The Dark Side Of The Moon is recorded from June 1972 to January 1973 at Abbey Road studio in London and released March 1973. It is pressed in 100’s of versions and it can be quite a job to state which exact version you have. The first release came with a promotional booklet, beside the pyramid poster, the band poster and the 2 stickers. The first releases also came with different openings. I unfortunately never found the first or even second UK releases for a price I was willing to pay.

I have had different later versions during time, and have kept two. One is a 77 UK release I inherited from my uncle Allan, which have a great amount of affectionate value for me. The second is the remastered 30th Anniversary Edition from 2003. The “look-a-like” original packing includes stickers and posters plus a new 30th anniversary poster. It is pressed on 180g vinyl and the version I normally listen.

Pink Floyd is one of my absolute favorite bands during time. And Dark Side is one of the best produced albums ever made, in my humble opinion. I have tagged it as a “Complete album” – a tag I will use for a very few albums from now on. It means that I consider it as a kind of complete listening experience from first to last tune. And one of the  albums I always listen completely, from start to end. In this case from the heartbeat in Speak To Me to the final heartbeat in Eclipse. In between there is so many delicate finesses, like the passage from Speak To Me to Breathe, which can be a kind of overwhelming quadraphonic experience on concerts. The fantastic start on On The Run which gives me goosebumps every time and  the total experience of attention when The Great Gig turns into Money. On LP you unfortunately have to flip the vinyl at that time…..

One of my biggest regrets in my life is, that I never experienced Pink Floyd live. Like the real thing. I had the chance in 1994 during the The Division Bell Tour (okay only 75% the real thing without Waters) but something got in the way. But Dark Side Of The Moon have been my absolute best concert experience anyway, especially the tour with Roger Waters and co., back in 2007. I went to both concerts in Denmark, the first one was outdoor in a small park in Augustenborg, 1. May 2007, and very very intimate. As I remember with only 10.000 people. The concerts was in 2 parts, first set with a mix of songs like In the Flesh, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Wish You Were Here and Sheep. Second set the full Dark Side Of The Moon. Between the sets a pause in which some sound with birds was played and a video with a slowly growing moon was showed on the stage. The experience was total when the curtain went off to that second set. I think it was planned, if a coincidence one of the biggest ever. At the same moment as Speak To Me starts the real full moon arises over the trees, big and shiny as it can be that low in the horizon. Now the goosebumps comes back, just thinking back on the concerts while writing. A once in lifetime thing for everybody there I am sure. And extremely lucky with a cloudless late May evening in Denmark.

David Gilmour – vocals, guitars, Synth
Roger Waters – vocals, bass guitar
Nick Mason – drums, percussion
Richard Wright – organ, piano, electric piano, vocals

Additional musicians:
Dick Parry – saxophone
Clare Torry – vocals
Doris Troy – backing vocals
Lesley Duncan – backing vocals
Liza Strike – backing vocals
Barry St. John – backing vocals