Dark Side of the Moon 30th Anniversary Edition

The Super Audio CD (SACD) features two disc layers. One layer contains a standard version of the album that works on any CD player. The other layer includes high-resolution stereo and a 5.1 surround version of the recording that works on SACD-compatible DVD players and home theater systems. Both layers employ SACD's Direct Stream Digital (DSD) encoding process that samples the music 64 times faster than CD for unprecedented fidelity.

Dark Side of the Moon, originally released in 1973, is one of those albums that is discovered anew by each generation of rock listeners. This complex, often psychedelic music works very well because Pink Floyd doesn't rush anything; the songs are mainly slow to mid-tempo, with attention paid throughout to musical texture and mood. The sound effects on songs like "On the Run," "Time" and especially "Money" (with sampled sounds of clinking coins and cash registers turned into rhythmic accompaniment) are impressive, especially when we remember that 1973 was before the advent of digital recording techniques. This is probably Pink Floyd's best-known work, and it's an excellent place to start if you're new to the band. --Genevieve Williams

THE best album of all time, without a doubt. I have purchased perhaps a dozen of this CD over time, both for myself and as gifts. Over 1,500 weeks on Billboard. Just Google it and you'll see why it is the best. -ron

Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' has reached almost a mythical status among rock music lovers. The album is as enigmatic as the band itself. It is their highest selling album. It still enjoys enormous airplay, even though it is decades old. Why has this album captured so many people and why does it still endure? As with many great albums (or works of art) there a several reasons. At the most basic level, the albums has a series of killer songs that are hypnotic in quality. They are written very well, have tremendous guitar solos, and become better with each repeated listening. They sound timeless and have not dated at all. My personal favorite song is 'Time'. So many people can relate to this song because so many people have wasted precious time in their lives and continue to do so on a daily basis. At first, I did not understand what the hype was about this album because I listened to it on this basic level. But, the secret to 'Dark Side of the Moon' does not lie in listening to the individual songs. Pink Floyd is a band not set on singles. They create albums for the sake of listening to them in their entirety. If one is going to approach this album and one is going to "get it", listen to it non-stop from beginning to end. There are instrumentals, but they are not fillers. They are an essential part of the full package. If one approaches the album this way, they will understand why it is the legend that it is. So, what is the central theme of the album? Although the band members have stated there are several big themes, the main one might be very personal. It think 'Dark Side of the Moon' is about the individual becoming older. It is about the individual becoming more cynical and bitter with the passage of time. It is about the individual realizing their mortality, and eventually their time on Earth will come to an end. That life is a constant struggle against time, money, and other individuals. In their hearts, I think most people realize this message. Surprisingly, the album has touched people's heart more than their minds. This is what great music is all about. This might be why 'Dark Side of the Moon' is arguably the most important album in rock music history. If The Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper' was the transformation of rock music music becoming art, that 'Dark Side of the Moon' might have been the final completion. People have to learn to differentiate between importance and personal preference. Personally, I like 'Wish You Were Here' over this album. But if someone were to ask me what is the most important Pink Floyd album, I would most likely say 'Dark Side of the Moon'. Just like 'Citizen Kane' is not my favorite film, I would not hesitate to say it is the most important American film ever. The album spend 741 weeks, over 14 years, in the top Billboard 200. Although albums sales are not always a good measure of classics, this album resonated with both critics and the public. I think it is more important the album has resonated more with the public. It is the public's love of this album that has kept it alive. No need for the critics to praise it, the public already knows. See it one entity, and as a single entity no other album could take you on the journey this album will. The music is absolutely hypnotic and strange. It is made ever more subliminal with the talking voices in the background. When the band members were recording the album, they would ask a series of questions to people. These questions were along the lines of, "When was the last time you were violent?" "What do you think of the dark side of the moon?" The answers people gave are the voices we hear in the background. It was a very clever idea. Pink Floyd was always an experimental band, and this album was probably their greatest experimental achievement. So in what kind of mental state would one enjoy this album the most? Of coarse, the most obvious answer given is when one is stoned. Well, I've never listened to this album stoned, and I think many people would not want to get stoned just to listen to it. I recommend someone listen to this album after a long day's work; when one is tired and sad with life rather than angry or frustrated. Listen to it alone, as the day turns to night. Listen to it staring off into space. It is then the album has the magic to take the listener through the atmosphere, past the moon, and farther.

There are a few nay-sayers among the reviews of this album, and to them I say: This album is billed as the 30th Anniversary Edition. That's "edition", not re-release. The word strongly implies "somehow different" and this album is definitely different. The only reason to buy it, in my opinion, is to upgrade your historical collection of "Dark Side" to the newest and dramatically improved technology, and perhaps to hear a different opinion on how the mixdown should be done. Audiophile purists continue to sneer at "CD" technology, and for a few good reasons. The sampling frequency is such that subtle overtones in the uppermost registers which contribute to spatial imaging are lost or trashed. SACD essentially solves that problem. But the big deal with this release is in the 5.1 track. Surely, Pink Floyd intended to flabbergast the listener with spatial imaging of sounds, both eclectic and traditional, when this album was first released. But the technology just wasn't up to the task, to say the least. Now, however, the technology is unquestionably up to the task, and this album is a completely stunning example of a "blow you away" example of what 5.1 (or higher) surround is meant to provide. For anyone who has found the motivation (and $$) to upgrade their system to high quality audiophile grade components configured for 5.1 (or higher) surround sound, this album is an absolute MUST HAVE! The only indication on the album cover to suggest this is anything other than a regular CD is the tiniest of notices in a little square on the back which states, if you have a microscope to read it, that this album is a hybrid SACD. Oooooh, what a massive understatement! The subsonic information from the original tapes is ALL there! The image field is huge and constantly in motion. This is a new acoustic experience! Particularly for the fortunate folks who have ability to reproduce the lowest fundamentals of pipe organ, this album will rock your listening room! Please, do not expect to "appreciate" this album in your car... this album was not intended to be schlepped into a car CD player or, God forbid, an MP3 player. Yuck.

I was 17 when this album was released, and I continue to enjoy it after all these years. It's part of the soundtrack of my life!

first off let me say that no i have not heard the origanly let me tell ya what's going on. I always knew aoubt Pink Floyd but i never really heard any of their music until a friend i met over the summer was like "dude you GOT TO check out pink floyd" Finaly i was able to get myself to an FYE. now the only CD i knew was of course "dark side of the moon" and the guy was like "here ya go son here's the 30th annaverasry" so i got it and went home and let me tell you this CD is far out man. it's like all the songs are connected it makes for grat surround music let me tell ya the main tracks that i really like though track 2 breathe- this one is pretty cool the lyrics are alwasy and the lead guitar is pretty aswome track 4 time-this is probaboy my favorite pink floyd song the lyrics rock and that david gilmore plays a mean guitar trakc 6 money-like i said that david plays a mean guitar ya know what everything after money rocks so whatever look some people aren't going to like this kind of music in fact one of my friends to me "it's music that you kind of have to aquire a taste for" people that don't like pink floyd are "in my opion" people that just want somthing aswome here and now they can't just "wait until they see it" trust me it's a pretty cheap CD just buy it and after a few listins you're be hooked on them believe it