‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ was released on 1^st March 1973 and earlier this month, the album celebrated its 50^th Anniversary. What better way to celebrate the occasion than feature the iconic album in our Vinyl Review section.

Fans all over the world have their own theories around what the art symbolizes of one of the world’s best rock albums ever. So let’s delve into the cover art.

Designed by Aubrey Powell and Storm Thorgerson of Hipgnosis, the original design was born during their late night brainstorm sessions. They had limitless creative freedom as Pink Floyd gave them the bare minimal creative direction. Richard Wright suggested them to "do something clean, elegant and graphic".

Thorgerson presented a photograph of the dispersion of light by a prism, a photo he saw in a physics textbook. Along with many other ideas, Hipgnosis presented the prism design to the band which was almost immediately approved by Pink Floyd.

Roger Waters then suggested that the image should extend across the gatefold of the album cover and a heartbeat blip would be featured inside.

The Triangle symbolises thought and ambition. The artists also realised that Floyd never really celebrated their light shows. Hence, all of this was translated into a simple yet very impactful Album Art of one of the best Albums of ALL TIME.

Our take - The prism symbolises our mind and the conditioning we are put through our entire lives. The white light symbolises what and how we're supposed to be in order to be accepted and be a part of it. The rainbow symbolises us breaking out of the conditioning and being our authentic self.

The back cover symbolises the cyclical nature of this process. i.e. when one person who's authentically themself changes the mindset of people around them, is when we realize we're all humans after all. And the design inside is simply, what keeps us all alive i.e. our heart and it's beats.

‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ is the eighth studio album by the English rock band, and was developed during live performances. The band performed an early version several months before recording actually began. 

A true colossus of classic rock, the album made its creators namely band members bassist/vocalist Roger Waters, guitarist/vocalist David Gilmour, keyboardist/vocalist Rick Wright, and drummer Nick Mason wealthy, with the album spending a mind-boggling 937 weeks on the Billboard 200. The album was also a commercial success for the British quartet and till date every rock fan’s dream to own.

As for the songs, they are so popular that a mention would create debate on how good each song is from the other. But it can surely be said that the album’s music and lyrics are sung even today. Besides being one of the most loved album for rock fans, it is a must listen at any rock music gathering.

The album had a genuine meaning, which according to the band was about the pressures of life as a musician. But the album expanded to include songs about broader topics such as wealth (Money), armed conflict (Us and Them), madness (Brain Damage), squandered existences (Time) and death (The Great Gig in the Sky). The album as one of the members claimed was thematic.

This album is available on vinyl at @drocer.record.

Rating: *****

Release date: 1^st March 1973

Label: Harvest Records

Reviewed By Kinjal Gosar

Kinjal Gosar is the Founder of Drocer Record, an online Vinyl Record Store based in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. She is a Rock head and a vinyl collector herself. They also have their Demo set up at Adagio, Bandra. Drocer Record is your one-stop shop for all your vinyl record needs. Our aim is to spread the joy of listening to music by transporting you to another world. We sell records of all genres – new and pre-loved, speakers, amps and audio solutions, cleaning solutions, Hi Fi Audio Solutions, Vinyl Accessories, and a lot more. www.drocerrecord.com