A behind-the-scenes, in-depth look at the making of one of the greatest sonic masterpieces and most commercially successful albums of all time. / 'The Dark Side of the Moon' has sold an amazing 30 million copies worldwide. / Harris draws on in-depth interviews with members of the band and offers a commentary on the legacy of the album and its impact upon bands like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails. / Will contain a fascinating PS Section.
John Harris, author of `Britpop!: Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock', has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo, Q, Independent, NME, Select, and New Statesman. He lives in Hay on Wye, England.
Harris (Britpop!) provides a meticulous if rather circumscribed account of the talented people behind an enigmatic album that has sold so many copies (30 million) that, Harris notes, one British magazine speculated it was "virtually impossible that a moment went by without it being played somewhere on the planet." The author triumphs at using research and interviews with the Pink Floyd members to bring to life the dilemmas they faced while making the 1973 album, including the incapacitating mental illness of original leader Syd Barrett and the arrival of new member David Gilmour. Given Pink Floyd's dramatic, often challenging music and its undeniable air of mystery, the book also excels in humanizing the musicians through candid portrayals of their everyday highs and lows while The Dark Side of the Moon evolved. But for all the wealth of perspective from those in and around the band regarding the album's creation, the book doesn't explain why Dark Side has endured. With the album's poignant exploration of themes like insanity, human divisiveness and greed set to innovative sounds, Dark Side's staggering (and continuing) sales are fascinating. As it stands, the book is richly detailed but hardly revelatory. 50 b&w photos. (Nov. 15) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Praise for 'The Dark Side of the Moon': 'A fascinating read.' Observer 'John Harris's account of the making of the Floyd's 35 million-selling concept album, "The Dark Side of the Moon", has come along at just the right time ! Harris's book is good enough to make me want to sit down and, for the first time, give "The Dark Side of the Moon" a proper, prejudice-free listen.' New Statesman '[A] clear-sighted examination of Floyd's famous epic ! Harris' admirably concise study sidesteps the usual mythologising to provide a detailed and coherent retelling of how "The Dark Side" ! came into being. ****' Q Magazine
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