Customer Reviews

The Dark Side of the Moon: 30th Anniversary Edition

5 star:		(319)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

This new remaster of Dark Side of the Moon is a wonderful sonic treat. The subtle sound effects and rich tapestry of sound is now surrounding you in DSD 5.1 glory (if you have an SACD player) and the clarity is outstanding. I read where they went back to some original "un-pre-mixed" tracks that hanever been heard "first-generation" by any of us before. Very nice...

...BUT...

I have a few beefs, some minor, some major.

1. The song breaks are in the wrong places. Generally they take you not to the next track, but a few seconds before the real song break takes place. It's REAL aggravating. Oops...

2. The mix seems to me to be subtly different from what I'm used to (I never had the 92 remaster, only the original LP and CD releases) and in some cases, I'm afraid it's noticably different (inferior?) Most notably is "Great Gig in the Sky" where the wonderful vocal solo is relegated to the background, fighting for attention with the organ. This is somewhat mitigated by the surround mix, but on a standard CD player it was noticable, and a little irritating. Since I do a lot of listening in the car, I'm just not sure I wouldn't prefer the original CD to this there. Or I guess I could just burn the old vinyl copy onto CD (see below)

3. I'm sorry, but the title of this album is "Dark Side of the Moon", not "THE Dark Side of the Moon" as it says on the spine of this reissue. Serious proofreading error, imho. Maybe it's intentional, to distinguish?

4. Nice new cover art, but the original was perfect. I wish that the book had been reversible, so you could have the original cover image. (btw, I didn't like the change they made in 92 either) I know it's nitpicking, but back in the days when album art was 12" square it wouldn't have been.

Ultimately, it's worth getting if you're a fan of the album, and if you're not a fan of the album...what is your problem? But to my ears, as a CD, this does not surpass the High-quality Vinyl Original Master Recording from Mobile Fidelity that I listened to in the 80s (on a really good turntable and stereo). Unless of course, you must have surround. And if you must, you MUST hear this. The 5.1 mix is exhilirating, and not as obnoxious and "un-musical" as others I've heard. I give it 4 stars, because the SACD portion definitely gets 5, and the CD gets about 3, so I split the difference.

Well, as always, your mileage may vary...

It is quite possible for someone to hear this version of the album and hate it. When I first put it on, I wasn;t too happy myself. Then I switched my receiver to direct input mode, bypassing all of the processing that the receiver does and, well, wow.

The sound of this album on the SACD tracks is a revelation. First, let's deal with the stereo mix.

This is clearly the original stereo mix, with all the little bits of hiss and the tiny sound of some big band playing the beatles barely audible at the tail end of the album. No noise reduction, just really good, clean mastering with all the punch this recording needs. The roto-toms in "Time" pop out of the speakers, the opening guitars in "Breathe" shimmer", and, well, everything is just right.

Then we get to the surround mix. This is very well done, reflects the orignal stereo mix exactly in volume of instruments, reverb, and tone, surrounds the listener well, and has absolutely no hiss whatsoever. Amazing. Simply amazing.

The cd layer is merely adequate. I agree with other reviewers, something went amiss with the cd layer. But I bought this for the SACD content, and that is simply awesome. To the "engineer" who said that he wouldn't consider buying a SACD player after hearing the cd layer of this cd, let me offer you an analogy of what you are saying:

I have a 1978 VW bus that I drive occasionally. It shares many common engine parts with some Porshes made at the same time. Your saying that the cd convinces you to ignore the SACD is like me saying that I don't like Porshes because my VW bus doesn't go 100 mph. Sharing parts doesn't make my car a Porshe, and just because the disc is round and shiny doesn't mean that SACD isn't any good.

Enjoy!

Being a Pink Floyd fan, I have purchased every version of this album since it was released 30 years ago.

By far the best version is the SQ Quadraphonic LP version, but as far as the stereo mix goes, the original UK Harvest CD (made in Japan) is still the high point.

Ten years ago, the fine engineer Doug Sax made a valiant effort, but it is clear listening to that XXth Aniversary Edition CD that the original tapes no longer have the same dynamics they originally had (magnetic analog storage slowly loses it quality).

Nevertheless, I decided to give this new 30th Anniversary CD a try. I should mention here that this is only a review of the standard stereo tracks - I don't yet have an SACD-capable player.

However this release doesn't make me want to run out and buy one. My worst fears have been realized as once again, the overall mix of the album has been lost in favor of "resolving power", ie the ability to hear little details. The problem is that after applying techniques to bring out such details, the engineers have done nothing to restore the original mix of the album.

The result is like a starving artist's copy of a Rembrandt painting - it sounds something like Dark Side of the Moon, but when you hear the real thing, you realize that it is only a faded imitation.

The problem is that few people these days have access to what it actually sounds like. Almost no one listens to their LP versions, and only a handful of people are lucky enough to own the original UK Harvest CD. Furthermore, it seems clear that the engineers of this 30th Anniversary Edition haven't listened to the original, either.

Interestingly, the original engineer, Alan Parsons, asked to be involved in this 30th Anniversary Edition project, but was shut out. It would seem that future listeners suffer as a result.

PS My qualifications: I am a California state certified Studio Recording Engineer. One of my instructors was the original engineer for the drum recordings for "Dark Side of the Moon". I compared the 30th Anniversary Edition, XXth Anniversary Edition, and UK Harvest CDs using AKG K240 Studio Monitor headphones (as used in many studio recording situations over the past 20-30 years).

Another customer comments that this remaster does not stand up against the original Harvest UK CD issue. I have not heard that, but I do own the original US CD issue, the 20th anniversary US issue, the Mobile Fidelity gold CD, and a number of LPs, including a French pressing from a pre-Wall "complete" box set. Until I heard this, the best-sounding version I'd heard was a Japanese Mobile Fidelity pressing played on a world-class turntable in an incredible stereo system. Stunning.

It's true that the standard-CD version of the album presented here on the 30th anniversary reissue is overly compressed and hyped in the treble and not what I would call faithful to my conception of what the master tape sounds (or ought to sound) like.

But the SACD tracks! It's a completely different program. It is far and away the most lucid, dynamic incarnation I've heard, open and airy and simply *clear* beyond my dreaming. The bass tones in the opening of "Time" explode from the speakers with an authority I've heard only in listening to SACD material on terrific systems. It's not at all about *quantity* of bass. It's not boomy. There's simply an ease and richness in the sound of the bass that I can only compare to the sound of a plucked string from an electric bass guitar emanating from a great bass amp.

If you already own this album on CD and you don't have an SACD player, you may want to consider sticking with the version you have. But if you're set up to appreciate Super Audio CD and you like or think you might like this album, this disc is a must-have. Especially at this price! (And it is indeed *The* Dark Side of the Moon, contrary to what another has opined below.)

....even if you *can't* access the surround-sound mix! I won't bother reviewing the album itself---we know already that Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon" is an immortal rock masterpiece. The big question about this special 30th Anniversary Edition is, is it worth getting, especially if you've already shelled out money for the original CD version, the Mobile Fidelity gold CD version, AND the 20th Anniversary Edition from 10 years ago? Could this landmark album be worth buying yet again? The answer is a resounding *YES*! The funny thing is, I don't even own a proper home theater system, so I can't play the special surround-sound mix, only the regular stereo mix. And that alone has totally blown me away. Believe me, you've NEVER heard "Dark Side Of The Moon" sound this good. This 30th Aniversary Edition of "Dark Side" is a complete package all the way around. The new, updated prism cover art by Storm Thorgerson & Peter Curzon is very colorful & cool to look at, and the new CD booklet, 30 pages long with 30 assorted photographs, gives an excellent history of the "Dark Side" album itself (I never knew that the Russians got a slightly different album cover than the rest of the world). The CD itself is gold-colored, which, before you even play it, is already a good sign of the new-and-improved sound quality. I played this new "Dark Side" back-to-back with the older 20th Anniversary version, and yes indeed, this new "Dark Side" CD definitely sounds better---bigger boom, stronger sonics & clarity, and the bass has more bottom to it (you can totally *feel* that opening heartbeat, to name one example). The band literally ROAR out of the speakers. The instruments, the vocals, the taped speaking voices and sound effects sound even clearer & sharper than ever before. You can definitely hear notes & other bits that weren't previously detected. The bottom line: the sound quality on this new "Dark Side" CD is just plain astonishing. My compliments to Doug Sax & James Guthrie for an outstanding remastering job.I'm sure we can expect another CD upgrade of this classic album in 2013, when "Dark Side" turns 40. Until then, you owe it to yourself to pick up this 30th Anniversary Edition, and hear "Dark Side" as you've never heard it before, even if you don't own a home theater system. The fabulous new stereo mix alone, along with the impressive new packaging, makes this purchase a total keeper. Let's face it---you can *never* have too many copies of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon."

This is one of the releases I was waiting for with baited breath. I am a major Floyd Fanatic. And since getting stuff on SACD, I couldn't wait for some Floyd titles to come out. That being said...here's the review.
This is probably one of the best SACD transfers yet. The sounds are crisp and clear. The seperation of the channels is fantastic. And the music is great.
The heartbeat on Speak to Me/Breathe gets you in the right mood. It sounds like it is coming from your body. Then you get to On The Run. Songs like this are the reason we have surround sound. You can hear the guy running around the room. The helicoptor seems to circle around the room. And the air rushes around. Then you get to Time. The Alarm clocks sound like they are right in the room. You can hear the resonance on the grandfather bell. Then you get to Great Gig in the Sky and you can hear the range of Clare Torrey's voice. Then on money, you can hear the change circling from speaker to speaker. Everything about this CD is fantastic. It seems that Pink Floyd were ahead of their time when they made this one.
It's really a shame that Amazon only has 5 stars because this one rates a 10.
One more thing. Since I think Wish You Were Here and Animals were both recorded in Quadrophonic, it would be nice if they would do those next. Those are another pair of albums that would lend themselves to 5.1

This review is for the SACD version of THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON. I am not going to attempt to review the music of DARK SIDE, this review is strictly regarding the SACD pressing and mixing. To begin with, I have extensive experience with THE DARK SIDE. I am of the age where I bought this album on vinyl when it first came out, I have owned it on MOBILE FIDELITY SOUND LABS ORIGINAL MASTER RECORDING both on vinyl and on CD, and through my cousin, Mike Licari, I have experienced this musical masterpiece in its original 4 channel (quadrophonic) mix via both quad vinyl as well as reel to reel. So then how does this version stack up to all of the previous versions?It must be remembered that this new SACD version of DARK SIDE is different than all other previous version, hence the name change. Logically, it has a different title and a different cover, so this is a different version. It is not meant to replace the older versions, it is meant to suppliment them. This new version is REMIXED, that is a very important distinction. This version of DARK SIDE was remixed from the original 16-track master tapes that have been in storage at Abbey Road Studios since the creation of DARK SIDE. This is only the third time that these original 16-track masters have been used, the first was to create the original 2-track master tapes that have been used over and over again to press all of the vinyl versions (including the MFSL version) as well as every CD ever made of this title (including the infamous Japanese Harvest), the second was to mix down the original quadrophonic version so famous in the seventies, and now to create this SACD hybrid version. Therefore tese original 16-track master tapes are comparitably virgin tapes that have been properly stored in vaults at the world famous Abbey Road Studios. Thus, THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON on SACD hybrid CD has a brand new mix, which warrants a new title and album cover, as well as a brand new vibrancy that makes this disc just scream with music.But this disc offers more than one new version, it offers three new versions. There is the plain old fashioned CD layer that offers a great stereo mix that sounds great due to the care taken in restoring the original music from the original tapes (restoring, not recreating), there is the now famous 5.1 channel mix in beautiful SACD direct stream digital, and there is a fine stereo mix in SACD for all of the audiophiles that can't make the pyschological jump to surround sound. With three versions of this great musical masterpiece, how can anyone fault this disc for its failure to meet your wants. It has everything for everyone. Yes it is brand new, it is not DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, it is THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, and that is the point.For any other questions regarding this disc, please read the great series of articals that are contained in the June 2003 issue of Sound and Vision, which includes interviews with the original engineer.

The other reviews on the 30th anniversary edition are mostly right. While the SACD mix is breathtaking, the the mix on the CD layer has fatal flaws. The level matching was incorrectly done, and there are many clipping in loud passages. The clippings are measurable, and in many case audible as well.

http://www.stereophile.com/news/11649/

See the measurement done by the popular audio magazine.

I agree with a previous review that the standard red book CD section of this Hybrid SACD is somewhat lacking. If you do not own an SACD player I can't think of a reason to buy it. Other versions are much better.

However, I cannot rate the 5.1 SACD section highly enough. For those of you who have not heard an SACD. I can only tell you that SACD 5.1 surround is to stereo as stereo is to mono and it's recorded at a whopping 64 times the resolution of a regular CD. The SACD section of a hybrid SACD is actually a DVD-5 (4.7GB) to hold all that audio data. That's why a regular CD player can't play it. It's an entirely new listening experience.

Most importantly this 5.1 surround mix is the one officially authorized by Pink Floyd themselves. The previously released (quadrophonic version) was mixed by Alan Parsons. While it was a good mix the band did not care for it and did not want it released as their product. This SACD release is the interpretation that Pink Floyd wanted. So if you want to hear Dark Side of the Moon in super high fidelity, in magical 5.1 surround, the way the band themselves visualized it, I can't think of a reason NOT to buy it.

Pink Floyd was a popular band from the sixties, but when "Dark Side of the Moon" came on the scene in 1974, it set the tone and quality for all albums to follow. The album was recorded in two sessions in 1972 and 1973 at Abbey Road Studios and mixed by Alan Parsons (winner of a Grammy for this project). With multi-track recording, tape loops, special sound effects, a multitude of synthesizers and oblique philosophical quotes throughout, this was a high point rarely reached in rock/pop music history.

Band members Mason, Waters, Gimour and Wright create an album of mood, feeling, euphoria, confusion, fear and excitement. One of the unsung singers that blasted the blues into the album was female vocalist Clare Torry. Her emotive blasts carry through several songs. "Speak To Me" starts with a heartbeat and slowly slips into "Breathe", a breezy, bluesy number with hooks, emotion and lyrics that fascinate. No one can forget, "On The Run" with its special effects of someone running, airport announcements, generally strange noises and confusion until it ends with an atomic explosion.

It should be noted that in the early severnties, many bands were experimenting with quadraphenia, that is close to surround sound only without the center front speaker. The latest edition has been remastered in 5.1 surround sound that boggles the mind. Animals respons to it as if it was a living thing moving about the room. The best and most succinct example of this effect is "Time", with more than a dozen different clocks going off at once with different sounds and clangs. This segues perfectly into a metronome pacing in "The Great Gig In The Sky", first bringing the vocals of Clare Torry into the album.

"Money" is magnificent with its use of 5.1 sounds of cash, registers, calcultors and the lot, each coming from different speakers actually producing the beat and beginning of this great song that catapults into the main bass line and rock anthem that is only "Money". Its one of the most exciting songs on the album for pure power. Another single, "Us and Them" takes the listener into a completely hypnotic nether-world of calm relaxation. The last third of the album, ("Any Color You Like", "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse"), bring all the previous songs and motifs together for a Pink Floyd/Clare Torry finale that builds and builds to a grand finale that never once falters nor fails to satisfy.

Continually selling for decades, "Dark Side of the Moon" is a piece of history that never feels dated out of fashion. I am sure there are millions of people who have heard this album thousands of times and always hear a little something new. It's great in stereo, but the SACD 5.1 Multi-Channel Surround Sound in a good system is an experience not to be missed. I admit that I spent nearly two thousand dollars on a system, just so I could experience exactly what Pink Floyd wanted their fans to. It is a real masterpiece.