The Dark Side of the Moo
The Dark Side of the Moo is an early unofficial compilation of the English progressive rock group Pink Floyd, featuring recordings not available on albums released in the US. Unlike other bootlegs containing previously unheard material (bootleg recordings), the album is made up of recordings that had at least one commercial release.[1]
| The Dark Side of the Moo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Compilation album (bootleg) by | |
| Recorded | 1967–1971 |
| Genre | Psychedelic rock Progressive rock |
| Length | 44:23 |
| Label | Trixie Records |
| Producer | Norman Smith Pink Floyd |
The name is an obvious pun on The Dark Side of the Moon, the band's most commercially successful album, and the front cover of Atom Heart Mother, which featured a cow.[2][3]
Background
The album was created by an anonymous label known as "Trixie Records" by a bootlegger known as "Richard",[3][4] and to avoid detection by authorities, used an early name for the group, "The Screaming Abdabs" on the record label. "Richard" created the bootleg because he was frustrated at the amount of material that had been released by the band, but had not found its way onto any widely available album, even compilations such as Relics, or even seen a US release. He admitted, though, that a key motivation for creating it was for the cover, for which he created his own photograph of a cow in a field.[1]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
Reviewing the bootleg, Ritchie Unterberger recommended it for fans trying to complete a collection of Floyd recordings, saying "If you're not inclined to spend an additional 50 dollars or so tracking these down, it certainly makes sense to spring for this, if you can find it."[2] The record was alleged to have sold 15,000 copies,[1][3] and was praised for its high fidelity.[2][4] "Richard" claimed it was the best selling bootleg out of several he produced, and was still selling it in the mid-1990s, years after its release.[1]
Although some of the tracks are now more widely available than when the bootleg was first issued, some, such as "Point Me at the Sky", have still not been released on a regular album ("Point Me at the Sky" was, however, issued as part of the bonus "Early Singles" disc on the Shine On box set in 1992).
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Astronomy Domine" | Syd Barrett | The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (UK only) | 4:08 |
| 2. | "Candy and a Currant Bun" | Barrett | B-side of "Arnold Layne" | 2:43 |
| 3. | "Apples and Oranges" | Barrett | Single | 3:01 |
| 4. | "It Would Be So Nice" | Richard Wright | Single | 3:41 |
| 5. | "Interstellar Overdrive" | Barrett, Roger Waters, Wright, Nick Mason | Tonite Lets All Make Love in London | 3:04 |
| 6. | "Scream Thy Last Scream" | Barrett | The Early Years 1965–1972 | 4:44 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Heart Beat, Pig Meat" | Waters, Wright, David Gilmour, Mason | Zabriskie Point | 3:09 |
| 8. | "Crumbling Land" | Waters, Wright, Gilmour, Mason | Zabriskie Point | 4:12 |
| 9. | "Embryo" | Waters | Picnic – A Breath of Fresh Air (limited UK release) | 4:39 |
| 10. | "Point Me at the Sky" | Waters, Gilmour | Single | 3:27 |
| 11. | "Come in Number 51, Your Time Is Up" | Waters, Wright, Gilmour, Mason | Zabriskie Point | 4:57 |
| 12. | "Mademoiselle Nobs" | Waters, Wright, Gilmour, Mason | Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii | 1:50 |
References
- Heylin, Clinton (1994). The Great White Wonders – A History of Rock Bootlegs. Penguin Books. p. 197. ISBN 0-670-85777-7.
- Unterberger, Richie. "Dark Side of the Moo [Bootleg] – Pink Floyd : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
- "A Brief History of Bootlegs". Floyd Boots. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
- Kernfeld, Barry (October 2011). Pop Song Piracy: Disobedient Music Distribution since 1929. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226431833.
- "Screaming Abdabs, The – The Dark Side of the Moo". Retrieved 5 October 2012.
