THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

I can't remember if I first heard some of this album on the radio or if a friend had it, but I do remember I wanted to get it because of the crazy sci-fi songs "Speak to Me, Breathe, and On the Run." This is one of those ground breaking albums that is a must have. That being said, there are some parts I didn't care for. If I'm not mistaken, "Money" was released before the album came out. It got a boatload of airplay. It is a cool song, but it only has one beat to it. After awhile it becomes tiring.

To this day, I love the first three songs, if you can call two of them that. "Speak to me" lets you know that there is going to be something strange going on. It is like you are in space and you have run out of oxygen. The hypoxia sets in as we come to the song "Breathe." It always sounds like you're in orbit around the moon. It is a killer tune. Then one of my absolute all time favorite parts of the album starts. "On the Run" is like nothing I have ever heard in my entire life. It is like watching a movie about flying saucers chasing a guy all over the place. Brilliant work! I love the clocks, letting you know it was all just a bad dream. Then you are thrust into another dream as the album continues to move forward. "Time" is also a cool song, adding a reprise of "Breathe" to it. This is kind of the structure the Floyd did with, "Obscured by Clouds."

I am sorry,but "the Great gig in the sky" is one song I can't stand. If they would have done more with what they had, maybe I could get into it, but as it is, the song was just to long for what little content there was. In all fairness, Claire Torry is a good singer. It is too bad she didn't have more to work with.

"Us and Them" starts off very well, but again it is too long for what little they did here. It would have been a great song if it was about three and one half minutes long. On the other hand, "Any Colour You Like" sounds fresh and is interesting no matter how many times you hear it.

Lastly, "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse" are also interesting. The first verges on being too repetitive, but what saves it is the interesting lyrics.

All in all I have to give this album 4 stars, mostly due to the first 3 songs. If you've never heard "Pink Floyd," this is the album to get!