Jake Beach

Album Review: The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) by Pink Floyd

Jake Beach
Album Review: The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) by Pink Floyd

Overview

The Dark Side of the Moon is a landmark in progressive rock history and one of the most influential albums of all time. Released on March 1, 1973, it marked a creative zenith for Pink Floyd, combining innovative studio techniques, philosophical lyrics, and sonic experimentation. It's not just an album—it’s an immersive experience that examines themes of conflict, greed, time, death, and mental illness.

Recording Process

Studio Innovations

The album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London from May 1972 to January 1973. Engineer Alan Parsons played a crucial role in shaping the sound, employing advanced multitrack recording, tape loops, and early synthesizers. The use of EMS Synthi AKS and VCS 3 synthesizers added a futuristic texture to the record.

Roger Waters spearheaded the conceptual direction, creating a unified narrative throughout the album. The band moved away from their more abstract, instrumental experiments and leaned towards structured songwriting infused with experimental production.

Experimental Techniques

  • Tape loops were used for effects like the ticking clocks in “Time” and the cash registers in “Money.”

  • Field recordings and interviews with roadies, studio staff, and others were spliced into the album to create interludes and context.

  • Nontraditional instruments like rototoms, tape effects, and synthesizers were layered meticulously.

  • Alan Parsons' engineering ensured a crystal-clear sound, with innovations like quadraphonic mixes and precise stereo placement that were revolutionary for the time.

Art Design

The album cover, designed by Storm Thorgerson and Hipgnosis, features the now-iconic prism spectrum design. It's minimalistic yet profoundly symbolic:

  • The prism refracting light symbolizes the band's lighting shows and the concept of seeing beyond the visible.

  • The absence of the band’s name on the cover was a bold statement of artistic confidence.

  • The inner sleeve features heartbeat visuals, waveform diagrams, and photographs contributing to the album’s clinical yet human feel.

The art encapsulates the album’s themes of clarity, chaos, and human experience in a simple, timeless image.

Track-by-Track Breakdown

1. Speak to Me / Breathe

  • Speak to Me is an overture—a collage of sound effects introducing motifs from the entire album: heartbeats, laughter, cash registers, and screams.

  • Breathe glides in with David Gilmour’s smooth lap steel guitar and soothing vocals, reflecting on life’s pressures and the desire to escape materialism.

2. On the Run

  • A synthesis of the band’s fear of flying, this track features sequenced synthesizers and a repetitive rhythmic pulse.

  • Alan Parsons used an EMS Synthi AKS to create the galloping synth arpeggios, while footsteps and flight announcements evoke airport anxiety.

  • The piece was mostly constructed through improvisation and tape manipulation.

3. Time

  • Opens with iconic chiming clocks recorded by Parsons at a local clock shop.

  • Features a long, tension-building drum intro by Nick Mason on rototoms.

  • Lyrically, Waters explores the dread of time slipping away unnoticed.

  • Gilmour’s soaring guitar solo is widely regarded as one of the greatest in rock history.

4. The Great Gig in the Sky

  • Richard Wright’s elegiac piano forms the core, originally conceived as an instrumental.

  • Clare Torry’s improvised, wordless vocals—recorded in one afternoon—became the centerpiece, conveying raw human emotion without lyrics.

  • Torry later sued for co-authorship and won credit, recognizing her crucial contribution.

5. Money

  • Famous for its 7/4 time signature and cash register sound loop.

  • Waters created the loop manually by splicing tape.

  • Gilmour’s gritty vocals and bluesy guitar, combined with a saxophone solo by Dick Parry, give it a hard rock edge.

  • Lyrically, it critiques material greed.

6. Us and Them

  • Originated from a rejected piece Wright wrote for the Zabriskie Point soundtrack.

  • Features gentle piano, ethereal saxophone by Parry, and haunting dynamics.

  • Explores themes of conflict, war, and social division with alternating quiet verses and loud choruses.

7. Any Colour You Like

  • An instrumental showcasing Gilmour’s use of a Univibe pedal and tape delay.

  • Synthesizer leads by Wright mirror the guitar, creating a swirling psychedelic feel.

  • The title suggests the illusion of choice (referencing Henry Ford’s "any color so long as it's black").

8. Brain Damage

  • Waters’ commentary on mental illness, specifically referencing former bandmate Syd Barrett.

  • Dark lyrics juxtaposed with upbeat melody.

  • The phrase “the lunatic is on the grass” became iconic.

9. Eclipse

  • Climactic finale that ties the album together.

  • Builds to a grand crescendo with a gospel-like progression and choir backing vocals.

  • Ends with a heartbeat sound, bringing the listener full circle to the opening.

  • The final spoken line, “There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact, it’s all dark,” leaves a haunting aftertaste.