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Alfred · 06-17-2009, 08:25 PM

(#4 on the Alfred Top 25)

Pink Floyd "The Dark Side Of The Moon"

Year: 1973
Genre: Progressive Rock
Length: 42:59

Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon is a generic choice on any critic's list of the greatest albums of all time. But unlike other painfully boring albums (Sgt. Pepper, I'm looking at you), there is a very good reason why this is such a popular selection.

I didn't realize how great of an album this was until I sat in the car one day with my portable CD player, staring out the window, so focused on the music. It dawned on me how wonderful this album is. Never in the history of music has an album been so perfectly laid out and produced. This album demands to be listened to, from beginning to end with all of your attention directed at the strange, pleasing sounds flowing through your ears. Otherwise you simply won't understand its greatness.

The album plays out like a movie, with the mood changing as the album progresses, and even an intermission. The first four tracks of the album warm you up to a (almost) cheery sound. Money acts as an intermission in that it doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the tracks. It's a straight-up classic rock number with a great guitar solo to boot. From there, a gloomier, grander Pink Floyd play out, and the race to the end of the album begins. Us and Them is dreamy, almost heavenly, and as I review this, I want to fall asleep in its magical musical... okay I'm getting off track here. The point is, it's truly a wonderful listening experience.

But the greatest part of the package is its gripping, accelerating ending. The joint songs Brain Damage and Eclipse are beautiful, melodic, sick, and dark all at the same time. Just as a final dramatic, maybe even action-packed scene in a movie should be executed, The Dark Side Of The Moon holds your attention up until it's last note.

I am a very big fan of Pink Floyd, and having heard many of their albums, it is easy to see why Dark Side Of The Moon stands out as their best. The other albums are all great in their own ways, but Dark Side Of The Moon was Pink Floyd getting everything right. It was the album they were destined to make, and they nailed everything. The production is timeless, the mood shifts, the instruments are layered just as you should expect from Pink Floyd. This is a masterpiece in every sense of the word, and any self-respecting fan of music must hear this album. Thank you Mr. Waters, Mr. Mason, Mr. Gilmour, and Mr. Wright. You have created a timeless work of art. A true staple of the medium.

95%
Masterpiece

06-17-2009, 08:25 PM	#9 (permalink)
Alfred one big soul Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 5,096	(#4 on the Alfred Top 25) Pink Floyd "The Dark Side Of The Moon" Year: 1973 Genre: Progressive Rock Length: 42:59 Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon is a generic choice on any critic's list of the greatest albums of all time. But unlike other painfully boring albums (Sgt. Pepper, I'm looking at you), there is a very good reason why this is such a popular selection. I didn't realize how great of an album this was until I sat in the car one day with my portable CD player, staring out the window, so focused on the music. It dawned on me how wonderful this album is. Never in the history of music has an album been so perfectly laid out and produced. This album demands to be listened to, from beginning to end with all of your attention directed at the strange, pleasing sounds flowing through your ears. Otherwise you simply won't understand its greatness. The album plays out like a movie, with the mood changing as the album progresses, and even an intermission. The first four tracks of the album warm you up to a (almost) cheery sound. Money acts as an intermission in that it doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the tracks. It's a straight-up classic rock number with a great guitar solo to boot. From there, a gloomier, grander Pink Floyd play out, and the race to the end of the album begins. Us and Them is dreamy, almost heavenly, and as I review this, I want to fall asleep in its magical musical... okay I'm getting off track here. The point is, it's truly a wonderful listening experience. But the greatest part of the package is its gripping, accelerating ending. The joint songs Brain Damage and Eclipse are beautiful, melodic, sick, and dark all at the same time. Just as a final dramatic, maybe even action-packed scene in a movie should be executed, The Dark Side Of The Moon holds your attention up until it's last note. I am a very big fan of Pink Floyd, and having heard many of their albums, it is easy to see why Dark Side Of The Moon stands out as their best. The other albums are all great in their own ways, but Dark Side Of The Moon was Pink Floyd getting everything right. It was the album they were destined to make, and they nailed everything. The production is timeless, the mood shifts, the instruments are layered just as you should expect from Pink Floyd. This is a masterpiece in every sense of the word, and any self-respecting fan of music must hear this album. Thank you Mr. Waters, Mr. Mason, Mr. Gilmour, and Mr. Wright. You have created a timeless work of art. A true staple of the medium. 95% Masterpiece Last edited by Alfred; 10-21-2009 at 10:30 AM.