Transformation Lessons from The Dark Side of the Moon
“New car, caviar, four star daydream, think I’ll buy me a football team”.
Pink Floyd's seminal album 'The Dark Side of the Moon' celebrates its 50th birthday this month. To commemorate it a new ‘Live at Wembley’ recording was released this week (the cover features the original design sketches for the iconic rainbow prism).
Pink Floyd transformed music when the album was released in 1973 with it’s innovative recording techniques. It was a risky venture for the band as it was a radical departure from their previous, trippy psychedelic albums. It would have been so much easier for them to adopt a ‘we’ve always done it this way’ mindset but they didn’t and it paid massive dividends.
It’s often described as the perfect rock album and one of the best selling albums of all time. Even the album cover has a transformational image. You could say it has never been 'eclipse'd.
There is an urban legend that if you play the album while watching The Wizard of Oz and start the album precisely when the MGM lion roars at the start it perfectly syncs to the film as a soundtrack. I tried this once years ago and IT DOES. There are many cool things that magically happen. My favourite being when Dorothy wakes up and opens the barn door after the tornado, the world changes to technicolour and right on cue, to the second, the cash machine rings at the start of 'Money'. (There are Youtube videos that show this in full if interested).
It's my favourite album. Over 'time' I must have listened to it hundreds of times. I know the lyrics off by heart. The first 'gig' I ever went to was to see Pink Floyd in Manchester in 1988. You could say I’m a bit of a Pink Floyd ‘lunatic’.
So to celebrate it’s birthday, I did a few things:
1. I went on a pilgrimage to the spiritual home of Pink Floyd, Battersea Power Station, which has recently been redeveloped. It was famously featured on the 'Animals' album cover with a giant inflatable pig flying over it. The view of it from the opposite side of the Thames took my 'breath(e)' away.
2. On my way there I unexpectently came across a giant Dark Side of The Moon digital billboard in Leicester Square, which really did 'speak to me' when I saw it.
3. And I baked a cake.
Dark Side of the Moon is a bit like transformation; you need to take calculated risks and try brave new things without causing any unexpected 'damage'. You need to inspire hearts and ‘brain’s with powerful and memorable images. You need to bring together people with different skills and talents in order to achieve major results, brick by brick, just like building a 'wall'. You need to get people talking it up to keep things positive and avoid an ‘us and them’ mindset. And finally, you need to help people to make connections that the transformation will deliver and not send them 'run'ning to the 'dark side of the Moon'!
Happy birthday to a fantastic, transformational album. 🍰🎂🌒