Wish You Were Here Review — beachboymusicreviews

Wish You Were Here is the ninth album from legendary British rock band, Pink Floyd. This record was released nearly 50 years ago on September 12th, 1975, so it’s reaching a big anniversary this year. Pink Floyd are icons when it comes to the genres of progressive and psychedelic rock, so they need no further introduction. With that being said, here are my thoughts.

This album is only 5 tracks in length, but while it’s short track wise, it is full of awesome instrumentation and production, and has some of the band’s strongest songwriting in their entire catalog. “Shine on You Crazy Diamond Pts. 1-5,” instantly starts off the album on a gorgeous note, as 8 minutes and 40 seconds of the song is instrumental, featuring soulful guitar riffs and soloing from David Gilmour, and heartfelt, gut-wrenching lyrics from Roger Waters. The track is dedicated to their former singer and guitarist, Syd Barrett as he left the music industry in 1974, a year before this album was released. I really digged the incorporation of synthesizers and saxophones on the track as well. The track is so heartbreaking because, Waters to this day believes that Barrett suffered “without a doubt,” from schizophrenia, which if those theories are true, make the track even sadder in retrospect. “Shine on you crazy diamond,” refers to his fragile mental state and his impactful legacy as one of the founding members of the band. “Welcome to the Machine,” is a track that is very much open to interpretation, as some believe it’s a criticism of the music industry, while others interpret it as a criticism of the rigid society we live in. I personally see it as a critique of society as a whole full of individuals who can’t think for themselves. I really enjoyed the synth-heavy production on this track and how simple the guitar riffs are on this thing, as it really allows the lyrics and overall ambience to shine brightly. “Have A Cigar,” is a more satirical track, and it’s the only song on the album where the singer isn’t either Roger Waters or David Gilmour, as they brought in a guest vocalist, Roy Harper. The guitar solo from Gilmour is easily one of the best ones on the album. The title track, “Wish You Were Here,” centers around the themes of loneliness and isolation and in terms of songwriting, it is for sure the most well-written song on the record. Roger Waters really has one of those especially unique skills as a songwriter that’s almost unparalleled by his contemporaries of the era. Finally, we close off the album with the track “Shine On You Crazy Diamond Pts. 6-9,” This track heavily features the Solina String Ensemble synthesizer from Richard Wright. Like Pts. 1-5, the follow up to it is a tribute to Barrett, but also his downfall as his heavy LSD use and erratic behavior was too much for the band, as they replaced him with Gilmour.

This album serves as an outstanding follow up to The Dark Side of the Moon, and while it might not be as iconic or a personal favorite of mine like that record and others from the group are, it still has withstood the test of time nearly 50 years later. It’s truly one of the most groundbreaking albums of the 1970s, and perfectly conveys the emotions the band felt having to had to part ways with one of their group’s founders and close friends of theirs. It perfectly encapsulates the feelings of having to say goodbye to someone you care about. You can hear it in the voices of Waters, Gilmour, and Wright, and through the guitars, synths, saxophones, and even the bass. This album is an emotional journey, and I highly recommend for anyone to embark on it.