Pink Floyd
The Dark Side of the Moon: 30th Anniversary Edition
(Capitol)
Pink Floyd’s classic The Dark Side of the Moon remains, to this day, one of the most supremely divine examples of an art form that is now mostly dead – the complete album. Not a concept album or a rock opera, but a flowing symphony of songs seamlessly woven together into a blissful cosmic experience. It’s a hard thing to improve upon in any meaningful way, but restoring this rock and roll treasure with passion and modern technology is certainly a good way to commemorate and ultimately reappreciate it.
The new three-disk reissue gives us the moon-landing of rock albums once again, with a whole new level of sonic quality and some extras every Floyd fan is sure to dig. The remastered set includes the orginal album, a disc of rare live versions and a third disc of alternate versions, including an acoustic take of “Money” by Roger Waters and other tracks that reveal the creative evolution of the album. How they channelled such a cosmic muse throughout their career will be a question for the ages, but this set does offer an interesting glimpse into the creative process.
Sadly, Pink Floyd’s remaining members have publicly stated that re-releasing their entire catalog will be their last official act as a band and the last time they will get together for any reason at all. No more one-off reunion concerts, no world tours – even though they would surely fill arenas and their bank accounts in vast, untold dimensions. The remaining members of the original band like David Gilmour and Roger Waters simply cannot work together anymore. It is hard to push that thought out of my head as I turn the lights down and let The Dark Side of the Moon take me far, far away to another place and time – a time when I was young and only beginning to realize how great music could hold such a transcendental power over my spirit. I know now that the pressures of creating Dark Side exposed and deepened existing rifts between Gilmour and Waters, ultimately leading to the end of Pink Floyd, but I am thankful that they left us this great work of art. It is one of those rare albums that will last forever.
