I’m a big fan of music that takes full advantage of the technology available in the music studio. My personal music deity, Enigma, is all about taking studio wizardry to the extreme. So, in an effort to educate myself on the origins of the Studio as Musical Instrument, I bought the Pink Floyd classic, “Dark Side of the Moon.”
Its overrated.
Now, saying that about an album that’s been declared the best Rock record ever isn’t really very damning. Just before heading over to Barnes and Noble, I even read an Amazon review that said it can’t live up to its own reputation, so I was forewarned.
However, I also read reviews that raved about the complete lack of filler on the album. I’d say that half of the songs are really good. Tracks 1 and 10 are a fairly bland intro/outro pair, and track 3, “On the Run,” is a truly boring instrumental electronic piece. It may have been wildly original and creative at the time, but the music community has come a long way since 1973.
The big single from the album, “Money,” really rubs me the wrong way. “Money, so they say, Is the root of all evil today” would merely seem comically simplistic, if it didn’t misattribute and/or trivialize the root causes of domestic violence, rape, and genocide. Art allows for hyperbole, but if you’re going to disuss serious topics, you should put some serious thought into them.
Despite my complaints, I do like the album as a whole. “Time” and “The Great Gig in the Sky” are a particularly good pair of tracks. And, I want to emphasize how much I appreciate Pink Floyd’s exploration of soundscapes, and the boundaries they pushed with effects use. Once I listen to the whole thing a few more times, I’m going to try the famous Wizard of Oz sync-up. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, its worth looking up.
