The psychedelic sounds of the 70’s can be credited to many iconic artists such as Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, and Deep Purple as their experimental music paved the music industry of the era. However, in 1973, one band would greatly contribute in creating the distinguishing tone of the 70’s with the most iconic rock album of all time. 

Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon has remained an influential album after nearly a half-century after its release as Rolling Stones describes its impact as “mind-boggling” and the Daily Maverick refers to it as “the most memorable albums in the history of rock”. The album consisted of Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters, guitarist David Gilmour, keyboardist Rick Wright, and drummer Nick Mason. Together they created an album that would sell more than 45 million units worldwide, remain on the Billboard 200 for 937 weeks, and have an album so iconic it would be recognizable by the cover alone (Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’: Things you Didn’t Know).

The ten song track list focuses on issues of time, morality, and greed while also experimenting with 70’s psychedelic rock. Each song flows perfecting one after the other making a unique listening experience that creates a story within the album. 

The beginning of The Dark Side of the Moon begins with “Speak to Me,” “Breathe,” and “On the Run,” all of which slowly introduce the themes of life into the album. “Speak to Me” actually contains a faint heartbeat to signify the album’s focus and represent the beginning of life. With the fourth and fifth tracks — “Time” and “The Great Gig in the Sky” — you start hearing more classic rock riffs and the album takes off. 

The back to back hits that follow really pump up the volume and show off the band’s main genre of rock while still maintaining its smooth consistent transitions. Lastly, the song “Eclipse” brings it all home as it incorporates ballad-like sounds with rock and slowly fades into a final heartbeat creating a full circle with the first track “Speak to Me.” 

The Dark Side of the Moon is a timeless album that experiments with storytelling and music to produce one of the most iconic albums of all time. It’s definitely a must listen to album for anyone interested in classic 70’s and rock.