Today we chose one of the most acclaimed albums in both Progressive Rock and the overall history of music, yes, we’re talking about “Dark Side Of The Moon” by Pink Floyd, the third best-selling album in music history after Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and AC/DC‘s “Back In Black,” selling over 50 million copies worldwide.
The album was constructed based on a series of jams the band used to perform live. In fact, the album was premiered live long before its initial release, speaking volumes about the chemistry between Roger Waters (Bass/Vocals), David Gilmour (Guitar/Vocals), Richard Wright (Keyboards/Synthesizers/Vocals), and Nick Mason (Drums).
Both its beautiful cover and its groundbreaking lyrics influenced the massive commercial success of this work. Additionally, “The Dark Side Of The Moon” represents a technological advancement in music production, as it introduced previously unused techniques, many of them spearheaded by Alan Parsons, who handled the album’s engineering, albeit not officially credited.
What can we hear?
An album full of emotions. If we could describe “The Dark Side Of The Moon” with just one word, it would definitely be “Emotion,” as from its first track, “Speak To Me,” the band plays with human psychology a haunting intro featuring a heartbeat slowly intensifying, engaging our brains to perceive it as our own heartbeat and immersing us into an unknown yet intriguing soundscape. Despite being a very simple intro, we consider it one of our favorites due to its gradual connection with the listener.
“The Dark Side Of The Moon” officially kicks off with “Breathe (In The Air),” presenting a calmness and measurement that, when closing your eyes, illustrates a series of slow and relaxing visuals that gradually empower themselves with Richard Wright’s synthesizers, leading into the instrumental track “On The Run.” This represents the relationship between humans and technology and the future through a series of sequences created manually with the manipulation of a Synthi-A, giving the work a very futuristic experimental touch.
Following this grand entry, the album moves into “Time,” continuing the experimentation and playing with human consciousness using a series of alarm-like clock sounds simultaneously. This creates an inevitable tension that later becomes mystery thanks to the long reverb-laden notes from Gilmour’s guitar, culminating in a very rocking theme that brings movement to the album, highlighted by the extensive guitar solo that maintains calmness and flows with the song.
The climax of The Dark Side Of The Moon
Everything is going wonderfully until suddenly “The Great Gig In The Sky” arrives a track full of melismas performed by Clare Torry, a clear example that words are unnecessary to express a profound feeling through music. It’s akin to a rollercoaster of emotions starting from the lowest point, rising to the sky’s deepest point, and landing softly.
After the climax of the album, Pink Floyd returns to Rock with one of the most acclaimed bass riffs in history yes, we’re talking about “Money,” a song whose timing is very interesting to analyze, being the complete opposite of straightforward. This elevates their Progressive Rock to the highest echelons, adding variety to the album with the inclusion of a saxophone solo that gradually intensifies and ultimately swaps roles with the guitar simply impressive.
Following this tremendous hit, we delve back into experimentation with “Us And Them,” a song full of soft textures that, when it explodes, creates the second climax of “The Dark Side Of The Moon.” It produces a range of enjoyable dynamics as the intensities play their part in the most epic way possible. And almost without us realizing it, suddenly we hear “Any Color You Like,” another instrumental track where the band accompanies Richard Wright and David Gilmour in a very interesting creation of synth and delay-laden guitar atmospheres, something that was astounding and mind-blowing for the time, confirming their attraction to psychedelia.
The Dark Side Of The Moon, a work of art
Roger Waters takes charge of closing the album with “Brain Damage,” a seemingly innocent and curious song that illegally used the guitar arpeggio from The Beatles‘ “Dear Prudence.” Waters reflects on the mental health of his former bandmate, Syd Barrett, whose life was affected by drugs. The song merges seamlessly into “Eclipse,” ending on a powerful note with impactful phrases and again the heartbeat, playing with human psychology once more. It’s truly an epic closure.
“The Dark Side Of The Moon” drives us crazy we love the equal participation of all band members, their excellent performance that directly impacts the mind, and their tremendous experimentation that represented both the arrival of a new technological era and the foundation of new openings to include in Rock.
What is the most impactful or memorable aspect of “The Dark Side Of The Moon” by Pink Floyd for you, and how has it influenced your perspective on music or life? Share your comments.
