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Hello,I just finished watching a documentary about Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon and had a few thoughts.The album, of course, is brilliant. 750 weeks or so on the USA charts. The band had almost unprecedented support from the record company, which brought in a new CEO and pulled out all the stops to make it work. Even with all that, the album took almost a year to chart in the USA in spite of extensive touring during this same time. There was virtually no radio airplay at first, with Money being the first (only?) single released and charting in the 20's if I recall right. That occurred some 16 months after the LP release I believe. How many Dark Side Of The Moons are currently sitting on someone's hard drive, or hidden away on Soundclick or other sites, never to be discovered?If a band with that kind of support and an epic, timeless album, touring non-stop to promote the music, took so long (relatively) to see the album succeed, how would it fare in the modern world?When Pink Floyd put that thing out, the music world was far less cluttered (no home studios, really).Now we all have the chance to record with the quality of Abbey Road (where Dark Side was cut), in our own homes. Perhaps we have the tools to be even better, sonically, due to the computer age.With hundreds of thousands of musicians online, declining record company support and so on:Do you think an album as brilliant of Dark Side Of The Moon would be "discovered" by fans and spread via word of mouth on the net with limited tour support in our current modern scene?Not that I have one in the can, but maybe you do, and I would like to think that in the case of something as incredible as Dark Side, it would "find" a way to the masses regardless of label support.I like to think so, but I am not sure I believe it.Best wishes!

Excellent thoughts!One of my favorite albums for sure. Im not sure there are "albums" out there since singles are the next big wave for the industry but I would hope that someone somewhere (maybe you, maybe me) has a couple of those timeless classics "in the can" as you said. And of course its pure perspective and personal preferance. I know a guy who thinks that Depech Mode is the greatest band and musicians of all time. I wont argue with him because thats his opinion although I know the Led Zeppelin is really the greatest band of all time! Matt

I do not think a new "Dark Side of The Moon" album would make it today being released from an independent artist. It seems that music has been fixed to established templates (or formulas) in these current times, and true freedom of the art of music (from an unknown artist (or perhaps even an established artist)) would never make it because it would not meet the constraints of the templates. What artists have lost over the last few decades is the ability to make music their way. I have heard it said more than once that music all sounds the same anymore on the radio. It shows that the record companies are running music rather than the artists.And I don't think that something like the "Dark Side of the Moon" album is the only thing we won't see (or hear) reborn by a new artist. I feel we won't see anything like..."In a gadda da vida""The End""Stairway to Heaven""The Wall" album"Foreplay/Long Time""Do You Feel Like We Do""Shine On You Crazy Diamond"I think the opportunities for such creative masterpieces are gone, at least for now. Perhaps, as the independent artist claim more and more of the industry, music will be put back into the hands of the artists. At least I hope to see that.Timothy S. KlughGrove City, Ohio, USAwww.TimothySKlugh.com

Let's see....I'd have to say yes - if the group looked like the Jonas Brothers and they played all the songs in 4/4 and made them upbeat and poppy...

I would say 'yes' also.The only problem that I thought of is that home studios are no Abbey Road. One of the things about "Dark Side Of The Moon" that makes it sound so amazing is that it was tracked in a HUGE room, with live players and no sequencing. (That cool synth pattern was probably done with an arpeggiator).In order to get those fabulous guitar and drum sounds, I would think you'd have to have a monster room. MAYBE it could be done without that, but the 'vibe' that recording has I believe has a lot to do with the band playing tracks together. Gilmore must have been playing through stacks of amps, and the drums, especially the ambience on the ride cymbal are the real deal, as well as the B3 etc.Of course, the sound effects and fades between songs would be easy to do these days. And conceptually I'm sure some great artist(s) could come up with something like that.Final thought: Millions of young people still smoke weed! Ern

Wow what a question..... Id have to agree with some of Tims comments - my first thoughts were song length, and whats that term... shoegazer? I read Floyd was touring while they wrote Dark Side, before, during and after..... they were playing most of Dark side LIVE before they ever hit the studio..... So they had almost a year to perfect & hone those songs down before anything hit the tape decks.... Just reminded me of a great comment by Peter Frampton; "You have ten years to write & perfect your first album'..... 'and less than six months to write your second' I love Floyd, but I gotta say I had the priviledge of being in a classic rock band good enough to pull off some great Floyd and others in that genre in the mid 90's.... an we did them dam good - utilizng authentic prophet syths with foot triggers to add MIDI parts, etc....... We had 'the sound' down.... I hate to say this but the music just didnt promote a 'fun bar' environment IMO.... the girls didnt dance.... folks didnt get over excited ... they all just tended to, well.... sit and stare! ...Dont get me wrong, we were flooded with compliments between sets.... But we chased the young rowdys right out the door, along with any cute hotties that wanted to hit the dancefloor..... I think it effected our popularity greatly. We were a musicians band, other musicians loved us. Chris

Would Dark Side Of The Moon make it today?I don't think so. I think it might sell okay, maybe even well...but I don't think it would do anything like it did in the early 70's. It wouldn't fly to the top of the charts and just sort of hover up there for months, like a floating pig.

Apr 22, 2009, 3:52pm, lyle wrote:Would Dark Side Of The Moon make it today?I don't think so. I think it might sell okay, maybe even well...but I don't think it would do anything like it did in the early 70's. It wouldn't fly to the top of the charts and just sort of hover up there for months, like a floating pig.Ha! Like a floating Pig...! Good one

C'mon guys, there have always been "templates" within the major record companies. After the Beatles, Jackson 5, The Monkees... Late 70s disco, etc... The templates have just changed over time. There were templates in place for sure when Dark Side of the moon and some of the other great things posted above happened. They happened because for whatever reason, the label(s) stepped "out side the box" and they made it happen. I have to accept the possibility that it could ( BIG COULD )happen again. A lot of this music that we are talking about was new at the time. I'm not sure the record labels today would recognize "new" if it slapped them. I'm not sure if we would either. To me, art IS communication and is a common thread throughout all of this great music. I have to believe that there is still great art out there, that it is on the leading edge of communication in some way. I don't know if any one will recognize it and make it famous. But when something undeniably resonates with you, you listen!I'm hopeful!Keith

Apr 22, 2009, 12:50pm, timothysklugh wrote:I do not think a new "Dark Side of The Moon" album would make it today being released from an independent artist. It seems that music has been fixed to established templates (or formulas) in these current times, and true freedom of the art of music (from an unknown artist (or perhaps even an established artist)) would never make it because it would not meet the constraints of the templates. What artists have lost over the last few decades is the ability to make music their way. I have heard it said more than once that music all sounds the same anymore on the radio. It shows that the record companies are running music rather than the artists.And I don't think that something like the "Dark Side of the Moon" album is the only thing we won't see (or hear) reborn by a new artist. I feel we won't see anything like..."In a gadda da vida""The End""Stairway to Heaven""The Wall" album"Foreplay/Long Time""Do You Feel Like We Do""Shine On You Crazy Diamond"I think the opportunities for such creative masterpieces are gone, at least for now. Perhaps, as the independent artist claim more and more of the industry, music will be put back into the hands of the artists. At least I hope to see that.Timothy S. KlughGrove City, Ohio, USAwww.TimothySKlugh.comGreat post Tim!Some great titles on there as well. Matt