THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

What could I possibly add to an album that has over 500 ratings (as of August 2007) on Prog Archives? Like others have said, this was Pink Floyd's ultimate breakthrough into stardom. The Dark Side of the Moon became one of the biggest selling albums of all time and is likely to have sold more than any other progressive rock album that I am aware of (I could be wrong). My best guess is the success of this album is chiefly in its messages about life (and the fact that it is truly radio friendly, but in a prog rock kind of way). Roger Waters of course can explain it much better than me, so I must refer you to texts of his interviews if you want to dig deeper. I would also recommend reading John Harris' book "The Dark Side of the Moon: The Making of the Pink Floyd Masterpiece" (Da Capo Press, 2006).

The group chose an entirely new format, a group of shorter tracks all tied together in a much larger concept. This is one of the albums you go to if you want to know what concept albums are all about. Musically and lyrically this album surpasses all previous works by the band. The production (Alan Parsons as engineer) is vastly improved. This is also the album in which Roger Waters pretty much becomes the driving force behind the band as much of the material is written solely by him. For many listeners, this was their first venture into progressive rock. Historically important, musically a masterpiece, and an essential must have for not just progressive rock fans, but all rock fans.