The Dark Side Of The Moon

For me, Dark Side of the Moon is not just about the music (which of course is amazing) but the whole package. Like The White Album and Quadrophenia, it's the extras which make owning these albums a real pleasure and give the sense that you have acquired a piece of art. With prices of mint condition original presses of DSOTM going for hundreds of pounds, this seemed like a good opportunity to get hold of a fresh print at a not unreasonable price (under twenty quid), particularly as my old vinyl edition (4th or 5th press I think) is a bit long in the tooth and the posters have long since disappeared. I also have the 30th anniversary CD which has kept me going on the iPod for the last few years. Receiving this album through the door really did recreate that long-lost thrill of receiving a brand new vinyl LP. Compared to my old edition, the rainbow colours really stand out on the beautiful black sleeve. Inside, all the components of the original package are present and correct. The pyramid poster looks slightly more purple than my original which was more blue while some of the pictures on the group sleeve have been flipped to show that Dave and Roger are actually not left-handed guitarists, something that always bugged me about the original poster! In addition, there is a stunning new poster (by Storm Thorgerson?) which reproduces the sleeve design in swirly, psychedelic paints. A couple of clues on the sleeve tell you that this a new edition though. The sleeve was printed in the EU (rather than GB) while a sticker on the back refers to (takes a sharp intake of breath) a digital remaster. I know there will be lots of people who will take umbrage at this idea but the information on the sleeve that the album is also available in 8-track cartridge format may prove to be a red herring for analogue lovers. So how does the all-important 180g slab of plastic sound on the wheel of steel? Pretty good actually. The vinyl itself is solid with little flex and there is no noticeable surface noise, clicks or pops. The album doesn't sound too different from previous vinyl and CD versions I've heard but the one thing I have found is that it is noticeably easier to track the bass line while some of the keyboard sounds seem to emerge more from the mix. All the special effects (especially the clocks) still sound amazing and I couldn't hear evidence of this being a digital transfer. I can't really give a more considered assessment than that though not having heard a 'holy grail' pressing on a top end system but in the end it's the music which counts. I leave others to quibble over the relative merits of all the different editions of this album but I am very happy with this purchase. The MP3 download code included with the album is a nice touch but does not include any of the extra material included in the expanded CD sets which is a shame. I would have at least liked the Empire Pool show without having to pay separately for it.

Isn't it sad that the days when people sat down and listened to an entire album are over? You don't just play one track off "Dark side of the moon". You put in on the turn table, and just let the album play. It is supposed to be an experience. You can listen to it with friends. You can listen to it alone. It doesn't matter, just so long as you get caught in the moment. When this was released in 1973, it turned Pink Floyd into rock stars. After their original frontman Syd Barett left some years earlier due to taking large amounts of LSD and continual eratic behaviour, as well as schizophrenia, the band went through some strange musical times. With out Syd they experimented, perhaps going off into weird pastures, not knowing why or how. But it was a phase they had to go through. Because it led to this...quite simply one of the most important albums of all time. Up there with what The Beatles wrote. Perhaps more relevant than what Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath or The Who was releasing around this era. It is layered and produced so well. Like an orchestra. You take one part away, it all goes down hill. This isn't one of those albums where you can say it relies heavily on guitarist David Gilmour, or bass player Roger Waters, or keyboard player Richard Wright. It all comes together to create this astonishing body of work. The amount of moods and themes this album go through is quite breath taking. Some of the songs have a bitter feel to them under the catchy instrumentation like "Money". I could also mention "Time" in that respect as well, and as a guitar player I have to mention the guitar solo on that song. It sounds huge, as if it were carved out of granite. I have always loved David Gilmour, and although I own many guitars, he was the reason I bought a Strat ten years ago. "Us and them" has a sad but dreamy vibe to it, one might say it could conjure up feelings of hopelessness or longing for a time that never really existed. Nice piano work by Richard Wright may I add. Nothing technical, but it doesn't have to be. There is no denying how "On the run" influenced electronic music in a huge way. You never hear people go on about that side of it. "The great gig in the sky" with it's extremely dramatic piano intro, reminiscent of Elton John, working with the gorgeous pedal steel parts played by Gilmour. Then those amazing female vocals come in. One of those absolute astonishing and memorable moments. For new listeners, I really hope you get out of this, what I have all these years. I kind of envy the younger ones, exploring and experiencing all this great rock music for the first time.

Such a worthwhile purchase. My copy is 47 years old and in decent condition but thought I'd treat myself to a fresh copy. First of all the record itself is pressed on heavier vinyl than my ancient copy and is dead silent, no surface noise at all. The remastering is not a radical change but the effects are clearer with crystal clear voices and definitely more texture to the instruments, the bass is sharper edged with a more 'plucked strings' quality adding a fresher sound than I've heard before. The nicest surprise is the shear quality of the printing, the cover is, of course, identical but the colours are brighter and finally the cover has a beautiful matt varnish finish, the original posters and stickers are there but now printed on higher quality paper, thankfully a fine quality inner sleeve - black kraft paper with polly lining rounds off a very nice release. AND only £20, which allowing for inflation is cheaper than the 70's price...

Qualité du son musical de cette musique du passé.

Con 16 años me compre el LP, y en casa de un amigo con un equipo cuadrofonico la audicion fue fantastica e increible,aun la recuerdo. Se lo preste a mi hermano y al fallecer este el LP se perdio. Ahora lo he vuelto a comprar en formato CD remasterizado stereo en 2011, y el sonido es igualmente excelente. El disco me sigue cautivando desde la primera nota a la ultima. Viene en estuche ultra fino de carton con una buena presentacion y unas fotos de las piramides increibles. Incluye, aparte del CD, un pequeño libreto con todas las letras de los temas sobre impresionadas en fotos realmente sugerentes. Un disco perfecto en concepcion y en ejecucion. The Great Gig In The Sky y Any Color You Like concretamente me suenan en esta reedicion a musica de cotas realmente insuperables. Y las demas, Time, Money, Breathe y Us & Them son maravillas del mundo mundial, temas que quedaran para siempre grabados en oro de 24 quilates en la Historia de la Musica Popular para los siglos venideros. IMPRESCINDIBLE.

I had listened to the whole of 'The Dark Side Of The Moon' on ITunes already before purchasing this. As it would have happened, I loved it so much (next only to 'The Wall') that I had to buy it to keep it as a memento. And the Audio CD did not disappoint me at all. Sure, it came in one of those despicable cardboard cases but the CD quality was excellent, the sound clarity was impressive and the lyrics booklet was innovative as if to match the stunning craft and thought-provoking innovation of the music itself. Floyd is not my favourite band, really (that title goes to The Beatles) and I would prefer anyday their run with Roger Waters as leader to the albums with both Gilmour and Barrett (sorry fans but that is just my opinion) and perhaps that is the reason why I would consider all the albums made from 'Meddle' on wards right up to the slightly alienating yet still brilliant 'The Final Cut' as their prime work. TDSOTM is an epic, intense and equally enlightening work of music that comes the closest that rock and roll has meditated on lofty themes of life, death, the impermanence of time and the inevitability of sadness and disillusionment infusing our everyday life. Waters' lyrics are phenomenal, as are his compositions, bolstered by Gilmour's guitar work, Nick Mason's drums and Richard Wright's haunting keyboard.

Es complicado decir que disco es “el mejor” de Pink Floyd, pero sí que discos marcaron un punto en cada etapa de su evolución, este sin duda es uno de ellos, y a mi parecer cada que se habla de Pink Floyd viene a la mente este gran disco. En cuanto calidad se escucha muy bien.

Muziek blijft gewoon goed maar jammer dat deze is geremastered het is het net niet beetje vlak de pit is er een beetje uit.