Like most kids of the latter 1960s and early 1970s I grew up listening to Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and others when I wanted to be "cool." That was more often than I like to admit now, however; and I also went to the concerts, got stoned there (if only from the second-hand smoke wafting through the halls), and tried to act like I understood what the bands were trying to communicate. On the other hand, I was never as much of a fan of these groups and their style of music as some of my friends, but I had all of their albums and listened to them regularly, including "The Dark Side of the Moon." This book tells about the making of this extraordinary album and a little about its significance since its release more than three decades ago.
Of course, the remarkable thing about "The Dark Side of the Moon" is its popularity over such a long time, since it is a complex concept album dealing with greed and insanity and very much anchored to its time and place. I haven't listened to it in years, but had to do so after reading this book. That may be the greatest compliment I can pay to this book, for John Harris's work, unfortunately, is very much once over lightly and both Pink Floyd as a band and their classic album deserve better. There are some fascinating interviews that interlace the book, a good biographical appendix of what happened to the people associated with the album, and a set of photos that are interesting, but as a whole this is a book for fans of the album. As such it is worthwhile. For those seeking a serious consideration of the place of "The Dark Side of the Moon" in American culture they will want to read "Speak To Me: The Legacy Of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon," edited by Russell Reising, released in March 2006 from Ashgate Publishing.