OVER THE MOON

I enjoyed Jack Milner’s thoughtful and perceptive review of the 50th-anniversary boxset of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon. He is surely correct in singling out that the musical synergy between Rick Wright and Dave Gilmour is integral to the album’s successful rendering of Roger Waters’ conceptual vision. As someone in the audience at the aborted first performance of Dark Side… at Brighton Dome on January 20, 1972, I am eagerly anticipating the imminent first CD release of that concert.

I have a couple of abiding memories from that evening. I was fortunate to be in the front row directly in front of Gilmour. Prior to the band taking the stage, there was such a dense fog of dry ice that for a few minutes it was almost impossible to see anything at all, even from my vantage point. As the mist slowly dissipated, shadowy figures began to emerge as the taped voices of “Speak To Me” segued into “Breathe”.

Due to technical problems involving backing tape effects, it was announced halfway through that the work had to be abandoned. I was not disappointed – now we could enjoy the Floyd tracks I loved such as “Careful With That Axe, Eugene”, “Echoes” and “Saucerful Of Secrets”. I managed to get a ticket at Portsmouth Guildhall the next day, where the work was performed in its entirety. But from the rear stalls this time, it was a much less intense experience.

Even now, while admiring Dark Side… for its flawless production, range and scope and remarkable concision, it is far from my favourite Floyd album. Perhaps it’s because l prefer their longer or more experimental compositions that Meddle, Wish You Were Here and the live disc of Ummagumma are the albums I most turn to. Martin Hills, Chichester, W Sussex Thanks, Martin. I’m with you on the more expansive, experimental albums – Meddle, especially, and the film soundtracks like More and Obscured By Clouds. Thanks for the kind words about Jack’s review, too. Part of our mission statement is to find new ways to celebrate classic records and I think Jack more than succeeded with that piece.