Thirty-five years ago, that would be Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. The progressive rockers’ landmark ode to life, death, time, money and madness enters the charts on this day in 1973 for the first of 741 straight weeks (that’s more than 14 years), unmatched in album chart history.
It spawns the – ka-ching! – Top 20 single “Money,” and almost every other song becomes an FM staple, from the beautiful “Breathe” to the closing tour-de-force “Brain Damage/Eclipse.” The LP’s use of sound effects to match the rhythm of each of Roger Waters’ compositions, along with double-tracked vocals and seemingly quadraphonic sound, make it a benchmark recording. Indeed Dark Side of the Moon invariably rates high on listeners’ and critics’ all-time-best lists like best album, best album cover and, ahem, best album to make love to.
Dark Side of the Moon is estimated to have sold more than 40 million copies to date, which makes it the 5th bestseller of all time behind only Michael Jackson’s Thriller, AC/DC’s Back in Black, the Eagle’s Their Greatest Hits 1971-75 and the soundtrack to The Bodyguard.
And for the older listener, “There’s a Moon Out Tonight” by the Queens, New York-based Capris was released on New Years’ Eve in 1960, and reached #3.
September 8, 1966 Heck of a Trek
“Gallivanting around the cosmos is a game for the young.” – William Shatner in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
A phenomenon today, Paramount's Star Trek was anything but when it debuted on this night on NBC. In its first season it ranked a mediocre #52, and was regularly beaten by competitors like Bewitched and My Three Sons. In successive years the network shifted its date and timeslot but audiences fell even further, and the show was axed at the end of its third season. But diehard trekkies kept the flame alive. Paramount tried an animated series for a couple years until its first feature film in 1979, and overwhelming response triggered a steady stream of movies and syndicated series ever since.
Thirty-five years ago, that would be Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. The progressive rockers’ landmark ode to life, death, time, money and madness enters the charts on this day in 1973 for the first of 741 straight weeks (that’s more than 14 years), unmatched in album chart history.
It spawns the – ka-ching! – Top 20 single “Money,” and almost every other…