Marco: The Mix Tape (Track 4)

Pink Floyd-The Great Gig in the Sky

Grade 11 was pivotal: I failed my driver’s test three times, I joined my first band, and I got my first copy of Dark Side of the Moon. I also launched Rock Is Dead-Long Live Rock, a website dedicated to reviewing albums from my collection. Looking back on them today, some of the reviews were actually pretty well-written; some (perhaps most) were dreadful, even for a teenager. But I put myself out there, I got a small audience and I practiced my writing, active listening, and research skills. And my rating system was kind of funny: I gave albums a score out of 11, a nod to Spinal Tap’s famous amplifiers. Only five albums ever received that score and Dark Side of the Moon was one of them. At the risk of serious embarrassment, here’s the full review:

Dark Side of the Moon
Best Song: Time, or Breathe, or Money, or The Great Gig in the Sky...pretty much anything except Any Colour You Like

This is the smoothest album I've ever heard. It's also one of the best. Yes I know that the cool thing for critics to do is to find faults with the albums that get proclaimed as "the best of all-time", after all I did it with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. But I really can't find any faults with this masterpiece.

Everything about this record appeals to me. Roger Waters' simple but strong lyrics about the meaninglessness of everyday life; the cool and crazy special effects like the cash registers playing in 7/4 time in the intro to "Money" or the orchestra you can faintly hear playing at the end of the album (apparently they're playing the Beatles "Ticket to Ride" but I can't really tell); David Gilmour's rich vocals and smoother than silk guitar playing; and the gorgeous melodies throughout the album. There's a rumour that this album can be synced with The Wizard of Oz and I've checked out some sites which claim its true. I haven't really got the time to try it out though. (Note: I have since confirmed this rumour.)