PINK FLOYD CASE STUDY: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON (1973) – week four
A concept album, it is rather an extension of a single piece than a collection of tracks. It addresses and explores the grim realities of time, greed, conflict, death and mental illness. In fact, it is driven by the underlying emotion of fear — fear of not being around, of isolation and of losing oneself.
A brilliant mind, Parsons used a sixteen-channel mixer named the EMI TG12345 instead of the traditional four or eight-track recording system. To speak in plain English, it allowed the band to record 14 tracks on separate instruments and layer a single instrument multiple times, creating a rich, unique sound.
With hypnotic soundscapes and hazy atmospheres, Pink Floyd utilised the synthesiser like no band before or after them. Creating a true masterpiece with preeminent lyricism and songwriting infused with jazz, ambient, and soft rock, The Dark Side of the Moon is the Perfect Album.
The Dark Side of the Moon was a concept album that dove deep into the philosophical and superficial absurdities of life. “We thought we could do a whole thing about the pressures we personally feel that drive one over the top…” he said. “The pressure of earning a lot of money; the time thing, time flying by very fast; organised power structures like the church or politics; violence; aggression.” Waters explained in In the book Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey.
With a staggering 937 weeks on Billboard’s top 200 albums chart, The Dark Side of the Moon spent almost 18 years at the height of musical success.
https://thedailyfrequency.com/2021/03/01/pink-floyd-synthesizers-and-the-dark-side-of-the-moon/