Which band released The Dark Side of the Moon?
Quick answer
The Dark Side of the Moon was released by the English rock band Pink Floyd in March 1973. It’s one of the best-selling albums ever, with an estimated 45 million copies sold, and it spent more than 950 weeks on the US Billboard 200 chart, a record.
Key facts
- Band
- Pink Floyd
- Released
- March 1, 1973
- Recorded at
- Abbey Road Studios, London
- Cover design
- Hipgnosis, illustrated by George Hardie
The album flows as one continuous piece, exploring pressures that can drive people to madness: time, money, conflict, ambition and mental illness. It was partly inspired by founding member Syd Barrett, who left the band in 1968 amid mental health struggles.
Pink Floyd in 1973
| Member | Role |
|---|---|
| Roger Waters | Bass, main lyricist |
| David Gilmour | Guitar, vocals |
| Richard Wright | Keyboards, vocals |
| Nick Mason | Drums |
Famous tracks
- “Money,” with its looped cash-register sound and unusual 7/4 rhythm
- “Time,” opening with a crash of clocks ringing at once
- “The Great Gig in the Sky,” featuring a wordless vocal by singer Clare Torry
- “Us and Them” and “Brain Damage”
The prism cover
The cover shows a beam of white light passing through a prism and splitting into a rainbow, against a black background. Designed by Hipgnosis, it became one of the most famous album covers in history. It represents the band’s light shows and the album’s themes of clarity and madness. The science behind it is the same that explains why the sky is blue: light is made of many colors.
Records and legacy
- Engineer Alan Parsons used cutting-edge studio techniques, sound effects and synthesizers.
- It was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, made famous by the Beatles’ last album.
- Its 50th anniversary in 2023 brought new remasters and a re-recording by Roger Waters.
Other famous Pink Floyd albums include Wish You Were Here (1975) and The Wall (1979).
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