March 1973 - 'Dark Side of the Moon' enters the charts

The UK pop charts from March 1973. Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon makes its first appearance in the album chart. It stayed there for the next 10 years, but apparently it never made it to Number 1.

It was the album that came to define progressive rock in the 1970s, with the iconic prism cover and production values that must have shifted hi-fis and headphones by the million. 

The ultimate concept album, Dark Side of the Moon covers the span of birth and death, touching on key themes of time, love, death, war and madness. 

Responses to questions on these topics - from staff at Abbey Road studios and the band’s crew - are weaved into the narrative. Each song merges into the next, giving the album a seamless flow that transported listeners, some of whom were lucky enough to hear the music on quality stereo systems, or on headphones. This was the age when hi-fi was becoming more accessible. Dark Side as the demonstration disc of choice for many years afterwards.

 I was lucky enough to see them perform Dark Side Of The Moon live in 1974 at the Empire Pool, Wembley. You can see the ticket at the top of my blog. The concert was in two parts; the first half was them road-testing songs that would appear on their next two albums, Wish You Were Here and Animals, including an early version of Shine On You Crazy Diamond. 

Part two of the show was Dark Side played in its entirety, complemented by visuals projected onto a circular screen, many of which can be seen in the Classic Albums programme about DSOTM.

They encored with Echoes, from the album Meddle, which is still one of my favourite pieces by Pink Floyd. 

The singles chart in 1973 was the usual mix of the cool and the seriously uncool. The notable aspect is the high proportion of soul artists, including Roberta Flack, the Detroit Emeralds, Timmy Thomas, Jimmy Helms, the O'Jays and Gladys Knight.

The albums list contains quite a few all-time classics, including Stevie Wonder's Talking Book, Bowie's Ziggy Stardust, Moving Waves by Focus, Holland by the Beach Boys and Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel. 

Also on this blog:
Pink Floyd On Tour - 1974 and 1977

Reviewing Pink Floyd - Their Mortal Remains at the V&A

Vegetable Man - Syd Barrett's last recordings with Pink Floyd