In an album that purports to be about death and madness, a song about the perils of war and militarism is especially apt. Like Ravel's Boléro, 'Us and Them' slowly establishes 'Dark Side of the Moon''s pace so as to provide a dramatic backdrop for the song's interludes about an insular general's inability to recognize his soldiers' senses of particularity. Clare Torry's ethereal - and, significantly, wordless - vocal illustrates humankind's fear of dying, of joining that final 'great gig in the sky.' When it finally arrives on the heels of the free-form jazz fusion of 'Money,' 'Us and Them' decelerates the momentum created by its predecessor - and the intricate ⅞ time sequence of 'Money' - into a more soothing tempo. Listless and suffering from a diffused sense of identity, we find ourselves 'ticking away the moments that make up a dull day,' Gilmour sings, while 'waiting for someone or something to show you the way.'Īccompanied by Rick Wright's mournful piano, 'The Great Gig in the Sky' acts as the album's terrifying centerpiece. Incredible moments of high drama emerged in tracks such as 'Time,' 'The Great Gig in the Sky' and 'Us and Them.' In the former, a fusillade of chimes, watches, ticking clocks, and Nick Mason's hurried drumbeat establish the song's mind-numbing pace. Watch guitarist David Gilmour accent the basic track of 'Brain Damage' at EMI's Studio 3:Īs the album came into focus during the band's final weeks in the studio, an incredible tapestry had taken form, thanks to all of those concerts in advance of the 'Dark Side of the Moon' recording sessions. Surviving footage from the overdubbing sessions offers a privileged view of the making of the album. As the coziest room in the building, Studio 3 seems like an ironic place to have birthed such an expansive album. While relatively young, both men were wily veterans of the Beatles' studio years, having worked closely with George Martin on the band's final masterworks. He was well-supported by Chris Thomas, who mixed the album. And the band's crew itself was second to none, with Alan Parsons acting as engineer. EMI's engineers had made numerous refinements of their own to the TG 12345 mixing desk. Tears for Fears' 'The Hurting' at 40: An enduring, mature and fearless debut albumĪnd by the time Pink Floyd began working on the album at EMI's Studio 3 in May 1972, the conditions had aligned perfectly on their behalf.

Pink Floyd performed 'Dark Side of the Moon: A Piece for Assorted Lunatics,' as it was known at the time, in a live setting for more than a year, giving the band numerous opportunities to make refinements before committing their ideas to magnetic tape. A significant part of the album's intricate construction and staying power can be attributed to the painstaking way in which it developed over the early 1970s. But if there is one record that merits being feted, it's certainly 'Dark Side of the Moon.'Īs with our finest novels and films, 'Dark Side of the Moon' rewards its audience with every return visit, affording us with greater nuance and other subtleties that only the most superbly crafted artworks can provide. Over the past several years, music lovers have been treated to numerous box sets and deluxe editions celebrating one musical masterwork after another. To mark the occasion, a remastered edition of the album has been released, along with an elegant coffee table book of rare photographs and other ephemera. Although Kurt never gave me a rationale for the design, I must assume that the naked baby symbolized his own innocence, the water an alien environment, and the hook and dollar bill his creative life entering into the corporate world of rock music.'Īs for Elden, he says, 'Most bands around today can't even get near to what Nirvana did on that album, and I'll always be happy to be a part of it.' 2.This month, Pink Floyd's mega-selling, time-eclipsing 'Dark Side of the Moon' LP turned 50. We spent the day thinking of all the things you could put on a fish hook. We threw all kinds of ideas around and Kurt jokingly suggested a fish hook. 'I showed Kurt the baby picture,' designer Robert Fisher said, 'and he liked it but felt it needed something more. Spencer Elden's first time swimming was a memorable one.Īt four months old, Elden was one of several babies on hand at a Pasadena public pool to audition for Nirvana's album cover.

Album cover desk and ficus