Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd Album Reviews
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- Опубліковано 6 сер 2022
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After the enormous success of Dark Side of the Moon, the pressure was on to produce a followup. Thankfully Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here is considered by many, including some of the band themselves, to be their greatest album. The showpiece is the epic Shine On You Crazy Diamond, dedicated to original frontman Syd Barrett, and the record also features Welcome to the Machine, Have a Cigar and the iconic title track. So does JT think Wish You Were Here is better than Dark Side?
For more extensive interviews with Pink Floyd, check out JOHN EDGINTON DOCUMENTARIES:
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And thank you Guy Pratt for your musical insight to this album. Check out his podcast with Gary Kemp - The Rockonteurs:
www.rockonteurs.com
#pinkfloyd #wishyouwerehere #albumreviews #historyofrock #shineonyoucrazydiamond
Released in 1975, Wish You Were Here became Pink Floyd's fastest selling album, coming off the heels of Dark Side of the Moon's success. The road was not easy though. After the 1973 album hit Number 1, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Richard Wright and Roger Waters set out on a length tour where their audiences and venues changed dramatically, with the circular screen and more theatrical elements being implemented. Gone were the days of artsy crowds sitting down quietly and listening to lengthy versions of Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, Saucerful of Secrets, Careful With That Axe Eugene, Echoes or One of These Days from Meddle. The arena and stadium audiences were screaming to hear the hit single Money. Tensions between the band were growing with Roger Waters seeking to expand the lyric and conceptual side of things while Dave and Rick were musical purists. They also were coming up empty in the studio, reverting to their abandoned Household Objects idea - although the piece, Wine Glasses, would be utilized. In a rehearsal at Kings Cross, the band came up with several idea, two of which would later appear on the album Animals, and one originated from a 4-note guitar arpeggio David came up with. This would become the launching point for Shine on You Crazy Diamond, dedicated to their estranged leader and songwriter, Syd Barrett. Syd had pioneered their beginnings with Piper at the Gates of Dawn, but a breakdown involving Acid forced him to leave the band. Roger's lyrics celebrated his legacy. The long piece would also feature Rick Wright's signature soundscapes while David Gilmour's lengthy solo remains one of the best in rock history. Welcome to the Machine and Have a Cigar, the later featuring vocalist Roy Harper, were a sharp attack on the greedy music industry. The acoustic driven Wish You Were Here, originated from a 12-string acoustic guitar riff, would be directed both at Syd and the band themselves, feeling their camaraderie was no longer there. The ending of Part 2 of Shine On closes with a quote from Syd Barrett's See Emily Play.
Indeed band tensions would prove more apparent on the 1977 release Animals, featuring the songs Dogs, Pigs and Sheep. 1979's The Wall is when tensions came to a head with Roger firing Rick and his professional partnership with David completely breaking down (although they co-wrote Comfortably Numb, Run Like Hell and Young Lust - some of their finest songs). After The Final Cut, Roger left the band leaving David as the new front man (and recruiting Rick back into the lineup). 1987's Momentary Lapse of Reason was challenged by Roger's lawsuit but went onto to kick-off a successful tour. 1994's The Division Bell was seen as a return to form and on the tour to follow, the band performed Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. Breathe and Money would be played for their final performance together at Live 8 2005. Syd Barrett died in 2006, Rick in 2008. Dark Side of the Moon continues to inspire so many to this very day, myself included.
They really made a whole album called “Wish You Were Here” and Syd was like: “Aight, bet.”
No matter how many times I hear Shine On You Crazy Diamond, it gives me chills every time.
Even listening about the song gives me chills
Agreed. Such a beautiful and amazing song
@@RelaxjocelinEnjoy even reading about someone listening about someone talking about the song gives me chills.
and then we get welcome to the machiene which gives me anxiety.
Yes agreed
This album imo is Pink Floyd’s best. Its just Shine On You Crazy Diamond is just, soooo good, that 4 note melody just evokes so much emotion and it’s crazy how such a simple sequence of notes can evoke so much emotion and make you feel so many different ways. Dark Side of the Moon is probably objectively their best album, but Wish You Were Here is my personal favorite of theirs
Shine On You Crazy Diamond is easily in my top 5 Pink Floyd songs
The solo in Parts 6-9 is David’s best imo…
Shine In You Crazy Diamond and Echoes are my fav songs and Wish You Where Here is also my fav album and ofc Pink Floyd’s best
I think something that helps WYWH stand out amongst the other albums is how PERSONAL this one feels to the band. Dark Side has this sort of "grandeur" to it as it describes universal concepts, whereas WYWH is, really, a story about losing a friend. This feels like the album that Pink Floyd have WANTED to make since Syd left.
Also it's interesting how this topic unifies everyone in the band, everyone wanted it, as opposed some other topics like war or politics.
This is not only my favorite Pink Floyd album but my favorite album of all time
Same here. Wish You Here is the only album I’ve ever ranked as perfect in my personal scoring scoring system. From start to finish it’s flawless.
Those 4 notes in Shine On You Crazy Diamond gave me chills the first time I heard them. I can't comprehend how such a simple riff can hold so much emotion and weight. It's my favorite part of the whole album.
Pass me the bong for this album 🔥
In my opinion; "Wish You Were Here" IS their best album EVER!
It contains the 4 most famous guitar notes in the world. (Opening of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond")
Plus I ABSOLUTELY Love "Welcome To The Machine"!
👍🏻
God this has been an incredibly important album for me. Wish you were here was the song my dad used to play and sing back when his job wasn't as stressful and life was simpler, my nickname for my girlfriend is "my crazy diamond", and so much of my own composition has been inspired by both Shine On You Crazy Diamond, as well as Echoes. I have spent so much of my time with this album practically in tears the whole way through. This album has helped me through so much, my parent's divorce, the suicide attempts of close friends, even just simply calming me down after a stressful day. This album has affected my life so drastically that it is almost unexplainable.
Wish You Were Here is one of the most important albums to me. It happens to be my closest friends favourite album and whenever I listen to Shine On You Crazy Diamond, it just reminds me of him.
I actually bought both a Vinyl and CD copy of this awesome album a few days ago
It’s a must have.
Extravaganza of music and history.
Saw Them in '73 at the Palace Theater, in Waterbury, CT, on the advice of a wise, older, friend. They blew my mind, well, Them and the Lebanese Blonde. Then the day after I graduated from Simsbury HS, at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, NY in '75. Again in '77 at Madison Square Garden, NYC. Threw a paper airplane off the observation platform of the Empire State Building, wasn't the only thing at altitude, before the Show. Dave Gilmour was the reason I bought a left-handed Strat and took a year of Music Theory at University, as a Math/Computer Science major. Those Theory classes really mellowed me out for the rest of my rather intense curriculum. Still play that Strat. Thanks for the Chord insight vis a vis, Astronomy Domine/Shine On.
Can’t wait for this!! I love WYWH, one of Floyd’s very best albums!
I love your PF album reviews. I can't wait for the rest.
Shine On starts calm and relaxing and goes crazier as it progresses. I think they wanted to express the change in Syd with this, but I haven't heard this commented anywhere, so it's just the way I understand it.
Also I feel like Shine On (Parts VI-IX) is really underrated. It is as good as the first parts IMO. Perhaps it is the victim of the pacing of the album that you mention.
Shine On You Crazy Diamond Part 9 is my favorite piece of music ever. That was true even before I knew the backstory.
Just got saucerful on vinyl.
My first ever vinyl that i ever bought :D, my god. Btw to me, opening solo of part 6-9 shine on you crazy diamond is underrated.
Saw Waters this summer, his tribute to Syd was amazing
I've never been much of a Pink Floyd fan, but "Have a Cigar" is an absolute banger.
You should be be headed infront of the whole city at noon.
By the way, which one's Pink?
The live version of Have a Cigar they were performing in 1975, cutting in after Shine On part V and segueing back into Shine On part VI, is rock and roll at it's absolute finest.
@@floydfreak-vn2uj You just answered an age old question of mine. I always wondered if they ever played "Have a Cigar" live. Who sang it? David? I know neither him nor Roger sang the studio version(a non band member sang that one) I've just never been able to imagine it being sung with Roger's voice.
@TheTrent4201 The studio version was sung by Roy Harper. Roger sang it live. Look on youtube for Pink Floyd Live in Boston 1975. That concert also includes the second version of You've Gotta Be Crazy, which is quite different from the 1974 version and clearly transitioning towards Dogs.
That slide solo in part 6 is my favourite moment in music ever
Wish you were here is my personal favorite. I've listened to this album countless number of times.
What a coincidence today I am going to buy wish you were here on vinyl,I have the cd version already but I bought recently a turntable and I want it to see how my favorite albums sound on vinyl,so far I like cd better but the feel of vinyl is better. The waiting should be worth it for one of the Best albums ever created.
When I first heard Echoes (around 1990) it reminded me of Shine on, wich I knew from my early childhood in the late seventies, but I thought (and I still think) that Echoes is like a demo of Shine. They made a good piece of music with Echoes but they reached perfection with Shine, wich is my favorite piece of rock music.
Defineltey one of my favorite Floyd albums! On any given day it could be my favorite, even as much as I love Dark Side and Animals, it could be my favorite, my older brother who is a huge Floyd fan, wish you were here is his favorite, but it could easily be my favorite any day, but Dark Side and Animals are hard to beat, but nonetheless definetley in my top 3, great job JT!
Just found 1st pressing of this album on my local flee market in perfect condition for only 20 euros few days ago :D
can’t wait for the animals review. my personal favorite album from pink floyd
I'll be watching at the premier thank you very much
Almost tears in my eyes
Four minutes into this I had to stop and comment. This is a brilliant and fascinating look into the history of The Floyd, and the interview clips included are fantastic! Wish You Were Here is one of the greatest albums of all time. The entire album, all 5 songs (If you consider SOYCD I-V and VI-IX to be two songs), receive regular play on classic rock radio stations to this day. Having to chose a favorite Pink Floyd album is a very difficult decision. Each is such a unique musical journey as soon as I try to single out one, I feel like I'm doing a disservice to the rest. Even albums that are neglected by radio today, like Atom Heart Mother, Meddle, and older cuts, stand strong. As a bit of trivia, did you know Waters was often quoted as saying the album could very well have been named "Wish WE Were Here". There is a hint of this in the Waters interview where he says he was also mourning the loss of brotherhood within the band with this album.
One of their finest if not the finest. Poignant, deep, ethereal. 9/10
For some reason, I feel like Welcome To The Machine pretty much sounds like something off of The Wall. Maybe it'll have something to do with the sinister tone and Gilmour's angry/despairing vocals
After Comfortably Numb, Shine On is my favourite track. Recently saw Nick Mason in Sofia. Remarkably it was his first trip to Bulgaria.
Same for me, my 2 favorite are Comfortably Numb then Shine On.
Can't wait for this eeeeeeeeeeee
Looking forward to the next video for Animals, my personal favourite album from them
Bro that was cool seeing my name in the credits :)
Shine On You Crazy Diamond is the song that made me fall in love with Pink Floyd. I used to go for a walk listening to it and I wouldn't remember how I got to my destination, as I would be so hypnotized by the song.
Really enjoying this series. Thanks
Great review! It was totally worth the wait ^^
Awesome clip, very moving....
I’ve already said that, but l’m really impressed by the production of your videos. Bravo JT.
These really feel like the definitive album reviews. Great work!
Great review, you nailed it.
Excellent video as always, I can put this album on at anytime and enjoy it !
I get that Shine On is a high point for many people. But for me, and others, 'Wish You Were Here' is the emotional crescendo of the album. It's DEEPLY personal and speaks to people's sense of loss...in many different ways.
I’m a really big fan of Piper at the Gates of Dawn and I’ve always been very fascinated by Syd Barrett in both his fall from grace and his songwriting. And I decided to listen to this when I heard it was about Syd and I fell in love with it immediately. This is easily my favorite Pink Floyd album. No song feels unnecessary. Shine On is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard and like you said, Rogers vocals are the best they’ve ever been. Welcome to the Machine’s commentary on the music industry is blunt and haunting. Have a Cigar is probably the catchiest Pink Floyd song since Money and Roy Harper plays the character of the fake record exec very well and his vocals are really damn good.
And of course the title track. It’s a classic. Everyone knows the lyrics “how I wish, how I wish you were here, we’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl year after year.”
Also this album just flows really well. I think Dark Side of the Moon is basically perfect, with the exception of Any Color You Like. I think that song totally fucks up the pacing but anyway, Wish You Were Here, it’s a classic album for a reason
For so long I said TDSOTM was my favorite album while I actually deep inside really knew it was wish you where here,n and now I'm 100 procent sure of it Wish you where here is (in my opinion) Pink floyd's best work, and the title track just like million of others connects me to loved ones I lost (my grandparents) This is my number one favorite PF album and also one of my favorite albums of all time!
Just discovered your channel and everything I’ve seen has been awesome! The rock history documentary was great and this series is just rekindling my love for Pink Floyd, definitely an incredible band
Wish you were here is definitely my favorite album. It’s a masterpiece and I will and can’t ever grow tired of it! It’s just part 1/part 1-6 of Shine On You Crazy Diamond that’s for Syd though. Great video 👌🏼
This is the first video I’m seeing of yours and I just love the way you went about this! As a fellow Floyd fan I agree with most all of your takes and your descriptions of all the various elements of the album put into words underlying feelings I’ve had about Wish You Were Here since my first listen. This is an absolute banger of a video suiting to an absolute banger of an album! You definitely earned a subscribe from me!
shine on is honestly one of my favorite songs of all time
Well done JT.
Best review of this album EVER!
My fave listen from my vinyl shelf. Still have my original vinyl copy, crackles and pops and all.
Dark Side and Wish You Were Here are clearly their best two records imo but I favor WYWH slightly. I just love the instrumental sections and how they flow on Shine 1-9. The middle of the record is great too. The title track and both Shine Ons are amongst their most brilliant pieces. Sadly it’s the last record in which David, Roger, and Rick collaborated on the writing.
Roger disagrees but Roy is the perfect guest vocalist for Have a Cigar.
Besides the fact that I love these reviews of these amazing albums which shaped my life, you have some serious chops on those instruments. It sounds perfect.
amazing review
This has to be my favorite Pink Floyd album. Whenever I listen to it, it's a very special occasion. It makes me tear up and cry every time I hear it.
Oh lord I cannot wait for Animals. Great review also!
Great job, JT! Glad you're feeling better. This review was worth waiting for. I'm glad Household Objects never happened. The Wine Glasses was a great opener but the Rubber Bands piece- not so much.
And the aftermath of Syd is a tragedy. His visit in the studio marked a period they would lose him forever and 31 years later, the world would also lose him forever. His passing, however,brought an unexpected miracle- a short reunion between Roger Waters and David Gilmour. I look forward to the Animals review.
Great review. This is my favorite (post-Barrett) Floyd album.
Enjoyed review thanks. I just adore both ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ and ‘Wish You Were Here’ equally. And ‘Echoes’ from ‘Meddle’ too. They’re all just incredible for me, so I enjoy listening to them all. Just my own feelings. 🎶❤️🎶
Never realized those See Emily Play notes at the tail end of the album. Nice catch, and brilliant job from Rick! I would say this album is Rick at his musical peak
Nicely done.
GREAT JOB MAN
I have the "Hifi Today supercut" of this album , it sounds amazing
Still my favorite album of all time
JD, thank you for the excellent review of WYWH, my favorite album by PF along with Dark Side. I agree with you, Shine On and Echoes are my two favorite songs.
You’re absolutely on point! Shine on is way good compared to the other songs in the album which sometimes makes it hard hard to listen to the whole album
Great review and analysis of a great album. I have always thought Welcome to the Machine felt like it should've been saved for The Wall, but that's neither here nor there. Totally agree that the flow is not quite as smooth as DSOTM but an insanely well-written album. Love your reviews!
For me Shine On parts 6-9 captures Sids descent into madness
Hyped🥰😍😍
I love this album so much I want to get the burning man tattooed
These vids are great, JTC Is very underrated
Wish You Were Here may very well be my favorite album of all time, not just my favorite Pink Floyd album. As much as I think Dark Side of the Moon is a masterpiece, I was never too crazy on its flow. I felt like Great Gig in the Sky should have been the true ending, even if that's far from my favorite song on the album. Emotion-wise, the album peaks there for me. And while Eclipse is also a great finisher, it's hard to top the screaming climax of Great Gig for me.
Wish You Were Here however has perfect flow to me. Each song goes through peaks and valleys and they all fit together so well. There's no point where the album has hit its high point and I feel like I can stop there. The full 26 minutes of Shine On You Crazy Diamond is my all time favorite song. Not only are the lyrics a beautiful tribute to Syd while also capturing his sort of whimsical, almost cryptic style, but the band jams on this piece like they've never jammed before. That slide guitar solo on Part 6 might be my favorite guitar solo ever. It kicks ass, plain and simple. And the funk jam in part 8 easily rivals the funk jam in Echoes for me. In fact, there's actually a demo version of Shine On where that jammy section goes on for even longer, and I think I prefer that one even over the studio version. It's called the "Sigma 109" take if anyone wants to check it out. But yeah, once I here Shine On's iconic four note riff, that's the point where I have to finish the album. The reward for finishing it, being the second half of Shine On, is well worth the journey. And while part 9 is not my favorite of the parts, I love that little nod to See Emily Play. Really clever stuff that a lot of people probably wouldn't notice during their first listen.
I love Welcome to the Machine. It took some time to grow on me, but I think it's the perfect follow up to something as majestic and passionate as the first half of Shine On. It's dark, it's atmospheric, it's mechanical, it's sinister, the synth sounds on it are really fucking cool. And it perfectly ties in with the whole theme of record company meddling and the stress of being a musician, which is what most likely resulted in Syd's departure. Having to put yourself on display for everyone to see and mock all while the record executives are counting money in the background, it's a terrifying thought. And this leads into Have a Cigar, which could have been in attempt to "cash in" on Money. However, I think it's unique enough, mostly due to it's more conventional time signature and the guest vocal by Roy Harper.
If I had to be honest, the title track is probably my least favorite song on Wish You Were Here. That's the closest this album gets to feeling like it's just filler after it has already peaked. If you didn't know the subject matter and the album it came from, most would probably just see it as another acoustic song. When every other song is so epic is scope, this one feels like a weak link to me. However, I must admit that it's still a beautiful song lyrically and a nice lead in to the second half of Shine On. I like the acoustic sound of it and how David's scat singing blends in with the guitar. However, the album really picks itself back up and ends with a dynamic, yet touching finale. And one hell of a tribute to Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett.
I love wish you were here. I bought it at barnes and nobles along with dark side. The album in a whole is absolutely beautiful. My favorite album is animals,but wish you were here is right there.
Brilliant comments. Awesome
The solo on part 6 on syd is pink floyd's best moment imo
wow I just found out about the different album cover versions looking at your album!
Yeah from what I understand they had different covers for the UK and US releases.
It's interesting that the four elements are featured on the vinyl record sleeve, because each member of Pink Floyd, at that time, had a Zodiac sign representing a different element: Roger Waters being an Earth sign (Virgo), Nick Mason an Air sign (Aquarius), David Gilmour a Water sign (Pisces), and Richard Wright a Fire sign (Leo).
Was one of my First Albums when I Switched to vynil. Great record
This is one of the greatest albums ever made period
hi mate, loved the video! Was wondering what setup you used to get that tone from the guitar? sounds exactly what im looking for to recreate Gilmour!
Floyd's finest ever hour, a perfect record.
I believe WYWH is their peak. The first part of Shine On is arguably the greatest bit of music ever, perhaps second only to Firth of Fifth ( Genesis) IMHO. Welcome to the Machine is totally brilliant as well. Side two is not quite so good for me. This recond reaches incredible heights.
Like Dark Side, Wish You Were Here is also a true epic masterpiece, Since Meddle, they’ve been really tight as a band, they’ve found themselves a new direction they were happy moving forward since Syd’s tragic breakdown. Speaking of Syd, the entire album is dedicated to him, with songs like “Shine on You Crazy Diamond”, my freaking god. That has got to be one of the best Pink Floyd songs they’ve put together, man they played it so beautiful together. “Wish You Were Here” is also a brilliant acoustic song sung by David Gilmour. Just the entire album is brilliant, but at the same time it’s also sad because it’s about Syd considering it was his brilliances as a songwriter that started it all. All in all, it’s a brilliant album, and I agree on the GoldFish.
this is my favourite album, shine on 1-9 is my favourite song, i just wish there was a single version of shine on you crazy diamond, without the wind sound, it just goes straight to part 6 and plays all 9 parts (including the solo of part 3, which is my favourite guitar solo in the song)
Wish You Were Here is a Masterpiece of an album as well as a funeral and tribute to their friend and leader Syd Berret.
Also love ATLA clips. ❤️
Really, the label of this record vynil it's a brillant state of graphic art on music history following the other best label too from the album "Animals". Hypgnosis always got a good job at Storgenson' s hands and his team .
I remember when I first listened to this album. I had just become a Pink Floyd fan, and I think "Wish..." was the third or fourth album of theirs I bought. At first I was like, "Okay, this is a nice ambient opening and all, but is this the entire track?" Then those four notes came in and I said, "Yes, there it is!"
Richard Wright is a champion on this album. This is my Richard Wright album.
It wouldn’t be what it is without Wrights contributions. Can talk about Roger and Dave until the cows come home ( cows should have been theme 4 on Animals) but this is Richards album and he needs to be crowned for it.
this is my favorite pink floyd album and top 5 favorite album of all time. Even tho not born while they were around, theyve come to be my favorite band. This album is perfect imo
I finished doing an assignment in my E LA class today and we basically made a mural about this album And our teacher thought it was pretty cool so I decided to come check this out I gotta get this album right now
Anyone notice the second part of shine on with Daves slide solo is the same and the solo played on the pedal steel in "One of these days" from Meddle? .....
I like this US release cover better than the overseas release. Both business men are standing up straight.
One of my favorite albums of all time. Of course Floyd has so much good shit that I dont blame anyone for picking something else. Some days I think Animals is my favorite. But WYWH just has such an emotional impact on me. It still does. It gives me a lump in my throat. Like Im gonna start crying at any second but I'm just left at that moment right before the tears come. This is coming from a guy who grew up on hard rock and metal. This album is better than any of that. It may be the heaviest album of all time. I'll defend that.
I am really glad that you doing this series. Wish the next one is Led Zeppelin series. Great job, thank you!
Kinda shocked you did not take the time to talk/review the guitar solo on Have a Cigar, which I was expecting. One of the best solos ever made by David Gilmour.
Nice review!
Well there's so many great guitar solos from him, I can't talk about them all. But yes it is a fantastic solo.
Beethoven has the most famous four notes. But Shine On...pretty special as well.
Its their most perfect album. Its immaculate, not a wasted note......superb. having said that, its my 4th favourite Floyd album!
What's your ranking?
@@BrendanJSmith Here's my top 10 - personal enjoyment/ preference 1. The final cut (no im not joking!) I love it dearly....JT put up one of my comments on his 'The final cut' review 2. Dark side of the moon 3. The Wall 4. Wish you were here 5. Animals 6. The Division bell 7. A momentary lapse of reason 8. Piper at the gates of down 9. Meddle 10. Atom heat mother......you?
I find it great how much they stuck with the number 4, on top of what Storm points out, there are also 4 words in the title Welcome To The Machine, 4 syllables in Have A Cigar, and there are only 4 titles to the album, 5 tracks, but 4 titles, and Shine on You Crazy Diamond started being written with the 4 guitar notes.