Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Discussions about Pink Floyd and Solo Official Album CDs and DVDs.

Rate This Album

5 - Best
107
75%
4
28
20%
3
3
2%
2
2
1%
1- Worst
2
1%
 
Total votes: 142

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Jack Wolf
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by Jack Wolf »

Wish You Were Here

1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond, 1-5: A brilliant floydian masterpiece. As close to musical perfection as one can get. - 10
2. Welcome To The Machine: Musically strong, lyrically weak. A track that sounds this great deserves some good lyrics, but unfortunately it seems like the lyrics were just hastily thrown together. Some of the lyrical lines are borderline corny I hate to say, for instance: "And you didn't like school, and you know you're nobody's fool". (facepalm!). Despite this disappointment, the music still sounds awesome. - 8.0
3. Have A Cigar: Just a really cool song with a groovy/funky melody. I prefer some of the live versions over the studio. - 8.5
4. Wish You Were Here: Lyrically, this is the strongest song on the album. Really superb performance and genuinely thoughtful lyrics. - 9.0
5. Shine On You Crazy Diamond, 6-9: Was it necessary to have a whole second section for this song? I think not. The first section (track 1) does the song justice, the second section seems to drag on for too long and it's just not as good as the first part. This should have been an entirely different track, who knows what could have replaced it? Still alright. - 7.5
6. Album Artwork: I don't really care for the artwork on this album cover, the plain white borders take up too much of the space. I did like the picture on the postcard though, that was cool. Also, the artwork on the CD or Vinyl LP showing the two robotic arms giving each other the masonic handshake was great. - 7.0

Final Score: 8.3 (out of 10)

Final Word: A satisfying follow up to Dark Side Of The Moon. Not as groundbreaking, but still solid all the way through.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by Wolfpack »

Did Pink Floyd really "Wish Barrett Were Here"? I recall an interview in which a Pink Floyd member said that they didn't want him back in Pink Floyd, but only back in society.
Let's imagine that Barrett fully recovered during the 1970s. Would Barrett be welcome, if that would mean that the profits had to be shared by five members instead of four?
Something seems to have happened between Pink Floyd and Barrett during or after 1975. Barrett never visited them again and, according to his family, would be upset if they tried to visit him. Why would that be? Maybe, and I'm only very wildly guessing, Barrett found Pink Floyd's "wish you were here" hypocritical?
Until 1977, when Waters got his own breakdown, the Barrett story was the only interesting biographical story they had to tell about Pink Floyd. And even afterwards, they kept on talking about their mythical first leader. At the time of 'Division Bell' in (what was it) 1994, Pink Floyd rode a huge Barrett-looking statue through the fields. Just imagine Barrett seeing that.
Pink Floyd has meant a lot for Barrett, and vice versa, but maybe "wish you were here" is pushing the limits too much, by being hypocritical? Maybe the album should have been titled "wish you stay out of Pink Floyd"?

Rant, rant, where are my pills? :mad: :)
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by danielcaux »

Yeah, it's more like "Wish You Were Here... But Not Really". The fact that some Floyd members still to this day want to believe that Barrett's visit to Abbey Road while there were recording that album was a mere "magical" coincidence, is nothing more than pure denial so they can have a little peace of mind about what they did with him. He was obviously brought there by someone who knew they were recording a song about him, wishing he was there and all, and so he goes there, ask to play with them, and what does he get out from them? Weird looks and a patronizing attitude. Sure, that got to hurt. He might have been "crazy", but stupid he was not. He was there, the Floyd just weren't open enough to accept him as he was now. They just wished the old Barrett was there, instead of that fat bald guy. Nice friends that!

That said, I don't think the Floyd were being counciously hypocritical, perhaps Roger did have indeed a genuine desire for sharing their new found success with his old childhood friend, but perhaps he felt that his old friend was there no more. Wish You Were Here is more about nostalgia than anything else, a desire for things that have been lost: the innocence of playing music, the teenage dreams that are no longer dreams, old friendships that went bad...
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by Wolfpack »

danielcaux wrote:[Barrett] was obviously brought there by someone who knew they were recording a song about him, wishing he was there and all, and so he goes there, ask to play with them, and what does he get out from them? Weird looks and a patronizing attitude. Sure, that got to hurt. He might have been "crazy", but stupid he was not. He was there, the Floyd just weren't open enough to accept him as he was now. They just wished the old Barrett was there, instead of that fat bald guy. Nice friends that!
According to Pink Floyd, Barrett was in a terrible state. But apparently not so terrible that he couldn't communicate about 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond'. Why didn't they tape and use some of those comments? Even a sneeze would have been interesting, given the myth.

In 1968, Barrett did some attempts to get back into Pink Floyd. I've read that at least one time, violence was used to get him off-stage. In 1972, interviews were made to be used as soundbytes on 'Dark Side of the Moon'. No sign of Barrett snippets being used. (I hoped it would have been the mumbling, laughing voice in 'Brain Damage', but that seems to be someone else.)

Pink Floyd made a point in not wanting Syd Barrett back in Pink Floyd, other than using his legacy. Maybe the worst thing Barrett could do, was appearing at the time when there was an album about him being lost. Just imagine Barrett giving an interview in 1975. That would have made the album's theme obsolete.

Maybe Pink Floyd didn't want to confuse Barrett by welcoming him into Pink Floyd for only a few bits, but still I think the treatment is rather cold to not let him do anything - even though he is wished back.

Maybe Syd Barrett felt that he was only interesting as being the tragic loser who got lost. Maybe he or other people felt that his situation was used as long as it made money and fame for Pink Floyd.

"We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl."
We? Who is "we"? I see "us and them", or "me and you". There is no "we", other than the Pink Floyd members of 1975.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by Morty »

Just great! Shine on is one of their strongest works, and for me it just captures the essence of what Floyd is for me. Also one the first album I got.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by OBYKA »

2nd only to DSOTM. Wrights solo at the end of SOYCD is the epitome of the Pink Floyd sound.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by CharlieBoy »

ORIGIN OF 'SOYCD'?

Hi guys.....and gals! This is my first post.

And apologies if this topic has been chewed to death already.

I've often wondered who were DG's and RickW's inspirations and influences* and I think that I've uncovered a significant one re. 'SOYCD'.
IMPO they were strongly influenced by a Stanley Turrentine track - 'I told Jesus', recorded ca. 1970.
The whole general arrangement is reminiscent, drums, guitar licks and keyboards. And ST's sax playing, too.

Have a listen to it and tell me what you think - and apologies if I'm repeating old news!

Charlie

* I know Rick listened to Miles Davis a lot.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by EclipsedByTheMoon »

I rate it 4/5. Don't get me wrong, I love the album, but I never liked Welcome To The Machine. Therefore I didn't give it a full rating.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by kjek1 »

danielcaux wrote:Yeah, it's more like "Wish You Were Here... But Not Really". The fact that some Floyd members still to this day want to believe that Barrett's visit to Abbey Road while there were recording that album was a mere "magical" coincidence, is nothing more than pure denial so they can have a little peace of mind about what they did with him. He was obviously brought there by someone who knew they were recording a song about him, wishing he was there and all, and so he goes there, ask to play with them, and what does he get out from them? Weird looks and a patronizing attitude. Sure, that got to hurt. He might have been "crazy", but stupid he was not. He was there, the Floyd just weren't open enough to accept him as he was now. They just wished the old Barrett was there, instead of that fat bald guy. Nice friends that!

That said, I don't think the Floyd were being counciously hypocritical, perhaps Roger did have indeed a genuine desire for sharing their new found success with his old childhood friend, but perhaps he felt that his old friend was there no more. Wish You Were Here is more about nostalgia than anything else, a desire for things that have been lost: the innocence of playing music, the teenage dreams that are no longer dreams, old friendships that went bad...
Syd almost looked like a completely different person. As for Syd being there at that time, they were hardly going to invite a train wreck to play on their new album were they? What happened to Syd was Syd's fault, he was a grown man not a child, and the band's biggest successes came after Syd, they didn't owe him anything, Syd and his family should be grateful Dave and co got him nice royalties by performing Astronomy Domine live to huge crowds that were reeled in off the back of non Syd inspired (unless you count inspired in the lyrical sense of albums like Wish You Were Here) Floyd albums.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by BertWW96 »

More likely WYWH is about humanity and life, not the record industry.
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Hadrian
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by Hadrian »

Wish You Were Here is always included in the list of five consecutive concept albums by Pink Floyd, starting with The Dark Side of the Moon and ending with The Final Cut.

However, can one really call Wish You Were Here a concept album? There are two distinct thematic parts there really, one about the absence [of Syd] (Shine On, and the title song), and the other devoted to ravings against the music industry (Have a Cigar and Welcome to the Machine). Shine On and Wish You Were Here thematically go well together as songs; Have a Cigar and Welcome to the Machine also thematically go hand in hand, perhaps even better.

But when you put these four together, what do you actually get? It seems that we are dealing with two conceptual half-albums there, at best. I am curious to read what others think.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by Hudini »

All songs on WYWH talk about disillusionment (mostly by the music industry), all are written in the form of addressing and all can be applied to Syd.


SOYCD is apparently a tribute to Syd, who is arguably one of the most iconic examples of a disappointed rock star.

The title song, which Waters reportedly wrote about himself, talks more about being disappointed and lost and works even better with Syd rather than Roger in mind.

WTTM is an obvious critique of the music industry and bears subtle references to Syd and his lifestyle: guitar, Jaguar, etc.

HAC was written about the real life situation when the band was offered one of their first major contracts and 'the boy' in the song is apparently Syd.


So no linear narrative but there's definitely a concept.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by BertWW96 »

Hadrian wrote:...can one really call Wish You Were Here a concept album?
The discussion about what is and isn't a concept album is an interesting one. Somewhere out there on the internet I saw a good article/blog about this, and they came up with 4 (I think) types of concept album (names are mine, descriptions are the best I could do, apologies for what I can't recall):

1 - the narrative - this is the most concepty, as you have an actual story/character (The Wall, Quadrophenia)
2 - the idea - no narrative, but a theme is explored throughout the work (WYWH)
3 - can't quite recall what the 3rd one was...
4 - the topic - this covers things like an album full of love songs by Frank Sinatra, which is not my idea of a concept album, but hey, I didn't write it.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by Hadrian »

I discovered, after my initial post, that this question keeps resurfacing - both on some external forums and here. My doubt that this album should be labelled as a concept one is growing.

That being said, Wish You Were Here would not diminish in status here on my end if it ended up being excluded from the list of conceptual albums. While I do acknowledge that The Dark Side of the Moon is the best Pink Floyd album (great overall idea; the lyrics and the music are in perfect balance), Pink Floyd has its best ever sound on Wish You Were Here.

Shine On is the best piece of music they ever created, and I will never be able to stomach the fact that it was spit into two chunks for the album. I always wanted to hear that studio version of Shine On as a single composition, ala Echoes. For me, this is the only thing keeping it from being perfect.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by moom »

If only we could get those master tapes, Hadrian... ;)