Pink Floyd’s Magnum Opus turns 50
Written by Raquel Wood on February 28, 2023
On March 1, 1973, English rock band Pink Floyd released their eighth studio album, The Dark Side of the Moon. Crafted during the era of progressive rock, the record’s ten songs are pieced together by immersive complexity. Alongside sound engineer Alan Parsons, the musicians dressed the album in a fashionable sound. The avant garde sonics are composed of synthesizers, organ, sound effects recorded outside the studio, and the iconic features of vocalist Clare Torry and saxophonist Dick Parry. The 42-minute record would be considered their magnum opus for the next half century.
Members Roger Waters (vocals), David Gilmour (lead guitar), Richard Wright (keys), and Nick Mason (drums) recorded the album at EMI Studios from May 1972 to February 1973. The recording studio was renamed as Abbey Road Studios in 1976.
“Pink Floyd were the architects of two major music movements – psychedelic space-rock and blues-based progressive rock – and became known for their biting political, social and emotional commentary.”- The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked The Dark Side of the Moon as No. 55 in The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. As of February 2023, The Dark Side of the Moon has spent 971 consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200.
Roger Waters’s sole lyricism is another one of the elements which helped establish it as a critically acclaimed, sonic staple across progressive cultures. “Dark Side was the first [Pink Floyd album] that was genuinely thematic and genuinely about something,” Waters said in a 2011 Rolling Stone interview. The album discusses mental illness, greed, war and existentialism.
Artistic haven Abbey Road Studios has witnessed the conceptualization of many creatives’ ideas and experiences since its establishment in 1931. It has been graced with the presence of The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Queen, Frank Ocean, and Harry Styles, who has a black and white tattoo of The Dark Side of the Moon’s prism design.
Just like how the birthplace of the album has been connected to classic and modern musicians, the iconic album cover connects with the eyes of both the reminiscing and curious generation. According to Echoes, The Complete History of Pink Floyd, one out of every fourteen Americans younger than 50 years old has owned a copy of the album.
The Dark Side of the Moon is crowned with the beauty of timeless impact. Its developmental craft and thematic authenticity touches hearts across generations. Whichever way one may choose to experience this album, whether it be through the needle of a record player or the accessible wonder that is the internet, the year of its fiftieth anniversary would be a wonderful time to sit back and enjoy this unique work of art.
