Liverpool FC Forum

by **66-1112520797** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 3:11 pm

I dont know if this is common knowledge, but a mate of mine tonight was telling me that Pink Floyds ' Dark side of the moon (the original album) was written as the soundtrack of ' The Wizard of Oz'. I havent had chance to google it yet, and maybe someone like Woof will know.

But all the songs on the album apparently run, in accordance with the movie. I thought that was absolutely amazing that 'Floyd' could write the lyrics, tied in with the movie.

I'm off to bed now but if you Google 'Dark side of the rainbow' it will show you the Wizard of Oz and the music.(sorry cant do linky thingys)

Pink Floyd :buttrock

by **dawson99** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 3:15 pm

its coincidence mate, it does work....kinda, worth checking out if stoned tho

by **66-1112520797** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 3:20 pm

dawson99 wrote:its coincidence mate, it does work....kinda, worth checking out if stoned tho

Introduction

Several years ago a rumor began to circulate about a strange connection between Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon (1973) and the MGM classic film The Wizard of Oz (1939). If you properly synchronize the film and the album, as the rumor goes, a number of coincidental events occur. So many, in fact, that a large audience is convinced that Pink Floyd intentionally created Dark Side of the Moon as an alternative soundtrack to the film. Just to cite a few examples, side one of the LP is the same length as the first black-and-white segment of the movie; "The Great Gig in the Sky" begins as the tornado approaches Dorothy's farm, builds as the storm worsens, and slows when Dorothy is knocked unconscious; "Brain Damage" plays as the Scarecrow sings "If I Only Had a Brain"; and the album concludes with the sound of a heartbeat as Dorothy puts her hand on the Tin Woodsman's chest. Fans have found many more coincidental events and I have included a fairly complete list on this website. Over time this rumor has taken on a life of its own and inspired many people to try to find other "synchronicities" between films and albums.

The origins of this rumor are obscure, but a few websites had appeared and discussion groups had been exchanging information about the connection between Dark Side of the Moon and The Wizard of Oz a number of years before the mainstream press reported the story in 1997. WZLX-FM in Boston and WNEW-FM in New York received overwhelming responses from listeners when they reported this rumor on the air in the spring of 1997.(1) George Taylor Morris, the disk jockey for WZLX, said, "I just mentioned it, just briefly on the air."(2) That was all it took, though, as the rumor spread rapidly after that. Within a few weeks, several major newspapers and television news programs, as well as MTV, ran stories about the rumored connection between the album and the film. The Internet has been instrumental in spreading this rumor. Several websites have come online that include theories about Pink Floyd's intentions and lists of coincidental events between the film and the album.

The record company, EMI-Capitol Entertainment Properties, has made no effort to counter the rumor. In the weeks following the mainstream newsmedia reports, EMI-Capitol reported that they were having trouble keeping up with demand for copies of Dark Side of the Moon, as sales had doubled. Bruce Kirkland, chief of EMI-Capitol, said, "It's happening at an organic, grass-roots level, but we're into fueling it.... Why Not? It's not harmful, it's not exploitative, and nobody died. It's just fun. Yeah, let's get into it."(3) Members of the band, however, have denied that they made Dark Side of the Moon to be an alternate soundtrack for The Wizard of Oz. Richard Wright "swore on his family" that the band had not intended to do anything of the sort.(4) When asked about the coincidental events between the album and the movie, Nick Mason stated, "I haven't [watched The Wizard of Oz synchronized with Dark Side of the Moon]. But I hope someone else will do it when I'm there. I can never quite be bothered to do it. I can assure you we never worked with the film when we were working on the track. That would be so convoluted a way of making a record." (5) Alan Parsons, who was the engineer on Dark Side of the Moon, said that no one in the band had discussed The Wizard of Oz while they were making the album.

In the recent past, a number of theaters have had special showings of The Wizard of Oz synchronized with Dark Side of the Moon. Some theaters, such as the Rosebud Cinema Drafthouse in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, have shown this as a midnight movie.(6) A retrospective of film adaptations of L. Frank Baum's Oz books by the Ryder Film Series at Indiana University included a showing of The Wizard of Oz synchronized with Dark Side of the Moon in July, 2000.(7) The Blinding Light Cinema in Vancouver showed "Dark Side of the Rainbow" in February, 2001.(8) After being damaged by fire, the Neon in Dayton, Ohio, reopened with a special showing of The Wizard of Oz synchronized with Dark Side of the Moon in February, 2001.(9) The most elaborate production occurred, appropriately enough, in Kansas at the Topeka Performing Arts Center in August, 2000—a laser show with admission costing $17.(10)

The rumor about the connection between the movie and the film has also changed how we see The Wizard of Oz on television. On July 3, 2000, Turner Classic Movies aired the classic film without commercial interruptions—the first time that it had been broadcast in this way. Then, later in the evening, TCM again showed The Wizard of Oz, but this time they offered Dark Side of the Moon on the Second Audio Program.(11) Is there anything to it?

Notes
Ann Oldenburg, "Pink Floyd, 'Oz' in Sync: Album Reveals 'Dark Side' of the Rainbow," USA Today, May 23, 1997, p. 2D
"The Pink Floyd/Wizard of Oz Connection" MTV News Online website, May 30, 1997.
Edna Gunderson, "The Power of 'Oz' lifts 'Moon' Sales," USA Today, June 6, 1997, p. 2D.
Helen Kennedy, "Call It Dark Side of the Rainbow'," New York Daily News, May 13, 1997.
"The Pink Floyd Interview, Jam! Showbiz website, Oct. 21, 2001.
"Midnight Movies: Grab a Seat, Stay Late and Get Silly," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Sept. 16, 2001.
Chris Sikich, "Indiana U. Film Festival Offers Early, Rarely Seen Oz Films," University Wire, July 7, 2000.
"Daily Specials," Vancouver Sun, Feb. 16, 2001, p. D11.
Dave Larsen, "Fire Temporarily Pulls Plug on Neon Movies," Dayton Daily News, Jan. 31, 2001, p. 3B.
Hal Lockard, "Pink Floyd Laser Show Rocks TPAC," Topeka Capital-Journal, Aug. 16, 2000, p. A5, and "Shows to Feature Lasers, Japanese Drum Troupe," Topeka Capital-Journal, July 25, 2000, p. A5.
"Turner Classic Movies Presents The Wizard of Oz", Turner Classic Movies website, 2001.

by **dawson99** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 3:21 pm

ive seen some interviews with pink floyd who completely deny it...you never know though.

by **Honolulu Bob** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 4:44 pm

Your mates having you on, it was written for the original series of Rainbow with Bungle, Zippy and George.
Hence the rainbow symbolism on the album cover.
Yoffy ((Rick Jones) fell out with the other Pink Floyd band members over artistic differences, rumoured to be over whether or not Zippy would sing lead on Money) and left the band to create the all time classic kids TV series Fingerbobs. The Clangers kids TV series that he also had a hand in is widely rumoured to be a pi.ss take of Floyd's classic album as Yoffy's way of getting back at the band after the acrimonious split.
Interestingly Bungle later wrote and sang lead vocals on another Floyd classic "Comfortably Numb", written while he recovered from severe heroin addiction and his failed relationship with Jane from Rod, Jane & Freddy. Bungle now runs a self help group for recovering addicts in Sausalito, California.
Another lesser know fact is that George the Hippo left the show to form heavy metal band Rainbow with former Deep Purple guitarist Richie Blackmore. Although he was banned in the nineties from using the Rainbow name, he formed his own band "Up Above the streets and Houses" and still gigs regularly.
Zippy refuses to talk about his former TV fame and is an instructor in advanced tantric sex techniques living in Cochin, India.

Pink Floyd have always denied their connections with the Rainbow TV series and Yoffy from Fingerbobs but to industry insiders it has always been regarded as an "open secret" so to speak.

Tis all true I tells ya! :nod