Review:

on 2011-12-22 CharlesMartel Said:

One of the most critically acclaimed records of all time, "Dark Side of the Moon" has sold tens of millions of copies; regularly features in the top ten of lists of the best albums of all time; stayed in the album charts for years and years. Now I know I am going to slated for this but I am sad to say, it bores me. That is not a boredom generated through hearing it too often but a boredom with it and of it not for it.

Thirty years after I first heard it, my opinion of it has not changed. It never made that scrap of paper I used to carry round in the mid-seventies with my wish list on, and it doesn't sit on my electronic wish list now. Like a lot of music of that era that received critical acclaim  Yes and Genesis spring to mind  it seemed to me to be just too pretentious for its own good. OK, there are some tracks on here which stand out - "Money" and "Us and Them" being the obvious ones, but the rest are just too much of the same.

There is an over-reliance on irritating little sound effects, such as footsteps, cash registers, heavy breathing, clocks ticking and so on, to provide a bridge between the various songs. This may have been novel in 1973, though I am not even sure of that. Now, it is just plain irritating. But what really depresses me is the fact that the music is just oh so pedestrian. It plods along, never rising above the mundane and ultimately begins to bore you. Instead of listening to and enjoying a musical experience, you find yourself wanting to read a book to provide some stimulation to your mind. And am I the only one to find Roger Waters' pseudo-Socialist preachings on "Money" to be a little strange, a little out-of-place, a little hypocritical?

In all honesty, after over thirty years of hearing this lauded to the high heavens, I get a little sick of it. A friend of mine has recently started getting into sixties and seventies rock in a big way. The other day he said to me that he felt under some sort of obligation to buy this album. He admitted he hadn't even heard it, except for the odd snippet here and there (probably "Money"). I advised him to make up his own mind after he had listened to it. I found it a little sad that the over-reaction of thirty years ago can still reach down through the years, like some malignant force in a Stephen King novel, and exert the same hold on people as it did then.

I have become convinced that the reason that most people have this is album is because most people have this album. Pink Floyd, although a band I have never had much love for, have done better than this. Others have done far better.
Rating: 5/10

Review:

on 2007-08-28 SolitaryMan Said:

This isn't Pink's greatest collection of songs (The Wall holds that title), but it may be their best in terms of flow, in both the music and the theme behind it. You can hear steady progressions in previous albums towards this definitive sound, and "Dark Side" will always be a classic simply because it represented the breaking of that barrier into what most of us know Pink Floyd to be. The flow is immaculate, simply put. "Money" belongs right in the middle of the album, the album's most cheerful moment stuck between the sorrowful "Great Gig in the Sky" and the equally troubling (but full of shaky hope) "Us and Them". "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse" are really one song, and the latter is one of the most beautiful singing-offs that I've ever heard. And we all know what a classic song "Time" is, despite it's depressing lyrics. This album may be overrated to a point, and their sound definitely evolved over the albums to come, but there's a reason why this album lasted so long on the charts (I do believe it holds a record for most consecutive chart appearances), and there's an even bigger reason why it launched them towards superstardom; it's a near-perfect recording, front to back.
Rating: 9/10

Review:

on 2007-07-23 blueandyellow Said:

1. Speak To Me/Breathe (5/5)

2. On The Run (3/5)

3. Time (5/5)

4. The Great Gig In The Sky (4/5)

5. Money (4/5)

6. Us And Them (5/5)

7. Any Colour You Like (4/5)

8. Brain Damage (4/5)

9. Eclipse (4/5)



Total Score: 4.22/5.00
Rating: 8/10

Review:

on 2006-11-30 dscanland Said:

I agree Green_Clash. I think that The Wall or Wish You Were Here would be much easier paths to introduce new users to Pink Floyd with. And yes, this is indeed a great album but not perfect. Dark Side Of The Moon goes hand in hand with best selling Pink Floyd album ever. "Best Selling" doesn't mean best. The Wall is still by far my favorite, but lately I've been getting into Piper at the Gates of Dawn and Meddle a little more lately. I used to despise those ones but now have an appreciation. Nice review green clash!
Rating: 7/10

Review:

on 2006-11-29 green_clash Said:

Oh "Dark Side of the Moon", how they overrate you. I'm not saying Pink Floyd's breakthrough album is a bad one, far from it. It has some great songs and it has an interesting concept and feel to it. But it's sort of sad to think that people trying to get into Pink Floyd will hear this and be turned off. Take me for example. First time I heard this, I thought Pink Floyd was no good, as this was their best CD. Then I grabbed a copy of "Wish You Were Here" and fell in love with them. Later, I gave it another try and like parts of the album. Or maybe I'm just overreacting and I'm the only person who doesn't consider this a perfect record. But, I think I have a strong case here, so bear with me. One thing that pisses me off about the album though is how fans of it will say, you must listen to the concept to really get it. Basically what there saying is, the songs don't need to be good, they just need to create a concept. Good analysis, considering albums like The Who's "Quadrophenia" have incredible sets of songs and also have excellently paced stories. The album opens very promisingly with the track "Breathe". It gets you into a tranquil mood and will show you what to except later in the album. After "Breathe" comes the first dose of filler on the album, "On the Run". It's a strange instrumental that is there only to set a mood and show off the musical concept some more. The band picks up steam though with the next song, the infamous "Time". After a very lengthy intro, this classic begins. This song is best known for David Gilmour's excellent guitar solo. "Time" is probably the album's highlight, with it's impressive musicianship and lyrics. Of course, the later part of it is ruined by the unnecessary (but thankfully short) "Breathe Reprise". We've heard this song already, must it appear twice?

After time comes one of my personal favorites off the album, and the perfect song to come after a song about dangerous time, "The Great Gig in the Sky" should send chills down your spine. Haunting and beautiful, this song with no real lyrics (it has spoken dialogue about death) will hit you like a ton of bricks with Clare Torry's harrowing yells into a void of emptiness. Though it goes on for longer then you would expect, it remains a highlight of the album. The Pink Floyd song everyone knows, "Money", is next. Talk about overrated (oh yeah, I said it). The song is just an average at best song and it's just a tad out of place. "Money" isn't that bad, but it has no place on the 'greatest record of all time'. But thank God for the next track, "Us and Them". With "Time, "Us and Them" is the best song on this entire record. It is very simple and will leave you trying to catch your breath after the intense choruses. It puts you in such a calm mood that when those choruses come along, you're left with a nice chill down the ol' spine. Unfortunately, the next song is another dose of instrumental filler. "Any Colour You Like" is average material, just like "Money", and it just seems like nothing when it comes right after "Us and Them". But, the album closes with two great songs. "Brain Damage" is a very strange, almost disturbing song, but it happens to everyone. All these annoyances that have occurred all culminates into insanity, through rage, depression, or built up pain (look what happened on "The Wall"). And the album closes with the song "Eclipse". Though it's not as intense as I was expecting, it closes the album perfectly and it does show that this album isn't bad at all. The concept works and the album has really good songs on it, but it's not perfect at all. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that, though this is a good album, you shouldn't be fooled into being told it's the best Pink Floyd album out there. Compared to classics like "The Wall" and "Wish You Were Here", "Dark Side of the Moon" pales in comparison. So, though it's got a decent amount of filler and overrated tracks, it's still a great album, but not as great as people put it out to be.
Rating: 8/10