THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

Pink Floyd's eight studio album kicks off what is considered their "golden age," which ended with "The Wall" in 1979. Much to the surprise of the band, Dark Side of the Moon was immensely popular and propelled the quartet to superstardom: what had once been an underground, psychedelic group with a somewhat cult following became one of the most internationally acclaimed and well-known bands of all time. Quite unusually for a prog band, this release became one of the best-selling studio LPs in music history, famously trailing only "Thriller" and "Back in Black" in commercial sales.

The album is Pink Floyd's first notable foray into the concept album, a theme the band would continue with through the rest of its career. Like "Wish You Were Here," it is a tribute to former estranged bandmate Syd Barrett, but much less openly. In fact, the former was made in part to address the band's newfound fame, which produced fans who had never heard of Syd; thus, the group wanted to pay homage to the unsung hero who initially pushed the group forward.

Each song almost seamlessly leads into the next and fits the melancholy mood of the album (with the exception of 'Money,' which is upbeat and jazzy, but whose lyrics are just as cynical and critical as those of the other songs). The greatest songs on the album, by my opinion, are 'Time' and 'Eclipse.' The former is a lyrical and sonic masterpiece that opens strangely with the sound of clocks and chimes, which are followed by Nick Mason's rototoms. After about 2 minutes, the song kicks off with David Gilmour's aggressive guitar and voice. Rick Wright sings the bridges beautifully and gently. Almost poetically, his final lyrics in the song are "thought I'd something more to say," which would be the last time he'd sing on a studio album until 'The Division Bell,' more than 20 years later. Eclipse is the perfect, bombastic finale, packed with gospel singing and Wright's majestic synthesizers.

All in all, DSotM is one of the few albums ever released that I would consider flawless. Absolutely remarkable.