What Rolling Stone’s 1973 Review of Dark Side of the Moon Actually Said — and How It Compared to Meddle

Rolling Stone’s original review of Dark Side of the Moon ran in April 1973, written by Jim Miller. He called the album “a fine new LP” but was far from declaring it a masterpiece. His main gripe: the lyrics were “banal” and the cosmic themes felt forced — a common complaint among early critics who found the record too neat compared to the band’s earlier weirdness.

Miller directly compared it to Meddle, saying Dark Side was “more consistent” but “less haunting.” He missed the loose, psychedelic mystery of Meddle’s “Echoes.” Other early reviewers echoed that: NME liked it, Melody Maker loved it, but the consensus was that Floyd had traded strangeness for studio polish. It took a year or two before the tide turned and Dark Side started being called one of the greatest albums ever made.