Great Recordings: The Dark Side of The Moon by Pink Floyd
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- čas přidán 19. 04. 2022
- A sideways look at one of the best selling albums of all time. In this video, I focus on where 'The Dark Side Of The Moon' stands in the career of Pink Floyd, it's depth of meaning, musicality and the recording process.
All comments welcome,
Enjoy! - Jak na to + styl
I was 9 years old in 1973 when my uncle brought over this blank, black prism rainbow album with no name or band photo on it which, as a kid I thought was crazy. My uncle called them Pink Floyd. he played it to my mom I listened to it for the very first time with headphones for most of the album. It was so futuristic, so technologically state of the art. I was totally blown away at that young age. I knew this album would stand the test of time.
That was my reaction too. Pink Floyd’s sound is something that I’m still comprehending and I’ve been a fan since 2013 and every time I listen to them it gets better and better. I’ll never forget listening to Dark Side of the Moon for the first time.
Thanks for sharing
And now with the amazing Atmos mix it will keep the younger generation amazed and inspired it now sounds like the future again.
the cover is a prismatic spectrum of colours, light enters in one side and comes out divided by the primary colours that are primary because all colours of the spectrum can be made of those as the prisma can release depending on the angle the light passes through it
As many times as we have all heard this album and it's stories, it still captures my imagination and emotion - thank you for sharing your thoughts, you did it so beautifully,
Thank you.
I still remember the first time I heard Dark Side..... as a teenager at 4am at a girl's house whose parents were away at the tail end of a party and there were a group of us left..... I walked in just as the clocks finished ticking and all the alarms were going off. The only thing is, I've listened to it hundreds of times and had to stop because of the overkill factor unfortunately. I really envy people who hear this masterpiece for the first time.... I expect it will live on long after the members have passed.
@@Gbhbbgvsbnjhhdchhb exactly so. Perfect description.
Excellent analogy of an album that is just simply beautiful. When you talked about your first playing of the album,that was me!! It was also the very first album I bought, my friend and I played it in his converted (as soundproof as two 16 year old boys could master) walk-in closet for a solid month.
Since 1976, when I purchased LP "The Dark Side of the Moon", I never stopped listening to it. An evergreen..
This album really changed my life. Since fourteen, I listened to it countless times. Now I'm 57. Great video.
Wow, exactly the same for me, but I'm 56 now ;-) Great video!
My ONLY problem with the videos put out by you is that there aren't more of them! Thank you for another engaging and enjoyable video!
Why, Thank you very much indeed. I look forward to making more.
I was 22 in 1972, already a big Pink Floyd fan. Had all the previous albums. When to see them at the (now torn down) Spectrum hockey stadium that at that time Dark Side Of The Moon was not yet released. The concert was called Eclipse. I still have the paper program, it survives to this day with the original album. They did something that you could not do today: they blocked off all the mid level entrances to the seats with speakers that blocked all of them halfway. Fire codes today would not allow that. The stage was blacked out most of the time and the sound just went around in a way never heard before. No wild light show, no pigs flying over head, just the music. No, I was not tripping, LSD came years later at college. Now 72 and like you, still hold this work above all others. Thank you for your insight and appreciation of this work.
Thank you Greg. Thanks for sharing your story
Excellent!!! Just re-watched this on my lunch break. Perfect way to break up the day!!!
Thanks! 🙏
What a brilliant coverage of this iconic album. A shot right to the heart for me , I grow up with this album continuously listened to it and never tired of going back to listen some more. Thank you
You’re very welcome Yaniv
This album has become a landmark in English culture. A timeless masterpiece that has transcended the band.
I stumbled on this video and and couldn't stop smiling. It is truly one of the greatest recordings of the 20th century. I disagree with his critique that it could have been better if they had more tracks and digital recorders . 'More tracks' seldom means 'more better' and Had they had digital tools, god knows where the soul of this album would be. I wanted to make a point that Alan Parsons made multiple copies of the masters as he was recording so that the levels and quality would stay as high as possible. Still though his comments on distortion and overall fidelity are valid. Greatness cannot be predicted or engineered . Most of it really relys on happenstance and just plain old luck. This album is one of the most beautiful examples of that...
Still a Wonderful discussion of the album and a new subscriber because of it :)
Thanks Timmy, for your interesting contribution to the debate and your kind appreciative comments. Welcome to the channel
The piece that introduced me to Pink Floyd as a young man was Echoes, from Meddle. So, when Dark Side came out, it brought a slice of gold into an otherwise grey life. The only thing which was better than the recording was to experience the Floyd doing this live, at Earls Court. I recall leaving the stadium, almost in a daze having been overwhelmed by the experience, looking back to see clouds coming from the roof where they had opened the panels to let out the smoke from the effects and THEN two giant beams of light pointing up into the sky! The lighting engineers had just swung the super trouper spotlights upwards (probably annoying Heathrow Flight Control) to take advantage of the smoke effects. Wow! Those were the days.
I think I've owned 4 copies of this album including a remastered virgin vinyl album. Since the day I first owned it, it's never been out of my collection. I think it'll be like Beethovens 5th symphony in 200 years, just brilliant .
Only 4? I currently have 3 copies on the record shelf plus at least 2 copies on CD and an SACD copy. Unsure how many I've sold or lost... haha
Do you have the new Atmos remaster? It's done so well and is so much more immersive if you could believe that is possible.
It's the imperfections in recordings like this make them amazing. It's the imperfections that make them beautiful. It's the imperfections that ground it in reality and mark it as a moment in time.
People aren't perfect and this was made by people. But that's what makes it timeless, that's why we're still talking about it and why we're still sharing it with our children.
DSOTM on SACD is my favourite optical disc. 2 Channels is good, but the work done to up-mix from the original masters onto SACD 5.1 is another level.
Still blows my mind that the songs were written by lads in their mid 20's!!!.
Interesting comment. Thanks for sharing
One of the best albums and recordings of all time
Thank you sir. My vision blurs, my nose runs, I catch my breath and choke back the universe inside me crying to escape. Pink Floyd and particularly, this collection, gave me something I didn’t know I needed, filled a void of which I was unaware. What a gift. What a gift.
How could I NOT click on this video ;) It's an album that lyrically and musically gives you chills and thrills. The fact that we're still talking about it 50 years later says it all.
Your reading of Time was a work of art in itself.
Thank you. 🙏
Still got my Original Vinyl from 1973.
And what should i say, last time i´m listening more frequently to it. Ok, it´s a bit scratchy, but hey... 50 years....
Like the most PF fans i got several formats, but the feeling of this old vinyl is still invincible.
Also on an 40 years old Grundig turntable. 😉
Just perfect explanation of an album that i always come back to throughout my life and it feels magical every time. Thank you
You’re very welcome Adam. Glad you appreciated it
I always look forward to seeing your videos popping up in my feed great stuff as usual.
I cannot read the lyrics of Time without crying. I have chosen that to be read at my funeral. Listening to it, Dave Gilmour's guitar is the human soul screaming at the universe.
This is not just a video this is a piece of professional work from someone who knows what he's talking about. Take a bow Pearl Acoustics! This piece of work has given me a greater insight into one of the greatest albums ever produced. Thank you.
Thank you David, you’re very kind! Glad you enjoyed it
Love this series of videos, most make me want to discover new albums, this makes me want to listen again to a favourite, thanks
Well done, Harley! I know all the lyrics but hearing them read out loud like that really made it come alive for me. Thanks!
I always learn something in your videos. Thank you.
I’ve just discovered this channel on CZcams, thoroughly enjoyed it, I’m 64 years old and I bought this album when I was 17 and still have it truly one of the greats. Thank you.
Welcome Martin! Glad you enjoyed it
Wow. Now that is how you do it. I hung on every word. Please keep doing these. Just subscribed!
Thank you Michael. So glad you enjoyed it
One of my favorite albums! Great content too! Waters is a mastermind, years ahead of its time! Alan Parson did a great job too! And Harley, it's like he expressed what i had in mind for this album!
Thanks!
Your analysis and critique is some of the most thoughtful that is widely available. Thank you for the time you put into this. I hope to hear more.
Dear Peter, you’re very welcome. There will be more for sure, intermingled with equipment reviews and other topics
Thank you....Finally someone tells the truth. I love this Album for the music but to me every LP & CD pressing just sucked. Then came the 2003 SACD (I even had the 30th Anniversary LP). The 5.1 mix is absolutely brilliant !! With the mix separated into 5 channels, I finally enjoy both the recording and the music.
Once again, excellent Video.
Great video as always. Thank you. Gonna listen to it now !
😉
Great video, great dissection, I’m glad I grew up listening to this album,
This is just a very great video. Love how you take us through the album, it makes it much more meaningful for someone like me, who only started listening to PF not that long ago. Thanks.
Thank you Marten, glad you enjoyed it
its the only perfect rock album from start to finish. l think its the greatest album ever made. thanks harley great video and commentary!
That you have heard you mean.
Appreciate the CZcams algorithm taking me this way. Bought my dad a record player to play his old records and this is one that he was excited to explore again.
Nice!
Great show, again and again...
Thanks!
I thought I'd learned everything there was to know about this album, but here we are. Excellent work, thank you for the video.
I was seventeen when my uncle gave it to me as a gift. First, the cover caught my eye. I unfolded it and the lyrics of 'Time' caught my mind. Then I put it on the turntable and the music caught my ears ...and my soul.
Yes, it is the perfect album.
Thanks for sharing your story
Thank God that digital recording didn't exist in 1973 - we would never have been gifted with this perfect album
My favourite album of all time.
Well, looks like I’ll be buying Dark Side of the Moon this weekend on vinyl!
I'm always happy to hear about the record of my life (was 11 old)
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Watching your video, as I am sitting here on my patio in the early morning having my first cup of coffee, I thoroughly enjoyed your critique of my favorite album. Thanks!
Hi Stephen. So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your kind message
Masterful storytelling Harley! Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers from Paris! 🙂🙏
Thank you Raphael.
When I was 15 this came out. It was a huge hit, all my friends were talking about it but I really didn't think too much of it a first listen. It seemed kind of slow and not really a rocking out record like my musical tastes were at that point in my adolescence. But it kept on creeping back onto my turntable over the next few weeks, put the enclosed poster up on my bedroom wall and plastered the stickers on my notebooks. Very quickly it became one of my favourites and still is to this day, an absolute masterpiece. Still slip it on the platter frequently. I must have 4 copies of it, the last one purchased was the 2011 remaster.
Thanks nice comment
First heard DSotM aged 6 in March 1973... loved it then and still do, indeed Pink Floyd provide the soundtrack of my life...
Such a great commentary on what I’ve always considered a classic. Hearing the lyrics read rather than sung brings a whole new meaning to them.
Thank you
A very big thanks for this amazing video, Harley. Really extraordinary how you go into the depth of the songs and their meanings. This is one of my favourite records of all times and I’ve been listening to it since I was a teenager. I will follow your advice and go put it on my turntable once more! Big congratulations on your amazing channel! Kind regards
Thank you so much! It’s comments like yours that motivate me to keep going. So glad you enjoyed it. H
I have been a PF fan since I first heard ATM, probably seen, heard everything there was ever recorded! You have a completely new perspective of this Album, and I appreciate very much your 20 minutes of a different way of looking at this amazing band/record!! Thank you!
You’re very welcome Peter
The 30th anniversary version I just picked up today, is superb. By far the best analogue pressing Ive yet heard. Dynamics and emotion are all there.. some pressings sourced from the digital tapes are flat in comparison and just not right.. thanks for the great discussion it was a joy..
Good find Darren! Thanks for your appreciation
Hey happy I found this channel, really enjoy the factuals you present. I've enjoyed playing this album for the uplift it brings out. 'Any Colour You Like' is just unreal. You also have a nice Audio Cave'.
Thank you, so pleased to hear this.
I’m always thrilled to see a video posted where you discuss a recording/album, especially such a wonderful one as this. I feel like we’re having a good discussion between friends. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
You’re very welcome! Thank you
Absolutely beautiful Harley. It's the gift that keeps on giving.
Thank you!
A wonderful synopsis of this great LP. Thanks.
Thanks John!
The first album i ever bought was Animals. Later i got. of course this one. Animals i loved All the years More. Listening To your Video regarding the lyrics changed my mind. Thank you and greetings Bo
Thank you Bo. Very kind.
Simply my favorite album, to me it's the best album in space time... I can't imagine anything "better"...
Of course, "locally" you'll find more virtuosity with instruments, or more "powerful" rhythm to jump around, but as music as a piece of art, as something universal, this album can't be anything but "the best"...
Whenever I meet new people and we start talking about music I ask them “what about Pink Floyd ? And Beethoven? And …..?If they saying it’s crap , rubbish, I ask them to change the subject because for me, but that is my personal opinion you haven’t a clue what musical works are and how to enjoy it time after time .Many THX for your great work 🙏
Thanks Danny. Unfortunately, the art of discussion and debate is sadly lacking in our schools. So often I have found that the music I dislike the most in the beginning, I end up liking most in the end.
Wishing you a musical 2023! H.
@@PearlAcoustics I can’t agree more on that❗️I remember when I was young ( 64 years now) I didn’t like classic music . These days it’s makes up more than 50% off what I’m listening to. Your response on my writing is very much appreciated Harvey👍For you and family have a safe and healthy 2023🙏
Brilliant review! I can only agree with all in this video. I was born two years after this album was released, but it waited for me and when I was 15-16 I was absolutely shocked by Dark Side of The Moon, by its complexity, deep meaning of the lyrics, I have never heard before (and long after) so good match of music and lyrics. I am not English native speaker, but those lyrics I have learned by heart and I love it ever since. This is one of those albums which I am returning to regularly 30 years. There is some kind of magic atmosphere on this recording. Anyway, great analysis, well done.
Thank you. Much appreciated
Thanks Harley, loved your take on RAM, what a good surprise to see your view on this one, which I also love so.
Hearing Meddle, and Dark Side of the Moon on vinyl after recently stepping back into the analog realm via 70’s era Pioneer manual turntable, upgraded to the Ortofon Blue, gives me goosebumps at a new level, one never attained in the decades of listening to these two albums, now with depth, soundstage, texture and clarity that the technical work to mix and master this truly shines. I watched a video by Alan Parsons, that produced Dark Side of the Moon, about his wanting a female vocalist on it. Claire was a local, paid for her time, but he didn’t give her any music, and when she started to sing some words, was stopped by Alan, saying wing it, but no words. She did it and was a one take wonder, iconic beyond words, yet she didn’t even know she was on the LP until she got a copy.
Great comment. Thanks!
A friend and i took this round to another friend’s place in around ‘76 I think as he had a better stereo than either of us. We put it on, turned out the lights and listened intently. I was in a place I’d never been before after Great Gig in the Sky and could not get to the turntable fast enough to turn it over as I didn’t want it to stop. At the end of the 2nd side we just sat and after several long minutes one os us just went “wow”. We were totally blown away and wandered around in an otherworldly daze for about 10 minutes. As “Mr Pearl” said, it took you to another place. Right there and then I knew this was different from any other record and I feel it still is. Eclipse is one of the only songs I know that will absolutely give me goosebumps and shivers every single time I hear it. An incredible, powerful and emotion laden album.
Thank you for sharing your story. Very touching
So moving, so enlightening...
You know the music that you are listening is special when you can still remember the day you listened to it for the first time… even almost 40 years later… I still remember the moment, location and emotional vibe it got me into… just memorable…
Indeed!
Vídeo maravilhoso! Eu sempre fui fascinado por guitarras e, quando estava com 12 anos em 1974, eu ouvi a música Time pela primeira vez. Oh meu Deus! O que era aquilo? Um solo de guitarra com sonoridade etérea entrava pelos meus ouvidos e meu sangue parecia querer explodir nas minhas veias. Não conseguia parar de ouvir e ouvir inúmeras vezes. Quando eu parava, o som estava dentro da minha mente me lembrando que a cada audição parecia sempre vir algo novo nas notas que o Gilmour tocava. Ainda hoje é assim. Álbum incomparável! Simplesmente o melhor! Mais um inscrito aqui do Brazil.
Thank you very much for your kind comments!
Great video Harley, I thoroughly enjoyed your analysis which really resonated with me since I have been listening to this album regularly for most of my life. I must say Wish You Were Here is a very close second in my opinion. I listened to Animals recently after many years and had forgotten how good that album is too. You made a great comment about digital. I can only imagine what a joy it would be listening to Dark Side if it had been recorded in the quality that can be achieved with modern technology.
Thank you Mel. Glad you liked the video. If only digital had come 15 years earlier, indeed! 😉
I didn't appreciate Pink Floyd as much as I should have in my teens and twenties. Masterpiece
What a fantastic album! So many good times listening to this album. I remember the first time I heard it, a film called rumblefish was playing on mute and seemed to synchronise with the music to form one new body of work. Good times.
I can feel it in my bones how passionate you are about music. Time well spent, thank you ;-)
Thank you, Davide, it’s true.
I´ll enjoy it once again
Back in the early 70’s I purchased my first CD player. So I went to the biggest music store to buy so rock CD’s. I was so disappointed that I couldn’t find any rock CD recordings. So I asked a store employee if they had any new CD recording. He sent me to the end cap on one of the many vinyl recording display isles. On that one end-cap, I found about 10 to 20 CD recordings of classical music. At the bottom was a few CD copies of Dark Side of the Moon. At that time, CD recordings of classical music was where the recording companies thought the new CD platform would sell the best for the new technology. But someone must have realized that Dark Side of the Moon belonged with that new technology. It was the first CD I ever bought and I still have it.
I was busy tonight and this popped up on my Ytube not having a clue of what it was about besides the record. What a gold mine, I had to subscribe!
Thank you Rick, you're very kind.
one word.. Amazing!!
The moment I first got in contact with Dark side of the Moon is best described by the opening scene of A space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick (1968). I entered a HiFi shop downtown and was blown away. It caught my and the impression never left me. Your presentation adds to the many pieces of information I accumulated over the years trying to get the full meaning and access to this masterpiece that imho has already become part of our musical heritage like Beethoven and other great composers. Highly appreciated, thank you!
You’re very welcome Jean-Marc
This is by far the best review I’ve heard about that mythical Pink Floyd work of art. Thank you!
You’re very welcome
Mid seventies. Boys Grammar school in northern England. Last class before summer holidays. Coolest English teacher, Mr Steele. Old record player placed on desk. Room full of restless teenagers falls silent as DSOTM heartbeat begins. Years before punk. Long ago. Memory clear. 50 years have got behind you.
‘No one told you when to run… 😉 nice memory. Thanks for sharing
Hope you will comeback with more videos like this one. Gave me some new angles to look for in an album I've already heard so many times.
Waiting for some more!
Hi Paulius, indeed I have taken a break but I will be back with more - for sure!
@@PearlAcoustics it's summer for everyone, understandable.
Brilliant A+++
Well said. I have been a professional musician for over 40 years, and have enjoyed the Pink Floyd (Yes, Moody Blues, Queen, The Who and Bad Company) since their inception. I have seen Pink Floyd (and the other mentioned bands) many many times and still enjoy them on my turntable(s) (Dual- mentioned in a comment underneath your turntable video) and enjoy them on CD as well. Thank you for showcasing this album.
I was lent this album when I was a sixth-former at school and played it that evening about eight times. It was a powerful and absorbing listen. Really magical.
Thank you!
Excellent video, Harley, your passion for this album is evident. It's not my favourite Pink Floyd album but it is a work of genius. There's something about it's slick perfection, though, which puts me off. Hard to express in words.
If you have not seen it I highly recommend the 4k video of Roger Water's Us and Them tour. The songs from DSOM are performed wonderfully and attain a new significance in the context of the tour's message regarding refugees and global conflict.
Did listen to it a 4 AM this morning!
hahaha
Thanks for the video.
Hi, you’re very welcome!
Possibly my favorite channel on youtube
We can't think of a person and audiophile better suited to consider this fabulous rock standard. Bravo sir!
Thank you! Very kind.
I first heard DSOTM on Boscombe Down Airbase - the cold war era... it changed me.
I purchased the Mobile Fidelity version of Dark Side of the Moon in 1979. I didn't really have time to listen to it properly but wanted to check it was okay before going on a trip across London so I recorded on a Uher CR240 portable cassette deck. Coming back on the buses late in the evening watching the lights I put on my AKG K240 head phones and played the cassette on the Uher. The time, the day nearly over, the evening lights and the traffic and the only sound the story developing in my head. Few albums never came near to match the emotion or have that impact.
Hi Gerald, thanks for sharing your story. Very touching
The Dark Side of The Moon is one of my top favourite albums. I think Pink Floyd is (was?) one of the most innovative bands of modern music. I put Radiohead in the same category, but their music has a narrower audience.
Why can't all music be this well recorded, with technology now there's no excuse.
Yes please do more great recordings for us 😊
No problem, gladly will
Another lovely video in the series, Harley. And it tickled me no end to see the DECware with a beloved “balloon” Type 80/280 rectifier! I recently got a 280 for my SE84UFO. I haven’t taken it through its paces yet, but I will soon. Cheers from the home of analog/film photography!
Thank you! You’re very kind
Although I was a big prog-rock fan at the time, and owned a copy of Meddle, I was late to the party and didn't hear DSOTM until it was at least a year old. It was quite the revelation, a "trip" in many ways.
My friend Paul, who I didn't meet until 1988 told me of seeing them live in 1975 in Hamilton Ontario. Hamilton is/was a blue-collar steel town about an hour west of Toronto.
They played at the local football stadium, it was a huge sellout with crowds misbehaving and upsetting residents of the surrounding neighbourhood. The highlight was when some of the pyrotechnics got out of control and damaged the football scoreboard.
As a result, all rock concerts were banned from the stadium, including ones already booked. According to Paul the first casualty of this was a crazy rocker by the name of Frank Sinatra.
Thanks for your channel and for pointing out some things I didn't know about this album, like its beginnings in live performances.
Thank you David. Thanks too for sharing your story.
I have nothing to say about this video because you have expressed everything I have always felt about this album. I simply cant add anything to it. This album brings out so may different emotions that it puts it into a category of only a very select group of records fall into. The follow up album Wish You Were Here is another. Bravo, your review was dead on. Thank you so much for this video!
You’re very welcome. So glad you enjoyed it
I watched your video for the first time earlier today, 1st Sept 2023, and this evening I’ve listened to the album from start to finish. You’ve inspired me, and Pink Floyd took me away with them 🙏🏼
That’s lovely to hear. Thank you!
Thanks for a great overview. I was 13 when this album was released and although I have listened to it numerous times, your comments regarding some of the lyrics made me think more about what they are communicating and how relevant they still are. After many years of upgrading, I am fortunate enough to have a high end system that gives better insight into the recording. For me, some tracks certainly sound better than others. ‘Money’ sounds very expansive whereas the chorus on ‘Us and Them’ sounds very closed in. I can’t think of any releases in the past few decades that will be considered classics. I know it is subjective but for me, the 70’s was the best era for music.
You’re very welcome. Thanks for your appreciation
Great review for a legendary album. May I suggest another masterful record? In my opinion, of course: I hope one day you could do an analysis on "Brasileiro" (1992) by Sérgio Mendes. Probably the ONE album that introduced samba to the mainstream northamerican market. Smooth work as always, greetings from Mexico!
Thank you Harley. That was beautiful.
Thank you Richard, very kind.
I've heard this album many times, and I've heard many pudits go on and on about it. I'll take the album 100 times out of 100.
Thank you, sir.
You're welcome
I have the Mobile Fidelity gold disc version and it sounds very good. Played it many times. Thank you for your great review and assessment of this forever standing album. It will surely withstand the test of time.
This vid takes me back a while, thank you for retrieving distant memories. I was 15 years old when I first bought this album, and I still have it with its original stickers and posters. It was played on a Pioneer PL12D turntable (which was bought new in 73 and I still have}, a Trio Amp {6008 I think} and Wharfedale Linton {or were they Glendale speakers}. This album sounded so good I thought it could not get any better. 50 years on and with some half decent gear you can really appreciate the effort that went into the recording of this classic album. The sub bass on Time is phenomenal and really shakes the house and stirs up my neighbours no end. I also bought the remastered 30th anniversary edition when it first came out and to be honest its not as good as the original. I really love the original 73 album {true analogue me thinks} and played through my B&W 803 D3's is a joy to behold.
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