This format never took off in the way that audiophiles at the time had hoped - perhaps due to the expense and complication involved in setting up a system - but the concept of Dark Side in surround is really nothing new. Though the quadraphonic mix was included in the 2011 Immersion set, it’s conspicuously absent from the 50th. In 1973, engineer Alan Parsons created an experimental quadraphonic surround sound mix that received limited release on specialized four-channel LP & 8-track tape formats in the European market. Long considered an audiophile favorite, Dark Side has been reissued numerous times over the decades replete with new remasters and remixes.

It was the logical next step following the band’s prior studio albums Atom Heart Mother (1970) and Meddle (1971), with Waters just beginning to explore the themes of fame, insanity, and loss that would come to define much of his writing throughout the 1970s and beyond. The Dark Side of the Moon was a key turning point in the growth of Pink Floyd as a band and Roger Waters as a lyricist. For audiophiles, there are also two audio only Blu-Ray discs containing the Dolby Atmos & 5.1 surround sound mixes from longtime Floyd engineer James Guthrie. The photobook features many never-before-seen photos and is quite beautiful, helping transform this set into the realm of art. Within the oversized box, one is treated to a beautiful hardcover photobook, the sheet music for the entire album, a live recording of the band’s 1974 performance at London’s Wembley Empire Pool, and the “Money” and “Us and Them” North American singles. The Dark Side 50th anniversary box set is an art piece as well as a musical treasure trove.

The prior “immersion edition” box set was released in 2011 (and admittedly featured much more unreleased material than the new set offers), but that does not mean the 50th set isn’t worth investigating. To celebrate this milestone, the surviving members of the band and Sony Music have teamed up to release another box set honoring the album. On March 24, 2023, it turned 50 years old. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) in terms of historical significance, and it has clocked more weeks on the album charts than any other album in history. It’s been considered a classic rock staple since the early 1980s, ranked up there with Sgt. Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) should not require an introduction or explanation.

Atom heart mother quadraphonic