THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

This is one of those albums that every progressive rock fan is obliged to hear at one point or another and chances are you're already quite familiar with this release. This and the fact that Dark Side Of The Moon has received quite enough in-depth reviews is why I'll skip you this unnecessary experience and will instead concentrate on my own reaction to this material.

If you look at my profile it becomes apparent that I was obviously not alive back in 1973 and can't say much about the popularity that this record had back in the day. Still, judging from what I've read and the mere fact that the album holds a Guinness World Record for the longest chart stay should be enough to conclude a preconceived opinion of this album. Luckily my parents never bothered telling me the back-story before I heard this album around my 13th year of existence, almost 25 years after its initial release. I was met with surprisingly mellow landscape of music with quite a few sound effects which I only later learned were suppose to create a feel of melancholy and schizophrenia since, let's face it, how many kids actually think about these things (outside the illusion that Hollywood tends to create in their films)?

I was a happy and careless kid and managed to remain such even after hearing Dark Side Of The Moon. This doesn't mean that the album haven't have any effect on me, but to tell you the truth I was quite surprised upon learning how much other people seemed to cherish it. To me, this Pink Floyd release has been and will most likely remain a minor masterpiece in the already magnificent discography that the band had managed to assemble over the years. It might define Pink Floyd to some people but I personally prefer to explore the bigger picture and so far almost everything I managed to uncover suggests to me that Dark Side Of The Moon was indeed a revolutionary for its time but many other records have aged more gracefully than this effect-filled product of the '70s rock movement. I guess that the record lacks the raw genius edge that manages to transcend all of the flaws, as it did on albums A Saucerful Of Secrets, Meddle and even The Final Cut. The concept and great execution is definitely in place here but I lack the spark that would make me see and feel the complete picture. All it is to me is merely a collection of excellent songs, which is not what I expect of a masterpiece album. After all, there are enough compilation albums for that.

What I'm basically trying to say is that Dark Side Of The Moon has never really been a huge favorite of mine. Even if I can appreciate the effort from the band it still comes off short in the overall connection that I have to this album. Maybe time will shed more light on this record for me but as it stands today this is only an excellent addition to any prog rock collection.

***** star songs: Breathe (2:44) Us And Them (7:40) Brain Damage (3:50) Eclipse (2:04)

**** star songs: Speak To Me (1:16) On The Run (3:32) Time (7:06) The Great Gig In The Sky (4:44) Money (6:32) Any Colour You Like (3:25)