THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

This album is the first time Pink Floyd was pointing in a single direction and is very impressive for its time. This album of course works beautifully start to finish and is arguably the most popular progressive rock album ever. The first track Speak to Me/Breathe starts out with the bass drum heartbeat that was used in other albums like Trilogy by ELP and A Passion Play from Jethro Tull. Then after all the sound effects which foreshadow the album we surge into Breathe which has a beautiful haunting quality that lasts throughout the album. Then with On the Run with the VCS Synths that seems like a futuristic car chase is taking place and makes you feel that you're running at light speeds. Time IMHO is the quintessential Pink Floyd song with each member bringing their best to the table in a great lyrically written song and with the Breathe Reprise in it just this track will always stand out to me. Then with The Great Gig in the Sky, Rick Wright writes his most beautiful song he has ever written it starts out so beautiful and you can tell it will build up to something climatic which it does with Clare Tory's screams and ends Side 1 with a bang. Side 2 starts out with their almost hit single Money with the memorable sound effects and great bass lick and the great sax solo in the middle of the song, great track. Us and Them took me a while to get into but once i did it turned out to be a flawless track that leaves an impression on me every time i hear it. Any Colour You Like is the forgotten track off this album and is one of my favorites with it's driving instrumentalism and the great keyboard sounds. Brain Damage and Eclipse close the album with insanity in the lyrics and big organ chords. Overall, this is a great album that made the Floyd famous and still lasts today. 5 Stars. Highlights: Breathe, On the Run, Time, The Great Gig in the Sky, Money, Us and Them, Any Colour You Like and Eclipse