The Collegian Wednesday, November 8, 1989
Entertainment
A salute to rock
Gary Nolan explores Pink Floyd's
"Dark Side of the Moon"
Editor's note: Critic Gary
Nolan continues his
examination of some of the
music world's greatest
contributions. This is the
third installment of a five
part series.
by Gary Nolan
Collegian Staff Writer
When examining a particular
album release, several things often
come to mind, music, lyrics, and
overall content, to name a few.
One aspect of a good album that is
often taken for granted is the
production. The album to bring
superior production from the
background to the attention of
musicians everywhere was Pink
Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon."
Production is the art of
combining, mixing, and often
creating sounds to yield the final
sound of a recording mix.
Pink Floyd's 1973 release
holds "Billboard's" record for the
longest time appearing on the pop
charts with a stay of nearly 700
weeks. This staggering statistic
signifies one of the most
successful releases of all time.
Another striking feature of this
album is its timeliness. It was
released sixteen years ago, yet its
full sound makes it sound like a
brand new album. This begins to
tell the public how much ahead of
its time this album was.
With the help from engineer
Alan Parsons, bassist Roger
Waters created this conceptual
piece about what Waters describes
as "the pressures of modern life."
Its hypnotic message has been a
longtime favorite of the drug
culture both in the seventies and
even today.
As the album begins, and a
full, heartbeat sound fills the
room, the listener gets their first
indication that this is not like
other albums. This beat gives way
to muttering as "Speak to Me" is
ushered in. A whole sound
complete with ticking and
mad, I know I've been mad, like
most of us have," the first theme
of the album is revealed. It starts
to discuss insanity with the taped
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laughing of the late Syd Barrett
echoing in the background. Barrett
was taped while on one of his
numerous acid trips. Ironically,
Barrett was a victim of insanity
caused by the numerous acid trips
that led him into a chemical
abyss, never to return again.
The second track "Breathe" is
next, carried in by the soothing
voice of Waters. The transition
between songs is not totally clear
due to the superior mixing, and
the concept to make this release
one long "song." In this track
Waters explores yet another
theme, this one self reflection, to
examine loneliness and even death.
As "On the Run" begins,
various background and foreground
sounds fill the room as a man
running through an -airport is
simulated. It is at this point in the
release that headphones are
recommended to get the full
impact of this sound.
The listener is then startled by
the echoing clocks in "Time," as
the lyrics examine the passage of
time. The track tells of how time
slips away often unnoticed, but
reminds that through reflection,
one appreciates and respects this
passage. David Gilmour's guitar
wails through the track as Waters'
vocals remind us that each passing
day leaves us one day closer to
death.
"Great Gig in the Sky" is filled
with female vocals that hypnotize,
at one point proving to soothe,
and others almost sounding like a
painful cry. This non-lyrical ballad
is an excellent example of
versatility of Pink Floyd.
The radio single "Money" is
next, the only single on the album
to make it on the charts. The
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saxophone nicely complements
Gilmour's calculated guitar.
Through the rest of the album
the various themes are reiterated,
and accented by the soft edges of
the music, then it sculpts in into
and accented by the soft edges of
the music, then it sculpts in into
the listener's mind with the hard
edged side of this band.
The influence of this album on
the music world was felt greatly,
in that Pink Floyd was now more
than just an art band with a cult
following, it bought them into the
mainstream. Also, other
musicians realized the power of
production, and what it can
achieve.
"Dark Side of the Moon"
remains one of the best,
conceptual, intellectual albums to
found its way into mass appeal. It
will surely continue to influence
and enthrall audiences of all ages
well into the nineties.
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