Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

Wish You Were Here

by Pink Floyd

£5.49 Free Shipping

Released
02/04/2003
Music Genre
Progressive Rock
14 customer reviews

Unavailable for purchase at this time

Description

Pink Floyd: David Gilmour (vocals, guitar); Richard Wright (vocals, keyboards, VCS3 syntheszier); Roger Waters (vocals, bass); Nick Mason (drums). Additional personnel: Roy Harper (vocals); Dick Parry (saxophone); Venetta Fields, Carlena Williams (background vocals). Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, England from January-July 1975. Digitally remastered by Doug Sax (The Mastering Lab, Los Angeles, California). The breakthrough success of DARK SIDE OF THE MOON made WISH YOU WERE HERE a crucial follow-up in strictly commercial terms. Further pressure came from it being Pink Floyd's first recording for a new label, Columbia. Yet the demands on the band only provided Roger Waters with more fodder for his lyrics, which glanced at the band's roots as well as their new responsibilities. The mechanized throb of a VCS3 synthesizer, fed through a repeat-echo unit, signals the opening bars of "Welcome To The Machine," a diatribe against an industry more concerned with money than creative music-making. "Have A Cigar" further establishes Waters' contempt by bringing in singer Roy Harper to play the role of a "faceless suit," who none-too-innocently asks, "Which one's Pink?" The remaining songs indirectly look back to the first casualty of Pink Floyd's growing fame, the group's founder, Syd Barrett. The 20-minute-plus "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" has its roots in earlier pieces like "Atom Heart Mother Suite" and "Echoes." But rather than just another Floydian soundscape, its lyrics make it a paean to Barrett's genius and a requiem for his subsequent breakdown. The first five of the song's nine movements open the album with sax player Dick Parry wailing as effectively as he did on DARK SIDE. The final four sections, which close the album, form a reprise that starts with the sound of wind and David Gilmour's guitar screaming and crying. The band then settles into a laid-back jam that ends with Richard Wright's billowing synth delicately fading out. The title track deals also with Barrett, as well as the tension the idealist Waters was feeling in battling the greed that surrounded the band's success. The themes of disillusionment planted throughout WISH YOU WERE HERE would eventually sprout full-blown on THE WALL.

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Product Details

Artist
Pink Floyd
Year of release
1994
Label / Studio
EMI
Media Content Format
Album
CD WOW! Sales Rank
#13882
Media Format
Audio CD
Recording Environment
Studio
Number of Discs
1
Run Time (minutes)
44
Original year of release
1975
CD 30days Sales Rank
#10008
Cast & Crew
Pink Floyd (Music Performer)
Pink Floyd (Producer)
Brian Humphries (Sound Engineer)

Press Reviews

Ranked #43 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums" - "Stuck with the impossible task of following DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, Pink Floyd did it with panache....'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' is the mellifluous rock-gospel opener, but there's weirder stuff here... Q (6/00, p.72)

Tracklisting

Disc 1:

  1. Shine On Your Crazy Diamond (Part One)
  2. Man and a Woman, A
  3. Have a Cigar
  4. Wish You Were Here
  5. Shine On Your Diamond (Part Two)

Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews
EMI Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
 
4.9

(based on 14 reviews)

100%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

  • Can listen over and over (11)
  • Great lyrics (9)
  • Engaging (8)
  • Original (7)
  • Hit songs (4)

Cons

  • Too few tracks (3)

Best Uses

  • At home (12)
  • In the car (7)
  • Gift (3)
    • Reviewer Profile:
    • Adult (13), Teenager (3)

REVIEWS

Reviewed by 14 customers

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7/12/2011
 
5.0

Classic Album

By Mog1111

from Hereford

About Me Adult

Verified Reviewer

Pros

  • Can Listen Over And Over
  • Engaging
  • Great Lyrics
  • Original

Cons

    Best Uses

    • At Home
    • Gift
    • In The Car

    Comments about EMI Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here:

    Some cracking tracks and nice to see ROY HARPER involved!

    Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

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    20/10/2011
     
    5.0

    Classic Pink Floyd!

    By Spike

    from Spain

    About Me Adult

    Verified Reviewer

    Pros

    • Can Listen Over And Over
    • Classic
    • Engaging
    • Original

    Cons

      Best Uses

      • At Home
      • In The Car
      • Relaxing

      Comments about EMI Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here:

      Great tracks throughout this album and it is great to hear them on CD rather than on my original old vinyl version. As with many PF albums it is best if you are able to listen to it all the way through without interruption and certainly never on "shuffle"!

      Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

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      2/9/2011
       
      5.0

      A Shining Diamond of a CD

      By Dundas Bunny

      from Sydney

      About Me Adult

      Verified Reviewer

      Pros

      • Can Listen Over And Over
      • Engaging
      • Great Lyrics
      • Hit Songs

      Cons

        Best Uses

        • At Home
        • In The Car
        • When you need a lift

        Comments about EMI Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here:

        For those who have not ventured beyond Dark Side of the Moon, this is a must listen. Only 5 tracks but what Quality Shine On is a classic - all of these tracks sit along side the Dark side.

        Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

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        27/5/2011
         
        5.0

        Superb album

        By Play it loud

        from manchester

        About Me Adult

        Pros

        • Can Listen Over And Over

        Cons

          Best Uses

          • At Home

          Comments about EMI Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here:

          Shine on you crazy diamond is an absolute classic. The opening strings based atmospheric build up of tension blends superbly into fantastic drums and guitar. I also love wish you were here. I am not floyds biggest fan but I have to say this album although limited in track numbers, is one that deserves play after play.

          Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

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          19/4/2011
           
          5.0

          Love this album!

          By MrMario2011

          from Kansas

          About Me Adult, Teenager, Young Adult

          Verified Reviewer

          Pros

          • Can Listen Over And Over
          • Engaging
          • Great Lyrics
          • Hit Songs
          • Original

          Cons

          • Too Few Tracks

          Best Uses

          • At Home
          • In The Car

          Comments about EMI Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here:

          I love this album, it's so deep and great to listen to. I work an hour away, and I love listening to this on the way, it makes the drive go by much faster and is very enjoyable. Some of Floyd's finest.

          Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

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          2/4/2011
           
          5.0

          The essential art rock album

          By beaver63

          from troubsko cze

          About Me Adult

          Verified Reviewer

          Pros

          • Original

          Cons

            Best Uses

            • At Home

            Comments about EMI Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here:

            The essential art rock album that simply must have.

            Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

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            1/4/2011
             
            5.0

            Inspirational

            By Annie

            from Brisbane, Australia

            About Me Adult

            Verified Reviewer

            Pros

            • Can Listen Over And Over
            • Engaging
            • Great Lyrics
            • Hit Songs
            • Original

            Cons

              Best Uses

              • At Home
              • In The Car
              • Late at night at parties
              • Parties

              Comments about EMI Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here:

              I discovered this album at high school in 1975 and I still love this brilliant album and the haunting title song 'Wish You Were Here'. It not only evokes powerful memories, but inspires me in everyday life to keep striving even when some tasks are incredibily mundane.
              Interestingly, when the band wrote this album, they were touring Europe and were themselves worn out and lacking inspiration. With powerful lyrics and haunting melodies, the songs linger in your consciousness.

              Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

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              31/12/2010
               
              5.0

              A legendary album

              By Zen

              from Hong Kong

              About Me Teenager

              Verified Reviewer

              Pros

              • Engaging
              • Great Lyrics
              • Original
              • Thought-provoking

              Cons

              • Not for easy-listening

              Best Uses

              • At Home

              Comments about EMI Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here:

              Haunting lyrics and melody. Some of Gilmour's best solos are in this album. This is not an easy-listening album that you put on in the background; the songs all have meaning and it's worth your while to pay attention to the lyrics and the feelings Pink Floyd are trying to convey. The album is a reflection on Pink Floyd's loss of their founding member Syd Barrett to mental illness.

              Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

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              25/12/2010
               
              4.0

              I listen to this over and over

              By mlmkdavis

              from Australia

              About Me Adult

              Pros

              • Great Lyrics

              Cons

                Best Uses

                  Comments about EMI Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here:

                  This is one of my all time favourites

                  Service and delivery comments:

                  Excellent service

                  Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

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                  17/12/2010
                   
                  5.0

                  Quality for ever!

                  By Michal

                  from Lublin, Poland

                  About Me Adult

                  Verified Reviewer

                  Pros

                  • Can Listen Over And Over

                  Cons

                  • Too Few Tracks

                  Best Uses

                  • At Home
                  • Gift
                  • In The Car

                  Comments about EMI Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here:

                  Stunning album!

                  Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

                  Was this review helpful? Yes / No

                   - You may also flag this review

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