The Dark Side of the Moon, 30th Anniversary Edition [Hybrid SACD - DSD]

Pink Floyd | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 25, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 1973
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Hybrid SACD - DSD
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00008CLOA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2,235 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #825 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #12 in Music > Classic Rock > Psychedelic Rock
  • #17 in Music > Classic Rock > Supergroups
  • #18 in Music > Rock > Progressive > Progressive Rock

Track Listings

1. Speak To Me/Breathe

2. On The Run

3. Time

4. The Great Gig In The Sky

5. Money

6. Us And Them

7. Any Colour You Like

8. Brain Damage

9. Eclipse

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

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

Product Description

It's been 30 years since 'Floyd released their masterwork, and it's been on the charts for most of them! And now comes a new dimension to what was already the ultimate headphone experience-this new edition includes a newly remastered conventional version AND a Super Audio CD 5.1 surround mix version playable on SACD-compatible DVD players and home theater systems. Original designer Storm Thorgerson chips in with new art inside the 20-page booklet.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

110 of 112 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars There is light on the DSotM September 30, 2011

By baka1969

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've had many versions of this perennial favorite. Heck, right now I have three versions of the studio release of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon alone. The original CD version, the 30th Anniversary hybrid SACD and, this, the new 2011 remaster. Although I have yet to hear the MFSL rendition, to me this is the best effort to date for a DSotM CD.

For one thing, thankfully, they didn't compress the music. It's seems to level match fairly well with the other Dark Side CDs I have. Clarity seems to have improved also. It's so clear that it makes the others seem a bit muddied. The great part is not etched. Meaning it sounds smooth while the music is very well defined.

The noise floor seems to be lower on the 2011 remaster than either the original or 30th Ann. That makes the music more dynamic with the quieter background.

Overall the improvements of the 2011 remaster of DSotM are worth getting. The sound differences may not be dramatic but are certainly audible and make this classic even better.

That's only half the story though. The Experience edition comes with the '74 live performance of this great album. THIS is what makes paying the small premium over the Discovery edition well worth it. Not only are the boys in terrific form giving an outstanding show (much better than the Pulse show 20 years later) but the sound quality is amazing. If the original studio version weren't so well known and this 1974 concert album were released years earlier, this could almost have become the definitive version.

Highly recommended just for this CD alone. Add the well done 2011 remaster and it deserves a 5 star rating.

108 of 115 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An object of desire September 27, 2011

By William Merrill TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

So here it is... the Dark Side 'Immersion' set. This is the fifth version I've owned of the legendary album, and I would have been happy to own just the Blu-Ray disc alone here, but of course it is not available separately. That said, I'm happy to own Disc 6, the 'Extra Audio Tracks,' mainly for the Alan Parsons Mix. It's interesting to hear for historical value. The various ephemera, marbles and so on, are kinda fun, but I'm not the type of collector who looks for such items.

As for the music, the Quad Mix sounds entirely fantastic on the Blu-Ray disc. Regarding the central Dark Side version of this reissue, the James Guthrie 2011 remaster, I really cannot detect any difference between this and the 2003 remaster that was done for the 30th anniversary of Dark Side. Perhaps my listening mind is too taken up in the details of the amazing yet ultra-familiar album experience to notice any subtleties. The Wembley '74 live album, which I'm listening to as I write this, is a solid concert representation of the album. The sound quality is very good considering the age of the recording. The additional video concert footage is all relatively good, though some of it suffers a bit from poor camera angles and slightly muddy sound mix.

The documentary here is more of promotional vehicle, brief but moderately informative. The 'Classic Albums' story on Dark Side is really a much more thorough and interesting dissection of the album's creation and would have been a better addition to this set. I guess the business arrangements for that were too difficult or something.

Packaging-wise, this is not the most well organized box set, as opposed to something like the Pixies box. There are slots for Discs 1-4 built into the set, but everything else is just loose. Discs 5 & 6 (including the Blu-Ray disc, to me the most important item) are in cardboard sleeves, but there are no designated slots for them within the box. They're just dropped in with everything else.

633 of 703 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Why DARK SIDE is Most Heralded Album of All-Time (5 STARS) June 19, 2001

By JWK

Format:Audio CD

Studies have been conducted on the success of Pink Floyd's classic, best-of-the-best "Dark Side of the Moon." Some results are as follows:

*One in every 20 people under the age of 50 in the United States owns a copy of this album *Dark Side remained on Billboard's 200 album chart for an amazing 15 years straight and then for another two when it was remastered back in 1994 *It is currently the most successful album ever with upwards of 40 million copies sold world-wide

Now the question... WHY? Why should one album by a band back in 1973 have such outstanding achievments and admiration even today? Perhaps because of the time period. Look at other albums released the same year by bands like Led Zeppelin, King Crimson, Rush, and the Doobie Brothers among several others. This was the year of rock perfection. Or maybe it was because of the rave for concept albums. Or the simple, yet unforgettable album cover.

More likely it was the band's chemistry and ability to make jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring, thought-provoking music. This is Pink Floyd at its collective finest, with everyone contributing. Unlike the band in 6 years, Waters did NOT do everything. Gilmoure took a huge chunk of the music-writing, laying down the chord progressions on "Breathe," "Time," and "Any Colour You Like;" the singing on the album's best songs, Water's conceeding to David's far superior voice; and pumping out what would later be hailed as some of rock's most influential lead-guitar riffs on "Money" and "Brain Damage." Wright got in on much of the writing as well with his keyboard contributions on "Breathe," the symphonic "Great Gig in the Sky," "Us and Them," and the amazing keybpard licks and effects on "Colour." Mason, who rarely contributed, put in his efforts on "Speak to Me," "Time," and the Waters-less "Colour." Finally, Roger Waters put down most of the album's music, laid down all the bass-lines as usual, thought up the album's concept, and wrote all the lyrics. If that's not enough, he made himself heard on "Brain Damage," "Eclipse," and the chorus of "Time." Anyway you put it, THIS is the true Pink Floyd; all contributing, all acknowledged.

The band's titanic success was continued on later albums like 1975's "Wish You Were Here," 1977's "Animals," and 1979's "The Wall," although by that time the band had begun to fall apart from Waters' power obsession. By 1983, the band had slipped to a Water's-solo-project version of itself, with "The Final Cut," and finally a break-up. But never would the band see the success or experience the musical genious of "Dark Side of the Moon." So pop this in, take another listen, and remember- even if you don't believe the hype- after this album, music would never be the same....