Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd

The MARK’S VINTAGE VINYL page features something from Mark’s collection of recordings from over the years. Most of it is on vinyl – hence the name – though there will be a few entries from his CDs (remember those?).

Wish You Were Here, by Pink Floyd

• Ninth studio album by Pink Floyd, released in 1975.
• If you read my blog, you know that Pink Floyd is among my favorite bands (for more on Pink Floyd, see my March 31, 2017 post on the band, my June 28, 2017 post on my favorite live performance of Comfortably Numb, and my November 8, 2017 post on the Best Double Albums, which includes The Wall). Wish You Were Here is 1 of 15 studio albums by the band.
• The album contains 4 songs. Two are critical of the music industry – Welcome To The Machine and Have A Cigar. The title track Wish You Were Here refers to the sadness of the band that founding member Syd Barrett was no longer with the band, who left 7 years earlier due to his mental instability, as well as the sadness that the former camaraderie of the band itself had been replaced with greed and ambition. Shine On You Crazy Diamond is a 26 minute tribute song to Barrett, with parts 1 through 5 opening side 1, and parts 6 through 9 closing side 2 of the record.
• Barrett visited the recording studio one day while the group was finishing the mix of Shine On You Crazy Diamond. The members of the band had not seen Barrett for some time, and initially they did not recognize him, as he was overweight, with his head and eyebrows shaven, carrying a plastic bag. Shocked by his appearance, they played the song for him, but Barrett did not understand it, and his conversations were not sensible. He stayed for a gathering later that day, but left without saying goodbye. It was the last time the group saw him until his death 31 years later.
• The album was the fastest selling album by Pink Floyd, reaching #1 on the British charts in its first week, and #1 in the U.S. in its second week. It ranks #211 on Rolling Stones Greatest Albums list, and #4 on their list of the Greatest Progressive Rock Albums. Guitarist David Gilmour and keyboardist Richard Wright said that it was their favorite Pink Floyd album.
• For me – it’s tied for first, along with Dark Side of the Moon. Here is the title track Wish You Were Here with its iconic opening guitar riff, from their concert DVD Pulse. It really doesn’t get any better than this!