The Dark Side Of The Moon

After writing a succession of reviews here (mostly) complaining about the quality of current vinyl pressings and the disgusting states of 'cleanliness' that it often arrives in, it's so nice to be able to finally offer some 5-star praise for a 'modern' LP record. And what an LP record! Is there a more iconic title than this to sit beside and audiophile's turntable!? Probably not, if we discount 'Tubular Bells' ;-) .So, what is it specifically that makes this vinyl record so outstanding? Well, two things; firstly, the pressing is superb - it sounds lively, with perfect stereo separation and without any distortion. My copy is dead flat, too (which is rare these days, even with 180g vinyl). But, most of all it's the amazingly low floor noise and almost total absence of any pops, clicks or even ticks!This is, by quite some way, the best presented slab of vinyl to (figuratively) drop through my letterbox in the 8 years that I have been buying re-issued vinyl (nearly all from Amazon). My belief is that it is the (very sensible) use of an inner sleeve that is lined with polythene(?) by the manufacturer, which has allowed this platter to be unpacked and played for the first time in pristine condition. It is such a massive bonus to start off with a record that is in this condition, rather than getting one in a newly-cut paper sleeve that is covered in 'paper dandruff' and then trying every cleaning product and device to get it clean again (often scratching it in the process). Other vinyl-producing companies take note!As I write this, I am near the end of the second side of the album and there has only been one audible 'tick' so far (in the middle of Side 1). I can't stress enough how unusual that is (in my experience at least) and I find myself constantly looking over at my turntable to make sure that I am not actually listening to my CD player by mistake ;-) .The icing on the cake is the price. "The Dark Side of The Moon" may well be (in polls) THE most loved and bought vinyl LP of all-time. The fact that I was able to sell my (very badly worn) 1990's re-issue of it for more than I paid for this brand new, sonically awesome version of it is testimony to that.Personally, I would rather have this new version (the 2011 re-master, on the Pink Fold Records label, complete with all of the posters and postcards that the original release came with) than a first pressing on the Harvest label (assuming that it was only to listen to and not to sell on for a small fortune ;-) ).A 'must buy' purchase for anyone who is rebuilding their record collection and has a scratchy old copy of it ;-) .

For me, Dark Side of the Moon is not just about the music (which of course is amazing) but the whole package. Like The White Album and Quadrophenia, it's the extras which make owning these albums a real pleasure and give the sense that you have acquired a piece of art. With prices of mint condition original presses of DSOTM going for hundreds of pounds, this seemed like a good opportunity to get hold of a fresh print at a not unreasonable price (under twenty quid), particularly as my old vinyl edition (4th or 5th press I think) is a bit long in the tooth and the posters have long since disappeared. I also have the 30th anniversary CD which has kept me going on the iPod for the last few years.Receiving this album through the door really did recreate that long-lost thrill of receiving a brand new vinyl LP. Compared to my old edition, the rainbow colours really stand out on the beautiful black sleeve. Inside, all the components of the original package are present and correct. The pyramid poster looks slightly more purple than my original which was more blue while some of the pictures on the group sleeve have been flipped to show that Dave and Roger are actually not left-handed guitarists, something that always bugged me about the original poster! In addition, there is a stunning new poster (by Storm Thorgerson?) which reproduces the sleeve design in swirly, psychedelic paints. A couple of clues on the sleeve tell you that this a new edition though. The sleeve was printed in the EU (rather than GB) while a sticker on the back refers to (takes a sharp intake of breath) a digital remaster. I know there will be lots of people who will take umbrage at this idea but the information on the sleeve that the album is also available in 8-track cartridge format may prove to be a red herring for analogue lovers.So how does the all-important 180g slab of plastic sound on the wheel of steel? Pretty good actually. The vinyl itself is solid with little flex and there is no noticeable surface noise, clicks or pops. The album doesn't sound too different from previous vinyl and CD versions I've heard but the one thing I have found is that it is noticeably easier to track the bass line while some of the keyboard sounds seem to emerge more from the mix. All the special effects (especially the clocks) still sound amazing and I couldn't hear evidence of this being a digital transfer. I can't really give a more considered assessment than that though not having heard a 'holy grail' pressing on a top end system but in the end it's the music which counts. I leave others to quibble over the relative merits of all the different editions of this album but I am very happy with this purchase. The MP3 download code included with the album is a nice touch but does not include any of the extra material included in the expanded CD sets which is a shame. I would have at least liked the Empire Pool show without having to pay separately for it.