50th Anniversary Of Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ Celebrated With New Box Set
‘THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON – LIVE AT WEMBLEY EMPIRE POOL, LONDON, 1974’ RELEASED ON VINYL FOR THE FIRST TIME
THE BAND INVITES ANIMATORS TO CREATE VIDEOS TO ACCOMPANY ALBUM TRACKS
NEW PLANETARIUM ALBUM EXPERIENCE ANNOUNCED
BOX SET AVAILABLE FROM MARCH 24, 2023
THE ICONIC ALBUM REMASTERED
TRACKS INCLUDE MONEY, THE GREAT GIG IN THE SKY AND TIME
DELUXE BOX SET AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER HERE
‘THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON – LIVE AT WEMBLEY EMPIRE POOL, LONDON, 1974’ PRE-ORDER HERE
Warner Music [Sony Music outside Europe] today announced the upcoming release of Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ as a deluxe box set to celebrate 50 years since the release of one of the best-selling albums of all time. Newly remastered, the box set will be released on March 24, 2023.
One of the most iconic and influential albums ever, Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ continues to find new audiences globally. The album was partly developed during live performances, and the band premiered an early version of the suite at London’s Rainbow Theatre several months before recording began. ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ is the eighth studio album by Pink Floyd, originally released in the US on March 1st and then in the UK on March 16, 1973. The new material was recorded in 1972 and 1973 at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in London. The iconic sleeve, which depicts a prism spectrum, was designed by Storm Thorgerson of Hipgnosis and drawn by George Hardie. ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ has sold over 50 million copies worldwide.
The new deluxe box set includes CD and gatefold vinyl of the new 2023 remastered studio album and Blu-Ray + DVD audio featuring the original 5.1 mix and remastered stereo versions. The set also includes additional new Blu-ray disc of Atmos mix plus CD and LP of ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon – Live At Wembley Empire Pool, London, 1974’. For full details see listing below.
Simultaneously, on March 24, the CD and first ever vinyl issue of Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon – Live At Wembley Empire Pool, London, 1974’will be released independently. It was originally recorded in November 1974 as part of the band’s winter tour and this is the first time it will be available as a stand-alone album, with artwork featuring an original 1973 line-drawn cover by George Hardie.
The book Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon: 50th Anniversary will also be published separately by Thames & Hudson on March 24, 2023 to coincide with the box set release. Curated by photographer Jill Furmanovsky and art directed by Hipgnosis co-founder Aubrey Powell, this LP-sized volume showcases rare and previously unseen photographs taken during The Dark Side Of The Moon tours of 1972-1975 and was created with the involvement of the band members.
The 50th Anniversary release will also be celebrated as Pink Floyd invite a new generation of animators to enter a competition to create music videos for any of the 10 songs on the iconic 1973 album. Pink Floyd has a rich history of collaborating with animators from the beginnings of the band (Ian Emes, Gerald Scarfe, etc.), and in some cases the visuals that accompany the songs have become synonymous with the music itself. The 50th Anniversary will be no exception. The band would like to give all animators an opportunity to present a fresh take on these timeless aural works. Animators can enter up to 10 videos, one per song on the album. A winner will be selected from a panel of experts which will include Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason, Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell (Pink Floyd’s creative director) and the BFI (British Film Institute). The deadline for submissions is November 30th 2023. To enter and for more information go to https://www.pinkfloyd.com/competition/.
On February 27th 1973, EMI Records held a press conference for the debut presentation of Pink Floyd’s new album ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ at the London Planetarium. Although, the Planetarium dome could only show an array of stars, constellations and images of the cosmos whilst the music played, it was an unprecedented success. Fifty years on, in recognition of the iconic album and with the help of huge strides in technology, an official full dome experience with stunning visuals of the solar system and beyond and played out to 42 minutes of ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’, will be released in Planetariums around the world in March. Contact your local Planetarium for any screening details.
The show itself will be divided between the 10 tracks off the album, in chronological order, each having a different theme; some futuristically looking forward and some a retro acknowledgment to Pink Floyd’s visual history, all relating to a time and space experience, embracing up to the minute technology that only a Planetarium can offer. It promises to be immersive; an all-encompassing surround sound and visual treat that will transcend reality and take you way beyond the realms of 2D experience.
Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’50th Anniversary release is
available to pre-order here
Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon: 50th Anniversary Book available here and here
Book cover image credit: Courtesy of Thames & Hudson
Animation Competition here
For More Information:
Official Website: https://www.pinkfloyd.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pinkfloyd
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pinkfloyd/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinkfloyd/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pinkfloyd
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/pinkfloyd
BOX SET INCLUDES:
CD1 – THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON
Remastered 2023 by James Guthrie
in gatefold sleeve with 12-page booklet
CD2 – THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON
LIVE AT WEMBLEY EMPIRE POOL, LONDON, 1974
Mixed by Andy Jackson
in gatefold sleeve with 12-page booklet
LP1 – THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON
Remastered original studio album
in gatefold, with original posters and stickers
LP2 – THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON
LIVE AT WEMBLEY EMPIRE POOL, LONDON, 1974
in gatefold, with 2 posters
BLU-RAY 1 (AUDIO)
Original album 5.1 and high-resolution remastered stereo mixes,
in dedicated wallet:
1. 5.1 Surround Mix – 24bit/96kHz Uncompressed
2. Stereo Mix – 24bit/192kHz Uncompressed
3. 5.1 Surround Mix – dts-HD MA
4. Stereo Mix – dts-HD MA
BLU-RAY 2 (AUDIO)
Original album Atmos and high-resolution remastered stereo mixes,
in dedicated wallet:
1. Dolby Atmos Mix
2. Stereo Mix – 24-bit/192kHz Uncompressed
3. Stereo Mix – dts-HD MA
DVD (AUDIO)
Original album 5.1 and remastered stereo mixes,
in dedicated wallet:
1. 5.1 Surround Mix – Dolby Digital @448 kbps
2. 5.1 Surround Mix – Dolby Digital @640 kbps
3. Stereo Mix (LPCM) – 24-bit/48 kHz Uncompressed
160-PAGE THAMES & HUDSON HARDBACK BOOK
withrare black and white photographs from the 1972 – 1975 tours of the UK and the USA taken by
Jill Furmanovsky, Peter Christopherson, Aubrey Powell, Storm Thorgerson
76-PAGE MUSIC BOOK
of original album
MEMORABILIA:
REPLICAS OF 2×7” SINGLES
in Harvest bags:
7″ Single 1 Money/Any Colour You Like
7″ Single 2 Us And Them/Time
REPLICA OF EMI PAMPHLET AND INVITE TO THE PREVIEW OF THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON AT THE LONDON PLANETARIUM ON 27TH FEBRUARY 1973
Studio album recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, between May 1972 and January 1973. Produced by Pink Floyd. Engineer Alan Parsons. Assistant Peter James. Mixing supervised by Chris Thomas.
Remastered by James Guthrie and Joel Plante at das boot recording. 5.1 and Atmos mixes by James Guthrie.
Live At Wembley Empire Pool, London, 1974
recorded at the Empire Pool, Wembley, London, November 1974
Engineers: Brian Humphries with Phill Brown.
Audio Mixing by Andy Jackson, assisted by Damon Iddins. Mastered by Andy Jackson at Tube Mastering.
Creative Director 2023: Aubrey Powell/Hipgnosis
Design and Art Direction: Peter Curzon/StormStudios
50th Anniversary Concept and Design: Pentagram