It would take a little wonder for any form of Pink Floyd to be successful in the early 1970s. After becoming one of the most in-demand psychedelic groups in rock with their debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Syd Barrett would lose his mind to a series of drug excursions and mental health difficulties, forcing the rest of the band to carry on without him. Driven by a thirst for musical exploration, the group pushed boundaries until everything finally clicked with the Dark Side of the Moon.
Each classic Pink Floyd album often draws its core identity and inspiration from the one before it. Throughout the band’s epic, ‘Echoes,’ each member gave their all to create something stronger than any individual member could have. The composition featured huge sonar noises, and Roger Waters came into his own as a writer.
They had already road-tested the majority of the material by the time they began work on the Dark Side of the Moon. Songs like ‘Breathe‘ and ‘Time‘ had gone through several iterations before they were finally committed to tape. The band put bits and pieces of the track listing together during their live gigs.
With the support of engineer Alan Parsons, the band composed one of the greatest reflections on modern civilization. They attempted to address both the positive and negative aspects of the human condition. While the album benefited from each member’s unique contributions, one significant argument nearly forced a schism between them. This occurred before completing the album.
During the album’s creation, David Gilmour and Roger Waters would have passionate debates over how the record should sound. Even though the band was making great strides whenever they went into the studio, Gilmour recalls Waters wanting to pare things back to get a more direct tone across.
In an interview with Guitar World, Gilmour discussed how engineer Chris Thomas helped keep the peace at the sessions. “The constant friction between Gilmour and Roger over the mix necessitated the intervention of Chris Thomas.” They envisioned Dark Side as a sprawling sonic tapestry, drenched in reverb and conjuring up a sense of humid, shadowy expanses. And Roger insisted on it being a dry album. The influence of John Lennon’s stripped-down and unpolished Plastic Ono Band is evident in his work. The extent of our argument prompted the suggestion of seeking a neutral perspective.”
Even though the CD has a vast mix throughout each song, the balance is clear. Going through the song ‘Money‘ on its own, it’s clear to see both sides of the band’s creative energy at work. Gilmour performs a rock and roll bravado solo, then pares everything down for his second solo, which is bone-dry tone-wise.
However, the band’s decision to work on both sides of the production may have been a gift in disguise. Dark Side of the Moon was never going to be an easy record to make for any of the members. Yet, all of those hours of hard labor resulted in an album that might have been recorded today.
