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The Dark Side of the Moon

The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 1 March 1973, by Harvest Records in the UK and Capitol Records in the US. Developed during live performances before recording began, it was conceived as a concept album that would focus on the pressures faced by the band during their arduous lifestyle, and also deal with the mental health problems of the former band member Syd Barrett, who had departed the group in 1968. New material was recorded in two sessions in 1972 and 1973 at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in London.

The Dark Side of the Moon
Studio album by
Pink Floyd
Released1 March 1973 (1973-03-01)
RecordedJune 1972–January 1973
StudioAbbey Road Studios, London
GenreProgressive rock
Length42:49
LabelHarvest
ProducerPink Floyd
Pink Floyd chronology
Obscured by Clouds
(1972) 		The Dark Side of the Moon
(1973) 		Wish You Were Here
(1975)
Singles from The Dark Side of the Moon
  1. "Money"
    Released: 7 May 1973
  2. "Us and Them"
    Released: 4 February 1974

The Dark Side of the Moon has received widespread acclaim from critics and has been frequently included in numerous professional listings of the greatest albums of all time. It brought Pink Floyd international fame, wealth and plaudits to all four band members. A blockbuster release of the album era, it also propelled record sales throughout the music industry during the 1970s.

History

It was released in 1973 as Pink Floyd's ninth album. It is one of the most well-known albums of all time. It frequently places in the top five on lists of the greatest albums of all time made by rock music authorities.

Cover

Its cover features a ray of white light going through a prism, coming through the other side as a rainbow. It is one of the most famous album covers of all time..

Wizard of Oz

When synchronized with the movie The Wizard of Oz, there are many similarities between the two.[1]

Sales

The Dark Side of the Moon became one of the best-selling albums of all time.[2] It is in the top 25 of a list of best selling albums in the United States.[3] It held the number one spot in the US for only a week. However, it remained in the Billboard album chart for a total of 778 weeks (nearly 14 years).[4] This is the longest any album has spent on the Billboard charts.[4] The album came back on the Billboard charts when the Top Pop Catalog Albums chart was introduced in May 1991. It has stayed there since then.[5] In the UK, it is the sixth best-selling album of all time.[6]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Roger Waters. 

Side one
No. TitleMusic Length
1. "Speak to Me"  Nick Mason 1:30
2. "Breathe"  David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Richard Wright 2:43
3. "On the Run"  Gilmour, Waters 3:30
4. "Time"  Gilmour, Waters, Wright, Mason 6:53
5. "The Great Gig in the Sky"  Wright, Clare Torry* 4:15
Side two
No. TitleMusic Length
1. "Money"  Waters 6:30
2. "Us and Them"  Waters, Wright 7:34
3. "Any Colour You Like"  Gilmour, Wright, Mason 3:24
4. "Brain Damage"  Waters 3:50
5. "Eclipse"  Waters 1:45

The Dark Side Of The Moon Media

  • The Rainbow Theatre in London, where The Dark Side of the Moon was played for the press in 1972

  • Abbey Road Studios, 2012-03-03

  • The EMS VCS 3 (Putney) synthesiser

  • Clare Torry original singer on Great Gig in the Sky rocking the Dub Side look, Summer 2003

  • The album's artwork depicts light refracting from a triangular dispersive prism.

  • A live performance of The Dark Side of the Moon at Earls Court, shortly after its release in 1973.(left to right) David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Dick Parry, Roger Waters

  • 1978 transparent vinyl edition, playing on a Technics turntable

  • This stained glass interpretation of the prism motif was used for the 2003 reissue.

References

  1. ↑ Karas, Kristen (2010-02-08). "'Wizard of Oz', Pink Floyd combine". The Daily Collegian Online. Archived from the original on 2010-02-11. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  2. ↑ Werde, Bill (13 May 2006), Floyd's 'Dark Side' Celebrates Chart Milestone, Billboard, p. 12, retrieved 17 March 2009
  3. ↑ Top 100 Albums, riaa.com, archived from the original on 17 January 2010, retrieved 17 March 2009
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Billboard records, billboard.com, archived from the original on 3 September 2011, retrieved 31 August 2011
  5. ↑ Basham, David (15 November 2001), Got Charts? Britney, Linkin Park Give Peers A Run For Their Sales Figures, mtv.com, archived from the original on 4 January 2010, retrieved 30 March 2009
  6. ↑ Best Selling UK Albums of All Time (PDF), bpi.co.uk, archived from the original (PDF) on 22 November 2009, retrieved 15 August 2009
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