Best Albums !: Pink Floyd. The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

The Dark Side of the Moon is a concept album by the British progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in 1973 and engineered by Alan Parsons. It is notable for its use of Musique concrète and philosophical lyrics, something that would eventually become a trademark of Pink Floyd's music. The album was a landmark in rock music, as it featured radio-friendly songs such as "Money", "Time", "Us and Them", and "Brain Damage/Eclipse". Some music critics use the album as a point of reference in determining between "classic" blues rock and the then-new genre of electronic music.

The Dark Side of the Moon explores the nature of the human experience. For example, "Time" deals with aging and the overwhelmingly fast approach of death. "Money" deals with materialism with tongue-in-cheek lyrics and wealth-related sound effects. "Us and Them" deals with conflict, ethnocentrism, and the belief that a person's self is "always in the right".

The Dark Side of the Moon is widely hailed by many critics and fans as Pink Floyd's magnum opus, and is generally considered their definitive album. In 2006 it was voted "My Favourite Album" by viewers and listeners to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. In 1990, Australian radio listeners voted it the best album to make love to, and in 2003, Rolling Stone heralded The Dark Side of the Moon as the 43rd greatest album of all time.

The Dark Side of the Moon spent 741 consecutive weeks (14 years) on the USA-based Billboard 200 album chart, the longest duration in history. It is also the fifth highest selling album globally of all time, selling more than forty million units.

The only time there is a gap of silence on the whole album is between The Great Gig in the Sky and Money, where there is a side change on the LP; this pause was filled in with a barely audible transition by Alan Parsons for one CD release.