Dark Side of the Moon

I hadn't listened to this album for I-don't-know-how-long. In fact, this was the very first cassette tape I remember buying - when I switched over from 8-tracks.

I put it on while cleaning today. Truly one of the BEST albums of all time. And I remember during my "Rock Music Styles" class at UofF (this was towards my bachelor of religious studies degree) this was a breakthrough album that changed the industry. Below I will list some great info on the album...

But first, let me just say... and I feel a bit odd saying it, since I am a Christian pastor and all... but I just can't handle attending Christian concerts anymore. I was asked to go to a 'WinterJam' concert at a stadium this weekend (Newsboys, Newsong, Zoegirl, and a bunch of others). You know, it's not that I don't like concerts, but "most" Christian concerts are so stinking predictable anymore. And I hate going to them. I would go see Jars of Clay - my daughter said they did a good show. And I saw a guy named Josh Garrells that was good. But I can't stand the "selling Jesus" part; and the "trying to save everyone there", and "you should give money to this cause" and... I don't know, that's what too many Christian concerts are. (to me).

Okay, here is the info on Dark Side of the Moon, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Side_of_the_Moon:

The Dark Side of the Moon (The initial "The" is omitted in most versions of the title) is a 1973 concept album by Pink Floyd, dealing with the pressures of life such as time, money, war, mental illness, and death.

Originally composed as "Eclipse: A Piece for Assorted Lunatics", it was played live during Pink Floyd's 1972 tour. The Dark Side of the Moon was the original title of the opus, but the band Medicine Head had already released an album by that name (although without the "The"). However, their album flopped, and the name The Dark Side of the Moon was once again used...

The Dark Side of the Moon is one of the best-selling albums of all time worldwide, and the 18th-best-selling album in the United States. It peaked at #1 on The Billboard 200, spent a record-setting total of 741 weeks (over 15 years) on that list… Since it was first released, it has sold over 40 million copies worldwide as of 2004. It is estimated that one in every 14 people in the U.S. under the age of 50 owns a copy of this album.

Concept
The Dark Side of the Moon is a concept album. The album covers the faults of humanity and the pressures of modern life that can drive a man to insanity, including mortality, religion, money, the encroachment of old age, society and conflict. The track On the Run represents pressures of escaping pursuit. Time discusses how quickly life can slip by. The Great Gig in the Sky was known as "The Mortality Sequence" during recording, and has a religious or death theme. Money talks about the greed in the world, and how money is the "root of all evil today". Us and Them deals with conflict and war. Brain Damage is about lunacy and what it is like. Eclipse was to mean the same thing with a different concept of singing. While it is broken up into 9 different tracks on most releases, it is considered one whole piece as opposed to an album with independent songs.

Another common theory surrounding the concept of the album is that it tells the story of the cycle of life, Speak to Me/Breathe"being the tale of birth, and gradually insanity (Brain Damage) and death (Eclipse).

Recording
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London between June 1972 and January 1973, the album contains some of the most intricate uses of instruments and sound effects in the studio up to that time… Another feature of the album is the snippets of dialogue between and over the tracks. Pink Floyd interviewed various people, asking questions related to the central themes of the album, such as violence and death... Paul and Linda McCartney were interviewed, but their answers were considered too cautious for inclusion.

Alan Parsons engineered the album while on staff at Abbey Road. He once said in an interview that he swapped shifts with colleagues in order to work on the whole project.

ME AGAIN:
Peace. Revolution. Go...