OK, we've all heard it. Some of us may have even participated, or know someone who's "followed the Pinkish Brick Road".
I'm writing of course of scoring The Wizard of Oz with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, also known as "Dark Side of the Rainbow".
That's right. "Floydians" and "Wizard of Oz" fans of the world unite in their common bond of syncronicity.
My question to you, dear reader: Are you one of the many that has partaken in this ritual, this amazing phenomena?
I, sadly, have not. I do hope to do so someday, before I leave his mortal orb.
So, if you have done so, step forth, be heard, and comment in the section below.
If you're interested in testing this theory of theories, take heed of these certain truths from the web site dedicated to the proper execution of this time-honored ritual:
Lining up THE SYNC for the movie
1.) Load the DSOTM CD into your CD player
2.) Press PLAY (>) and then immediately press PAUSE (II) so the CD is cued up and ready to roll.
3.) Set your CD player to Continuous Replay. In most CD players, this is done by pressing the "REPEAT" button twice which will engage the machine to play the CD repeatedly.
Pressing it once will usually repeat only the current playing track. The CD will play about two and a quarter times through the entire length of the movie.
Now start the video and fast forward past all the preview junk at the beginning (about five minutes worth on the THX VHS version) .
Once you have your VHS or DVD to the very beginning of the movie, where the BLACK & WHITE MGM lion roars, immediately after the BLACK & WHITE MGM Lion roars for the THIRD (3rd) time, press the PLAY button on the CD player. I overemphasize "black and white" in reference to the MGM Lion because, at least on the THX version there is a colour MGM Lion that appears prior to the black and white one.
Now turn down the sound volume on the TV, because the dialogue and original soundtrack are not necessary for this experiment -- neither should they even be considered. The DSOTM CD will provide all the sound you'll need.
There you have it. So simple...yet so amazing.
Floyd's DSotM is already considered a seminal album, even before all of the Wizard hype.
Its concepts have intrigued so many over the years that it's been estimated that "one out of every 14 people under the age of 50 own the album".
That, my friend, is more than just an album. That's a touchstone.
But, if that's not enough...apparently, Pink Floyd was pretty prolific in their "scoring sync" ties.
Some other mash-ups:
Blade Runner / Wish You Were Here
2001: A Space Oddity / "Echoes"
"Dark Side" of the "Yellow Submarine"
and...
A list of all the alleged "Floyd" album synchs and their different celluloid "partners"
Happy viewing!
