|
|
PINK FLOYD RELEASES THE DARK SIDE OF
THE MOON IN SACD
By Christina Guzzo
If an album has spanned three decades and sold over 30 million albums, it’s a sure bet that there is not much room needed for improvement.
Or is there?
On March 25, 2003, thirty years after its initial debut, Pink Floyd released a new remixed, remastered, and SACD surround sound capable version of their eclectic album, The Dark Side of The Moon. This album, a staple in the eyes of music fans, has graced the Billboard record charts for 741 weeks in its span.
Scott Garside, manager of the Compact Disc World store in Totowa, NJ, believes that this special edition of the album is not exciting or enticing customers.
“First off all, there was not a lot of buzz about the album before it came out.” Garside said. “Also, this is about the third or fourth time Dark Side has been re-released, and how many times can you buy the album? Also, you need a special SACD player to really get the benefits of this CD, and not many people have them because they are so costly.”
SACD, which stands for “Super Audio Compact Disc,” players are a new device that is trying to change the way music fans listen to CD’s. The sound quality of these devices heightens listening quality to a new level. Most SACD systems are priced in the thousands. But are musicians and listeners alike embracing this new technology?
Garside said, “ The sales of the Dark Side album this week were not too
impressive. There were a few people looking for it here, but it did not sell great by any means.”The album, marketed by EMI Music, will be the company’s first SACD album released in the United States. The price of it will be similar to regular compact disc prices.
Unlike Garside, Tony Wadsworth, Chairman & CEO, EMI Recorded Music of the UK believes that the CD is revolutionary and has great selling potential.
Wadsworth said, "The hybrid SACD technology allows us to give the Pink Floyd fan a highly value-added product, both as a fully surround sound capable disc on SACD players and as a newly remastered CD for CD players."