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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Hadrian
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by Hadrian »

For me the most interesting bit is the remark about the original version of the album, the one they started recording in January 1975, with Shine On as the A Side and You've Gotta Be Crazy (early version of song that became Dogs) and Raving and Drooling (early version of song that became Sheep) as the B Side.

This would've totally worked; if you look at the released studio versions, you get:

1. Shine On - 26:05 [all parts]
2. You've Gotta Be Crazy - 17:03 [as Dogs]
3. Raving and Drooling - 10:20 [as Sheep]

Side A - 26:05 / Side B - 27:33
Total: 53:38

All three songs were about insanity, going off the rails, so thematically that would've worked as well. David wanted this, but was outvoted by the others. I think it is a shame. This way there would not be Animals in 1977 of course, but having Shine On as a single suite, and the other two long pieces recorded in that same style would've been worth it imo (I am not a fan of Animals).
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by Hudini »

Hadrian wrote:I am not sure what a concept album without a single main overreaching concept is supposed to be
What is the one single main overreaching concept of DSOTM then and again, how is it so drastically different from WYWH?

Note that I am not teasing you, I am just trying to understand why are you so categorically against the idea of WYWH having a concept, even a loose one, while on the other hand fully embracing the idea of DSOTM being one despite not having a single concept present in all of its songs.

While definitely an interesting read, the interview you posted simply states that WYWH wasn't thought of as a concept piece from the very beginning but it doesn't at any moment imply that it hadn't become one in the process. 'Animals' for one was only made a concept once 'You Gotta Be Crazy' and 'Raving And Drooling' were renamed to 'Dogs' and 'Sheep' respectively, other than that if you ignore the fable arch the songs on 'Animals' don't have anything more in common than songs on WYWH do. Or am I mistaken? :)
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Hadrian
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by Hadrian »

Hudini wrote:I am just trying to understand why are you so categorically against the idea of WYWH having a concept
Because I don't think that half-an-hour tribute song to our departed band member Syd Barrett who got lost in the woods back in '67, together with two hypocritical pieces about that evil music industry, the enemy since we got super rich two years ago in '73, a concept make. If you think that they do, let me know what the concept is.

p.s.
I will leave the title track - which is but isn't about Syd, according to Roger - on the side for now, because that one just convolutes things even further.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by Hudini »

Hadrian wrote:let me know what the concept is.
Haven't I already? Or you couldn't be bothered to read since you already know better?

And now you've mentioned hypocrisy, how do two songs about forming experience, one song about the passing of time, one song about the evils of capitalism, one song about divisions, one and a half song about insanity and three pieces about nothing in particular make a concept? Or there just isn't one?

If you want to be too damn literal about one thing, let's then be too damn literal about them all, shall we? :)
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by brell »

According to Mason's "Inside Out", WYWH is a concept album about absence, which is divided into two main themes.

One is the departure and absence of Barrett, which they all missed vey much. This is what the songs SoYCD and WYWH are about. When playing Shine on at concerts, they almost always had a picture of Syd in the background or some other resemblances to him. Although the name of WYWH are words written on a piece of paper in the studio from Waters to Gilmour, these words nevertheless inspired Waters to write the text, which among other things includes the line "Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?", which is clearly a reference to a line in the Barrett song "If it's in you" from "The Madcap Laughs": "Hold you tighter so close Yes you are Please hold on to the steel rail".

The other theme is about the absence or alienation of the record companies, who only care about profits and do not even bother to get to know the bands or musicians that they are producing. The line "Oh, by the way, which one is Pink" is said to be the exact words of a company guy, asking the band members which one of them was Pink Floyd.

I do not why Waters has said otherwise in an interview (as stated in another post) but point out once again that neither he or Gilmour or Wright seem to have contradicted Mason for his interpretation of the concept album WYWH.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by Bigmanpigman »

Let me say first that I think WYWH is a great album. But let's look at how it came together. They had nothing and after some jamming around over a very long period the tracks emerged (plus another couple to come later). It's stretching credibility to say there was any kind of 'concept' to it. The tracks were all separate pieces which had been worked on, and Roger did not have any kind of magical vision as regards a story for the lyrics. Let's just see it for what it was and is - a great album.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by mastaflatch »

It wasn't mapped out as a concept album but, taking for granted that Waters was being honest with how he felt in the wake of DSOTM's massive success while writing the lyrics, a recurring theme emerged. I think that when they say it's an album about absence, they're being wilfully cryptic or poetic because to me, it's an album about guilt and how one deals with it.

Waters' socialist values must have been challenged in a huge way in 1973. He just isn't the kind of guy to ride the gravy train - he's a rock'n'roll philosopher. He began to think about Syd, the blunt genius that built this vehicle for Waters to bloom and become very rich. Having witnessed Syd collapse under the pressures of the record company, the lifestyle and the expectations, Waters probably thought that he was pretty damn lucky to make it this far without going mad too and yet, according to the interviews of the time, still looked up to Barrett for lyrical honesty and insight. Apparently, nobody in the band wanted to be there when they started working on this album because they'd finally "made it" which is a revolting situation to acknowledge, especially if you're the first one to notice it. I can perfectly picture Waters' how-have-we-come-to-this stance at the time and his reflex of attacking the business that de-humanized Syd and the current Floyd. In that view, this album absolutely works as a concept and by not being streamlined or litteral, it's also one of the best ever because it sounds totally sincere.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by Vegetable Layne »

When I was growing up, on my household, three albums would be sacred listening by my dad and older brother: Dark Side, this one and The Wall. So, to me, this felt as much an impactful as the other two - by which I mean, I've never quite understood why Dark Side and the Wall were the prominent albums and WYWH somehow wasn't.

For me, this is their ultimate peak, their definitive masterpiece. Its literally the accumulation of the best elements of the band - the lyrics, the sound, the meaning and the emotion. Its the most perfectly composed and arranged out of every album, and I wouldn't change one thing about it.

Literally a perfect album.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by Follix »

I agree I think all my life I considered Dark Side their best work, but when I think about it rationally there is absolutely no weak link on WYWH, the 5 songs are amazing.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by brell »

Dark Side is their best work IMO but WYWH is my favourite.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by jtull »

Dark Side is probably their best work, but Animals is my favourite.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by jtull »

Not my favourite Pink Floyd album. SOYCD is nice, but the composition is stretched out too much, and the vocals come in much too late imho.

Rate 3.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by ChickenStu »

My second favourite Floyd album. Also - I think it's the most "Pink Floydy" sounding album they've done. Maybe that's why it all started to fall apart after this one, I dunno. Like they peaked or something.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by Steel Breeze »

Absolutely fantastic album from start to finish, I love every note of it. I would describe it as basically perfect, all five tracks are brilliant and there genuinely isn't anything I'd want to change about it, and it edges out Dark Side as my favourite Pink Floyd album. It's my favourite album of all time, and an easy 5 stars as far as I'm concerned.
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Re: Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Post by space triangle »

As I said i other thread I'm not world's biggiest fan of this album. I prefer to listen to 'WYWH' - Immersion Box Set instead. SOYCD, YGBC and RaD sounds more naturally to me as whole. Too bad Gilmour was outvoted when the group voted whether to release an album formed in this way. But, on the other hand then there would not be Animals album. :shock: