A Few Facts Concerning Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon

1. The album has sold 34 million copies worldwide.

2. The album was number one on US charts for one week in 1973, and it made the number two spot in the UK. In 1993, after re-mastering and when it was re-released the album made it to number four in the UK.

3. In Belgium and France the album reached number 1, it was number 2 in Austria, and number 3 in Austrailia. It was number 4 in Holland and number 5 in Spain, Finland, and German but not at the same time. It also made it to number 8 in Brazil during 1973.

4. The Guiness Book of World Records states the album has been on the charts longer than any other album in history……namely 591 consecutive weeks or 11.4 years in Billboard top 200…..a staggering 26 years in some Billboard chart or other.

5. The original title for the album was Eclipse (A Piece for Assorted Lunatics)…..

6. The music and lyrics for the entire album were written during a seven week period in which the band were preparing for a tour which they desperately wanted to premier new material.

7. Some of the lines used on the album were generated from cue cards with generic questions that were given to roadies, anyone at Abbey Road, doormen, and members of Wings including Paul and Linda McCartney. Questions included “Are you afraid of dying?”, “When was the last time you were violent and were you in the right?”, and “What does the phrase ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ mean to you?”

8. Wings guitarist, Henry McColluch provided the line, “I don’t know I was really drunk at the time” that is used at fade out of Money.

9. The stoned laughter used in the background of Speak to Me and Brain Damage is from Peter Watts, a road manager for the Floyd pictured on the back of the Ummagumma sleeve. His daughter is Naomi Watts, a famous actress…..

10. During the recording of the album studio time was interrupted for one of two reasons….soccer or Monty Python television broadcasts. The members of the band were such Python fans that they used some of the money made from the initial success of the album to help fund Monty Python’s Holy Grail film.

11. The album was recorded at Abbey Road on then state of the art 16-track equipment. In order to create the tape loops necessary to achieve the rhythmic chiming of the sound effects for Money……the tape had to be physically cut and mended precisely using a ruler and manually feeding them into a tape machine for duplication.

12. Parsons received a Grammy as the record won the “Best Engineered Album” award.

13. Australian radio listeners voted the album the best album to have sex to in 1990.

14. Us and Them was originally written by Richard Wright in 1969 as an instrumental piano solo intended for use in a movie. The song was meant to be used over slow-motion scenes of student/police riots at UCLA. The music was finally rejected but once Waters penned lyrics the song made on Dark Side.

15. Throughout the 1990s rumors persisted that the album was intended to be played back while watching The Wizard of Oz. Many similarities were depicted between the music, lyrics, and the film. The band have denied that the classic film made an impression on them while recording the album, but if you want to judge for yourself be sure to start the CD at the third roar of the MGM lion at the start of the film!

16. At the end of Eclipse listen for the voice that says, “there is no dark side of the moon really, as a matter of fact it’s all dark”,…..if you listen closely you can hear a muzak version of the Beatles’ Ticket to Ride. It was probably being played in the main offices at Abbey Road and was picked up on the microphones.

I've written about Dark Side of the Moon before.......here.

One Thing Leads to Another

This song is from the Reach the Beach album by The Fixx....

Their website can be found here



The deception with tact, just what are you trying to say?
You've got a blank face, which irritates
Communicate, pull out your party piece
You see dimensions in two
State your case with black or white
But when one little cross leads to shots, grit your teeth
You run for cover so discreet, why don't they:

Do what they say, say what you mean
One thing leads to another
You told me something wrong, I know I listen too long
But then one thing leads to another.

The impression that you sell
Passes in and out like a scent
But the long face that you see comes from living close
To your fears
If this is up then I'm up but you're running out of sight
You've seen your name on the walls
And when one little bump leads to shock miss a beat
You run for cover and there's heat, why don't they:

Do what they say, say what they mean
One thing leads to another
You told me something wrong, I know I listen too long
But then one thing leads to another
One thing leads to another

Then it's easy to believe
Somebody's been lying to me
But when the wrong word goes in the right ear
I know you've been lying to me
It's getting rough, off the cuff I've got to say enough's enough

Bigger the harder he falls
But when the wrong antidote is like a bulge on the throat
You runs for cover in the heat why don't they

Do what they say, say what they mean
One thing leads to another
You tell me something wrong, I know I listen too long
But then one thing leads to another
One thing leads to another (Repeat

Don't Bring Me Down

Step Up....

I love this song, and I love this band!

Their name derives from the Ma Barker gang that included Ma and her sons. They did end up meeting with “divine justice”.




So, is this a Christian band? Wikipedia quotes a band member as saying “For us our faith is what makes us. We believe in showing our fans respect and kindness. I love when bands minister, as long as their lifestyle off the stage lives up to their life on stage. Nowadays it is kinda cliché in some markets to be a Christian band but being that in itself is hard and can sometimes put a bull’s eye on your back. It is not an easy thing sometimes, but no one is perfect. But living to the standards of what you preach and talk about is a big deal and something we chose to do everyday.

Their official website can be found here.

I Miss You

To see you when I wake up
Is a gift I didn't think could be real.
To know that you feel the same as I do
Is a three-fold, utopian dream.
You do something to me that I can't explain.
So would I be out of line if I said

I miss you

I see your picture, I smell your skin on the empty pillow next to mine.
You have only been gone ten days, but already I'm wasting away.
I know I'll see you again
Whether far or soon.
But I need you to know that I care

And I miss you

Drive....

This, of course, is the acoustic version.

I love the lyrics to this song.......

And I can't help but ask myself how much I let the fear
Take the wheel and steer
It's driven me before
And it seems to have a vague, haunting mass appeal
But lately I'm beginning to find that I
Should be the one behind the wheel

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
I'll be there

So if I decide to waiver my chance to be one of the hive
Will I choose water over wine and hold my own and drive?
It's driven me before
And it seems to be the way that everyone else gets around
But lately I'm beginning to find that
When I drive myself my light is found

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
I'll be there

Would you choose water over wine
Hold the wheel and drive

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
I'll be there

Peter Gabriel's Ummmm.....BIG Time

The song deals with a man’s attempt for success. You gotta love the end of it….where all of the success is giving the guy a very large……well, it must be huge. :)

....and of course, Peter Gabriel is always going to have the most interesting videos.

Here are the lyrics:

I'm on my way I'm making it, huh!
I've got to make it show yeah, hey!
So much larger than life
I'm gonna watch it growing
Hey hey hey heyyyyyyy

The place where I come from is a small town
They think so small, they use small words
But not me, I'm smarter than that,
I worked it out
I'll be stretching my mouth to let those big words come right out
I've had enough, I'm getting out
to the city, the big big city
I'll be a big noise with all the big boys, so much stuff I will own
And I will pray to a big god, as I kneel in the big church

Big time, I'm on my way I'm making it, big time, oh yes
Big time, I've got to make it show yeah, big time
Big time, so much larger than life
Big time, I'm gonna watch it growing, big time
Ho ohh ohh, oh oh, ho ohh ohh, oh ohhh

My parties have all the big names and I greet them with the widest smile
Tell them how my life is one big adventure
and always they're amazed when I show them 'round my house to my bed
I had it made like a mountain rage with a snow white pillow for my big fat head
And my heaven will be a big heaven, and I will walk through the front door

Big Time, I'm on my way I'm making it, big time, Huh!
Big time, I've got to make it show yeah, big time
Big time, so much larger than life
Big time, I'm gonna watch it growing, big time
Big time, my car is getting bigger Big time, my house is getting bigger
Big time, my eyes are getting bigger
and my mouth
Big time, my belly's getting bigger
Big time, and my bank account
Big time, look at my circumstance
Big time, and the bulge in my big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big, hi there

Wordless: Blue Moon Boys

On this day in 1955 the Blue Moon Boys including Elvis Presley headlined at an amusement park in New Orleans.

Yes, that's Elvis in the middle.....

Other members of the group included Scott Moore, Bill Black and DJ Fontana. The group was fairly instrumental in developing the sound that came to be known as rock and roll. They took Elvis on the road, coached him and have great responsibility for his success.

Other bloggers are participating in Wordless Wednesday. You can find them here

Take Back the City

Snow Patrol is classified as a North Irish rock band….




Take back the city for yourself tonight
Or I’ll take back the city for me
Take back the city for yourself tonight
Whoa

God knows you put your life into it’s hands
And it’s both cradled you and crushed
But now it’s time to make your own demands
Whoa

All these years later and it’s killing me
Your broken records in words
Ten thousand craters where it all should be
Whoa

No need to put your words into my mouth
Don’t need convincing at all
I love this place enough to know i have no doubts
Whoa

It’s a mess, it’s a start
It’s a flowing work of art
Your city, your a call
Every crack, every wall
Pick a side, pick a fight
Get your epitaph right
You can sing, ’til you drop
‘Cause the fun just never stops

I love this city tonight
I love this city always
It bears it’s teeth like a light
And spits me out after day’s
But we’re all gluttons for it
We know what’s wrong and it’s right
For every time it’s been hit

Take back the city tonight
Tell me you never wanted more than this
And I will stop talking now
One perfect partner, one eternal kiss
Whoa

Take back the city for yourself tonight
Or I’ll take back the city for me
Take back the city for yourself tonight
Whoa

It’s a mess, it’s a start
It’s a flowing work of art
Your city, your call
Every crack, every wall
Pick a side, pick a fight
Get your epitaph right
You can sing, ’til you drop
‘Cause the fun just never stops

I love this city tonight
I love this city always
It bears it’s teeth like a light
And spits me out after day’s
But we’re all gluttons for it
We know what’s wrong and it’s right
For every time it’s been hit

Take back the city tonight
I love this city tonight
I love this city always
It bears it’s teeth like a light
And spits me out after day’s
But we’re all gluttons for it
We know what’s wrong and it’s right
For every time it’s been hit
Take back the city tonight

I love this city tonight
I love this city always

Glitter in the Air

Pink performed last night at the 2009 Grammy Awards, and it was stellar!



Here are the lyrics to this great song.....

Have you ever fed a lover with just your hands?
Close your eyes and trust it, just trust it
Have you ever thrown a fist full of glitter in the air?
Have you ever looked fear in the face
And said I just don't care?

It's only half past the point of no return
The tip of the iceberg, the sun before the burn
The thunder before lightning, the breath before the phrase
Have you ever felt this way?

Have you ever hated yourself for staring at the phone?
Your whole life waiting on the ring to prove you're not alone
Have you ever been touched so gently you had to cry?
Have you ever invited a stranger to come inside?

It's only half past the point of oblivion
The hourglass on the table, the walk before the run
The breath before the kiss and the fear before the flames
Have you ever felt this way?

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la

There you are, sitting in the garden
Clutching my coffee, calling me sugar
You called me sugar

Have you ever wished for an endless night?
Lassoed the moon and the stars and pulled that rope tight
Have you ever held your breath and asked yourself
Will it ever get better than tonight? Tonight

Wordless: Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay

On this day in 1968 Otis Redding’s “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” was released six weeks after he was killed in a plane crash.



Other bloggers are participating in Wordless Wednesday. You can find them here

A Pair of Songs from Elis

These songs are offered up by a gothic metal band from Leichtenstein.

As far as gothic metal bands go their music style is very particular. Their sound is influenced by symphonic metal and what is known as doom metal. This means their songs include sections that are orchestral in nature as well as death grunts.

Here is their song Perfect Love complete with lyrics:



While most gothic metal bands focus on literature, love and death in their lyrics….Elis’ lyrics are centered on life and experiences including childhood.

This video is from their song Anger:



The band’s website can be found here

Ozzy and the Bat

On this day in 1982 Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat he thought was rubber while performing at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa. There is a little controversy regarding the incident. Ozzy states the bat was alive while the lady who brought the bat to concert contends it was already dead. Either way….Ozzy underwent a series of rabies shots.

Other bloggers are participating in Wordless Wednesday. You can find them here

Tye Dye Along the Highway

from the Maniac Nirvana album….Robert Plant STILL has it goin' on.

LOVE THIS!!!!!



Tye dye along the highway-see the garlands in your hair
If you're going my way, come along
What a beautiful sky - we just had to stop and stare
See the beautiful colours fill the air

(Oh, just the messengers of peace)
Oh, do you remember - across the burning years
Sweet smell of the mystery I recall
Hang me on Miguel - a smile through all my fears
O high Olympus, touch our soul

With the messengers of peace and the company of love
All the passion and release, and love from up above
Say you will come back with me - say you will come back
Tie dye on the highway - the wheels still turn around

Dance to the mariachi - take my hand
Hope springs eternal when laughter's feeling sound
Move in the mystic wasted land

With the messenger of peace and the company of love
All the passion and release, and love from up above
(You know that it is true)
From the desert in my art, where the innocent may love
All the passions they release, and the love from up above
Say you will come back with me - say you will come back
Say you will come back with me - say you will come back

Wordless: At the Hop

This is the album cover for “At the Hop”…..by Danny and the Juniors. The song was originally written as “Do the Bop”, but American Bandstand host, Dick Clark, advised the group to re-write the lyrics because the dance known as The Bop was not as popular as it had been. After the change the song remained in the top number one spot for a month.

Find other wordless images published by other bloggers here.

Peg

The song Peg by Steely Dan was the first song from the Aja (1977) album that became a single.

Did you know?

*the guitar solo is by Jay Graydon on the original cut, and he worked on the final version for over six hours?

*Michael McDonald can be heard as a backup vocal on the chorus?

*that more than likely the song concerns a porn actress by the name Peg, and that a “foreign” movie was another way to describe a porn movie?

*that the song peaked on U.S. charts at #11?



Here is a video that discusses the song’s recordation:



Here are the lyrics:

I've seen your picture
Your name in lights above it
This is your big debut
It's like a dream come true
So won't you smile for the camera
I know they're gonna love it

I like your pin shot
I keep it with your letter
Done up in blueprint blue
It sure looks good on you
And when you smile for the camera
I know I'll love you better

Peg
It will come back to you
Peg
It will come back to you
Then the shutter falls
You see it all in 3-D
It's your favorite foreign movie