10 Bizarre Recording Techniques Used On Famous Records
3. Dark Side Of The Moon – Pink Floyd
English band Pink Floyd's seminal 1973 Prog Rock masterpiece, Dark Side Of The Moon, involved numerous feats of studio invention. Produced by Alan Parsons, who would later enjoy a lengthy career as a recording artist himself, the sessions marked the first time that the band had access to an (for the time) advanced mixing console which supported 16 separate tracks.
Volumes have been written regarding the engineering which went into this classic. Readers are advised to grab hold of a copy of John Harris' excellent book The Dark Side of the Moon: The Making of the Pink Floyd Masterpiece for an extensive account. Imaginative tape-loops, double-tracked vocals and reversed segments abound right from the record's opener, Speak To Me. The famous sound montage on Time makes use of tearing paper, cash registers and clinking coins.
For one of the album's most memorable numbers, the title track, vocalist Clare Torry improvised nonsensical vocals during a highly passionate performance, which were spliced together post-recording. Incredibly, Parsons edited the myriad tracks straight to the master tape. More than five decades on, the engineering of Dark Side Of The Moon remains a magnificent accomplishment.