As much as those endless ‘Greatest Records of All Time’ listicles try to subvert the longstanding consensus on the ranking of certain artists’ albums, when pushed, we’re pretty conservative with our preferences.
Sgt Pepper? – better than Revolver. In Rainbows? – not a patch on OK Computer in our book. Wish You Were Here? Nah, for us, it’s The Dark Side of the Moon all the way.
We were giddy with nerdy glee then, when at this year’s Great Escape festival, we were given a special sneak peek at Pink Floyd's new Dark Side of the Moon-branded cassette player/album bundle, the latest major artist co-brand from French cassette revivalist We Are Rewind, a company that we spoke to at length last year.
On the heels of its limited edition Elvis, Duran Duran and Chromeo co-branded editions of its distinctive WE-001 cassette player, this new fully Pink Floyd-endorsed release sees an exclusive cassette version of the band’s 2023 50th anniversary mix of their 1973 classic come to the format for the first time.
But, for the release, the record has been specially remastered to sound as good as it can on high quality cassette, and it's exclusive to this limited edition box-set.
Back in the day, of course, in that strange wilderness period when the heyday of the vinyl record was waning, and prior to the CD taking hold, The Dark Side of the Moon was one of the most popular cassette albums of all time.
“To call The Dark Side of the Moon a classic album is an understatement,” says We Are Rewind’s CEO and Founder Romain Boudruche. “In many ways, it set the tone for what an album experience should be as a continuous piece of sonic art but also used state-of-the-art production techniques and sounds which make it a true musical experience. We're happy that We Are Rewind can play a part in helping preserve the physical album experience"
The sturdy aluminium-built, Dark Side-artwork emblazoned special edition cassette player is a gorgeous Floyd-fan-artefact.
The underlying player itself is the WE-001 which sports true hi-fi sound and a tailor-made headphone amplifier designed for cassette playback specifically. It features metal buttons and full Bluetooth connectivity, allowing users to connect to wireless headphones and standalone speakers. A rechargeable battery lasts upwards of 12 hours.
The company even sells a belt-clip, if you didn’t quite feel old-school enough.
Nick Mason and David Gilmour have been involved in this special release, and Mason offers some characteristically sardonic insight; “I still have enormous affection for the cassette. It really was a major breakthrough - not only with the Sony Walkman but with some of the more up-market recorders,” Mason says. “I still have my Nakamichi on the shelf and look forward to testing it with the new The Dark Side of the Moon cassette. Am I correct in assuming that the next major issue will be The Dark Side of the Moon in a large package consisting of the album divided up into 78 RPM discs?"
The package is available now for £159/$199/€179 from We Are Rewind. This collector-angled release is a limited edition, and every box includes a numbered card certifying its authenticity. So, if you want it, you'd best not miss the starting gun…
