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Stoner doom-mongers The Sword recreate Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ in doom metal style
06.05.2017
05:35 pm
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To celebrate 50 years since the August 5, 1967 release of Pink Floyd’s debut The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Kyle Shutt, the guitarist from Austin, TX’s foremost stoner/doom-mongers The Sword, is releasing a complete cover of that seminal psych/prog band’s most popular album, The Dark Side of the Moon—by far a more metal-friendly album to rework than Piper.

The idea came to me after getting baked and wanting to hear a heavy version of “Time.” I thought, why not just cover the whole album? After sitting down and working out some loose concepts, the arrangement for “Money” materialized and I realized that I could totally do this if I assembled the right band.  It felt a little strange messing with someone’s legacy, but I’m treating it as a celebration of one of the greatest bands to ever rock, a party that everyone is invited to.

 

 
This is far from a new move—baby’s-first-prog-metal band Dream Theater has covered the entire album live, and a CD and DVD were released in the mid ‘oughts. Here’s a YouTube link to a live performance that’s probably my favorite Dream Theater thing I’ve heard. Make of that nugget of praise what you will.

Much more after the jump…

READ ON
Posted by Ron Kretsch
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06.05.2017
05:35 pm
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Secret history: Richard Nixon hired Stanley Kubrick to fake the moon landing

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Dark Side Of The Moon was broadcast on Canadian TV series “The Passionate Eye” in 2005. It was written and directed by William Karel.

CBC television describes the film thusly:

How could the flag flutter when there’s no wind on the moon? During an interview with Stanley Kubrick’s widow an extraordinary story came to light. She claims Kubrick and other Hollywood producers were recruited to help the U.S. win the high stakes race to the moon.  In order to finance the space program through public funds, the U.S. government needed huge popular support, and that meant they couldn’t afford any expensive public relations failures.  Fearing that no live pictures could be transmitted from the first moon landing, President Nixon enlisted the creative efforts of Kubrick, whose 2001: a Space Odyssey (1968) had provided much inspiration, to ensure promotional opportunities wouldn’t be missed. In return, Kubrick got a special NASA lens to help him shoot Barry Lyndon (1975).

Some of you may already be familiar with the theories discussed in this film and the “conspiracies” exposed…familiar enough to know it’s a deftly made put-on composed of manipulated archival footage, false documents, actual interviews taken out of context or altered with voice-over or dubbing, staged interviews and some real ones. Like all good satire or parody, there are truths to be found within the artifice. When truth and the lie seem indistinguishable, we’ve entered a zone in which both possess a bit of each other.
 

Posted by Marc Campbell
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05.22.2012
03:56 pm
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Money: New, super-deluxe Pink Floyd ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ box set, a review
10.11.2011
03:29 pm
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This is a perplexing product to get your head around. It really is. I like it, or at least I like parts of it, quite a lot. Other aspects of the set I could do without completely. Some of it’s just plain useless.

What am I talking about? The newly released Pink Floyd “Immersion” box set of Dark Side of the Moon, contains the following:

  • One CD of the original album, newly remastered in 2011
  • One CD of DSOTM performed live all the way through at Wembley Arena in 1974
  • A DVD-A of the 2003 5.1 surround mix, Alan Parson’s original quadraphonic mix from 1973 in 4.0 surround, a LPCM version of the 2011 stereo remaster, and 640 kbps versions of both surround mixes
  • A regular DVD that has two live numbers filmed in Brighton, 1972, an EPK from 2003 and the films that were projected behind the band onstage during British, French and North American tours in 1974/1975 synched to the same 5.1 audio heard on the previous disc.
  • A Blu-ray with uncompressed, high resolution versions of the stereo mix, the quad Parsons mix, the 2003 5.1 surround mix, the concert films, the live clips from Brighton, the EPK and the original 1973 stereo mix.
  • A CD of an earlier DSOTM mix from 1972 by Alan Parsons, a demo of “Us and Them” by Rick Wright, a demo of “Money” by Waters on an acoustic guitar, some unreleased live audio from the Brighton show, a studio rarity and—praise the gods—“The Hard Way,” one of the two completed tracks from the aborted follow-up to DSOTM known as Household Objects, an album that was to be recorded using only, you guessed it, household items as instruments (This is pretty fucking cool, I must admit).

Also included in the slick, glossy box designed by Storm Thorgerson’s StormStudios: Two books, one of tour photographs and ephemera, one with lyrics; “cards” and other supposedly “collectible” ephemera such as an art print of the album cover as rendered either by, or in the style of (it doesn’t say), Roy Lichtenstein; some DSOTM marbles (wha?); some DSOTM drink coasters (trade ‘em with your friends!) and some other stuff that I don’t think there was a single Pink Floyd fan on planet Earth clamoring for.

The worst item that comes with the set—and it’s really and truly groan-worthy—is the DSOTM scarf. Tom Baker’s incarnation of Doctor Who would be ashamed to wear it… WHAT were they thinking? (Then again Pink Floyd did license their DSOTM trademark to Target for pajamas, didn’t they?).

The main problem with this box set is that it doesn’t know who it’s supposed to be for. Obviously it’s for the Pink Floyd super-fan and/or for someone who has a deep emotional connection to the music of Dark Side of the Moon, but my question is, why would this theoretical Pink Floyd super-fan, who presumably has not just one, but several different versions of DSOTM in their collection, already, need a Blu-ray, a DVD, a DVDA disc, and three CDs (plus all the pointless collectibles crap) when all of it would have fit on just the Blu-ray? If you’ve got the Blu-ray, then why would you want to own the regular CD version that is markedly inferior to the Blu-ray version?

Obviously this is probably the very, very last time that Pink Floyd’s albums are ever going to be released on any sort of disc, but had they split this set up along the lines of formats, instead of forcing the public to shell out over $100 for multiple formats/versions of the same material, in the end, I think EMI would have maxed out on sales, perhaps several times over. Most people would be happy with just the Blu-ray, a 2 DVD version or a 3 CD set or whatever, but WHO would want, or need all of them? No one, that’s who. EMI’s super ultra mega deluxe box sets like this one and the one for David Bowie’s Station to Station album try to be all things to all people and don’t really succeed in satisfying anyone, I’m afraid. (The biggest missed opportunity here, and one that fans would have actually cared about, is they didn’t reproduce the iconic posters that came with the original album! I’d have gladly traded the marbles, drink coasters and the hideous scarf for the poster of the green pyramids, but alas they didn’t even reproduce either poster in the booklets! Why not?)

Even if it is mostly marketing and accounting personnel who are running the major labels these days, I still can’t help but to think that if they’d have come out with separate versions in CD, DVD and Blu-ray editions, and catered to what the public who still buy discs actually want, they’ve have far sold more copies in the end. I’m guessing they’ll sell 20,000 copies of this set. Even if the sell all of them at $108 a pop, this approach seems shortsighted to me, when sales figures for the 2003 James Guthrie mixed 5.1 surround version of DSOTM on SACD—a nearly dead format now—sold north of 800,000 units.

Let me be clear, though: The music, as heard here, is superb. The extras are great, especially “The Hard Way” and the absolutely incredible 1972 live show that comprises disc two. Having said that, I’d have been happier with just a Blu-ray of everything, price point of $35, tops (I already own the 2003 5.1 surround version on SACD, and a regular stereo CD version for that matter).

At least they didn’t include vinyl. Find me the guy who wants both the record and the Blu-ray (I use the male gender here because what woman is stupid enough to care about such things?) and I will show you a music nerd who should have been strangled in the bloody crib!

Below, Pink Floyd, live at Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Netherlands (Radio Hilversum: September 17, 1969). This has been bootlegged for 40 years under various names like “The Massed Gadgets of Auximenies” or “The Man and The Journey”—this will be one of the best Pink Floyd shows you’ll ever hear or your money back!
 

 
Below, “Careful With That Axe, Eugene,” live in Brighton, 1972:
 

Posted by Richard Metzger
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10.11.2011
03:29 pm
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‘The Wiz’ set to Pink Floyd’s ‘Brain Damage’ and ‘Eclipse’


 
I’m sure most Dangerous Minds readers are familiar with how well The Wizard of Oz syncs up with Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album. However, I dig Jeff Yorkes’ take even better. Yorke paired up The Wiz with Floyd’s “Brain Damage” and “Eclipse.” It’s a new spin. 

 
Below, Dark Side of the Moon synced with Wizard of Oz.

Posted by Tara McGinley
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09.13.2011
02:11 pm
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Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders mash-up with Dark Side of the Moon

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Dangerous Minds pal, LA-based architect John Bertram is doing another cover design contest at his Nabokov-obsessed Venus febriculosa blog. This time, entrants are being asked to make a mash-up between the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon:

Publication of the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) in 2013 will mark one the most anticipated events in the mental health field, replacing the current edition, DSM-IV-TR. DSM is the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health professionals in the United States and contains a listing of diagnostic criteria for every psychiatric disorder recognized by the US healthcare system.

2013 also marks the 40th anniversary of the release of one of the best-selling albums of all time: The Dark Side of the Moon by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd. DSoM is also one of the most recognizable album covers ever, designed by Hipgnosis partners Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell and created by associate George Hardie. Thorgerson also designed the cover for the 20th Anniversary box set edition, and also participated in the design of the 30th Anniversary 5.1 channel surround sound mix on the SACD format.

The purpose of the contest is to explore the interrelationship between these two very different works. Submissions may be in the form of a book cover or CD/DVD for the DSM-5 and/or an album cover or CD/DVD for the 40th Anniversary of the Dark Side of the Moon or a “mashup” of both works.

Entries are dues Friday, April 1, 2011. Complete information and rules here.

There will be at least one prize of $671 US for the winning entry. There may also be several interesting non-cash prizes for entries worthy of special mention.

 
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Posted by Richard Metzger
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02.11.2011
01:34 pm
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