For the month of October, I’m taking the #OctAtoZBandChallenge challenge. The premise is simple. Pick a band starting with the day’s assigned alphabet letter and then choose a song from that band.
Day 16
There are only a small handful of albums that shook me to my core when I first heard them. Dark Side Of The Moon is one of them. I didn’t need the mind-expanding drugs to help either. It was always about the music. It was unlike anything that came before it, and I would argue that nothing else after it comes close. Calling a track on this album a song simply isn’t doing it justice. Each one is a sonic experiment, engineered by Alan Parsons and brought to life by one of the most experimental rock bands in history. “Time” is a natural choice for so many reasons.
Clocking in at nearly seven minutes, “Time” starts with its iconic soundscape of clocks and wind chimes, indicating the passage of time in a simple, yet captivating way. This is the only song on Dark Side that includes all four band members as co-writers. Each member brings something powerful to the track. Gilmour’s vocals are among his best. “Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day.” Waters and Mason lay down a rhythmic bed that accentuates the passing of time. And Wright’s organ hooks and the exhilarating backing vocals are the gateway between the song’s firm rock stance and bluesy demeanor.
“Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time. Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines. Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way. The time is gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say.”