CLASSIC ALBUMS: THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

I could not think of a better document than to see how this pinnacle of prog success was created. There are some great interviews with the original members on this with timeless quotes; Waters: "it expresses my feelings about things very simply, the music to some extent is driven by that emotional commitment."

There are great insights into the chord structures; Wright mentions he grabbed the 'Breathe' chords from Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue". The Classic Albums series is fascinating when the mixer is used from the original masters listening to individual parts and vocals. The sequencer creation is recreated for 'On the Run'. "They were giving you a preview of the sound pictures of the future", a critic observes. The clocks of time are discussed, the singing "girls", the "spacey, crystalline, almost ethereal" lead solos and themes.

'The Great Gig in the Sky' is analysed as engineer Allan Parson knew Clare Torry ; "we directed her to think about death, horror and just sing. She went out in the studio and did it very quickly and came back very embarrassed and we thought it was brilliant. It is incredibly moving." We hear Torry sing sans music and it is raw and emotional. The album cover is discussed, "the prism is the logo that defines the record"; Storm Thorgersen, explains, it "represents the light show, ambition and greed... Simple, bold and dramatic."

'Money' is theorised about as a single played in 7/8. The demo is played, a crass version, but it is fascinating how this bluesy thing developed, it had "a very transatlantic bluesy twang to it", says Waters after playing it on acoustic to us. Parts of the infamous promo to the song are played. The sax solo is discussed. Wright likes how the song changes, "it just happened, it does change time signatures".

The sudden rise of fame is discussed by Gilmour. The use of "Zabriskie Point" music which became 'Us and Them' is explored. Gilmour: "It was waiting to be reborn with this album." The track is played without the echoes and it sounds "kind of strange" as Parsons puts it. The emptiness of the song to leave gaps and the simplicity of the songs are talked about; "it was always about leaving space," says Waters.

A lot of the recording scenes are the same that appeared in the "Live at Pompeii" film. The voices on the film are fascinating when we hear them without the music, yet they are now familiar. As Waters asked questions such as "What's your favourite colour, or food, when was the last time you were violent, were you in the right?" Roger the Hat was the one who came across most strongly and was primarily used, "if you give 'em a short, sharp shock, they'll never do it again, dig it?"

'Eclipse' is looked at with the apocalyptic explosive scenes from "Zabriskie Point" finale, and scenes from the political footage used in concerts. Waters: "The fundamental question that's facing us all is whether we are capable of dealing with the feelings between us and them".

The band give an overall impression of the album in these interviews, and I will leave this review with their words; Wright: "It was a happy, creative, enjoyable time"; Gilmour: "I'd love to have been the person to listen to it with his headphones on for the very first time"; Waters: "Its driven by emotion, there's nothing plastic, or contrived about it and I think that's one of the things that's given it it's longevity."

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