ThreeTuneTuesday - Eclipse Music: The Dark Side of the Moon
Even though I did not get to enjoy yesterday's eclipse from a place where it was the sun was completely covered, the fading sunlight under a cloudless sky provided a weird feeling... and made me recall an album that has been among my favorites since I was a teen: The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd.
Progressive Rock at its Finest
Admittedly, the album came out six years before I was born, so during the musical discovery of my youth it got lumped together with Hendrix, Zappa, The Stones, The Beatles, and all the other "oldies". However, I soon realized that this masterpiece was something quite out of the ordinary. Even compared to Pink Floyd's other work, this one album seems to be a class of its own. So if you are not familiar with it, I urge you to listen to it attentively at least once.
Philosophical Concepts and Astronomical Events
In fact, to get the most out of it, I would say reading the lyrics of the songs along while listening to them is already half the experience. Some of the song titles give you an idea of what they are about. Time, or Money, for example, are self explanatory. Us and Them discusses conflict, whether between nations in forms of war, or points of view within oneself. Towards the end the relativity of everything is unraveled in Any Colour You Like, which creates another problem in form of the loss of the absolute. The result is the inability to form thoughts that are compatible with others, exemplified in Brain Damage. In the Eclipse is illustrated in a very simple but completely to the point final song. Its ending sound, the beat of a human heart, ties it neatly back up with the beginning of the album, creating a wonderful loop that could be enjoyed infinitely.
Subliminal Messages and Indirect Allusions
Okay, so what is the album all about? Human life? Our basic existence? The inevitable confusion and potential conflict originating in different perceptions? Maybe all of this, maybe none of it, maybe something completely different. In any case, I certainly think its worth giving this wonderfully complex musical masterpiece a try. It is not only an ideal soundtrack for watching an eclipse!
Form Your Own Opinion!
Instead of attempting any sensible explanation, or getting into discussions on how to interpret each idea, I want to leave you with the lyrics of the last song. They pretty much speak for themselves, way better than anyone analyzing them ever could:
All that you touch
And all that you see
All that you taste
All you feel
And all that you love
And all that you hate
All you distrust
All you save
And all that you give (all you give)
And all that you deal (oh-oh)
And all that you buy
Beg, borrow or steal (hey-hey)
And all you create
And all you destroy (whoa)
And all that you do
And all that you say (hey-hey)
And all that you eat (yeah)
And everyone you meet (everyone you meet)
And all that you slight
And everyone you fight (oh-oh-oh)
And all that is now
And all that is gone
And all that's to come
And everything under the sun is in tune (everything)
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon
One of the greatest Albums ever from the greatest rock band ever (IMHO)
The album certainly. As for Pink Floyd, I wasn't nearly as impressed with the rest of their work as with this amazing album. I guess it set the bar quite high, that The Wall or Division Bell, etc. could never reach.
yeah their later stuff was not as good, I agree "Wish you were here" was pretty damn good too
Right, and not to mention Piper at the Gates of Dawn... But for that was a whole different category. Not just the music, but the overall psycho/edelic experience with Syd Barrett at his zenith. Still, it doesn't come close to Dark Side.
👍