Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon: 30th Anniversary Edition
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Free Music Notes for The Dark Side of the Moon: 30th Anniversary Edition
Free Music Review: 30th Anniversary SACD version is even better than ever
Hit: 5 Stars
A landmark album in rock history, this album has sold
close to 30 million albums, has spent a record 741 weeks
on the Billboard album charts, including a record 591
consecutive weeks. It has also been claimed this album
can be played as a soundtrack to the classic film The
Wizard of Oz. More information regarding this quirk
can be found here:
http://www.ingsoc.com/waters/info/oz.html
Since I don't own a CD player that plays the SACD version,
I'm probably missing out on the complete audio experience
with regards to this album. A 20 page booklet accompanies
the jewel case with photographs, illustrations and lyrics
for the band. Here's a description of the booklet in terms
of the content with numbers referring to photo sequence with
page number in booklet in brackets:
1. Illustration from songbook, 1973 (2)
2. Poster supplied with original album, 1973 (2)
3. Original cover, 1973 (4)
4. Canteen, Abbey Road, 1973 (4)
5. Nick, circa 1973, 20th Anniversary edition (4)
6. Invitation to the album launch at the Planetarium,
London, 1973 (5)
7. Chapter Heading from Shine On book, 1992 (6)
8. Detail from 'Back Catalogue' poster, 1997 (6)
9. Richard circa 1973, 20th Anniversary edition (7)
10. Belsize Park, London, 1972, used in 20th
Anniversary edition (7)
11. Roger circa 1973, from songbook (8)
12. Tour shot circa 1973 from 20th Anniversary edition (8)
13. CD label from Shine On box set, 1992 (9)
14. Millenium series T-shirt, 1999 (9)
15. Heartbeat design from original album, 1973 (11)
16. David during recording at Abbey Road (12)
17. Postcard picture from 20th Anniversary edition, 1993 (12)
18. Rayogram from 20th Anniversary edition, 1993 (13)
19. Russian vinyl front cover (13)
20. WYWH programme, 1975 (14)
21. Computer prism from 20th Anniversary edition (14)
22. Tour shot circa 1973, from songbook (15)
23. Van picture from Shine On book, 1992. (15)
24. Richard circa 1973 (16)
25. Pyramid and full moon, vinyl sticker, 2003 (16)
26. 20th Anniversary edition cover, 1993 (17)
27. Mexican high street (17)
28. Daytime sticker original cover, 1973 (18)
29. Prisms 20th Anniversary edition, 1993 (18)
30. Poster supplied with original album, 1973 (19)
This is a great album in terms of prog rock album,
mixing in instrumentals with songs. Breathe, Time,
Money, Us And Them are particularly memorable songs,
with Brain Damage being average, even though it has
The Dark Side of The Moon theme, so you can consider
it the title track for the album, even though the
album is titled something different. Speak To Me is a
nice little instrumental that is a good introduction
that fits seamlessly into the next track which is the
first song. Eclipse nicely rounds out the songs and
the album itself. I would consider it an essential
recording. I was lucky to purchase this at a significant
discount. I also own the audio cassette version of this
album with the original black background, but this
version is arguably superior. My advice is to pick it
up if you don't already own it, or if you want to
upgrade from audiocassette or vinyl album. If you don't
like prog rock or the so-called art rock, you would
probably want to give this album a miss. The album
lyrics can be found on pages 10 and 11 in the CD
booklet that accompanies it.
Here's the track listing (3).
1. Speak To Me (Mason) ~1:04
2. Breathe (Waters, Gilmour, Wright) 3:57
3. On The Run (Gilmour, Waters) 3:31
4. Time (Mason, Waters, Wright, Gilmour) 7:05
5. The Great Gig In The Sky (Wright) 4:47
6. Money (Waters) 6:23
7. Us And Them (Waters, Wright) 7:48
8. Any Colour You Like (Gilmour, Mason, Wright) 3:25
9. Brain Damage (Waters) 3:50
10. Eclipse (Waters) 2:06
Free Music Review: Perhaps the greatest album ever--now improved even more!
Hit: 5 Stars
This is an exciting review to write since this is the 30th anniversary edition of a classic, timeless rock album with very few rivals ever. There is no doubt: Dark Side of the Moon is the rare album the value of which time could never make obsolete. Pink Floyd labored, sweated, struggled, and thought very creatively to produce an album (and CD) that will always live on. The album and new 30th anniversary artwork are powerful, relevant to the struggles people have in life throughout time, and incredibly entertaining, to say the least. Look at the proof: even though the band wrote the music and lyrics in 1972 and early 1973, it still sells very well decades later! They even keep re-releasing the CD even as they continue to sell the previous edition of the CD! GRIN
The music is stunning; there are guitar solos, background singers, biting social commentaries about the rat race and money, and lyrics that are so simply written yet capable of saying something about us all and the band's sadness over Syd Barrett's drug problems. (Syd Barrett was a Pink Floyd band member who had left by this point.) The music quality is excellent and greatly enhanced by the technology used to produce this CD; but I'll say more about that later.
The album begins with a man's voice talking about being mad (as in crazy) and ends with a man's voice saying how the moon is completely dark, which reflects the band's pessimistic commentary on life. This man's negativity also reflects Syd Barrett's troublesome drug addiction.
Between that beginning and end there's a song set that blows your mind--and you don't have to be a kid experimenting with drugs in the 1970s to agree with this! In fact there's so much excellent and unique material I don't know where to begin! "Money" is perhaps my favorite song; there's an excellent saxophone solo there and the greed we can all succumb to is lamented but with music that makes you want to listen to the song to enjoy it over and over again. "Us And Them" is a song that decries the evils of war; at the time it could well have referred to the then current Vietnam War but this sad ballad can describe any conflict. The song "Breathe" laments the stress of life.
There are also excellent sound effects on this album (now, of course, here on SACD technology CD). There are sounds of footsteps, for example, and airplanes for added effect in the song "On The Run." The song "Time" begins with "the chimes," as one friend of mine once said; you hear the sounds of bells ringing to emphasize the passage of time.
Not only is this music so damn good you'll NEVER want to put this CD away, there's much more as well: you get terrific pictures of the band members in both color and black and white. The full lyrics and credits are provided which is always a nice plus. The artwork on the insert is excellent as well. Then of course there's the infamous cover art of the triangle doubling as a prism turning white light into a rainbow.
AND, here's a great upgrade of the CD released previously: because it uses "super audio CD" technology, the sound quality is simply unsurpassed! You can play this CD in your home theater system on or a DVD player that is SACD compatible. Even in just your regular CD player the improved surround sound quality is obvious from the moment you play it --you'll swear the whole band was turned back in time to 1972 and that they're playing personally just for you in your living room! The sounds such as the heartbeat become more intense and dramatic because of the clarity. There's cool new artwork, too!
I don't think there's any reason why a rock and roll fan should hesitate to buy this CD! Indeed, the original Dark Side of the Moon was on the charts ("Billboard's") for an astounding fourteen years which I highly doubt too many, if any, other albums can claim. Buy this newly improved CD, treasure it as you can only truly treasure a very few CDs, and play it and enjoy it for many years to come! Introduce it to newcomers, too, so they can experience an incredible CD!
Free Music Review: My new and improved review of DSOTM.
Hit: 5 Stars
INTRO: By 1973, when DSOTM was released, the Floyd had released quite a few albums and were gaining popularity, but this album was the one that really made them famous.
The songs in DSOTM are basically about life, and all the pressures that come with it. Like money, war, insanity, time, etc.
SONG LIST:
1. SPEAK TO ME:
"I've been mad for fu**ing years, absolutely years."
The song's basically the introduction of the album, with a bunch of sounds from the other songs, like cash registers, clocks, crazy laughing (The person laughing is Naomi Watt's dad, believe it or not), and the screaming of The Great Gig in the Sky, which leads to the next song. The song also has two people talking about being mad.
2. BREATH:
"Breath, breath in the air, don't be afraid to care."
This song tells about the basic instructions of life. The song begins with a soothing, slow drum beat and music. The vocals are also soothing.
3. ON THE RUN:
"Live for today, gone tomorrow, that's me."
An awesome music piece. It's a fast-paced track that has a 5-note sound played real fast that's looping, plus more awesome sound effects. Good music to play while you're running.
4. TIME/BREATH REPRISE:
"And you run, and you run, to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking."
"Home, home again, I like to be here, when I can."
The next pressure in life, time. Sometimes, time flies, sometimes, it goes too slow. Time's probably my favorite song in the album, beginning with a loop of clocks ringing, awesome music, female vocals, great lyrics, and great vocals.
Breath Reprise is basically another verse of Breath, and it's my favorite part about Breath.
5. THE GREAT GIG IN THE SKY:
" And I am not frightened of dying, any time will do, I
don't mind. Why should I be frightened of dying?
There's no reason for it, you've gotta go sometime."
This music piece is about dying and religion. The music has a relaxing, yet haunting piano piece, and has a woman screaming her lungs out, in either happiness or pain.
6. MONEY:
"Money, it's a hit. But don't give me that do goody good bull$hit."
Money. It's something we can't have enough of. The song begins with a bunch of money sound effects, and has some awesome guitar pieces and catchy lyrics. My 2nd favorite song.
7. US AND THEM:
"For want of the price of tea and a slice, the old man died."
A moving song that talks about war, racism, and the homeless. Nice echo effects, great lyrics, and moving music.
8. ANY COLOUR YOU LIKE:
(No lyrics or spoken dialogue.)
A really nice instrumental. The music sounds pretty trippy, if you know what I mean.
9. BRAIN DAMAGE:
"I'll see you on the dark side of the moon."
A song about going insane. Has a few homages to Syd Barret. (if the band you're in starts playing different tunes.)
Crazy lyrics and trippy music make this song a must.
10. ECLIPSE:
"There is no dark side of the moon, really. Matter of fact it's all dark."
A song that summarizes the album with great vocals and music. And there's a heartbeat at the end that eventually stops, representing death.
OVERALL: One of the best albums of all time. If you haven't listened to it, you must. Also, pick up the 30th anniversary edition, which has some cool pictures.
Free Music Review: 30 Years and Still One of Best Albums Of All Time
Hit: 5 Stars
It is highly unlikely that the members of Pink Floyd could have ever foreseen the transcendent success of their album "The Dark Side Of The Moon" in 1973, nor its continuing longevity after 30 years. Further, it is doubtful that the members envisioned their album being played to the classic 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz" in place of its own dialog and soundtrack, whose scenes seem to coincide with the album's tracks. The album preceded the rise and fall of disco, punk, New Wave, glam rock and grunge (to name a few); as well as countless groups, many of which were inspired by its haunting melodies that have outlived most of them in the musical collective memory. "The Dark Side of the Moon" was the ninth album (including soundtracks) that was recorded by Pink Floyd since its first album was released in May 1967: "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn". The songs in "The Dark Side of the Moon" reflect the influence of the psychedelic sights and sounds of the 1960's, but also demonstrate the direction that the band took to create compelling sound effects using the latest technology available. The result was an artistic masterpiece whose lyrics by Roger Waters can still be interpreted in many different ways: of war, racism, greed, wasted time and self examination to name a few. I describe and rate (out of 5 stars) each of the songs on the album as follows:1. "Speak To Me" (N/A). An introduction starting with silence that slowly builds with various effects.
2. "Breathe" (5). Slow and airy vocals and guitar.
3. "On The Run" (4). Highly electronic instrumental with fast beat.
4. "Time" (5+). An alarm clock and clock chimes begin this enigmatic song that moves with keyboards, percussion, and guitar. This is followed by strong vocals with melodic choruses that have a choral accompaniment. Next, powerful, instrumental guitar takes over which is later accompanied by the choir leading into next verse.
5. "The Great Gig in the Sky" (5). Piano and guitar begin this song who's wordless but very emotional female vocals are sung by Clare Torry. A very emotional song overall.
6. "Money" (5+). The clanking sounds of a mechanical cash register begin this song with strong guitar and vocals, as well as the saxophone played by Dick Parry.
7. "Us and Them" (5+). Slow but emotional instrumental beginning highlighted by the saxophone as played by Dick Parry and followed by airy vocals, but whose choruses rise into a crescendo.
8. "Any Colour You Like" (4.5). An instrumental that continues directly from the previous track. Electronic, lots of guitar and keyboards.
9. "Brain Damage" (5+). Light and airy guitar and vocals begin this song of a lunatic, then rises with a choral accompaniment during the choruses.
10. "Eclipse" (5+). Continues directly from the previous track with the same choral accompaniment.
Generations to come will more than likely continue listening to "The Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd, whose members include Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright. Overall, I rate the album with a resounding 5 out of 5 stars and will continue listening to it for years to come as I already have for years that have passed. Since I don't have a SACD (Super Audio Compact Disc), I cannot comment on the album's quality heard on that, but the album does sound fantastic on a standard CD player.
Free Music Review: A Nail in the Coffin of DVD-Audio! (Good!)
Hit: 5 Stars
So is it as amazing as it should be? In a word, yes. But shouldn't I talk about it at length? I mean after all, that is the purpose of writing reviews. It's an excuse to sound intelligent.I'll start by saying that the price for what you get is just great. In 1993 I recall my first purchase of the Dark Side 20th anniversary release. It was a decent remaster, and sounded great for the time. ... When you also consider that this disc is a hybrid, which will play in any standard CD player as well....it makes no sense to purchase a regular CD of Dark Side anymore. This will no doubt boost the market for SACD; something which I find to be a wonderful development which will no doubt cast a dark shadow over the competing but inferior DVD-Audio format. It is my personal wish that this release will be the first nail on DVD-Audio's coffin.
Ok, personal feelings aside....let's talk about this disc. The surround mix is breathtaking. Guthrie has succeeded in making the music truly three-dimensional. Throughout my listening, I often found myself amazed that the original masters are 30 years old. Or maybe the original masters just always sounded that good, only we couldn't hear that until SACD and its DSD encoding. This is as close to hearing the original master tapes as we have ever been able to get at home.
Dark Side was originally recorded on a 16 track system, which meant that when the final mixdowns were made into two-tracks for home audio listening, lots of the sound would have to end up muddled together and obscured. Now that the channels can be mixed with five independents, we get to hear every breathtaking nuance of each instrument and voice. You truly experience the album almost for the first time, sometimes hearing things you never knew were there.
Even played on the SACD stereo (2 channel) layer, the recording is still breathtaking. The timbre, tone and general feeling with the new DSD transfer is so transparent that one feels like they are listening to the master tapes themselves, even in two channel audio. Pink Floyd is right there in your room, jamming like mad.
Guthrie's work has also made the red-book layer (regular CD) better than any previous release. I have the fortune of being able to play both at once and switch back and forth on my amp. There is a great difference between the two; the older disc seems boxed-in, somewhat lower in fidelity. The seperation between the instruments is also a little on the muddy side, whereas the new release has a quality that is more open and airy. Even if you don't have an SACD player yet....I would strongly suggest that you purchase this disc. Not only is it the best release of Dark Side yet....it will also inspire you to purchase an SACD player....and explore a whole new world of music.
The only regret I have about this release isn't even about the release itself. Rather it is about the quality of music that exists today. I mean here we are in 2003 with the advent of multichannel high definition music media, and the best thing we have to release on it is....30 years old! Now if that isn't proof that today's music is mostly [bad], I don't know what is.
Production, content, and execution A+
Overall listening pleasure A+