THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

DSotM is not so much a record as a part of my life. Though it's not my favourite Pink Floyd album, I cannot fail to recognise that it is a landmark in the history of rock music, nor forget that it was the soundtrack of many happy moments in my past. How times have changed... When I was a teenager, back in the '70s, we used to dance to the tune of "Us and Them". This might mean that the album was (and still is) seen as more mainstream than progressive (after all, no one danced to "Epitaph" or even "I Know What I Like"!) - but for a record such as this there are many other levels of interpretation.

For one thing, it shouldn't be forgotten that DSotM was groundbreaking at the time, for its use of various kinds of noises, for its state-of-the-art production, even for its minimalistic cover which did not mention either the band's name or the album's title. Then, it will forever be associated with a very particular historical period, that of the 'conquest' of space by humans. It may be true that the music is at times much closer to mainstream pop- rock than to other Floyd records, which is obviously one of the explanations for the album's enduring popularity. However, the lyrics are much darker than anything the music may suggest, dealing as they do with madness, death, violence and (of course) the power of money. The beautiful "The Great Gig in the Sky", with Clare Torry's soaring vocals (unequalled by any other vocalist who's ever performed on this track) and Rick Wright's romantic piano, is a wordless hymn to death. "Time", introduced by the sound of a ticking clock, boasts one of the best-ever lyrics by Roger Waters, with the immortal, all too true closing words "The time has gone, the song is over - Thought I'd something more to say."

The individual members of Pink Floyd may not be as virtuosic as their counterparts in, say, Yes or ELP, but they make the most of their instruments and of the technology at their disposal. The success of DSotM is also a question of chemistry, of the perfect blending of many elements. Two years later the band would go on to record what is perhaps their masterpiece (and my favourite), "Wish You Were Here". However, for those who are not familiar with PF's output, I think DSotM is an excellent starting point - provided one is able to go beyond the surface of an album that may sound easy on the ear, but is definitely not easy on the mind.