THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

Not only is Dark Side of the Moon praised among prog lovers, but it has made it among the top favorite lists of many casuals well; and for good reason. Compositionally, the songs are of course fantastic; but that's not what makes this album great. The flow of these songs lend themselves to a more cohesive album to the point where it could be listened to as a single song. This is perhaps Pink Floyd's most atmospheric album, mostly due to the phenomenal input of Richard Wright on keyboards. I think it's also important to note Alan Parsons, who in his own right could be considered a fifth member for his contribution to the production alone. Dark Side of the Moon is truly a full-team effort.

'Speak to Me/Breathe' starts off quiet with only some snippets from other songs but crescendos into a relaxing atmosphere with Gilmour's slide guitar and Roger's dreamy bass. Gilmour's vocals add some intensity to the song before seguing into the next.

'On the Run' contrasts the previous track with its restless keyboard to give a feeling (at least for me) of strong paranoia. It may be a bit repetitive and experimental, but the atmosphere more than makes up for this.

'Time' is one of the groups more well-known songs, and appropriately so. It starts off with the iconic clock sampling and has an intense build-up with some heavier guitar riffs and Mason's flowing percussion. A short, if satisfying jam-like section occurs before one of Gilmour's best solos. The ending has some more of that free-flowing jam-like music that makes this album so great.

'The Great Gig In the Sky' shows that Waters and Gilmour are not the only proficient songwriters in the band. Wright's piano is beautiful by itself, and when combined with Clare Torry's intense vocals, the song turns into a masterpiece.

'Money' is another famous song by the band. It's a classic rock song as much as it is a prog song no doubt. The main riff is in 7/4 but it would be easy to miss because it flows so well. The thing I like about this song especially is besides the bass line, the other instruments on their own aren't playing anything interesting. But when combined, they create a harmony which yields itself to an amazingly atmospheric groove. And of course, the sax and guitar solos are top notch as well.

'Us and Them' is another song which shows how much contribution Wright has in the band. There is a constant organ chord playing, as well as some developing piano chords. The explosive choruses with sax and Gilmour's vocals are truly bone chilling 'Any Colour You Like has a psychedelic feel with Gilmour's organ-like guitar tone and some nice keyboard touches from Wright.

'Brain Damage' and 'Eclipse' form a beautiful conclusion to the album, with both containing some stunning instrumentation and dramatic vocals.

Overall, Dark Side of the Moon is Pink Floyd at their creative peak. All of the members contribute substantially, and this is one of the last times the band is truly cohesive. Dark Side of the Moon is one of those albums that require your full attention, but when you do it's one of the most rewarding experiences.

10/10