Roger Waters to re-release stripped back version of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon

Rock album turns 50 this year, amid an ongoing feud between former bandmates Waters and David Gilmour

Pink Floyd’s classic album The Dark Side of the Moon is to be re-released to mark its 50th anniversary.

Released in 1973 by the British band – formed of singer David Gilmour, bassist Roger Waters, keyboard player Richard Wright and drummer Nick Mason – The Dark Side of the Moon, with its instantly recognisable cover art, is widely considered to be one of the greatest rock albums of all time.

Now, lead vocalist Roger Waters has announced plans to release a stripped-back “redux” version of the album.

Waters, 79, has worked on the reinterpreted album with his touring partner Gus Seyffert, a collaborator of artists including Beck and Michael Kiwanuka.

In a statement, Waters said that he had wanted to return to the album as he felt that its anti-war sentiment wasn’t being heard in the modern day.

In a statement released on Friday (21 July), Waters said: “I realised that the f***ing warmongers hadn’t got the message the first time around and I thought, maybe I should re-record it.

“Partly as an homage to the great recording… made back in 1973 and partly as a reminder that we’re still killing the children and it’s still wrong.”

Comparing the original to the “lament of an elder being on the human condition”, Waters said that the “half-century of time” since the original release has brought a new perspective to lyrics such as: “Money, it’s a gas / Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash” (from “Money”), and “Breathe, breathe in the air / Don’t be afraid to care” (from “Breathe”).

In May, Waters made headlines after he dressed in an outfit resembling that of a Nazi SS officer during recent live performances in Germany.

The musician also projected the name of Anne Frank on a giant screen during the shows, along with several other names of contemporary figures including George Floyd and Shireen Abu Akleh.

The musician’s show opened with a statement that read: “On a matter of public interest: a court in Frankfurt has ruled that I am not an antisemite. Just to be clear, I condemn antisemitism unreservedly.”

On person to accuse Waters of antisemitism is lyricist Polly Samson, the wife of his former bandmate Gilmour. Waters has traded barbs with former bandmate Gilmour and Samson this week after Samson attacked Waters on social media and accused him of antisemitism, which he denies.

You can read more about the feud between Waters and Gilmour here.