Black Jacket Symphony reprises Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’

If for no other reason than having one of the most iconic album covers of all time, Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” is one of the greatest rock records ever produced.

According to sales data from the Recording Industry Association of America, the British prog/psychedelic rock legends’ 1973 concept opus sold more than 15 million copies in the U.S. alone and frequently appears on critical lists of essential rock listening.

“‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ is a fine album with a textural and conceptual richness that not only invites but demands involvement,” wrote Rolling Stone’s Lloyd Grossman in a May 24, 1973, review. “[It] has flash – the true flash that comes from the excellence of a superb performance.”

Setting aside its popularity, however, the seamless production of “Dark Side of the Moon” – it was intended to be heard in one uninterrupted play-through – and the many nuances baked into each of the 10 tracks makes it an ideal test case for Birmingham, Ala.-based album recreationists Black Jacket Symphony.

“The only time it ever stops is when you have to flip it over,” says Black Jacket music director and founder J. Willoughby. “That makes it the perfect ‘album’ for us to do because it really is basically one piece of music.

“In any new market, it’s our first show because it’s a great template to show people what we do, and Pink Floyd has draw.”

When Willoughby started Black Jacket Symphony in 2009, he hoped to assemble top-notch musicians who could help him create note-for-note perfect translations of classic albums into a live setting. “The Dark Side of the Moon” was the third record the band tackled after The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” and The Who’s “Who’s Next.”

Because Black Jacket aims for a one-to-one re-creation of the albums it performs, Willoughby says the many textures in “Dark Side” made it especially challenging to deconstruct. Despite playing it more than any other record, Willoughby says he still discovers new depth to the album every time he presents it.

“Every time we do it – literally every time – we find something where we go, ‘We need to tweak this. This goes here,'” he says. “It just makes it better.”

Black Jacket will bring “The Dark Side of the Moon” back to the Scenic City with a performance Saturday, April 30, at the Tivoli Theatre. The show is the first time the record has been performed locally since 2011 when Black Jacket performed the album during its Chattanooga debut.

And after so many performances and boasting a lineup of Black Jacket veterans, Saturday’s performance is bound to be among the best renditions of the album to date, Willoughby says.

“This one gets better every time we do it,” he says. “This band is remarkable. Without a doubt, this is the A-list of Black Jacket players.”

Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.