Roger Waters has re-recorded Pink Floyd's 'The Dark Side of the Moon' by himself
He insisted the album was always "my project"
Last updated 9th Feb 2023
Roger Waters has revealed that he has finished re-recording Pink Floyd’s seminal eighth studio album ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ without the knowledge of his former band mates.
The 1973 masterpiece celebrates its 50th anniversary next month and to mark the landmark occasion, Pink Floyd are reissuing ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ as a deluxe box set and they’re also releasing an official book.
In a new interview with The Telegraph, Roger Waters says he has re-recorded the whole of ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ from scratch and he didn’t seek permission from his former band mates David Gilmour and Nick Mason.
“I wrote The Dark Side of the Moon,” Waters stated. “Let’s get rid of all this ‘we’ crap. Of course we were a band – there were four of us, we all contributed – but it’s my project and I wrote it, so, blah.”
Roger Waters was credited as the lyricist for all 10 tracks on the album, however he only has sole credit for the music on three songs – ‘Money’, ‘Brain Damage’ and ‘Eclipse.’
Confirming that he’s eyeing up a May 2023 release date, Waters admitted there may be some legal issues around the re-recording.
“I’m no copyright expert, but might there be some obstacles to that? I have no idea,” he said.
Asked why he’s re-recorded such a momentous album, Waters explained: "Because not enough people recognised what it’s about, what it was I was saying then.”
Waters also criticised his former Pink Floyd band mates, including the late-great Rick Wright (who he spoke about in the present tense), saying none of them were good lyricists.
“Well, Nick never pretended,” Waters said. “But Gilmour and Rick? They can’t write songs, they’ve nothing to say. They are not artists. They have no ideas – not a single one between them. They never have had, and that drives them crazy."
In a separate interview with the Berliner Zeitung, Waters said of his new Dark Side recording: “The new concept is meant to reflect on the meaning of the work, to bring out the heart and soul of the album musically and spiritually.
"I’m the only one singing my songs on these new recordings, and there are no rock and roll guitar solos.”
In December, Roger Waters released ‘The Lockdown Sessions’ EP, which featured his versions of five Pink Floyd tracks including ‘Comfortably Numb’ from 'The Wall.'
The news of a new version of ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ comes a few days after the rift between Roger Waters and David Gilmour intensified following a tweet from Gilmour’s wife, Polly Samson.
In response to an interview Waters had conducted, Samson tweeted on Monday morning: “Sadly @rogerwaters you are antisemitic to your rotten core. Also a Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac. Enough of your nonsense.”
In response, a statement on Roger Waters’ social media channels read: “Roger Waters is aware of the incendiary and wildly inaccurate comments made about him on Twitter by Polly Samson which he refutes entirely. He is currently taking advice as to his position.”
David Gilmour concurred with his wife’s opinion of Waters, saying every word in the tweet was “demonstrably true.”
Roger Waters’ ‘first farewell tour’ visits the UK this summer for arena dates in Birmingham, Glasgow, London and Manchester. We very much doubt David Gilmour will be on the guest list.
The greatest rock songs of all time, including several Pink Floyd classics:
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67) Pink Floyd – ‘Time’ (1973)
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66) Led Zeppelin – ‘When The Levee Breaks’ (1971)
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62) Van Halen – ‘Jump’ (1983)
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58) Jimi Hendrix – ‘Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)’ (1968)
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57) Aerosmith – ‘Dream On’ (1973)
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55) Black Sabbath – ‘Black Sabbath’ (1970)
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54) AC/DC – ‘For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)’ (1981)
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53) Thin Lizzy – ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ (1976)
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52) UFO – ‘Doctor Doctor’ (1974)
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51) Iron Maiden – ‘Fear of the Dark’ (1992)
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50) Boston – ‘More Than A Feeling’ (1976)
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49) Blue Öyster Cult – ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’ (1976)
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48) AC/DC – ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ (1980)
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47) Iron Maiden – ‘Run to the Hills’ (1982)
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46) Gun N’ Roses – ‘November Rain’ (1991)
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45) Pink Floyd – ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ (1975)
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44) Gun N’ Roses – ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ (1987)
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43) Rush – ‘Tom Sawyer’ (1981)
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42) Metallica – ‘One’ (1988)
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41) Metallica – ‘Master of Puppets’ (1986)
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40) Jimi Hendrix – ‘All Along the Watchtower’ (1968)
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39) Gun N’ Roses – ‘Paradise City’ (1987)
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38) The Rolling Stones – ‘Gimme Shelter’ (1969)
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37) Deep Purple – ‘Burn’ (1974)
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36) Bruce Springsteen – ‘Born To Run’ (1975)
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35) Foo Fighters – ‘Everlong’ (1997)
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34) Metallica – ‘Nothing Else Matters’ (1991)
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33) Eagles – ‘Hotel California’ (1976)
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32) Deep Purple – ‘Highway Star’ (1972)
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31) Black Sabbath – ‘Heaven and Hell’ (1980)
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19) Deep Purple – ‘Child in Time’ (1970)
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18) Metallica – ‘Enter Sandman’ (1991)
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17) Led Zeppelin – ‘Whole Lotta Love’ (1969)
Colossal sounding, dirty-as-hell, gloriously lewd and sonically experimental, 'Whole Lotta Love' needs very little introduction. Jimmy Page's iconic riff is one of the purest and most timeless riffs he ever created with Led Zeppelin, while John Paul Jones and John Bonham give the track poise, rhythm and muscle. However, it's Robert Plant who manages to grab the headlines with his sexually charged and highly lascivious lines like "Way down inside", "I'm gonna give you every inch of my love" and, of course, "I wanna be your backdoor man!"
16) Motörhead – ‘Ace of Spades’ (1980)
Motörhead purists might argue that there are better songs in the band's formidable musical arsenal, but 'Ace of Spades' is easily Lemmy, Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor and "Fast" Eddie Clarke's most popular and enduring tracks. Pure musical alchemy, 'Ace of Spades' opens with Lemmy's pummelling bass intro before crashing drums and whirring guitars enter the fray and Mr Kilmeister spouts gambling themed lyrics in his idiosyncratic guttural growl. Exhilarating and electric.
15) AC/DC – ‘Highway to Hell’ (1979)
The second highest placing Bon Scott-era AC/DC song on our countdown, 'Highway to Hell' is three-and-a-half minutes of primal, powerful and perfect guitar-drive rock. Like so many riffs in AC/DC's legendary repertoire, Angus Young's riff is truly timeless, while Bon Scott is at his commanding best. With 'Highway to Hell', AC/DC once again proved that simplicity is often the key to rock n' roll brilliance.
14) AC/DC – ‘Thunderstruck’ (1990)
Powered by scintillating riffs from Angus and Malcolm Young, rabble-rousing chants, screeching vocals from Brian Johnson and muscular rhythms from Chris Slade and Cliff Williams, 'Thunderstruck' is the sound of AC/DC at their most electrifying and one of the standout moments of the post-Bon Scott era. Such is its popularity, 'Thunderstruck' was the first AC/DC track to surpass one billion views on YouTube.
13) Gun N’ Roses – ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ (1987)
Of course, it wouldn't be a Greatest Rock Song poll without Gun N' Roses' signature song 'Sweet Child O' Mine' rearing its head. The 'Appetite for Destruction' anthem is so all-pervading and ubiquitous that even Slash says he "cringes" when he hears his iconic riff in public, however, ignoring the over-exposure, there's no doubt that 'Sweet Child O' Mine' is a rock classic.
12) Iron Maiden – ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’ (1982)
Iron Maiden's fifth song to appear on our countdown is 'The Number of the Beast' classic 'Hallowed Be Thy Name'. Performed on every Iron Maiden tour – except the Maiden England World Tour and The Book of Souls World Tour – for the past four decades, the Steve Harris penned seven-minute epic details the macabre story of a prisoner about the be hanged. Not only is it one of Iron Maiden's greatest songs from their legendary back catalogue, it's also one of the greatest rock songs of all time.
11) Deep Purple – ‘Smoke on the Water’ (1972)
Ritchie Blackmore's instantly recognisable guitar riff on 'Smoke on the Water' was voted the Greatest Rock Riff of All Time by Planet Rock listeners five years ago, and the seminal song has duly been voted into the Top 20 on our new poll. Blackmore noted years later that he took inspiration from Symphony No. 5 by Ludwig van Beethoven, and he owes the deceased composer a lot of money. Thematically, 'Smoke on the Water' was inspired by the devastating fire at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland in December 1971 where the band had decamped to record what would become their sixth album, 'Machine Head.'
10) Meat Loaf – ‘Bat Out of Hell’ (1977)
The opening track on Meat Loaf's debut album of the same name, as statements of intent go, they don't get much better than 'Bat Out of Hell.' The brilliantly bombastic track's lyrics were described as "a rock 'n roll sci-fi version of Peter Pan" by songwriter Jim Steinman, while musically it's gloriously overblown and the perfect vehicle for the late-great Meat Loaf's theatrical and impossibly powerful voice. An irrefutable rock magnum opus.
9) AC/DC – ‘Back in Black’ (1980)
Opening with one of the greatest riffs in rock history, AC/DC's title track from their blockbuster 'Back in Black' album was written in response to the death of Bon Scott. New frontman Brian Johnson was asking not to be morbid when penning the lyrics, and, duly, the track is a celebration of the rock legend. Johnson noted years later: "I just wrote what came into my head, which at the time seemed like mumbo, jumbo. 'Nine lives. Cats eyes. Abusing every one of them and running wild.' The boys got it though. They saw Bon's life in that lyric."
8) AC/DC – ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’ (1977)
The seventh AC/DC song to feature in our Top 70 is the band's riff-heavy hard rock anthem 'Whole Lotta Rosie.' Written by Angus Young, Bon Scott, Malcolm Young, 'Whole Lotta Rosie' details a mind-blowing one-night stand Scott had with a Tasmanian woman called Rosie. A mainstay of AC/DC's live shows since it was released (only 'The Jack' has been performed live more), more recent performances of 'Whole Lotta Rosie' have featured a giant inflatable Rosie on the stage's backdrop.
7) Alter Bridge - ‘Blackbird’ (2007)
The only song from the 21st Century to feature in our Top 20, 'Blackbird' is the crowning glory of Alter Bridge's second studio album and arguably the highpoint of their illustrious career so far. Lyrically poignant, Myles Kennedy wrote the lyrics for 'Blackbird' about the death of his close friend Mark Morse. Kennedy said: "It's really about seeing the suffering he was going through and hoping he would find his solace soon and be free from all of that." The eight-minute track also features a colossal guitar solo from both Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti that was voted the third greatest guitar solo ever by Planet Rock listeners in 2019.
6) Led Zeppelin – ‘Kashmir’ (1975)
The towering musical behemoth that is 'Kashmir' is Led Zeppelin's second-highest polling song from their fabled back catalogue. A track so good that it has you thumbing at the thesaurus looking for suitable superlatives, it's no surprise that the surviving members of Led Zeppelin regard 'Kashmir' as one of their career zeniths. Jimmy Page said of the track: "The intensity of 'Kashmir' was such that when we had it completed, we knew there was something really hypnotic to it, we couldn't even describe such a quality…. It sounded so frightening at first."
5) Pink Floyd - ‘Comfortably Numb’ (1979)
David Gilmour's transcendental playing on Pink Floyd's 'Comfortably Numb' was voted the Greatest Guitar Solo of All Time by Planet Rock listeners in 2019, and the song itself is rightfully in the upper echelons of our Greatest Rock Songs poll at Number 5. Penned by Roger Waters and David Gilmour, 'Comfortably Numb' is one of the defining moments of their songwriting partnership, yet such was the friction between the two during the recording process that Gilmour later noted it represents "the last embers of mine and Roger's ability to work collaboratively together." Poignantly, 'Comfortably Numb' was the last song Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and the late-great Richard Wright performed together at Live Aid in 2005.
4) Lynyrd Skynyrd – ‘Free Bird’ (1973)
The only Lynyrd Skynyrd to make our Top 70, the Ronnie Van Zant and Allen Collins penned 'Free Bird' is the band's signature song and truly one of the finest tracks in rock history. Delivered in Van Zant's trademark southern rock drawl, the track opens with him singing "If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?", hinting at a man unable to settle down. Just past the midway point, 'Free Bird' morphs into a crescendo of glorious guitar solos and frenetic instrumentation – an life-affirming aural onslaught that still sounds as fresh now as it did almost half a century ago.
3) Rainbow – ‘Stargazer’ (1976)
The standout song from Rainbow's seminal 'Rising' album, 'Stargazer' sees the inimitable, late-great Ronnie James Dio narrate the ominous story of a wizard whose attempt to fly by constructing a tower to the stars leads to the enslavement of countless people. A musically complex, powerful and majestic heavy metal tour-de-force, 'Stargazer' flaunts the imperious talents of the respective Rainbow band members, from Dio's astonishing pipes to Cozy Powell's titanic drums to Ritchie Blackmore's mercurial guitar playing. Nothing short of a masterpiece.
2) Led Zeppelin – ‘Stairway To Heaven’ (1971)
Number 2 on our Greatest Led Zeppelin Songs poll in September 2018 to mark the band's 50th anniversary, 'Stairway To Heaven' is also at No.2 in our Greatest Rock Song poll. Clocking in at just over eight minutes, every second of 'Stairway To Heaven' is iconic; from the opening, Renaissance-tinged finger-picked guitars and recorders to Jimmy Page's legendary solo and right through to Robert Plant's ultimate, plaintive "and she's buying the stairway to heaven" refrain. A true timeless classic that will be listened to in centuries to come.
1) Queen – ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (1975)
Having previously finished at No.2 in our previous Greatest Rock Song poll a decade ago, Queen's timeless and ubiquitous rock epic 'Bohemian Rhapsody' has climbed to Number 1 in 2022. Multi-layered and ambitious in musical scope, the Freddie Mercury penned 'Bohemian Rhapsody' has topped the charts twice in the UK and has been introduced to new generations of fans via 1992's Wayne's World and the 2018 Queen biopic of the same name, Bohemian Rhapsody.