The Dark Side Of The Moon

On March 1, 2023, it will be 50 years since the release of the album The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd but it was just over a year earlier, on January 20th, 1972 when it premiered in concert for the first time, at the Brighton Dome.

The Dark Side of The Moon, in my opinion, is to music what The Godfather is to cinema, the best of the best of the best. I find it difficult to choose only one album, very difficult, but that's my choice. In the cinema it´s easier, although The Godfather is a trilogy, it is my favorite.

In 1.974 we were studying COU (last school year before entering in the university). We used to meet for a few beers and it was in one of those “meetings”, in a bar “the joy of lista”, not existing today  where my friends gave me the LP as a birthday gift. I still have it, with the dedications and signatures of all of them. The vinyl shows the use, but is still in very good condition.

Since then, it's probably the album I've listened to the most. As I always say, like medical treatments, The Dark Side Of The Moon must be listened to at least, once a month. Something absolutely recommended to live with good health. Always the complete album, never by songs, at high volume and, if possible, without interruptions. At every audition, we will hear something new.

The idea of The Dark Side Of The Moon was conceived prematurely in Roger Waters' head when he was close to turning 30. He initially proposed to the rest of the band to record an album about the worries, illnesses and problems of modern life. The idea was taking shape and they were adding elements such as greed, madness, wars, religion and fear of death. There are talks on the influence of Syd Barrets´s mental illness former member of the band.

Curiosities

As said, the album was first performed live in Brighton on January 20th, 1972. There was some technical problem on its first night, and after a few more performances, it was presented at the Rainbow Theatre in London at the end of February 1972.

Pink Floyd´s 1972 tour ending in Rianbow Theatre 1972, London

The subsequent recording of the album was made at EMI Studios (Abbey Road) from May 1972 to January 1973. The material was improved during those 6-12 months in which it was played live. The sound engineer was the already famous at that time, Alan Parsons.

One more curiosity is that although the name of the album was decided, the band Medicine Head published an album with the same name. Because of that, the name had to be temporarily changed to Eclipse. The very low success of Medicine Head's album allowed the original name The Dark Side Of The Moon to be recovered.

It is interesting to comment that the name does not refer exclusively to the dark side of the moon nor to an astronomical concept was rather a discreet allusion to crazy lunatics (... the lunatic is on the Grass..)

Content

The Dark Side of The Moon is a concept album. Each side has five themes that must be listened to in a row. Each song evokes concerns of daily life.

The initial heartbeat and pulse opens and closes the album. Throughout the songs there is talk of life experience, the need to enjoyr the moment, empathy, anxiety caused by stress ("On the run"), the threat of mental illness and madness, the passage of time and aging ("Time", ... and then one day you find, 10 years have got behind you, no one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun..." , loneliness and religion ("Breathe") and fear of death ("Great gig in the sky"). The B-side begins with "Money" where the central theme is greed, personal relationships in "Us and them", to, through "Any colour you like" enter psychodelic effects that converge in "Brain Damage" with the prominence of mental illness. Finally "Eclipse" returns to personal relationships, ability to put ourselves in the position of others and seek reconciliation between human beings.

For the first time in a Pink Floyd album, the lyrics of all the songs on the original album are included, with also additional materials, pyramid posters and stickers designed for the album.

The cover

No doubt the design of the iconic cover designed by Aubrey Powell and Storm Thorgerson of Hipgnosis, showing a triangular prism with refracted light has also contributed to the success of the album. Pink Floyd wanted a simple cover and among all the designs presented, there was unanimity in the group to select the prism with the beam of light and black background.

The Dark Side Of The Moon cover design from Aubrey Powell and Storm Thorgerson (Hipgnosis)

Concerts

In 1988, we had the opportunity to watch Pink Floyd live in Madrid, with the "A momentary lapse of reason tour", unforgettable concert. I keep the ticket, still with the cost in pesetas, which today would be equivalent to 18 euros.

Pink Floyd Ticket - A momentary lapse of reason tour, 1988, Madrid

Launch and successes achieved

The album was released on March 1st, 1973. It is estimated that it has sold 50 million copies, remaining on the charts for almost 20 years and is among the 3 best sellers in music history.

The Dark Side Of The Moon -  Nbr 1 in Billboard chart, 1973

To celebrate the 50th anniversary, several commemorative books are announced, among others, one by the music critic Martin Popoff. An official book has also been announced and surely some edition of the original recording with unpublished material, videos of the concerts of the first tour prior to the release of the album and probably unknown interviews with Roger, David, Nick and Richard.

In 2017 an exhibition "Their mortal remains" was held in London and later in 2019 it arrived to Madrid at the IFEMA venues. I was able to attend both. Organized through their different albums, you can appreciate the influence of the group on the music and culture of the time. Additionally, original writings of the musicians, instruments used during the recordings and a wide range of documents related to the musical career of the group are shown. At the end, a large room with three huge screens plays extracts of videos corresponding to different concerts of the band in a spectacular show.

Pink Floyd exhibition in Madrid, 2019 - Their mortal remains

For 2023 there are some pleasant surprises. In March, Roger Waters will play in Madrid as part of his "This is not a drill" tour. Also, one of the best tribute groups, Australian Pink Floyd, will tour Europe playing The Dark Side Of The Moon in full, we will see it in Edinburgh where we already attended in 2013 the concert to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the album.

The Dark Side Of The Moon, music and soundtrack of a lifetime