THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

We all had heard how wonderful this album was before we actually heard it. With the exception of people who were around when the record was actually released, back in 1973, everybody has been told by somebody else that PINK FLOYD's "Dark Side of the Moon" is the one album we can't die without listening to, at least once. I'd say that only THE BEATLES' "Sgt. Pepper" beats this recording in terms of universal acclaim and hype. And while I have to really force myself to surrender and agree with the general opinion in the case of the latter, I gladly follow the hordes that proclaim "Dark Side of the Moon" as one of the pinnacles of rock of all time. Even if it took me a long time and a lot of listens to actually do it.

There's no need to give much in the way of arguments in favor of what I just said. Pretty much every person that likes anything else than consumable popular music has listened to this record. And we all know the facts: Alan Parsons' production is superb, the cover is iconic, the lyrics are captivating, but in the end, all of this would be nothing if the music wasn't as excellent as it is.

And the most special of all details: it is great, simple intelligent music. No odd time signatures (with perhaps a not-so-minor exception) or dissonances or "avant-garde" feats here, no fusion, no jazz, no displays of fireworks. All it took to create this monster is the talents of a bunch of musicians who knew how to create unique sounds, music that has never since been replicated, even though it has been emulated a million times. Waters and his precise bass and voice, Gilmour with the most psychedelic colors, Wright and Mason just where they should be. All clicked. That's all we can say.

The album opens with a hiss. With a heartbeat, a living pulse. The noise gives way to a fantastic entrance of the quiet, sedated music of "Breathe". How simple yet necessary Gilmour little figures in guitar are, how everything is one simple cloud of fumes, poisoned air. Suddenly the atmosphere changes and electronic/psychedelic waves inundate our space; the production is spectacular, try listening to it with high-end equipment and you'll notice how crystal-clear every frequency-level really sounds, and how perfect the balance between them is; we travel several miles until we crash; then clocks and alarms re-start the voyage, and a pace-maker leads us through our dream to a distant place; just when we start to feel like we're really in another plane, we arrive at another beautiful place; we don't know where we are, but it's great, and we don't want to leave, even though "Time" will ultimately pass and we'll have to; after probably the best song in the album , with the best Gilmour-solo in "Dark Side of the Moon", we reach a state of mental ecstasy when even a female voice appears to help us fly the whirlwind of colors; the magic is interrupted by the greedy sound of a cash register, and we are greeted by one of the most famous odd-signature songs ever. After such a dirty moment, only a track like "Us and Them" could follow, with a great melody, a majestic chorus, we feel like we've been given some substance that we're not supposed to take, as no waking state ever feels like this; we're even shown all the colors of the spectrum in the next instrumental section; after all of this, maybe we may be suffering "Brain Damage" after all; nothing else would explain the sensations.

We finally reach the key to the enigma: we're in the other side, the one that we never see. The dark side. Our subconscious, for those ready to interpret it this way. That is how I personally feel after listening to this masterpiece. Everybody will have their own versions of what all of these means. I only can say one thing: for 42 minutes and 53 seconds, I was in another place, in another plane, dimension, in a higher level. I traveled through time and space. And all I needed was what 4 British guys decided to record one day when colors and music decided to marry together.

5 stars. It's the only possible rating. And if you start playing different tunes, I'll see you in the dark side of the moon.

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