Seven ages of rock - a history of rock music over the past 50 years

'Dark Side of the Moon' released

1973

While Pink Floyd had built up a devoted fanbase in the difficult years following Syd Barrett's departure, it was the release of 'Dark Side of The Moon' on 24 March 1973 that propelled them into the big time. It marked a new directness in their writing and though it acquired a certain reputation as a 'drug album', it was lyrically a far cry from their psychedelic roots. In the US "Money" was released as a single and reached #11 in the charts. David Gimour: "It was the release of the song Money that made all the difference. It gave us a much larger following, for which we should be thankful. But they included an element that wasn't versed in Pink Floyd's ways. People suddenly were shouting 'Play MONEY, something we can shake our ass to'. Before we had been playing to 10,000-seaters, where in the quiet passages you could hear a pin drop."