10 Albums That Changed Rock History
9. The Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
Most normal bands would have probably been dead in the water if they had to endure what happened to Pink Floyd in the early days. Fresh off of scoring movie soundtracks and losing Syd Barrett to his own struggles with mental health, it felt like the band was burnt the hell out and needed a break from the corporate side of the industry. Instead of playing it safe though, The Dark Side of the Moon is what happens when you put a microscope on your problems.
While this is probably not as ambitious as something like Animals or the Wall from a few years later, Dark Side's enduring legacy is much more than its iconic cover. Across just 10 tracks, Floyd really take you on a journey through everyday life and ask you what is really important, from how fleeting each day is on Time to the struggle to support yourself on Money.
The messages on these songs are already pure gold, but the actual production is what sends it over the top. From the smooth guitar solos to the immaculate choirs that appear in Us and Them, these are tracks that feel like they could have been made today. Even after almost half a century of existence, few prog bands have been able to capture something as immediate as Dark Side.