Nick Mason Praises Roger Waters’ Re-Recording of “Dark Side Of The Moon” as “Absolutely Brilliant”
Pink Floyd drummer, Nick Mason, has publicly praised his former band mate Roger Waters’ re-recording of the iconic album “Dark Side Of The Moon” as “absolutely brilliant.” The album, first released in 1973 to much critical acclaim, is considered one of the greatest records of all time and celebrates its 50th anniversary this month.
Waters announced earlier this year that he would be re-recording the Pink Floyd classic without his former band mates being involved – removing guitar solos and putting voices over the atmospheric instrument tracks. This caused a lot of split opinion on the internet! Now, Mason has shared his opinion on the upcoming release, confirming that he has already heard snippets of the project and was rather impressed by it.
Much praise for the new version…
“I heard the rumor that Roger was working on his own version of it,” Mason said at a playback of the new mix of ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ at London’s Dolby Atmos Immersive Studio. “There was this suggestion that this was going to be a spoiler and Roger was going to go head-to-head with the original version and so on.”
Nick Mason continued, expressing his appreciation for Waters’ work on the re-recording: “He actually sent me a copy of what he was working on and I wrote to him and said, ‘Annoyingly, it’s absolutely brilliant!‘ It was and is. It’s not anything that would be a spoiler for the original at all, it’s an interesting add-on to the thing.”
Currently, Nick Mason performs early Pink Floyd tracks with Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp under the band name Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets. The idea for creating the band came from guitarist Lee Harris. The 79-year-old musician also explained why he supports the concept of re-visiting classic tracks and presenting them in a new way – stating it allows musicians to “develop” the original release.
“One of the things I like about any sort of existing piece of music is to develop it or find some extra quality in it,” he said. “I just like this idea of developing music rather than trying to retain it exactly as it was.”
I guess Nick would be of the mind to support the re-working of the classic and perfect album because it might well bring it to new audiences, much like the Saucerful tour letting younger people hear the early Floyd classics. The tour kicks off again in July 2023. Or that time Pink Floyd played at Live 8 which might have allowed lots of young people to experience the band fresh and new for their first time.
Frankfurt!
This isn’t the first time Mason has publicly supported his former bandmate. Earlier this month, he signed a petition calling for the reversal of a ban placed upon one of Roger Waters’ upcoming live shows in Frankfurt, Germany. The petition, which also includes signatures from Eric Clapton, Brian Eno, and Tom Morello, has already amassed over 23,000 signatures.
Roger Waters’ re-recorded version of Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side Of The Moon” is set to be released in May. Fans of the original album and Pink Floyd enthusiasts alike are eagerly anticipating this unique take on a classic masterpiece.
