Pink Floyd • The Dark Side of the Moon
Harvest Records SHVL 804
33-RPM 180 g LP
This multi-million selling record from 1973 hardly needs an introduction, but given that there are so many younger people getting into vinyl for the first time, it’s possible that some of them haven’t heard this ground-breaking record yet (especially on vinyl). My most memorable introduction to The Dark Side of the Moon was at my first hi-fi show in England, back in the early 1990s. Many of the exhibitors were using the album in their demos, a favourite track being Time. (I kick myself even to this day for not picking up a copy or two of Mobile Fidelity’s UHQR version of this album, which was plentifully available at the time!)
Considering its vintage, the sound quality on the album is great. Actually, scratch that. The sound quality on this album is great, period. This is no doubt a testimony to the skill and care the producer, Alan Parsons, put into the project. The bass, when needed to be, is thunderously deep. For example, check out the opening heartbeat, the aforementioned Time, and side two’s opening track, Money. The latter is also a good example of how to capture the air and decay around clock gongs and chimes. And if your system is really up to it, you’ll hear some very deep bass playing in the background.
The 30th Anniversary Edition under review here is pressed on thick, flat, virgin vinyl, and comes in a sumptuous heavy cardboard gatefold sleeve. Also included in the package are three posters and some stickers.
Very highly recommended, I’d go as far to say that The Dark Side of the Moon is an essential part of any record collection.