February 17th – What makes an album special? Is it just that
the time is right, the musical climate is such that the tunes and lyrics tap
into the national psyche? If so, can we dissect the success of ‘Dark Side of
the Moon’ (DSotM) and work out just what
makes it so special...and does anyone GAF? Well, while we're together it’s got
to be worth a punt, huh?
Starting point: - In 1972, on this day, Pink Floyd performed
a piece called ‘Eclipse’ at the Rainbow Theatre
and, one year later it became one of the tracks on DSotM. So let’s
dissect: the 70’s.
Political climate was tense to say
the least. Strikes, three-day week, blackouts and fights with the unions who
flexed their muscles and were instrumental in forcing the Conservative Party
leader (Edward Heath) out of office along with his cronies…and something they
never forgot (Thatcher exacted payback in the 1980’s; the Conservative Party –
aka The Ruling Class’ – have long
memories and bear even longer grudges) …decimalisation and a fucked-up currency,
employment shaky at best, and Harold Wilson in charge; the man who was paranoia
personified and began the circumvention of the press and BBC to bend them his
way and on his terms (something that Blair and Campbell continued – no
political allegiances here) and blatantly saw to it that friends were rewarded
for services rendered.
Space exploration was stretching out
to Mars and beyond, leaving the care of the Earth as secondary to this
excitement and emphasising the profit to be made from our planet (‘Silent
Spring’ – see January 9th – had not long made its impact). A level of hope in a
fairer, co-operative future, the central tenet of hippiedom, was slowly being
crushed under the weight of the cold war, Vietnam
The feeling began to percolate that
what the ruling classes wanted was for us all to work ‘til we dropped for our
(their) benefit. The ruling class’ level of madness was recognised for the
madness it was but, as the 70's rolled into the 80's what was also realised was
the dwindling possibility of the population being able to do anything to alter
it. Death and desecration awaited us all as our reward for capitulation to the
capitalist agenda…and you thought it was all about peace, love and
bongs....shame on you!
As the DSotM track listing shows, the
reason why it was and continues to be so popular is because it saw into the
future; we explored this premise on its release, playing the tracks and
deciphering the runes in clouds of doubt and disbelief…but we recognise the
truth of Pink Floyd’s inscriptions now.
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