Review Summary: Uncomfortably numb.
“It’s the fiftieth anniversary of the original record and I thought, ‘You know what? This record actually deserves a reimagining.’ We could do a redux of this, simply because the message has stood the test of time. […] It needed to be re-expressed, and it seemed like a really good way to celebrate the fifty years [in which] the original recorded version has survived; by making a different version of it, not to supersede or replace it, but to remember it, and to progress the original work and concept of the album.” – Roger Waters introducing
The Dark Side of the Moon Redux
Under the conditions of which this redux was made, besides Roger Waters’ ego, who on earth thought this was a good idea? I’ll put it right out there now;
The Dark Side of the Moon was never my favourite Pink Floyd album. Hell, I’d even go as far to say the album in question is overrated. Nevertheless, I understand the album’s cultural significance and why it has endured for half-a-century. It’s a prog-rock treasure built upon ethereal soundscapes and multiple concepts of avarice, existentialism, and insanity. Every aspect of this album is as iconic and culturally significant as Star Wars, say, and while I could opine
The Dark Side of the Moon walked so albums like
Wish You Were Here and
Animals could run, I still understand
The Dark Side of the Moon is, and will always be, their most iconic work. So the obvious question on most rational-minded people’s tongues is ‘Why would you even attempt something like this?” Well dear reader, you have to understand that Roger Waters’ chronic hubris and narcissism has rotted his brain to the point where he believes – and even gleams wax lyrical on his introduction for this redux – on what many fans would call a perfect album, needs expanding upon, or as he puts it, “re-expressing”.
This isn’t my first rodeo, and I’m sure most would agree redux material never goes well for anyone, especially the fans being subjected to it. By definition alone, a redux comes from a place of conceit, inferring the original thing needed improvements. However, in
The Dark Side of the Moon Redux’s case, this is a particularly gross vanity project met with unfortunate circumstances – in that it’s being made by a true egomaniac in every sense of the word. For those not privy to Rogers’… temperament, he has always considered himself to be the trve creative impetus behind Pink Floyd, with the other members playing a far less important role in the writing process, merely riding his genius and talent. And don’t get me wrong, the guy is a great songwriter and has written some excellent songs and albums during his tenure in Pink Floyd, but his self-aggrandising is not only incredibly false and ugly to witness, but it’s spurred on a decades-long battle with Waters and the rest of Pink Floyd. As such, anyone with a braincell can see Waters’ introduction for why this album is even a thing is incredibly disingenuous. Every man and his dog can see
The Dark Side of the Moon Redux was made with one purpose in mind: to galvanise his position as the sole mastermind in Pink Floyd. It’s simply revisionism, with the goal of writing out everyone else who contributed to Pink Floyd’s, and more specifically
The Dark Side of the Moon’s success.
For a second though, let’s ignore all of this and base
The Dark Side of the Moon Redux on its own merits; maybe Pink Floyd’s mastermind cracked the code and delivered a superior product? Who am I kidding? The only merit to be found on this soulless revisionism is the production, which is at least serviceable. Outside of that, this is, to the surprise of no one, inferior to the original in every conceivable way. The spoken-word segments sound like a bed-time reading session in his retirement home, with Waters condescendingly babbling to the listener, while the music is utterly devoid of emotion and slows down to a snail’s pace so it can match Waters’ grim vocal performances. The result, as you can imagine, rips the heart and soul out of what made the original resonate with so many people. Waters has always been known to be cynical, and since this re-imagining is only being steered by him, it seems only fitting the redux represents his bitter personality. Similar to a Hollywood remake,
The Dark Side of the Moon Redux is a shallow, bleak, and empty experience that omits all of the magic from the original. Gilmour’s emotive guitar solos are replaced with crappy string arrangements and guitar passages that sit at the back of house, synths lack the flair and vigour of the ’73 classic, and overall, the album oozes this intense, downcast cynicism, to the point where it’s the most impressive aspect of the entire album – capturing Waters’ ripe negativity. The original album was created with a vitality that is essential to its essence. What we have here is a “fresh” outlook from a bitter eighty-year-old man, delivering one miserable rendition after the other, in the hope of getting some abstract adulation. It goes without saying you should avoid this, but I don’t think I can fully convey its cynicism and contempt in the same way this redux does, and if nothing else, maybe it’s worth listening to just once for that reason.
