Powerstars

Well, you people demanded I review a Floyd album, and after asking you, you said Dark Side best represented what was great about the band. Now I could introduce this album. I could go on and on about the process of recording the album, the impact it had on the musical scene, it's continued legacy, and praise this thing to pieces. But no matter what I say, I cannot begin to describe the legacy that this album has built over the years, there's just no possible way to do it justice. With that said, I'm just going to dive face first into it.

1. Speak To Me
We open on the sound of a beating heart, with then adds in more sound effects including a man describing how insane he is and absolutely demented laughter. It's a interestingly eerie way to open an album and I love it. Now, this is the only time I will mention fading into the next song as nearly every track on the album does it, so let's get to...

2. Breathe
Pretty good way to properly open the album. It's chill, has a good beat, and overall, if I did drugs, this would be a good one for that. Gilmour has some cool slidey things going on during the intro, even the bassline is audible and adds to the overall relaxing mood of the song.

3. On The Run
Instrumental segue that shows off some cool synth, reverb, and sound effects. It just has this really cool fast paced energy about it and the synth is really cool, and...I would say flighty, but a lower pitched flighty. I can't really describe it properly.

4. Time
The first song on the album I can actually sing along with and that could stick in my head if I listen to it enough, "Time" is also the first song that really gets you rocking and is just a solid 7 minutes that I'm going to have to listen to more.

5. The Great Gig In The Sky
The quiet piano that starts the song off. The hypnotic vocals by guest Clare Torry. Out of all the songs on the album, after my initial listen, this one stuck with me and haunted me the most. It royally pisses me off that some people can call this album filler. As much as I like the rest of the album, this is the only song that really impacted me in a significant way.

6. Money
One of the biggest hits of the album is known for it's interesting tape loop and unusual time signature. It has an overall catchy melody, with some sweet electric piano which adds to the sweet bluesy feel the entire thing has going.

7. Us And Them
Another really chill, relaxing song that sticks in the head. Obviously, if I'm going to talk about this song, I'm going to talk about Dick Parry's wonderful saxophone solo. It's so smooth and just fits the mood perfectly.

8. Any Colour You Like
Sweet instrumental showcasing some more synth as well as Gilmour's smooth guitar playing. This synth is slightly more "flighty" than "On The Run," but the tune is way more relaxed.

9. Brain Damage
Often mistaken for a title track along with it's sister song "Eclipse," "Brain Damage" is another chill song with some hints of finality to it. Waters's vocals have been smooth all album, but this song is where they shine the most in my opinion. The organ reminds me a bit of The Beatles's "Don't Pass Me By."

10. Eclipse
This defiantly feels like an ending to an album. Most defiantly, this and "Brain Damage" going without one and other would be like The Beatles's "Golden Slumbers" trilogy going without each other, it would just be a travesty. It then ends with the same beating heart that brought us in.

Conclusion: Out of all the "essential" albums I've heard, this was defiantly more interesting. "Sgt. Pepper" was good, but not amazing, "Rumours" was good, but not amazing, and I still have a hard time calling this "amazing," which some of you will no doubt massacre me for. What can I say, the better an album is said to be, the higher my expectations, which no album could live up to. But most certainly, this album, more than "Sgt. Pepper" and "Rumours," impactful as they may have been on the music scene, deserves to be called a classic.

Final Score: 95/100 (Brilliant)

__________________