“The Dark Side of the Moon” is one of the greatest albums of all time. It holds the title as one of the best-selling albums with over 45 million copies sold. Although the band Pink Floyd had already reached stardom with their prior albums, “The Dark Side of the Moon” set their name in stone as one of the most influential and popular rock groups in history.

Having listened to the album numerous times, I have become familiar with the calming emotions produced by it. It is critical to listen to the album, as well as individual tracks, in stereo format. The mixing of the tracks is critical to the sound and feelings of this album.

“Breathe in the Air”
“Breathe in the Air” is the second track and has some of the most iconic lyrics on the album with lines like “Run, rabbit run” and “Dig that hole, forget the sun.” Although the song is incredibly short, it encourages listeners to slow down and breathe in the air.

“Time”
One of Pink Floyd’s all-time hits from the album is “Time.” The drum intro/solo showcases Nick Mason’s technical ability. David Gilmour’s screaming guitar solo remains one of the greatest solos of all time. From the beginning of the song, which has one of the most recognizable lyrics of all time – “Ticking away, the moments that make up the dull day” and “But you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it’s sinking” – listeners are immersed and lose sense of time.

“The Great Gig in the Sky”
The final song on the first side of “Dark Side of the Moon” is unique to say the least. “The Great Gig in the Sky” features the wordless vocals of Clare Torry and an incredible piano solo by Richard Wright.

“Money”
The opening track of the b-side is “Money.” With an instrumental intro featuring noises that sound like a cash register being placed in a blender, Roger Waters’ most recognizable bassline greets veteran listeners with warm familiarity. The song questions if money is a true evil and whether greed is justifiable or not.

“Brain Damage”
“Brain Damage” is one of the closing tracks on the second side and truly encourages listeners to calm themselves. The entire b-side is a slow and controlled descent into a peaceful and comfortable conclusion when the needle comes off the record.

James Keller is a Copy Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.