Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon (180 Gram Vinyl)
Weekly Review:
You know The Dark Side of the Moon. It’s the record your uncle (or great uncle) used to test his new turntable and speakers in the funny-smelling basement. It has sold so many copies that it is estimated that one in every 14 people in the United States under the age of 50 own or have owned a copy.
So why are we still talking about it now? Well, for one thing the album turns 50 years old this March. For another, it’s still really relevant. Finally, it has aged really well and still sounds freaking great.
You know that whole divided country/red vs. blue nonsense? Floyd discussed this on the piano ballad “Us and Them.” The insatiable greed of corporations and billionaires? Check out the lyrics to “Money.” The song “Time” is basically a Calm app long before anyone knew what an app was and only Hari Krishnas and hippies practiced mindfulness.
Then there’s the music. The songs flow effortlessly into each other, creating a continuous listening experience on each side. Dark Side opens with a heartbeat before crescendoing with Clare Torrey’s soulful, wordless vocals on “The Great Gig in the Sky.” Side two opens with the ring of a cash register and ends with songwriter Roger Waters espousing that “everything under the sun is in tune, but the sun is eclipsed by the moon” before the track gracefully descends back into a heartbeat.
If you are one of the 13 people under the age of 50 who don’t or have never owned The Dark Side of the Moon, this 50 th anniversary edition is as good a reason as any to pick it up. At least you’ll have something to talk about with your uncle (or great uncle) at the next family gathering. -Joel Francis
