Roger Waters is set to release “The Dark Side of the Moon Redux,” his re-imagined take on the classic album he made with Pink Floyd in the early ’70s. It’s set to drop Oct. 6.
Four versions of the album are available for pre-sale at the official store: CD, $15; transparent orange double vinyl (140 gm), $46; black double vinyl (140 gm), $42; and a gold cassette, $14.
“When we recorded the stripped down songs for the Lockdown Sessions, the 50th anniversary of the release of ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ was looming on the horizon. It occurred to me that ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ could well be a suitable candidate for a similar re-working, partly as a tribute to the original work, but also to re-address the political and emotional message of the whole album,” Waters explained in a promotional email.
“I discussed it with Gus (Seyffert) and Sean (Evans), and when we’d stopped giggling and shouting ‘You must be ****ing mad’ at one another we decided to take it on.
“It’s turned out really great and I’m excited for everyone to hear it. It’s not a replacement for the original which, obviously, is irreplaceable. But it is a way for the 79-year-old to look back across the intervening 50 years into the eyes of the 29-year-old and say, to quote a poem of mine about my Father, ‘We did our best, we kept his trust, our Dad would have been proud of us’.
“And also it is a way for me to honor a recording that Nick (Mason) and Rick (Wright) and Dave (Gilmour) and I have every right to be very proud of.”
News of the project broke Feb. 4, when Waters spoke with the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung, and then with the U.K.’s The Telegraph a few days later.
“I’m the only one singing my songs on these new recordings, and there are no rock and roll guitar solos,” he told Berliner Zeitung.
“The new concept is meant to reflect on the meaning of the work, to bring out the heart and soul of the album — musically and spiritually.”
In addition to Waters, his long-time collaborator Seyffert plays keyboards on the new work; and Seyffert’s girlfriend, Bedouine, provides backing vocals.
The first track from the album, “Money,” is available to stream now:
Do you come to Oregon for concerts ? If yes when?
(You’ve got the wrong Floydian Slip …)
Also available on white vinyl from jpc.de (exclusively) and violet vinyl at Amazon and blue vinyl at HMV also exclusively.