It Was A Hit

Serious musicians only need apply

Way, way back, sometime in the late-ish 70's, just into my early teens, I bought myself an album that I'd only heard about. A friend owned it, and he might have played a tiny bit of it for me once. All I knew was that it was hailed as perhaps the greatest rock album ever recorded. That was enough for me. 

So I bought - on vinyl record - Dark Side of the Moon, by Pink Floyd. As I played and replayed that album, it never once occurred to me that this was "stoner music". At the time, I don't think I even knew about such a genre, if it even was one back then. Maybe nowadays it is. But the mind-boggling concepts and the even more stunning aural experience were what swept me away. I marvelled at how the imaginations of the band members collided and meshed to create such a sonic feast. 

Lyrically, this is heady stuff.... intelligent, clever, laconic, unhinged, and even spiritual. 

Musically, Dark Side is trippy, sometimes rocking, often deeply relaxing, and sometimes downright disturbing. The dreamy opener Speak to Me/Breathe washes over the listener, coaxing him or her into a meditative state. On the Run moves in another, more frantic direction. Paranoia and madness, themes that dominate here, are explored both lyrically and instrumentally. 

Pink Floyd pioneered progressive rock as we know it now, influencing both rock and electronic music along the way. Back in '73, when the album appeared, trance-inducing tempos made some people suspicious of this dangerous druggie music. But for me, it was just great entertainment.

That perfect union of technical virtuosity with creative genius spelled the incredible success of Dark Side of the Moon. Floyd used the most advanced recording techniques available at the time, and studio engineer Alan Parsons (who later formed his own successful Floyd-ish band) played no small part in that process. The album immediately topped the Billboard charts, then maintained a residency in the charts for 741 weeks!

Though I heard some other Pink Floyd music on the radio along the way, it wasn't until the early 80's that I began adding some of their other albums to my collection. Naturally, The Wall was among them, though today that two-disc monster fails to do much for me, other than a few notable songs. Wish You Were Here also made an impression around then, the title track being my favourite of its few lengthy songs. It wasn't until the late 80's that I tried out some more by the band with Momentary Lapse of Reason, quite good in its own right, but not exactly classic Floyd. Then just a few years ago, I finally filled in the gaps in the Pink Floyd section of my CD collection, enjoying for the first time some of their earliest and middle-period recordings. 

A handful of early psychedelic gems stood out for me, like Astronomy Domine (which I first heard as a cover by 80's Canadian metal-heads Voivod) and Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, but it was the albums Meddle and Obscured by Clouds that really grabbed me. True concept albums, best appreciated in their entirety. I can't even name favourite songs, for each record stands as an entire track for me. As old as this music is, it never loses its impact on me. I revisit these albums regularly, each time a treat for the ears all over again.

As I wrap this up, I am gently nodding... almost sleepily... to Us And Them, from Dark Side of the Moon. Best saxophone in rock and roll.

A few little collectible buttons from the 70's