What CDs do you like to spin when you’re out under a dark sky enjoying a long evening of observing?
As for me, I’ll pull one out from the old days — Pink Floyd’s epic Dark Side of the Moon. The classic album that sold 45 million copies was a stalwart on the bestselling lists for years after its debut in 1973 and did much of the heavy lifting at planetarium laser shows throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Engineered at Abbey Road Studios by Alan Parsons and featuring the classic, post-Syd Barrett lineup of Dave Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright, the album is so iconic it’s hard to comment on anymore.
The album’s themes related to lunacy, rather than astronomy — a connection to the departed and institutionalized Barrett — but the astronomical themes are there as innuendo anyway, culminating in the final song, “Eclipse.” Classics that run up to the finale include the moody and weird cuts “Breathe in the Air,” “The Great Gig in the Sky,” and “Brain Damage,” as well as the well-known hits “Time,” “Money,” and “Us and Them.”
If you haven’t listened to the Floyd under the stars or haven’t for years, I encourage you to dust off Dark Side of the Moon. It still holds up pretty well out under a dark sky, and reminds you of astronomical themes, even if the original intent was a tip of the hat to Barrett’s “lunacy.”
So, what music do you like to listen to when you’re observing?
Related blog:
Astronomy goes to the movies, by David J. Eicher, editor