Pink Floyd started out under the direction of a man named Syd Barrett. Unfortunately, soon after the band's first album ("Piper at the Gates of Dawn") came out, Syd started heavily experimenting with drugs. As he became more and more unstable, the rest of the group was forced to let him go so that he could seek the mental help that he desperately needed. Soon afterward the band's bassist, Roger Waters, took over. Roger followed in the similiar vein of long, meaningful songs; but inserted a bit more energy and occasionally a few extremely cynical commentaries. After the commercial success of Dark Side, Pink Floyd as a group became wary of moulding into the shape of the 5 minute singles band that Dark Side seemed to suggest. So, for their next outing Roger decided that he would take Floyd back to their roots, and subsequentely wrote "Wish You Were Here", an ode to the band's original frontman Syd.

While by no means the commercial success that Dark Side was, WYWH was pure Pink Floyd. Featuring a single 25 minute long song (Shine on You Crazy Diamond pts 1&2) and a few 5-8 minute long ones, this album was far closer to what longtime Pink Floyd fans were used to. The first song besides Shine On is "Welcome to the Machine", a song about the music industry and how focused it seems on simply pumping out premade hits, whether they be the all-too familiar boy bands or the other side of the spectrum, the more varied appearing but still preformatted heavy metal and punk bands (from the song: "You bought a guitar to punish your Ma; you didn't like school, and you know you're nobody's fool"). The next one is "Have a Cigar", a song from the point of view of a music company executive trying to buddy up to the band that he thinks will make him millions, while showing that he has no actual deep interest in them beyond their monetary income (from the song: "And by the way, which one's Pink?"). The last of the shorter songs, and by far the best, is the title song "Wish You Were Here". This song features a rare tear-bringing solos by Gilmour on an acoustic guitar. This song is by far one of the most heartfelt songs ever written by Pink Floyd, an honest, heartfelt message to Syd (from the song: "How I wish, how I wish you were here. We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year. Rinning over the same old ground. What have found? The same old fears, wish you were here."). Then, of course, there is "Shine On", a song about perserverence throughout the hardships of life.

Musically, the album is just as incredible as the lyrics. It contains stunning synth compositions in "Shine On", incredible bass riffs (far superior to "Money") in "Have a Cigar", and heartstring pulling acoustics in "Wish You Were Here". Floyd is in better than top form here, and show just why they're one of the greatest bands ever.

Well, to wrap things up, I can say nothing better than to take me on faith and get this album. .... Rock has it's own unsung heroes, and none greater than "Wish You Were Here".

"Come on you raver, you seer of visions, come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner and shine!"


One of the Floyd's most honest, most personal albums, a fitting tribute to Syd Barrett   October 10, 2007
Mike London (Oxford, UK)
59 out of 61 found this review helpful

If DARK SIDE is about insanity, and ANIMALS and THE WALL is Waters working out his own neurosis brought on by fame, WISH YOU WERE HERE could be the most sentimental thing the band ever recorded.

After DARK SIDE broke in 1973, the band surely must have felt the pressure to record that monster's followup. So what did they do in light of all the success they recieved? Why, revisit their roots of course, and issue a concept album about the loss of their first lead singer. And while "concept album" has so many negative connotations, or at least pretension, self-important "art", WISH YOU WERE HERE is none of these things. While certainly self-styled as a tribute, it doesn't get as bogged down in its "concept" as THE WALL, and is truly one of Pink Floyd's most personal, most honest albums that the band ever cut.

WISH YOU WERE HERE returns to the longer song format dominant on the earlier PF records. At only five songs, two of them take up around 27 minutes of the album's 40 minute running time.

Lyrically, WISH YOU WERE HERE is primarily a tribute to the band's now long departed lead singer, Syd Barrett. His story is well known. He had a long history of mental illness, peaked with the Floyd's first album PIPER AT THE GATES OF DOWN, did some singles and two unreleased songs (Scream Thy Last Scream and Vegetable Man), and had some participation on SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS. After that, Barrett was out and Gilmour was in full time. Barrett then went on to release two solo albums (Madcap Laughs and Opal), and then, like Graham Parsons and Nick Drake, his career was cut tragically short. While the other two died, Syd Barrett became a recluse, and for the last thirty plus years of his life (he died summer 2006) lived as a recluse with his sister in England (my mother country).

Much of the remorse and sorrow on WISH YOU WERE HERE is regarding Barrett's fate. Here's a man who was in Pink Floyd, one of the biggest bands ever, and now he's gone. The Illness took over. Some of Waters' most poignant lines come from the title cut, especially the lines about trading a walkon part in the war for a lead role in the cage, meaning he left fame and rock life to become something much more reclusive.

As far as being a followup to DARK SIDE, though there aren't that actual many songs on WISH YOU WERE HERE, there is some great aural qualities. "Welcome to the Machine" really points the way to Waters' paranoia that would culminate in ANIMALS and THE WALL. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", both parts, is vintage Pink Floyd, and some of the best Floyd around. Great instrumentals, great lyrics, heart-felt tribute to Barrett. "Have a Cigar", sung by Roy Harper (you Led Zeppelin fans would now him by the song off LED ZEPPELIN III, "Hats Off To Roy Harper"), is all about the music business, and how clueless record executives can be in regards to the bands their companies represent. Of course, I'm referring to the classic question of which person in the band is named Pink Floyd, not realising that's the name of the band, not a person in the band. Deep respect indeed.

Ironically enough, Syd Barrett showed up for an afternoon in 1975 during the recording of this album. He listened to the band play "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". He was fat and bald, and the band didn't recognize him. His appearance really shook everyone up.

For me, Strom Thorenson's cover art truly captures the spirit of the album. The man, representative of the band, is shaking the truly incendary man's hand. The band must continue on, and though the other man is on fire and a brilliant star, he simply cannot continue on their world. And so they bid adieu.

Overall, this is one of Pink Floyd's better post DARK albums, and serves as a great followup to a fantastic album. It's a nice concept album, and a very fitting tribute to one of rock's great lost icons, Syd Barret. We all wish you were here Syd.


Best Rock Album of the 70's...   October 10, 2002
Jack Wolverton (Houston, TX United States)
16 out of 17 found this review helpful

Yes, you read that right. Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" is not only their best album but it is also the best of the decade. Rating just above Zepplin's "Houses of the Holy". It is perfect, ever song, the sound and tempo of the album fit together so well. They reached their artistic peak with Wish You Were Here. Shine On Your Crazy Diamonds and the title track, both are haunting ode's to Syd Barret, shows the strength of both Waters and Gilmours musical abillities. Water's painfully sad lyrics with Gilmours best guitar work ever, making the songs so personal. You feel the bands love for their ex-bandmate and friend. The other 2 songs on the album are directed at the pitfalls of the music industry as a whole. I feel the album is a coming to terms with the bands success, even though this would be the last true album Pink Floyd would ever record together as a complete band. They had 5 classic LP's in the 70's, and this middle one is the jewel in the crown.


Pink Floyd at their best   July 19, 2000
John Peter O'connor
15 out of 16 found this review helpful

This album, made in the glow of the superstardom that the band earned with "Dark Side of The Moon", was a call to former guitarist and band founder Syd Barrett. Whether Roger Waters' wishes that Barrett was here in the sense of "back in the band" or just back on the music scene and able to function in normal life is uncertain but whichever, it is clear that he feels the loss of his friend.

Read the lyrics to "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" and imagine Roger Waters writing that as a letter to Syd and you can understand what the album is about. Roger misses his friend.

"Wish You Were Here" is another message directed straight at Syd. One line in this song, "We're just two lost souls" together with the words "Pile on many more layers and I'll be joining you there" from "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" indicate also that Waters feels closer to Syd than do the rest of the band.

The other two songs on the album are anti-music business diatribes which fit into the pattern of Roger hates "whatever" and will now write a song about that. They are not as strong as the two songs to Syd but they do form a sort of musical bridge back to "Dark Side of the Moon."

Of course, with these two songs, Waters is pointing the finger of blame for Syd's failure at the music industry. To an extent, this is unfair as the other members of the band seemed to stand by and watch Syd's decline and then they just walked away from him.

But what about the music? Well, this album captures Dave Gilmour at his very best. His guitar packs just as much emotion as do Roger Water's lyrics. Those lyrics give Gilmour the platform from which to make his musical statements and he certainly has someting to say. In the solos on "Shine on" he developed his personal guitar style to its purest form.

What of the other members of the band? Rick Wright's keyboard work is just as good here as on the previous album. He does not feature as strongly as Gilmour but he certainly earns his keep here with a solid performace. I'm afraid that the drumming of Nick Mason fails the "session musician" test. He does not appear to contribute anything more than would have the average hired gun on this album.

Picking a favourite on an album like this is impossible. It stands as a single work and, with the predecessor and successor albums, really does mark the finest work of the band.