A strong case can by made that the 1970s, more than any other, was the decade of the LP. I would argue that the album as a full-length art form really reached its peak at this time with such gems as Marvin Gaye’s brilliant political/social meditation, What’s Going On, while Stevie Wonder, who won three consecutive Best Album Grammys, could be honored as having the decade’s best for either 1973’s Innervisions or Songs in the Key of Life from ’76. And what about David Bowie whose creative peak was in the ’70s- certainly The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, his 1972 masterwork, is one of the most celebrated of all-time. Joni Mitchell’s Blue, from 1971, is today widely viewed as perhaps the finest example of the personal/confessional style of singer-songwriter art, while Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks is also lauded for its uniquely personal tone. Others might also make an argument for Springsteen’s Born to Run, for Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, for the Eagles’ Hotel California, or Led Zeppelin’s untitled 4th album.

            I’m going to make the case, though, for The Dark Side of the Moon, which recently celebrated its 50-year anniversary, as the album of the ’70s. This was the apex of the second incarnation of Pink Floyd who were originally seen and heard as Syd Barrett’s quirky psychedelic pop band playing the likes of “Arnold Layne” and “See Emily Play”. When mental illness forced Barrett to retire, the Floyd’s music began to evolve in a more sonically arresting direction with richer, muscular guitar work from Barrett replacement Dave Gilmour, the jazzy-classical tinged creations of keyboardist Richard Wright, and the arresting lyrical preoccupations of Roger Waters. With Nick Mason on drums, Dark Side… was Pink Floyd working as a harmonious unit (which never would happen again) and firing on all four cylinders.

            The idea was to create a concept album, Waters has said, revealing how life’s pressures on the band, and, by extension, on us all take us again and again off the path of a life well lived. The album begins and ends with a heartbeat, and some have heard that as representative of a human lifespan from birth to death. In between are a number of brilliant tracks that seem to represent some of the issues we all face in life- the debilitating effects of modern day speed and hurriedness (“On the Run”); the inexorable passage of time with its attendant sense of loss and regret (“Time”); the contemplation of life’s mystery and mortality (Clare Torry’s wordless wail over Wright’s “The Great Gig in the Sky”); greed and the love of all that money can buy (“Money”); a reflection on the various walls that divide humans and their tragic consequences (the lovely yet haunting “Us and Them”), the specter of mental illness (ever present in Pink Floyd’s music after Barrett’s tragic fall, as heard in “Brain Damage”) and the ambivalent denouement of “Eclipse”.

            Whether The Dark Side of the Moon is the apex LP of recording history or is an overrated prog-rock creation is debatable and, ultimately, a matter of taste; but there is little debate about the numbers- it is believed to be among the 5 biggest sellers of all-time (estimates are as high as 45 million copies); no album has stayed on the Billboard album charts as long as Dark Side… ; and it has been included in the U.S. National Recording Registry. Still, that is the least interesting thing about the LP. That it has profoundly touched millions (and continues to do so today) is what elevates The Dark Side of the Moon to greatness.   

            -Steve Williams (8/31/23) Greatest Recording Artists Blog Post #41