One of the most influential albums of all time, Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon was recorded over eight months at Abbey Road Studios.
But several other north London locations played a role in the iconic release 50 years ago.
The album was partly developed during live performances, with an early version premiering to press at Finsbury Park's Rainbow Theatre in February 1972, several months before recording began.
Then known as The Dark Side of The Moon: A Piece for Assorted Lunatics, it explored ideas including the pressures of the band's lifestyle, and the mental health problems of former member Syd Barrett.
Early demo tracks were recorded in a shed studio in Roger Waters' Islington garden, and the sleeve was designed by Storm Thorgerson, who went to school with founders Barrett and Waters and became friends with guitarist Dave Gilmour.
He created several iconic Pink Floyd sleeves with design studio Hipgnosis, but went on to live in West Hampstead, and founded StormStudios in Haverstock Hill, Belsize Park, designing artwork for numerous other bands.
Before his death in 2013, he told the Ham&High the idea for The Dark Side of the Moon sleeve, “was cobbled from a standard physics textbook which illustrated light passing through a prism."
"We decided to connect it to ambition and madness, which were themes Roger was exploring heavily in the lyrics. The design meeting took about three seconds, the band cast their eyes over everything, looked at each other and said: 'that one.'"
The band's eighth studio album was completed at what was then EMI studios in St John's Wood in January 1973, with recording sessions reportedly interrupted by Waters pausing to see Arsenal play, and the band watching Monty Python's Flying Circus.
On February 27, EMI Records held a press conference at the London Planetarium in Baker Street where, although the dome could only show stars and constellations while the music played, the debut presentation of Pink Floyd’s new album was a critical success.
Released in the US on March 1, 1973, and the UK on March 16, the album went on to sell 50 million copies.
As part of their winter 1974 tour, the band played Wembley Empire Pool, now Wembley arena. A new standalone vinyl issue of The Dark Side of The Moon Live at Wembley Empire Pool 1974 is among a slew of plans for the 50th anniversary celebrations.
Warner Music is also releasing a deluxe box set with newly remastered album including CD, gatefold vinyl and Blu-Ray, and a CD and LP of the Wembley gig with original line-drawn cover by George Hardie, who drew Thorgerson's sleeve design.
Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon: 50th Anniversary will also be published by Thames & Hudson on March 24. Curated by photographer Jill Furmanovsky and art directed by Hipgnosis co-founder Aubrey Powell, it showcases previously unseen photographs taken during the album's UK and US tours of 1972-1975.
Pink Floyd are inviting animators to enter a competition to create music videos for any of the 10 songs on the album with the winner selected by a panel including Nick Mason, Aubrey 'Po' Powell (Pink Floyd's creative director) and the BFI (British Film Institute).
In recognition of the original press conference a 'full dome experience' with stunning visuals of the solar system will play to all 42 minutes of the album in planetariums around the world.
The Dark Side of The Moon Deluxe Box set is released by Warner Music on on March 24. https://pinkfloyd.lnk.to/DarkSide50th
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