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Want to share your thoughts and memories of The Dark Side of the Moon? Send us an e-mail: allsongs@npr.org
Pink Floyd is the melodious anthem generator; for the introspective, the
anti-war, and the anti-nonsense.
Their Dark Side of the Moon was one of the first albums I remember
becoming familiar with as a young high school freshman growing up in
Lynbrook, Long Island.
As an introspective youth, like my friends, I was drawn to the
thoughtfulness, sentimental and haunting tones and the slow, methodical,
almost spiritual, meditative state that Pink Floyd's music is and
inspires.
Many in my circle of friends were quiet types, some athletic, some not,
some 'A' students, some not, but all were what you might call, more or
less on the fringe--not fitting into the cliques, and the grooves and
the class structure--for lack of a better phrase--that is so much a part
of the American high school suburban landscape. Pink Floyd is for these
people.
The first songs I ever consciously listened to as a matter of fact--in
my young adolescent years that is--were Shine on You Crazy Diamond
(about Sid Barret, the band's founder who went mad) and Welcome to the
Machine (about the cynical world of professional music production), not
from The Dark Side of the Moon, but equally powerful in my
impressionable years.
Pink Floyd appeals to the young thinker, artist, and perhaps especially
even to the malcontent. And Dark Side is a mix of their more
well-rounded approach to his concerns. In fact it talks to everyone,
about money, death, time, and the after-life, or insanity and senility.
The words they spun were poetic, not commercial; questioning, and not
usually really answering, and always a tad depressed, which signals a
theme in the young American rebel who finds growing up confusing, war to
be a crock, time potentially slipping away--though you're young --and
other musical release, like disco and heavy-metal rock and roll a bit
tin, false, and stupid. But mostly it says 'look at the world out
there, and in here.'
Pink Floyd is for the guy or girl who wants to find out, and not
necessarily 'break out.'
As described by an announcer I once heard doing a review of Pink Floyd,
they focus on themes of fear, madness, and loneliness. These are
important topics to consider and reflect on in the human experience and
I think the right time to look at them is as soon as one is able to. So
at the age of fourteen, I was a prime candidate to explore such things,
as I was discovering my fascinations and fears involving girls, school,
and at times, being alone. I had an inkling they were angry about the
degradation of the environment too.
Later, when I had become enraged over what Reagen had done in Nicaragua,
and what Pappy Bush did in Panama and Iraq (and so forth,) The Final Cut
impressed upon me--as did The Wall--how insane war is and it blended
with my feeling that our leaders use war as corporate welfare projects
and vote-gathering machines. Fletcher Memorial Home (for insane
'tyrants and kings,' for those of you who don't know), which mentions
Reagen and Haig had me 'sailing' with delight for its indictment from
across the sea of our 'ruthless' and 'toothless' leaders.
My friends and I listened in the car, in the house, and...in our heads.
Going back again to the beginning, I remember a bout of unrequited love,
which was basically because I was tongue-tied, and perhaps too young for
the the girl I was smitten with where we worked a Burger joint in the
town of East Rockaway.
She had a weightless, flowing, golden and brownish-blond mane and
crystal-blue eyes so bright that I could make them out
peripherally--from the corner of my vision--even when standing fifteen
feet away and parallel to her!
Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and its melodious and sliding rhythms
and its forlorn qualities were the perfect backdrop for my daily
mourning. I would pop in a tape and listen with my eyes closed as I
walked down the street, dreaming of escaping--while also reveling
in--the realness of -my sadness for Nancy Rapp, my voluptuous coworker
and muse at the register.
the Russians had just invaded Afghanistan (though at the time I didn't
understand that the US government had intentionally provoked this with
the formation of the Taliban), and the Iran-Contra affair was in the
works, but perhaps not on the map yet. The discontent in Pink Floyd's
words --with the state of the world--was on the money. Perhaps through
it, I was becoming remotely aware that the education I had gotten about
our great nation was not so sincere, and never have I had to reevaluate
my musical choices because it was short-sighted, naive, or "off the
mark." Even today, I can see I chose sounds and sentiments--or they
chose me--that actually describe our world in clear, universal terms and
feelings--that need no apologies, clarifications, or regrets due to
immaturity.
Pink Floyd also reminds me of a great friend with whom I shared a lot of
crazy times. In fact the music is a sort of score to our relationship.
We would often be driving down Sunrise Highway, Merrick Road, or
wherever screaming the soulful lyrics of 'Run,' or other tunes,
delivering our angst to the world. I couldn't forget this album, or the
band, without sacrificing a large part of my own youth.
There was a time I cannot forget when my buddies Adam, Stuart and I
painted one cinder-block wall of Adam's basement white with blue trim
and I spray-painted "The Wall" on it, in proper fashion to mimic Gerald
Scarf's hand-writing on the album. We all then posed for photos in
front of it, adding the inclusion of a 'found' highway safety
horse--complete with flickering yellow light--and strewn newspapers
about, so that it looked like we were outside...
On another Floyd album, perhaps more famous world-wide than Dark Side of
the Moon, The Wall: My high-school buddy Chris was so affected by
the album's art that he adopted Gerald Scarf's splattered paint
hand-writing style as his own for quite some time.
Chris and I went on to study at the School of Visual Art in Manhattan.
Chris is now an artist, designer, triathlete, and martial-arts
practioner living in Brooklyn, and I am an amateur artist, poet
activist, and tutor living in South Korea. Adam is a political science
Phd. candidate finishing his studies at the University of Maryland, and
Stuart is a retired anthropologist, school teacher, social activist, and
story-teller in Boston.
And here, 'ticking away are the moments that make up a (not so) dull
day' thanks to this chance to revel in my 'Dark Side of the Moon'
moments.
Carl Atteniese
Seoul
Having grown in the seventies and being surrounded by my best friend's older brothers, I was well exposed to various types of music. My personal tastes leaned more to Hot Tuna, The Dead, The Airplane, the Kinks and the Allman brothers. I was exposed to Pink Floyd through my other friends and listened with some detachment. I found them interesting but not worthy of ranking in my top twenty artists. As the seventies passed I became more interested in the alternative bands like The heads, The Cars, Television, and gradually started to listen to Hard Core Punk and Reggae. Years later after being married, I met a gentleman in Vermont who owned a small expensive culinary store and was a retired-something, as so many people in Vermont are, from New York. I secretly wondered how he survived selling outrageously expensive pans but assumed he financed his lifestyle from his previous endeavors. A few months later my mother called and asked me if I had heard of a guy named Pink Floyd. I told her I had heard of the gentleman and asked why she inquired. She told me that Phil, not his name, was president of Pink Floyd America, or something like that, and had some sort of touring rights when the band toured in the states. She asked me if I wanted tickets. I went to see them in Foxboro, Massachusetts and saw what was to be the most memorable concert of my life. Strangely enough, every song evoked a memory that I didn't even know I had about the band: making out with Jill Swenson, Jimmy Wood's basement, places and moments from my past that were buried for years. I bought the tour album and it sits near the front of my collection today.
Deryck Rhode Island
I left Tacoma as a nine year old youth in late 1945 and returned
30 years later after growing up in New York City. I stayed with
my brother at his house on Lake Tapps, south of Auburn, on
the road to Mount Rainier.
While visiting Tacoma my brother and I stopped by the old place
where we lived on South 9th Street and then we went to the
newly renovated Old City Hall which now was a mini-mall and
I purchased Dark Side at one of the record stores.
We had lunch in the old jail which had been converted to a restaurant
and the drunk tank was now the waiting area for the restaurant,
a room ten by ten with a 20 foot high celling. Drunks were once
thrown in the room to sober up over night.
After lunch I went into the drunk tank and laid down on the
cushion and stared up at the ceiling and imagined what a
drunk must have felt like in that space.
On the way out, I slapped the Dark Side album sticker on the
wall next to the entrance to the drunk tank and went back to
Lake Tapps and played the entire album lying on the floor in
the middle of the living room in the dark.
David in Washington
I was introduced to Pink Floyd by my first two (older) roommates on my first day at College at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo California, where we studied architecture. Pink Floyd's music accompanied most of our talks, recreational times and meals.
I first heard The Dark Side of the Moon at a California AIA (American Institute of Architects) Convention in Monterey when a group of students from Sci Arch (a brand new school that had just been founded in Santa Monica) used it as the sound track for a slide presentation they had prepared. The automated 9 projector show with dissolve units represented the latest "technology" of the early 70"s. Choreographed to this incredible album the stunning show made a huge impact on the audience.
I have remained life long friends with those two roommates and we are all still big Pink Floyd fans. I listen to their CD's (I almost said albums) on a regular basis. The uniquly creative qualities of it are forever intermingled with my work as an architect. Their music will continue to be a part of my life in the years ahead.
Ron in California
My father was a Southern Baptist
minister in a small mid-western town
where the words "album rock" were
synonymous with "sin".
While my older sister was attending
summer bible camp in the early 1970's,
she drew the attraction of a young man
from a distant town. As with many summer
camp romances, it never amounted to more
than a few letter exchanges. However,
during their romance, the young man sent
a copy of DSOTM to her. After the
several weeks, the romance ended and my
sister gave me her copy of DSOTM and it
became my very first album. Thank heaven
for summer bible camp romances!
Having the DSOTM as the first album
creates this false expectation of all
other rock albums. I remember purchasing
Queen's News of the World with my
hard-earned lawn mowing money, listening
to it, and thinking that I got
ripped off! I slowly learned that no
other album could equal DSOTM. (Reality
bites when you are only twelve!)
For many years, I dealt with feelings
of guilt because of my love for DSOTM.
As a pastor's son, near-perfect
attendance to Sunday School was an
expectation. The Sunday School teachers
thought it was important for young
people to memorize bible verses every
week. I was horrible at this. However, I
could easily recite every lyric in
perfect order of DSOTM! I related to the
album's message and found myself
listening to it more than I read the
"Holy Book". At this stage of my young
life, I thought this probably made God
very angry at me.
Since then, I have discovered that
there are many spiritual journeys one
can take. DSOTM happens to be one that
has lasted almost 30 years for me. If
there is a heaven, I hope I can take my
copy of DSOTM, I think God might enjoy
listening to it... with headphones, of
course!
Stephen in Missouri
In 1974, a girl who had a reputation in our group as somewhat "rebellious" played DSOTM for me at her home while her parents sat sealed off in their den. From the opening track, I could tell that this was no ordinary album. The girl eventually ran away from home and resurfaced a few days later in another state.
In 1978, DSOTM was playing in the background as my girlfriend and I lost ourselves in the ascending wails of "Great Gig in the Sky".
Today, the album is as potent as ever, evoking memories and making me reconsider where I am in my own life. How did these guys manage to get the ideas for DSOTM in the first place? Wherever the genesis, DSOTM remains relevant and powerful. One of the all-time milestones of popular culture.
Duncan in Texas
I found it interesting that up until today I might have felt at least a slight hesitation admitting that Dark Side of the Moon remains indelibly etched as one of the most important pieces of music in my lifetime. Perhaps knowing that snickers would surely follow. Today's NPR story helped give credibility to a piece of music enjoyed by millions who listened, amazed, over and over again. Altered states or not, it is truly a masterpiece. I've often wondered though, why the album seems to appeal more to males.
Tom in Connecticut
Dark Side of the Moon is special to me because it was the first record album ever I purchased. I was 9 years old in 1975 and I now cannot remember why I chose Dark Side over The Beatles 1966-1970 (the blue album). I wore out Dark Side of the Moon within a year and then purchased a replacement copy which soon became scratchy after another couple of years (I think I had learned to take better care of records at that point). In the late '80s as compact discs started to displace vinyl records, I purchased my current copy (along with Wish You Were Here) for just a few dollars at a liquidation sale. I still have these records in my collection.
When I purchased the compact disc version of Dark Side of the Moon recently, I asked my wife to rent The Wizard of Oz. This was the first time I tried the famous synchronicity between the album and the movie and we found it to be cute and occasionally enrapturing, but we both agree that Roger Waters and the rest of the band were not watching The Wizard of Oz while mixing the tracks for the Dark Side album. It is fun to do once.
John in Vermont
I was 11 when The Dark Side of the Moon was released. I was still listening to A.M. pop music. A couple years later, as I began listening to what used to be called progressive rock radio, I was exposed to the majesty of this amazing and thought provoking soundscape. While Roger Waters later works became more strident and literal, part of what makes DSOTM so enduring for me is the imagery of its lyrics and how they interplay with the music. I was very inspired by it and chose to write a paper for a high school class analyzing the album's psychological and allegorical content. The paper was forgettable and overly serious. But the album endures and I still find new surprises and interpretations all these years later.
Bill in New Jersey
I recently enjoyed your piece commemorating the 30th anniversary of DSOTM.
However, I think the piece focused too much on people's opinions of it,
and neglected to talk about the album's relevance to Pink Floyd and the
direction the band took after its release. I also found it ironic that the
only opinions expressed were the opinions of record company executives
given Roger Waters' disapproval of the record industry. The report would
have been more interesting had you discussed how this album was a
breakout album for Pink Floyd. Although not their first album, it was the
album that released them from Syd Barret's shadow. This is expressed in
the song "Brain Damage" when the lyrics "when the band you're in starts
playing different tunes, I'll see you on the dark side of the moon" are sung.
This was a monumental album for both the rock industry and the band,
and future reports should express this. Thank you.
Mikisha in Tennessee
In December of 1979, I threw an end-of-the-decade party and one of my guests
was the music critic of the Louisville Times' weekend magazine, Scene. (It's
been SO many years her name escapes me). I posed the question to her "What do
you consider to be the album of the decade?" She knew where I was going with
this question, and turned it back to me. Of course, I said Dark Side of the
Moon, citing as probably the cause of the explosive popularity on the college
scene at the time (of which I was part) the innovative blend of music styles
and acoustic imagery. She took all this in and we moved on with our party
mingling. Imagine my surprise when I saw her next column, featuring that
question and my nomination of DSOTM. Mind you, this was before the popular
media became obsessed with top-10/100/1000 lists, so I felt quite honored that
she chose to give my question and nomination any ink. Sadly, the Louisville
Times is gone, like so many other metropolitan afternoon dailies. Even more
sadly, it wasn't long after that party that the columnist friend was killed in
a freak boating accident. Whenever I hear the album, I recall that friend,
that party and her column. Thank you for featuring this tribute to an epoch-making album.
Bill in Florida
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