The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 1 March 1973 by Harvest Records. Developed during live performances before recording began, it was conceived as a concept album that would focus on the pressures faced by the band during their arduous lifestyle, and also deal with the mental health problems of former band member Syd Barrett, who departed the group in 1968. New material was recorded in two sessions in 1972 and 1973 at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in London.

The record builds on ideas explored in Pink Floyd's earlier recordings and performances, while omitting the extended instrumentals that characterised the band's earlier work. The group employed multitrack recording, tape loops, and analogue synthesisers, including experimentation with the EMS VCS 3 and a Synthi A. Engineer Alan Parsons was responsible for many of the sonic aspects of the recording, and for the recruitment of session singer Clare Torry, who appears on "The Great Gig in the Sky".

The Dark Side of the Moon explores themes such as conflict, greed, time, death and mental illness. Snippets from interviews with the band's road crew and others are featured alongside philosophical quotations. The sleeve, which depicts a prismatic spectrum, was designed by Storm Thorgerson in response to keyboardist Richard Wright's request for a "simple and bold" design which would represent the band's lighting and the album's themes. The album was promoted with two singles, "Money" and "Us and Them".

The Dark Side of the Moon is among the most critically acclaimed albums and often features in professional listings of the greatest albums. It brought Pink Floyd international fame, wealth, and plaudits to all four band members. A blockbuster release of the album era, it also propelled record sales throughout the music industry during the 1970s. The Dark Side of the Moon is certified 14 times platinum in the United Kingdom, and topped the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, where it has charted for 977 weeks. As of 2013, The Dark Side of the Moon has sold over 45 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album of the 1970s and the fourth-best-selling album in history. In 2012, it was selected for preservation in the US National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Please give me a short bulleted list of the most important facts about the album “The Dark Side of the Moon” from the rockband Pink Floyd
- published on March 1, 1973
- recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London assisted by unknown sound engineer Alan Parsons 
- Pink Floyd used innovative technologies such as multitrack recording and analog synthesisers
- the album explores themes such as time, death and mental illness
- as of 2013 Pink Floyd sold more than 45 million copies of “The Dark Side of the Moon"
- the album was the 4th best selling album of all time
- it was charted in the US charts for 977 weeks 
- it was selected for preservation in the US National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"