(The following article originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on Jan. 16, 2008.)
By Gillian Brunette
Classic Albums Live is comprised of musicians hired to perform classic albums note for note, cut for cut, in a live show in the order the tracks appear on both sides of the original album.
Classic Albums Live performs all over North America with a repertoire of some 30 albums. These include the Eagles’ Hotel California, Wings’ Band on the Run, the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Queen’s Night at the Opera and Bob Marley’s Legend, to name just a few.
The founder of Classic Albums is Toronto musician and producer Craig Martin. He hires musicians for each specific show, which tour across Canada and the United States.
Pink Floyd’s classic vinyl The Dark Side of the Moon, featuring an iconic refracting prism cover, is a concept album by the British progressive rock band. It was released in 1973 and is notable for its use of musique concrète and philosophical lyrics, something that would eventually become a trademark of Pink Floyd’s music.
The album was a landmark in rock music, as it featured radio-friendly songs such as Money, Time, Us and Them, and Brain Damage/Eclipse.
The Dark Side of the Moon, widely hailed by many critics and fans as Pink Floyd’s magnum opus and definitive album, explores the nature of the human experience. For example, Time deals with growing older and the overwhelmingly fast approach of death. Money deals with materialism and contains tongue-in-cheek lyrics and wealth-related sound effects.
The Dark Side of the Moon spent 741 consecutive weeks (14 years) on the USA-based Billboard 200 album chart, the longest duration in history. It is also the fifth highest selling album globally of all time, selling more than 40 million units.
Other album facts include:
•Dark Side has sold approximately 34 million copies worldwide.
•The album hit number one on the U.S. charts for one week in 1973.
•The album is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for being on the charts longer than any other album in history.
•The music and lyrics for the entire album were written during a seven-week period when the band was preparing for a tour and desperately wanted to premier new material.
•The album was first performed live at the Dome in Brighton, England, on Jan. 20, 1972.
Classic Albums Live will faithfully reproduce The Dark Side of the Moon. It will be an experience that is sure to be rewarding, something that will stay with you and something you’ll seek out in the future.
For more information, go to www.classicalbumslive.com or check out an interview with the group’s founder at http://www.classicalbumslive.com/pages/newsarchive/newsfall2007.html. Tickets for The Dark Side of the Moon are $28 for adults and $18 for youth, plus GST, and available at the Algonquin Theatre box office on Main Street, by calling 789-4975, or online at www.algonquintheatre.ca.
