Roger Waters recently revealed that he has been re-recording ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ via NME. The 1973 album was first released while he was a member of Pink Floyd.
Roger Waters opens up on the matter
Waters spoke of the re-recording in a profile by The Telegraph published yesterday (February 8). According to the newspaper, Waters’ solo version of ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ has been “secretly” in the works for months, without the involvement or knowledge of Pink Floyd members David Gilmour and Nick Mason. Waters is said to have re-recorded the entire 10-song tracklist “from scratch”.
Besides Waters, the only contributors to the solo version are reportedly Waters’ longtime collaborator and tourmate Gus Seyffert, as well a “Baptist minister” who plays a Hammond organ. Seyffert’s girlfriend, the singer Bedouine, is also said to feature on the re-recording.
When asked why he chose to revisit ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’, Waters said:
“Because not enough people recognised what it’s about, what it was I was saying then.”
The Telegraph reported that Waters is “planning a lavish vinyl release” of the re-recording, which is said to “prove a bit tricky” given Waters’ exit from Pink Floyd in 1985 and the band’s contentious interactions since. Though originally slated for release in March, representatives confirmed that the album had been pushed back to May as Waters continues “tinkering with the recordings”.
An accompanying launch concert was likewise postponed until May. Despite the delays, which also included a venue change for the concert, according to the Telegraph journalist Tristram Fane Saunders, representatives “assure[d] me the release is definitely happening.” Waters’ ‘Moon’ re-recording would follow his similar release last November, when he shared a ‘2022 version’ of Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ song ‘Comfortably Numb’.
Saunders, who is reportedly one of only a “handful” of people who have listened to the solo version in full, described the re-recording as “very good” in “some parts”. Saunders praised Waters’ vocals, saying the new version of ‘Time’ “sounds terrific with his old man’s timbre.” He also described Waters’ version of album track ‘Breathe’ as a “wonderfully reimagined… slow, acoustic groove”, while comparing ‘Money’ to a “Johnny Cash cut” that is “country-tinged”.
