THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

This is probably one of Floyd's most consistent albums in that all the tracks are worthwhile and some (Breathe,Time, Us and Them, Money) are classics. There's a huge variety of styles from the synth sound effects on On the Run to the glorious female vocal effects on The Great Gig in the Sky. VCS3 synths are used widely and to good effect. The sound quality is superb too; the chiming clocks at the start of time are a test for any hi-fi. The only reason it doesn't get 5 stars is that the whole album has a slightly emotionless feel about some of the tracks and it doesn't quite engage you as it should; there is a certain sterility about it as if it was recorded in an operating theatre. Certainly it isn't the best album of all time, nor even of 1973 for that matter (Wishbone Ash's Argus took that by a country mile) but it is still a very important album in the history of prog rock and really should be in everyone's collection.