky," a very moving instrumental which features female backup singer Clare Torry wailing her heart out during the sad passage(which sounds like a funeral dirge). I'm sure everybody knows "Money," the commentary on greed with its infectious bass line and "Us and Them" with its jazzy saxophone and moving organ playing, followed by another trippy instrumental ("Any Colour You Like") and the concluding medley ("Brain Damage/Eclipse").

One of the defining works by one of the best bands.
-"There is no dark side of the moon. As a matter of fact, it's all dark."


Uneclipsable   April 11, 2002
David C. Heires (New York, NY USA)
18 out of 18 found this review helpful

Dark Side of the Moon is a monument in rock history as a work of both structured and spontaneous instrumentation, and of course, a concept album. It is indeed a production masterpiece, with so many musical elements and distinctly great songs, even as they blend so well into a unified work. The verselines are more easygoing, the instrumentation varied, more often with a sort of jazzy or jazz/rock feel, occasionally with good rock soloing--check out David Gilmour's guitar in "Time" and "Money," for example, the latter of which is the "normal" rock song.

The overall theme is difficulty and madness in everyday life. Pink Floyd is comprehensive in addressing subthemes of troubling aspects of human relations and existence: aging and death, greed and corruption, hate and war, and of course, "lunacy." This is set against a backdrop that seems to constantly emphasize isolation in vast spaces. Look at those broad, elaborate images in the song titles: air, time, sky, color, the moon (the sun is subordinated, appearing in the song lyrics only ephemerally). The music is usually distant, often softly sweeping and otherworldly, filling all surrounding horizons. Actually, in only parts of this album does one feel as if there is ground below.

The human side of things is also in the song titles: speaking, breathing, money, brains, companionship (OK, time qualifies here too). Then the sound effects: the album begins and ends with a heartbeat, no less. The cash register before "Money," the clock before "Time," we are being taken on a trip in which all the tracks neatly flow into the next, punctuated by a consistently somber mood and usually soft, smooth vocals, Gilmour's being the most so and the most prominent. Roger Waters kicks in at the end in "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse."

But, hey, "Dark Side" is a production masterpiece for its great music, first and foremost. Was so much ever combined within 43:01, so many different musical elements, so skillfully? Listen to that vibrating, circular synthesizer that makes up "On the Run." Listen to Dick Parry's jazz saxophone in "Money" and Richard Wright's beautiful piano work in "The Great Gig in the Sky," in which Clare Torry's rangy vocals accentuate and contribute to a compellling mood. The percussion: Yes to the Roto-toms of Nick Mason leading into the verse on "Time."

It is the beautiful "Us and Them" that is Dark Side's finest moment, with its stunningly exquisite, gorgeous texture. Wright and Parry carry the day, while the chorus ladies contribute a majestic background as the melody is crescendoed into dramatic cadences. The great synthesizer work of "Any Colour You Like" then leads to "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse," the finale, as sweeping music mirrors Waters' all-encompassing chants about all aspects of life and existence that are then ultimately ... I won't tell.


Not in the Dark any longer..   May 1, 2000
Charles Pinney (Boone, NC)
17 out of 18 found this review helpful

I never really considered myself a Pink Floyd fan, sure I've heard the "hits" on the radio, I liked "Learning to Fly", but I wasn't sure what to expect when I put this album into my CD player.

Turns out I was missing one hell of a record. Wow. I put this thing in around one in the morning, put on the headphones and climbed into bed to listen and was immediately awestruck.

From the opening, somewhat ominious heartbeat, that opens the journey and flows into "Speak to Me/Breathe" till the end of the album (which fades out with the same heartbeat), I was mesmerized.

Great songs, like "Time", with clocks chiming their alarms in the beginning, "Money" with coins clinking and cash registers ringing (and an awesome saxophone solo), "Us And Them", "Brain Damage" (complete with Englishmen talking and laughing during the song) and "Eclipse". Excellent lyrics.

I'm not concerned with the Waters vs. Gilmour stuff or whether this is the best album of all-time, I just know what I like, and this was a lot of fun to listen to and I plan on much more listening in the future. Enjoy.


The Moody Blues on Quaaludes.   February 15, 2001
Donald N. Hilton (Jacksonville, Fl USA)
17 out of 104 found this review helpful

If you are one of the billions of Pink Floyd fans, do not even bother to read any further. Just go to the NO button below and click. I'm sorry, but this elevator music would make a great animal tranquilizer. I bought "The Wall" the same time I bought this one and it is a little better but there is no way in this world that this could be classified as "rock music". I don't normally review a cd unless I can give it 4 stars or better but in this case I will make an exception. The search continues....