Released on 1 March 1973, The Dark
Side of the Moon propelled Pink Floyd
in to superstardom. Despite enjoying
success before as a band, it was this
magnum opus that really brought Pink
Floyd to the masses and cemented their
status as rock icons.
Dark Side of the Moon was originally
developed at the Decca rehearsal studio
in Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead
during 1971 and 1972. The basic idea
was to make a record about the different
pressures of modern life, however the
album concept would eventually be
expanded to cover all facets of life,
including death, time and particularly
mental illness; an issue that strongly
affected the band through the struggles
of their founder member Syd Barrett.
Despite leaving the band in 1968 due
to deteriorations in his mental health,
Syd remained at the forefront of the
band’s collective mind, serving as both
an inspiration and a cautionary tale,
and both Shine On You Crazy Diamond
(1975) and The Wall (1979) were written
in homage to the troubled visionary.
Before settling on The Dark Side
of the Moon, Pink Floyd considered
numerous album titles. The Dark Side
of the Moon was selected very early on
in the album’s development, however
they soon discovered that another band
named Medicine Head had used this
title, so decided on Eclipse as a working
title. Unfortunately for Medicine Head,
their album was a commercial flop and
Pink Floyd reclaimed the album title,
debuting what was then named Dark Side
of the Moon: A Piece for Assorted Lunatics,
at the Rainbow Theatre in London on 17
February 1972. The show was received
with great fanfare by critics, with Michael
Wale of The Times going so far as to credit
the music with ‘bringing tears to the eyes.
It was so completely understanding and
musically questioning.’
Although the assembled press response
was overwhelmingly enthusiastic, Pink
Floyd’s touring and recording obligations
prevented further work on the album
for a number of months. The band were
contracted to record the music for French
art-house film La Vallée (Obscured by
Clouds) and flew to France to do so in
February 1972. Following the conclusion
of these recording sessions in March
there were various scheduled tour dates
around the globe that kept Pink Floyd
busy for the majority of 1972, and with
the exception of one month, May–June,
it was not until 9 January 1973, that Pink
Floyd were able to find the time in their
schedule to complete the album.
Despite the difficulties in finding time
to record, Pink Floyd have always looked
fondly on these years, and regarded the
development of Dark Side of the Moon
as the time at which they worked most
harmoniously as a band. This unity is
perhaps part of what makes the album
so successful as a piece, with all band
members working together towards a
singular goal. Roger Waters has since
reflected on the period stating, ‘I was
definitely less dominant than I later
became. We were pulling together pretty
cohesively. Dave sang Breathe much better
than I could have. His voice suited the
song. I don’t remember any ego problems
about who sang what at that point. There
was a balance.’
This group cohesion is evident on
the record, with many critics remarkingthat the album captured just the right
blend of lyricism, inspired instrumental
passages, innovative use of sound effects
and genuine musical innovation. All
performed to a uniformly high standard
of composition and performance.
Speaking on the genesis of Dark Side
of the Moon Roger Waters recalled, ‘I
think we had already started improvising
around some pieces at Broadhurst
Gardens. After I had written a couple
of the lyrics for the songs, I suddenly
thought, I know what would be good: to
make a whole record about the different
pressures that apply in modern life.’
David Gilmour has also reflected on the
album’s conception in West Hampstead
remarking, ‘It began in a little rehearsal
room in London. We had quite a few
pieces of music, some of which were leftRogers Waters in 1971.