Pink Floyd and The Dark Side of the Moon: 50 Years

by Martin Popoff

Overview

Take a deep dive into one of the best-selling albums ever on the 50th anniversary of its release with this beautifully produced and authoritatively written slipcased edition.

Veteran rock critic Martin Popoff leaves no stone unturned in taking apart Pink Floyd’s generation-spanning masterpiece, The Dark Side of the Moon, while exploring each of the album’s 10 tracks and their themes of madness, anxiety, and alienation. Chapters cover:

• The state of Pink Floyd as of 1972, with special emphasis on deposed founder Syd Barrett
• The recording sessions at famed Abbey Road Studios, including techniques used and the roles of personnel such as engineer Alan Parsons
• Song-by-song studies of each album side, including analyses of lyrics and the guitars, drums, keyboards, and synthesizers employed by members David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright
• The ground-breaking art and packaging created by design firm Hipgnosis and its founder Storm Thorgerson
• The continent-hopping tours that supported the album and also introduced the songs before its release
• The rock group’s trajectory post-Dark Side, including notable albums, tours, and the departure of Waters

Popoff also takes you on side journeys examining each band member, session players, prog rock, the Live at Pompeii concert and film, Waters’ singular writing technique, Dark Side collectibles, awards, and more. There’s even a brief discography and complete LP tour dates.

Presented in a 10.5" × 10.5" slipcased book, Pink Floyd and The Dark Side of the Moon is illustrated with stunning performance and candid off-stage photography as well as rare memorabilia.

The result is a richly presented celebration and your ultimate tribute to the prog-rock masterpiece.

The Great Albums series presents authoritative explorations of rock’s most revered records, beautifully packaged for fans to treasure. Delve into even more groundbreaking releases with: The Who & Quadrophenia, Prince and Purple Rain, Bruce Springsteen and Born to Run, and Queen & A Night at the Opera, with more to come.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780760379295
Publisher:	Motorbooks
Publication date:	02/14/2023
Series:	The Great Albums
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	10.40(w) x 10.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Working out of Toronto, Canada, Martin Popoff (martinpopoff.com) has penned more than 100 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock, and record collecting, including Rush: The Illustrated History, Led Zeppelin: Song by Song, Pink Floyd: Album by Album, Bowie at 75, AC/DC at 50, Kiss at 50, and In the Groove. In addition, he has appeared in Revolver, Guitar World, Goldmine, RecordCollector, bravewords.com, lollipop.com, and hardradio.com. Martin also worked on the award-winning documentaries Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage and ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas for Banger Films.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1 The Context: Pink Floyd Before 1973 
2 The Sessions
3 The Art and Packaging 
4 Side One
5 Side Two
6 The Tour
7 Sales and Awards
8 Pink Floyd Post-Dark Side
Tour Date Archive
Image Credits
About the Author
Index
 

Editorial Reviews

"...a stunning slipcased edition that leaves no stone unturned in dissecting Pink Floyd‘s generation-defining classic, The Dark Side of the Moon...Popoff’s authoritative analysis takes you on a journey through every aspect of this iconic album. Get ready to experience the album in a whole new way."—HappyMag.TV

"Pink Floyd And The Dark Side Of The Moon is a stunning book, something that is only furthered when flipping through its pages. Popoff has delivered a true coffee table book experience full of photos of the band, artwork, and vintage posters, merch, and gear to recreate the post ‘60s era within the pages. By limiting his focus to a single album, Popoff is able to thoroughly explore the many things that made Pink Floyd and The Dark Side Of The Moon so special in the first place rather than skimming over elements to make room for the next record."—Spill Magazine

"Popoff expertly delves into the songs’ lyrics and instruments, with chapters revolving around founder Syd Barrett, the Abbey Road recording sessions (techniques used, the role of engineer Alan Parsons), the artwork and packaging designed by Hipgnosis with Storm Thorgerson (and a side trip into the company’s other clients such as AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, etc.), the Dark Side of the Moon tours, and Pink Floyd’s subsequent albums before and after Roger Waters’ departure." —Rock Cellar Magazine

From the Publisher