Performer Notes

Personnel: David Gilmour (vocals, guitar); Richard Wright (vocals, keyboards); Roger Waters (vocals, bass guitar); Nick Mason (percussion).
Recording information: Abbey Road Studios, London (06/1972-01/1973); The Empire Pool, Wembley, London (06/1972-01/1973); Abbey Road Studios, London (11/1974); The Empire Pool, Wembley, London (11/1974).
Photographers: Chris Craske; Storm Thorgerson; Tony May.
By condensing the sonic explorations of Meddle to actual songs and adding a lush, immaculate production to their trippiest instrumental sections, Pink Floyd inadvertently designed their commercial breakthrough with Dark Side of the Moon. The primary revelation of Dark Side is what a little focus does for the band. Roger Waters wrote a series of songs about mundane, everyday details which aren't that impressive by themselves, but when given the sonic backdrop of Floyd's slow, atmospheric soundscapes and carefully placed sound effects, they achieve an emotional resonance. But what gives the album true power is the subtly textured music, which evolves from ponderous, neo-psychedelic art rock to jazz fusion and blues-rock before turning back to psychedelia. It's dense with detail, but leisurely paced, creating its own dark, haunting world. Pink Floyd may have better albums than Dark Side of the Moon, but no other record defines them quite as well as this one. [Dwarfed next to its Immersion Edition cousin, the Experience Edition of Dark Side of the Moon contains James Guthrie's 2011 remaster of the classic 1973 album and a second disc containing Pink Floyd's 1974 concert at Wembley where they performed the album in its entirety. Although some fans may wish that the bonus disc contained the original Alan Parsons mix, demos, and outtakes that is exclusive to the six-disc Immersion Edition, this is an excellent concert that captures the Floyd at full flight, and it is certainly a worthwhile addition to a familiar classic.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.110) - Ranked #43 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" - "...One of the best-produced rock albums ever..."

Rolling Stone (5/24/73, p.57) - "...The sound is lush and multi-layered while remaining clear and well-structured....a fine album with a textural and conceptual richness that not only invites, but demands involvement....the excellence of a superb performance..."

Q (10/94, p.137) - 4 Stars - Excellent

Uncut (5/03, p.112) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...The subdued, darkly muttering, sombrely somnolent music of DARK SIDE OF THE MOON startles....An achievement of considerable merit..."

NME (Magazine) (3/20/93, p.33) - 8 - Excellent - "...although everything your punk rock elder brother said was undeniably true, it doesn't take a great mental leap to achieve the mind-set of the pot-smoking philosophy student and pronounce this album a super-sensory classic..."