Whilst maybe not achieving the public acclaim of dark side of the moon, the album Wish You Were Here is my favourite Pink Floyd album, and possibly even my favourite album of all time! The album was first released back in the days of vinyl in 1975 following recording at the famous Abbey Road studios, but a digitally re-mastered version was made in 1992 and is produced by EMI.
This album features the more familiar line-up of the later-days Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett having previously left the band following a bit of a breakdown. The song-writing by Waters and Gilmour is superb throughout the album. Many albums may have their standout tracks, but it is indeed a rare animal where all the tracks are this good.
The album opens with the epic Shine on you crazy Diamond part 1 (you soon learn the Floyd love producing multiple part tracks, an greatest example being their earlier album Ummagumma which featured a four part and 2 three part tracks!) This track provides a typical Pink Floyd opening i.e. no sound audible with the volume control at normal for the first 20 seconds or so. This means that when you turn up the volume just to check if the disc is working, you are suddenly hit with the full force of the opening chord. By now I’ve just learnt that it is best to leave the volume set up high and sit back and enjoy. The track meanders its way through the typical electronica landscapes used by the band, and features the haunting sax of Dick Parry throughout.
The middle part of the album is taken up by the Welcome to the Machine and Have a Cigar – both louder angrier tracks which show their frustration with the cut-throat world and shows how they despise the loss of humanity seen in modern society. Track four, Wish You Were Here, returns to their more laid back sound, and features a bizarre opening where it sounds like a radio flicking through channels before settling on this haunting tune. There is more angst here, and some of the best lyrics I know in a song. To round of the album, Shine on You Crazy Diamond returns for Part 2. This is a fitting end to the album and produces a cohesive whole of pure music brilliance.
Another feature of Pink Floyd Albums is their cover artwork, and this one doesn’t disappoint, with a man shaking hands with a burning copy of himself with bleak white warehouses all around. The art inside the sleeve is also great, the man swimming in sand being jut one of the high points, and the disc itself is covered with images of flames.
So have you guessed yet that I love this album? I really suggest that if you haven’t hear it yet that you go and get yourself a copy – I wore out my first CD copy and so had to get another recently and found it for only £7 (will probably work out at a couple of pence for each play it gets!)
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can only agree with your sentiments as I rate this album on a par with "The Wall".All power to more floyd.gaz
parker-munn 09.11.2002 18:32
Always something classic and unforgettable about Floyd, from granchester Meadows to the heart of the sun. AAh, those were the days!
RussellC 08.11.2002 21:28
I don't really like any of the Pink Floyd stuff I have heard (apart from Another Brick in the wall, or whatever it is called). Just hasn't ever appealed to me. Shame really.
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