Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

 Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon - Released Year 1973



Tracklist front / back album covers

Side one
1. "Speak to Me" Instrumental 1:13
2. "Breathe" (listed as "Breathe in the Air" on the original LP label)   2:43
3. "On the Run" Instrumental   3:36
4. "Time" (containing "Breathe (Reprise)") 6:53
5. "The Great Gig in the Sky" 4:36

Total length: 19:27

Side two
1. "Money" 6:23
2. "Us and Them" 7:49
3. "Any Colour You Like" Instrumental 3:26
4. "Brain Damage" 3:49
5. "Eclipse" 2:03

Total length: 23:42

The Dark Side of the Moon is the 8th studio album by English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 1 March 1973 by Harvest Records. Primarily developed during live performances, the band premiered an early version of the record several months before recording began. New material was recorded in two sessions in 1972 and 1973 at Abbey Road Studios in London.

The record builds on ideas explored in Pink Floyd's earlier recordings and performances, while omitting the extended instrumentals that characterised their earlier work. A concept album, its themes explore conflict, greed, time, death, and mental illness, the latter partly inspired by the deteriorating health of founding member Syd Barrett, who departed the group in 1968. The group used recording techniques such as multitrack recording, tape loops, and analogue synthesisers. Snippets from interviews with the band's road crew, as well as philosophical quotations, were also used. Engineer Alan Parsons was responsible for many sonic aspects and the recruitment of singer Clare Torry, who appears on "The Great Gig in the Sky". The sleeve, which depicts a prism spectrum, was designed by Storm Thorgerson, following keyboardist Richard Wright's request for a "simple and bold" design, representing the band's lighting and the record's themes. The album was promoted with two singles: "Money" and "Us and Them".