Roger Waters will die on the hill that Dark Side of the Moon is all his doing, so the controversial former Pink Floyd member has been teasing a solo re-recording of the seminal 1973 album that’s slated to arrive this October. He’s further previewing (Roger’s Version) today with the album’s lead single, his version of “Money.”
Waters produced the LP, titled The Dark Side of the Moon Redux along with Gus Seyffert, and recorded the tracks with a studio band comprising Seyffert, Joey Waronker, Jonathan Wilson, Johnny Shepherd, and Jon Carin. Notably, the other members of Pink Floyd who helped to create the original, including David Gilmour and Nick Mason, do not appear on the recordings.
“The original Dark Side of the Moon feels in some ways like the lament of an elder being on the human condition,” Waters said in a statement. “But Dave, Rick, Nick, and I were so young when we made it, and when you look at the world around us, clearly the message hasn’t stuck. That’s why I started to consider what the wisdom of an 80 year old could bring to a reimagined version.”
He continued: “When I first mentioned the idea of re-recording The Dark Side of the Moon to Gus and Sean we all thought I was mad, but the more we considered it, the more we thought, ‘Isn’t that the whole point?’ I’m immensely proud of what we have created, a work that can sit proudly alongside the original, hand-in-hand across a half-century of time.”
While the original “Money” embodies the epitome of ’70s psych-rock, Waters’ version swaps out the peppy, bright lead vocals for an ominous near-whisper at least one octave lower. He also slows down the pace a bit and ultimately gives the track a more eerie feel. It’s…different! Listen to the update of “Money” below.
Back in March, Waters shared a preview of his version of “Us and Them,” while the remaining Pink Floyd members shared a fully authorized 50th anniversary box set for Dark Side of the Moon.
