For Christmas 2025, I received a poster listing 100 albums everyone should hear before they kick the proverbial bucket. So, in 2026, I intend to listen to every last one of ‘em and write about it here. Some I already adore, some I’ve never heard of, and some I’m utterly baffled as to why anyone would waste their time. Either way I’ll be sharing my thoughts and impressions on all 100 records throughout the year. I hope you enjoy the ride!

When I decided I would embark on this journey of listening to 100 albums within the year, I was mostly looking forward to having an excuse to check out some classic albums I’d never gotten around to giving a spin. As it happens though, the first album on the list is one I’m already intimately familiar with.

Not that that should be surprising really. Pink Floyd’s seminal 1973 album routinely tops the greatest album of all time charts and is relentlessly recommended by fans and critics alike. Weirdly enough though, I can’t actually recall my first exposure to Dark Side of the Moon. I certainly remember rifling through my Dad’s vinyl collection one weekend and giving it a spin, but I’m not entirely convinced that was my first hearing. Some vague memory exists of fellow guitar players in school sending me a couple of tracks way back when too, though again, I’m convinced that wouldn’t have been my first exposure.

Whenever it was that Gilmour, Waters, Mason, Wright et al first entered my lugholes with this album though, it soon became one of those records that I couldn’t ever imagine living without. I’ve incredibly fond memories of getting home from my A Level exams, grabbing a beer out of the fridge and chilling out in the garden with this as the soundtrack. To this day, if I need to unwind, Dark Side and scotch is an unbeatable combo.

On the guitar front, Time contains my all-time favourite Gilmour solo too. I’m sure many would argue Comfortably Numb or Shine On You Crazy Diamond take that honour, and it’s hard to disagree. But I always loved how much Floyd’s guitarist did so much with so little, and that single opening note of the solo in Time stills makes me giddy now.

My Dad once got me a complete tablature and sheet music book of this album. I took the time to learn that solo from Time, but I never had enough talent to attempt playing the whole album. That takes real genius. And if genius is needed to play it, God only knows what kind of otherworldly gifts are required to write it. Number one on the bucket list for a reason then, and should be on everyone’s.

Oh, and Great Gig in the Sky is still the greatest vocal performance ever committed to tape.