Following on from this week’s teaser videos, and whispers and rumours abounding, the official announcement has been made today for Pink Floyd’s celebration of the 50 years since the release of The Dark Side Of The Moon. Apart from a deluxe box set, which is released on March 24th, 2023, there are also standalone releases, Planetarium presentations of the album, and a competition aimed at animators. Rest assured, we have all the details for you here. First, the box set: As you might be able to determine from the picture, the new deluxe box set includes a CD and gatefold vinyl of the new 2023 remastered studio album, and Blu-Ray and DVD audio discs featuring the original 5.1 mix and remastered stereo versions. The set also includes an additional Blu-ray disc of the new Atmos mix plus a CD and vinyl (for the first time) of The Dark Side Of The Moon – Live At Wembley Empire Pool, London, 1974. There’s also a 76-page music book, replicas of two 7″ singles, posters, stickers, a replica invite to the press preview of the album at London Planetarium in February 1973, and Thames & Hudson’s 160-page hardback book with rare and previously unseen photographs from the 1972-1975 tours taken by Jill Furmanovsky, Peter Christopherson, Aubrey Powell, and Storm Thorgerson. For full details – and ordering details – please see below. On the same day, 24th March, the CD and LP of The Dark Side Of The Moon – Live At Wembley Empire Pool, London, 1974 will be released separately from the box set. It was originally recorded in November 1974 as part of the band’s winter tour and this is the first time it will be available as a stand-alone album, with artwork featuring an original 1973 line-drawn cover by George Hardie. The book Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon: 50th Anniversary (which we talked about here on 14th October 2022) will also be published separately by Thames & Hudson on 24th March 24 to coincide with the box set release (which includes it). Curated by photographer Jill Furmanovsky and art directed by Hipgnosis co-founder Aubrey Powell, this LP-sized volume showcases rare and previously unseen photographs taken during The Dark Side Of The Moon tours of 1972-1975 and was created with the involvement of the band members. The 50th Anniversary release will also be celebrated as Pink Floyd have invited a new generation of animators to enter a competition to create music videos for any of the 10 songs on the iconic 1973 album. Pink Floyd has a rich history of collaborating with animators from the beginnings of the band (Ian Emes, Gerald Scarfe etc.), and in some cases the visuals that accompany the songs have become synonymous with the music itself. The 50th Anniversary will be no exception.
