Hard to choose,I will say part 5 because of the sax solo by Dick Perry but I can change that every minute,Shine On You Crazy Diamond its my favorite Pink Floyd song the whole part 1-9 and the whole song its comparable to Beethoven and Back,great on that horse man.
Wow! What a fantastic tribute to one of my very favorite groups! You made me cry and, at 72 years of age and a huge fan of your show and its "reviews," I enjoyed getting in touch with my more sensitive side. Thanks for that!
Either that first "Shine on..." or when the sax solo just blasts out in what I'm guessing is Part V. But I'll admit I need to listen to parts VI-IX more closely
Sid Barrett as the bald guy with no eyebrows - now I understand the imagery behind ‘Pink’s’ (Bob Geldof) transformation in the movie version of ‘The Wall’…
Thank you for sharing your story. WYWH is that kind of record that just brings out those emotions. Best episode of Vinyl Monday that I’ve yet seen! PS: Hopefully someday you come around to Animals. I think WYWH is objectively their best album but Animals is my personal favorite.
@@TheGenreman I’m thinking that it’s because Roger actually cuts to the mental bone on Animals. It’s wholeheartedly depressing if you look at it from the outside. It’s also damned good music.
This is by far the best work Pink Floyd put out. I was amused that you thought all but one song from this album was your favorite. You and I differ in that I would also include that song in my list, but I would probably agree that it is the least good thing on this album. As good as many of their other albums were, none of them can touch this one. I think it is because of the pathos of the subject matter, and that comes across in the music as well.
My sister passed at a very young age. It’s hard to get through the album but it draws me in bc I miss her so much every day. Tell your dad you love him as much as you can. I’m sure he proud of you
I wsh my uncle was still around to see your videos. He was actually a much bigger Floyd fanatic than I've ever been. There's not the slightest question he'd have related to your twisted sense of humor and other elements, again, even more than me.
"By the way, which one's Pink?" so perfectly sums up that era of the music industry, and unfortunately beyond, as we saw with Kurt Cobain. You're getting so good at this! Thanks for a particularly heart-felt Vinyl Monday, Abby. Extra props to your dad.
Animals is my all time fav pink floyd album. What's not to like. In fact, Sheep is the LAST Pink Floyd song I saw live when I saw Waters in L.A. I will cherish that song forever.
As I thought about it I realized Animals was the first of their I heard. It was probably around 1977 and some friends were talking about it. I can still see the mental image I had at the time, having no other point of reference to the band, I saw a bunch of pink stuffed animals. Eventually, i borrowed the record and then bought a used copy and just loved it from the moment I heard it. There are some records I can't listen to very often anymore...side 1 of Led Zeppelin IV is like that for me (I can listen to side 2 over and over). Animals is an album I never, ever tire of and still listen to regularly. It's a masterpiece. I only wish it was longer!
I agree Abi, Wish You Were Here and The Wall have been my favorite Pink Floyd albums with Dark Side Of The Moon in 3rd place. I do need to purchase and listen to Pink Floyd’s older albums to see if I might need to re-rank my favorite albums. There are some great older songs I have heard and really liked. I have a PF Wish You Were Here T-shirt that I wear on every holiday for my younger brother who was killed in a horrific motor cycle accident at the age of 25. We were very close and his moral support of my music career meant so much to me. He was a great guy and I miss him everyday. It broke my heart. I am a lead vocalist and a guitarist. It took me over a year before I was even able to sing again without breaking down in tears. He told me that I had a great voice and I killed on Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, ACDC -Bon Scott songs tunes to name a few. He said I sounded just like them. My parents and family were all religious people with many preachers and I was the black sheep singing the Devils music. My brother stood with me up against that BS. “Wish You Were Hear” and “Fire and Rain” still really get to me. I know a lot of people have heartbreaking losses of people they love and this song about Sid really means so much to me and so many others. I am so sorry for all of your losses of loved ones and for You Abi with your Dad and how Alcoholism destroyed his personality. I hope somehow the Situation could miraculously be reversed Abi and your Dad could be returned whole again. Life can be a real sadistic bastardo. I wish I would have told my brother every time I saw him how much I loved him. Wish You Were Here 🥺
The story of Syd never fails to make me tear up. Hearing that Roger broke down after seeing him was just absolutely heartbreaking, my god. I rarely tear up while listening to music but “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” (and “Eugene” from Carrie and Lowell, funnily enough) just hit me where it hurts. On a lighter note, You are seriously such a talented writer!! There were multiple lines in the video where I was just like “Shit.”Just absolutely taken aback in the best way possible. Thank you for what you do.
You have many strengths as a music critic, in my humble opinion one of your strongest points is your sensitivity to the actual people who make the music, their lives and foibles, and how it goes into the creation of the music and makes the music the thing that we, the audience, love so much.
Thank you for sharing the vulnerable moment with us, I didn’t think I would share this on the internet but my uncle recently passed away from alcoholism and you hit everything on the nail. It’s heartbreaking to see someone you love slowly fade away. Also, I did a deep dive on Pink Floyd this summer and this album gave me constant goosebumps, 100% a no skip album.
Out of all the Floyd albums, listen to WYWH more than any other album. Love Rick's keyboards on it. He provided the filling sponge of the cake. Great presentation!
Funny, I also think Echoes is #1, followed by Shine On... but my favorite Floyd album was always Animals. I think it is because it was the first I heard, and I grew up liking darker music like Metal. Great review, Shine On sometimes brings me a tear.
I recently discovered your channel and am really loving your videos. As a longtime record collector and pop culture historian and author on the subject, it always thrills me to find a young person who is excited about any pop culture from the past and cares enough to do the kind of research you obviously do. And your personal aside about why you relate to this album specifically was very brave and moving. I'm not a huge Pink Floyd fan, but I, too, have a special association with this album. I graduated high school in 1976, and this came out just before we took our senior class trip. I don't know if they still let kids do this, but our class took a school bus from our small central Texas town all the way to New Orleans, which required driving all night. My friends Dan and Joey and I took the last row seat. Dan was the town rich kid who had the latest tech gear, and he'd brought along a portable mixing board style stereo cassette deck with multiple headphone jacks and a cassette of "Wish You Were Here." We drove through the night, listening to it over and over in the dark as everyone else slept, with the greenish highway pole lights whizzing by outside the smoked glass windows. It was the perfect atmosphere for sinking into this ethereal soundscape. To this day, the second I put it on, I am immediately transported back to that bus and feel surrounded by the post-midnight darkness with the eerie green spots of light rushing past me in the distance.
Hi Abby, LOVE your Vinyl Monday videos! I was born in 1960 and I grew up with the best music, 1960s and 1970s. I love that you love this era of music and your genuinely passionate and thorough appreciation of the music and its artists. You remind me of myself when I was young. Thank you for sharing your inner life and for trusting us with it. If it helps, when we have evolved beyond our pain and disappointment then we develop the ability to be self-strong and empathetic and we are able to handle just about anything that comes our way. Fun factoid about the song title "Shine on You Crazy Diamond": the title references SYD Barrett (Shine on S, You crazy, Y, Diamond, D) as well as having been written about Syd. Wonderful videos, Abby!
Syd Barrett also played guitar on the track “Remember a Day” which featured Richard Wright on lead vocals.Other than that,another very nice video Abby!!!
1975 was a stellar year for rock. New albums from Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Blackmores Rainbow Nazareth, Aerosmith, Jeff Beck, Ted Nugent, Mahogany Rush, Scorpions, Hawkwind, Eloy and of course WYWH by Pink Floyd being some of my faves that year. I was fortunate enough to see Pink Floyd live in Hamilton, Ontario at Ivor Wynne Stadium on Saturday June 28, 1975 outdoors on a beautiful early summer's evening. Possibly the best show I have ever attended. The band was in great form and this being the last show of that part of their 74/75 North American tour, was extra special. They started the show with two songs in a slightly different form that would show up on the Animals album in 1977. They played DSOTM in its entirety and most if not all of WYWH which was not released until September that year. They closed the show with Echoes and accidentally blew up the scoreboard with pyrotechnics. We all went home happily stoned on the free acid that was handed out just before the show.
A very sweet moment Abby, when you spoke of your father. My mother was similarly absent from my life due to alcoholism, though she was physically there.
My favourite album by my favourite band, featuring my favourite song. (Go away spellchecker - I'm British, that's how we spell favourite.) I went on a tour of Cambridge from a Floyd perspective, visiting Syd, Roger, Storm and David's houses and schools. David's was the nicest - right on the Edge of Grantchester Meadows. There was also an exhibition of Storm's artwork, with prints for sale. I looked at the back cover one - it's my favourite too - it was a few hundred pounds, so I declined. I later got one from Nick Mason's online store for £50 or thereabouts. I have 26 copies of this album, by the way. Yup - I like it a lot. My favourite song - Shine On. When I saw them live for the first time, it was the opening number, Rick Wright back in the band and playing those opening chords - and I think I must have got something in my eye, or something. A very emotional moment.
I could pull any number of records out and tell you where i was living as well as the store where I bought it. My Pop was 88 and I was living with him after his stroke(he recovered). He would cook breakfast and i would wash up. This is when i first heard The Eurythmics Sweet Dreams Are Made of This. My brothers and I pooling our allowance money to buy Meet The Beatles after seeing them on Ed Sullivan. The Wall is still colored by the relationship I had at the time with the woman who first broke my heart. I couldn't even listen to it for 10 years. We all have these stories like the guy who cleaned his weed inside the White Album and turned me on to Gordon Lightfoot. Thanks for reminding us of one of the most important parts of a record collection aside from the music. The memories of our lives is woven through it and is unique to each collection. 💙
Wow Abby, I never knew about the deep reference to See Emily Play regarding Syd Barrett and the end of Wish You Were Here ! That’s amazing stuff. I love discovering more in depth trivia of that nature, thanks to your revealing insights.
I’ve loved it since I was a kid and used to hear it on the radio in the 80s. I don’t suppose it was top 40 anymore but it was definitely played on the rock stations regularly. It fascinated me. It was like being transported to some other place that was a million miles away from my isolated, rural life.
OMG, where do I even start?!? Thank you for opening up about your own life journey that has shaped the incredible, intelligent, and fun person you are. David Gilmour & Rick Wright to me were the guts of delivering the classic period of Floyd. The songs that grabbed me through the years were the ones that at least had a Gilmour writing credit on them (Yes, Waters wrote the majority, plus lyrics, but starting with The Final Cut, we see historically how that evolved and fared). Dave and Rick's harmonies were beautiful, and I come from the Brian Wilson school of harmonies! (Of course, Dave says as much from the podium when inducting Brian into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Plus, they wanted the Beach Boys to add harmonies to The Wall, but only Bruce Johnston is on it. Damn that total AH Mike Love who cancelled the band's studio appearance at the last minute!!) Rick's passing was hard on me. I could write a book how the classic period (I include Meddle in that period) shaped my youth. Then, as I entered my adult years right out of college, it was the year of Dave and Roger's solo albums and the rumblings of Pink Floyd officially breaking up. I often think back to those separate concerts. Seeing Dave solo at the Tower Theater a stones throw outside the Philly border, so incredible, to then Roger at the Spectrum with Eric Clapton on guitar. Of course Roger's concert was uptight. His reputation for yelling at audiences well known, but when Clapton would hit those solos, it was heaven. Incidentally, the first song I sang live on stage was Wish You Were Here. Gilmour's voice . I just stop whatever I'm doing whenever that song comes on.
My dad started drinking in WWII and he stayed slightly drunk until his death in 1996, which I found out much later. He left his family in 1955. My mother revealed nothing about him except it was obvious he was the love of her life. Every decade or so she'd get that thousand-mile-stare and say, under her breath, "Jimmy". James Mason - not the actor.
For many years I was trying to get into Pink Floyd via Dark Side, but it never clicked for me. Then a few months ago I was at my local shop and saw Wish You Were Here in the rack so I grabbed it just to try some other Floyd music, and by the time the title track faded out I was having a real "where you been all my life?" moment
This is my favorite Pink Floyd album. It came out right after I first met my father. I was 12 and after my parents split up after I was born he moved to Europe so in 75 we went out to see him. All those lost years destroyed any bond I could have with him. Wish You Were Here takes me back to listening to it. Wishing I knew what a father was. Hearing always brings me back to that time point. Now a father of 3 amazing young adults I know what it’s like. I will be binge watching your videos now. Thanks for all your hard work you put into making this happen.
My dad used to play Wish you were here (the song) and Pigs on a wing for me on his guitar when I was very little. I remember he introduced me to pink Floyd my freshman year of high school. I heard the opening guitar of Wish you were here, and I immediately knew I heard it before. It was surreal to say the least.
I've always felt that Wish You Were Here is a poem set to music. It's a well written song Imo. You've done a very brave thing for letting us in to your personal life with you father. Which was germane to the topic on Syd Barrett. No matter how painful it was. I almost wanted to cry. Believe you me. I'm as emotional as they come. That song comes on after Have A Cigar. Dang, even Have A Cigar is a good song. I like how this rock song transistion into a very emotional tune with use of a tiny radio speeker sound. Then it gets into a very clear sound. Pink Floyd is such a gret band.
I remember riding in the front seat of my grandpa’s F-150 when I was about 5 years old, music blasting in my ears. We would always talk about how awesome rock and roll was, and how energetic it could be. The station we would listen to was Z99, the classic rock station. I’ll never forget when Wish You Were Here came on, my first time hearing it. He turned down the radio a bit after jamming out to Sister Christian by Night Ranger. He told me to listen closely, as it was the last time I’d ever be a kid again. I enjoyed the song at the time, but I didn’t know what he meant by that. I didn’t know the loss, and the hardship I’d go through with the rest of my life. In hindsight he didn’t mean that literally, at that very moment in time. But the song itself for me has always been a keystone. I’m 20 now, making my way through college living with the person I intend to marry someday, and it’s our song. It’s a song that’s meant so much to me, and the lyric of two lost souls in a fish bowl means so many different things to me. It means me and my partner, drifting around life together. It means me and my grandpa, who also dealt with alcohol abuse and addiction, who is now a man I no longer recognize. It means me and my best friend, who lives just far away enough from me where it’s hard to see one another. It means my current self and my childhood innocence, constantly switching places. It’s the album that a good friend of mine gave me on graduation day, because he knew it meant so much to me. I’m glad there’s such a large community who loves this album, and a community of people I can share my memories with about it.
My first Floyd album. Amazing!! Fun fact. My wife and I went to Mono Lake a few years ago. One particular day we spent hours at the lake taking photos. After an amazing sunset we went to Lee Vining and found a restaurant. While we were eating, none other than Wish You Were Here played on the radio. I was amazed.
Abby, you JUST FULLY, and very personally, explained EXACTLY how I've felt, for the last 56 years!!! Yeah, my whole life. My Dad was an alcoholic, as was my mother. My mother, bloated to over 250 pounds and jaundiced from the effects of alcohol, went into a 9 MONTH treatment program to save our family in 1979 when I was 12 years old. She neve touched another drop. Dad drank until he couldn't because of Emphysema and Heart Disease that took him at 74. He worked and drank... period. He was THERE, but he WASN'T there. So, when you so beautifully, yes painfully explained that,:Half-there", I totally understood what you meant. I suffered much physical abuse, as the "pincushion" role in our alcoholic family. Anything that went wrong in Dad's day was all my fault. I have SOOOO MUCH RESPECT FOR YOU. YOU ARE TRULY INCREDIBLE, ABBY. WOW! I just liked listening to your intelligent, deep, very detailed assessments and informative offerings on each album. We are both Geminis, so it seems I "GET" you, and each and every nuance of the woman you are. Thank you SO MUCH, for doing what you do for music lovers, and moreover, for BEING WHO YOU ARE. You are, TRULY, 1 in 8.5 BILLION. MUCH Love and even MORE RESPECT. I PROMISE to spread your show here on UA-cam to anyone snd everyone I know that listens to our music. I have EVERY ALBIM you've done so far. EVERY SINGLE ONE. THATS ALMOST SCARY. But I choose to use the word "Cosmic". Thank you, again, for being YOU.☺️ If you ever want to share your incredible intellect snd musical knowledge with a like-minded soul. I'm here. My mind is officially blown.😳🤯☺️
Animals is my FAVORITE Floyd album. That’s how u know a band is awesome when those parallels exist. Thanks for the vid. So many great moments. My dad alcoholic too yada yada.
What you said wasn't easy for you and I admire your strength for saying it. You definitely don't owe it to us, the viewer. Your own cognizance of how such personal experiences direct your thoughts on an album is enough - nobody whose names you'll never know should be entitled to that much of yourself. That said, I empathize. My father's in prison for life and I recall a lyric from a Modest Mouse song, "I miss you when you're around" - because the longing is worst when we're in the same room.
This episode was definitely not absent of band history, album information, personal sharing, emotion, minimalist wardrobe, Animals bashing (🐑 ouch!), name calling (🐴), flea market album cover wear, our swearing, and lawn care criticism. I enjoyed being present through it all! I rate it … 🕳🕳🕳🕳🕳!!!
thanks so much! i love my beat-up albums more than any album i'd buy new, i like seeing someone loved it first. i also love the running channel jokes (horse man, our swear, leafblowers,) wish i could love animals the same
Wish You Were Here makes four observations on contemporary life. "Shine On" is a eulogy to Syd. "Welcome to the Machine" is a pretty heart-rending description of selling out or giving in. "Wish You Were Here" is addressed to the hippies of the Summer of Love. "Have a Cigar" attacks the music industry. All very insightful. I'm constantly livid that our civilisation treated Rock merely as a vein of wealth to be exploited and then discarded.
You're such an awesome person! Please never feel like you have to share anything that you're uncomfortable with in the name of authenticity: remember, you have to take care of yourself too, and you don't owe anything to an audience that already values your knowledge, insights, and ideas which are already very authentic (that's why I tune in). Your enthusiasm is contagious, and I definitely am inspired to brush up more on my music history knowledge from watching this. Also, as a side note, I really appreciate how respectful of Syd Barrett and his legacy you are in the context of his battles with mental illness. Thanks, you're great.
Don't know if anyone mentioned this but Gilmour is playing a pedal steel guitar in that last solo of SOYCD. In concert, they put him on a levitating platform high high high above the stage and slowly brought him down to finish off the rest of the song.
I just watched your video for Pink Floyd - The Wall, which was amazing. This, of course, was suggested to watch. I really had a tough time watching this one. The song Wish You Were Here had a strong connection to one of my high school friends who decided to move away and that hurt so much. I've known about the stories, and some of them seemed more in jest to Syd's condition, but you put it together so eloquently, with a bit of a somber mood. Thank you, for sharing about your relationship with your father. 🤍
picking a favorite Pink Floyd album out of the "big four" is next to impossible and virtually shifts from day to day, but I gotta say the first time I heard the entirety of WYWH the album I was completely blown away by it unlike any other album I had ever heard before, even The Wall which tends to be my resident favorite of the bunch. just the instrumentation and the fact that it takes eight minutes before you even hear any of the vocals was to me the most radical thing I had ever heard in a piece of "mainstream" music. I think Alice Cooper said it the best: there are plenty of blues rock bands and plenty of heavy metal bands, but there's no one like Pink Floyd. And Wish You Were Here cemented that status for me, and that's why Pink Floyd is my favorite band of all time
There's a stitched together version of Shine On ( several btw ) that I like, it runs a little shorter than the album version at 25 minutes and 36 seconds due to fade outs and fade ins that is very well done. Both parts 1-5 and 4-9 are basically the same song when it comes to the singing parts, but the difference in how they both get there is dumbfounding. Just spectacular.
I recently saw Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets & it was so frickin awesome to hear Syd tunes like Lucifer Sam & Bike. I loved it. Wish You Were Here is my favorite Floyd album. I love your take on it. It is Rick Wright's shining moment. David Gilmour's iconic guitar is all over the place. I never caught the reference to See Emily Play. That really blows my mind. Thanks for the review!
WYWH is my favourite Pink Floyd's album since always... I like this more than The Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, Animals, Division Bell, etc. My dear Abigail strikes with this review, i'm new in your channel!
You know I just started bingeing your content the past week, and was excited to get your take on Floyd. But that took a back seat half-way through this video. Thank you for allowing yourself to be vulnerable and open, I hope you know there are 8k views of people who empathize and wish you well. And, as German philosopher Nietzschke said, "That which does not break us only makes us stronger". Our pain and suffering help define the people we become. Now, as another great philosopher stated, "Back to the music". Peace and love :)
Two things: Alcoholics don't drink because they hate the people near and dear to them. They drink because they are suffering from addiction. Also, there is a solution. Just found you channel. Love your reviews.
Dear Abigail I believe you have exceeded yourself. Your love of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here is truly touching. I personally think it's the Floyd's last truly epic album. Animals & The Wall are albums that I never connected with. Unlike Meddle, The Dark Side of the Moon & Wish You Were Here. TDSOTM left an indelible impression on my teenage psyche in 1973 that is still with me to this day. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on your dad. My father was a compulsive gambler and a heavy smoker. He passed away at 52.
People may not recognize you as wearing a costume in this episode … but as a child of the ‘70s, even though my adolescence took place in the ‘80s, the picture of womanhood forever stamped in my mind and flowing through my veins is … the t-shirt-and-jeans gal! So you claimed you were simply wearing a black t in homage to Roger Waters, but-even if inadvertently-you _did_ get the 1975 look almost right, even down to the low-key makeup … and I would know: my eight-year-old self became a man in that sea of t-shirt-and-jeans ladies, the fateful day I awoke to them and then could see naught else _for decades!!_ 😊 So kudos to you! If I would change one thing: that Aerosmith logo should be an iron-on decal, cracking and weathering a little from frequent wear! And I’m assuming you have on indigo jeans, a weathered 2-inch-wide leather belt (or a cloth belt with a metal-toothed clasp in lieu of a buckle), and leather Chelsea boots. Perfect!! Please keep on doing what you do. I’m loving this series, and I _thought_ I knew all there was to know about Pink Floyd, but your research taught me quite a few things! Very well-researched and well-presented, 10 stars! (I don’t much like _Animals_ either, iconic cover aside.)
Thank you for your Authenticity, Abby. This is my Favorite Pink Floyd record, Too! I really empathized with your story. I too am very partial to this album for it's themes of loss and can fully relate to that feeling of half absence. My younger brother has been struggling with addiction most of his life and he used to be such a brilliant guy. Looking into his eyes, and not seeing that charming, smart, sharp as tac guy I grew up with is a source of sadness I deal with every day in the depths of my heart. He introduced this album to me back when we were both Teenagers! Whenever it gets to the line, "Now there's a look in your eyes, Like black holes in the sky," it kinda makes me tear up...Like every god damned time! I don't want to talk about him as though he's already passed away....He goes through it and I'm happy he at leasts tries to better himself. That's all me and my family can ask for. I teared up at your story... Honestly, the beauty of this album is timeless. It's like a friendly reminder through the power of wonderful music that we are all going through it and have the power in us to heal. If Dark Side of The Moon is the "Life" album (How I mostly tend to think of it as) Then Wish You Were Here is definitely the "Loss" album; Loss and Healing. Oh, and ECHOE'S FUCKING SLAPS!!!
The answer to "by the way which one's pink" is Pink Anderson. The Pink Floyd name came from 2 obscure blues men: Pink Anderson 'n Floyd Council. I was turned on to Roy Harper in 1975 by Leo O'Kelly from the Irish band Tir Na Nog. Check out the studio version o' Me & My Woman-fantastic! Believe me when I tell you Roy's Forbidden Fruit has some o' the most astonishin' lyrics you'll hear in any song...whew!
Kudos to you. You obviously did your research and know your stuff. And, you're absolutely right -- Echoes (on the Meddle album) is the Floyd's best song.
I’ve just found your videos. Thanks for diving into my record collection! And as someone who was a teenager in the ‘70s, you’ve absolutely nailed the 1970’s look… :)
One of my favorites! Every song is a masterpiece and the album cover is one of the most inventive ever. Also the first CD I ever bought (can't remember first vinyl I bought, too long ago). My dad had the same problem, heartbreaking to watch someone you love destroy themselves, and difficult to talk about.
OMG. I thought I was the only one in the world who recognized how unhinged David’s solo in part 6 of SOYCD was. I have never heard him play like that before or since (I’ve never seen/heard Pulse). For some reason, they never seemed to play that part in concert, going straight from Rick’s solo into the vocal part. Thanks for noticing. 💕
Wish is my favorite Floyd Album also! I have the SACD Surround and crank it loud! You are my favorite reviewer, keep it up and thank you for sharing your story too. I completely understand your missing your Father, with me it was my Mother.🤗
God bless you for baring your soul and sharing the story of your father. I can relate, as I'm know many others can. Thank you and keep up the great work.
Awesome review. There is a sense of loss in the Wish You Were Here album. The way that you relate that to your Dad is brave and a credit to you being able to recognize that and move on through music. I especially love your story of your 7 by 9 foot apartment where you blasted this album within that small space. Music has a universal meaning for everyone and I look forward to your reviews because your albums are meaningful to you and to others.
Abigail, Many forms of substance abuse have stolen many a great people from us, Deep down there is a good soul in them, Who they once was, and now they are clouded by the addiction. Some are able to recover and some never shine again. Stay strong, P.S. You should really give Pink Floyd's Animals a chance. It is a true amalgamation of all Floyd without the commercialism.
Love this album, been my favourite over Dark Side since my 1st hearing at a end of term party for the Graphic Design students in 1980. Picture this..... A community centre, someone’s home hifi system (including record player) coloured lights, smoke machine..... So after a great night, partying, drinking too much, dancing etc the party is winding down and there’s only maybe a dozen left. Someone puts on Wish.Y.W.H 😮🤯😍
I saw Pink Floyd perform at Carnegie Hall on May 1st, 1972. They played Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety! We all smoked hashish before the show which enhanced the experience.
Discovered your channel today, listened to 5 of your full album reviews so far. For this album, I have been a huge fan and frequent listener of Wish You Were Here since 1986. I thought I had heard everything everyone has to say about it. However, I had never made the connection with See Emily Play at the end of Crazy Diamond until now. How did I miss it. Now it’s obvious. Great job, and thank you for your efforts. And not to be inappropriate, but I find you and your presentation very appealing and attractive.
My favorite Pink Floyd album out of the big three. I think Wish You Were Here is the most balance Pink Floyd album between the meaning, instrumental, and the vocal part of the album. When I think about Pink Floyd music I’ve always think about David Gilmour guitar sound and Richard Wright keyboard, it’s the most integral part of Pink Floyd sounds in my opinion, and in this album the guitar and keyboard part is marvelous especially in the track Shine on Your Crazy Diamonds. I also love Welcome to The Machine, Have a Cigar, and (my personal favorite) Wish You Were Here, i think they’re one of the best of their works. I love all the tracks from this album but if a were about to chose my favorite it’s between Shine on Your Crazy Diamonds part I-V and Wish You Were Here.
I am so sorry to hear about your Dad. (Now I feel bad about the comment I left on your Dark Side review) But you make a very good point, that the best music affects on a deep emotional level, which is why this album is my all time favorite. The emotions it brings out in me can never be understated. It has allowed me to deal with those emotions better than any therapist ever could. Now, back to the album. We must state that, as you said, the album was supposed to feature Shine On on one side and Raving and Drooling and You Gotta Be Crazy on another but, as Roger was the only member in the studio, working almost obsessively on the follow-up to Dark Side (because he was going through a nasty divorce), and the other members were off trying to cope with the massive success of Dark Side in their own ways and not caring to even try to work on what they thought would not be a worthy follow up, Roger became the mastermind behind Wish You Were Here (and, as Nick Mason states in his wonderful 'biography' of Pink Floyd, titled Inside Out - Read it - was the beginnings of Roger seeing himself as the leader of the band - due to their lack of interest). First, he decided to not include the future Animals tracks, as they did not go with the tone of Shine On, and then split the song in two to bookend the album - both decisions which drew the ire of David. But, as the other two (Nick and Rick) were not good at decisions, but had good ears for ideas, sided with Roger. So, Roger wrote Welcome To The Machine and Have a Cigar, and collaborated with David on Wish You Were Here because again (as he so often did in their time together) pointed out that he loved something David was 'noodling around with' on his guitar and had him expand on it. And after assembling the album they all agreed each decision was the right one. To this day, David has also stated WYWH is his favorite Pink Floyd album. And, as I stated before, is mine, as well. It warms my heart that this generation is 'rediscovering' (did they ever stop being relevant?) my favorite band. Great video, thank you! Now, on to your other Pink Floyd reviews p.s. sorry, I must disagree with you on Animals. It features some of the absolute best 'angry' Gilmour solos, since you mentioned how sublime they are on Shine On, and such great keyboards, once again by the man who gave Pink Floyd their sound: Mr. Richard William Wright.
Thank you for sharing your very personal story. I had a similar half-loss with my father, who was semi-absent as I grew up (due to divorce) then later changed drastically (due to a stroke). It really is a difficult thing to describe, missing someone who is still there, but not the person you remember them to be. All I can say is to make the most of your relationship while they are still in your life. Losing them for good is always painful, even if you've grieved already. Love your videos! You have the correct opinion on both "Echoes" and "Animals" 😆
When Syd showed up at the studio, during the Wish You Were Here sessions. He held a tooth brush and jumped up and down, imitating himself moving and the tooth brush not moving. They said it was funny but also sad at the same time.
My first proper album of proper ownership, a birthday gift, my copy came in midnight blue shrinkwrap. I still have a square of it with the sticker on top. Very sophisticated.
Excellent review and interesting commentary. Thank you. Regarding the "big four" albums of Pink Floyd (Dark Side, Wish, Animals, The Wall) what I really appreciate about them is the diversity from one album to the next. That uniqueness extends to my other favorites from Pink Floyd. (Atom Heart Mother, Obscured by Clouds, Meddle, Pipers) Puzzling that you don't like Animals. Gratitude.
I can relate to your situation with your father. My dad is also a raging alcoholic who has his 95 year old mother taking care of him. He makes great money off his pension and was able to retire early. However, he is a complete mess and it has destroyed our family over the years. Very distressing. I know exactly where your coming from, Abie.
comment your favorite part of shine on you crazy diamond below!
Hard to choose,I will say part 5 because of the sax solo by Dick Perry but I can change that every minute,Shine On You Crazy Diamond its my favorite Pink Floyd song the whole part 1-9 and the whole song its comparable to Beethoven and Back,great on that horse man.
Wow! What a fantastic tribute to one of my very favorite groups! You made me cry and, at 72 years of age and a huge fan of your show and its "reviews," I enjoyed getting in touch with my more sensitive side. Thanks for that!
When the guitar comes in
Either that first "Shine on..." or when the sax solo just blasts out in what I'm guessing is Part V. But I'll admit I need to listen to parts VI-IX more closely
It his current tour Roger proffers a little video "Sid homage" when he and his band play SOYCD...
Sid Barrett as the bald guy with no eyebrows - now I understand the imagery behind ‘Pink’s’ (Bob Geldof) transformation in the movie version of ‘The Wall’…
@@bob_the_bomb4508 wow never thought about it
Rick Wright is the backbone and what I call the sound of the PInk Floyd. You are 100% correct.
This is one of my favorite albums. My dad was also an alcoholic. I appreciate your courage for facing your family history.
Thank you for sharing your story. WYWH is that kind of record that just brings out those emotions. Best episode of Vinyl Monday that I’ve yet seen!
PS: Hopefully someday you come around to Animals. I think WYWH is objectively their best album but Animals is my personal favorite.
Why don’t you like animals Abby?
@@TheGenreman
I’m thinking that it’s because Roger actually cuts to the mental bone on Animals. It’s wholeheartedly depressing if you look at it from the outside. It’s also damned good music.
This is by far the best work Pink Floyd put out. I was amused that you thought all but one song from this album was your favorite. You and I differ in that I would also include that song in my list, but I would probably agree that it is the least good thing on this album. As good as many of their other albums were, none of them can touch this one. I think it is because of the pathos of the subject matter, and that comes across in the music as well.
Sid's soul is manifest in every genuine Pink Floyd album. You feel him always messing about.
What a beautiful comment. And so true! Thank you for this.
@@mushroomleg - I have walked in Sid's shoes, been called crazy since the fifties. It doesn't matter.
I appreciate your honesty and openness about your dad. It takes a lot of guts to be open and vulnerable online. You are the real deal Abby.
My sister passed at a very young age. It’s hard to get through the album but it draws me in bc I miss her so much every day. Tell your dad you love him as much as you can. I’m sure he proud of you
I wsh my uncle was still around to see your videos. He was actually a much bigger Floyd fanatic than I've ever been. There's not the slightest question he'd have related to your twisted sense of humor and other elements, again, even more than me.
The Wall spoke to me the most, I felt that album, it was a hand on my shoulder that told me I wasn’t alone
Same. The Wall > Wish You Were Here. Imo.
"By the way, which one's Pink?" so perfectly sums up that era of the music industry, and unfortunately beyond, as we saw with Kurt Cobain.
You're getting so good at this! Thanks for a particularly heart-felt Vinyl Monday, Abby. Extra props to your dad.
Animals is my all time fav pink floyd album. What's not to like. In fact, Sheep is the LAST Pink Floyd song I saw live when I saw Waters in L.A. I will cherish that song forever.
As I thought about it I realized Animals was the first of their I heard. It was probably around 1977 and some friends were talking about it. I can still see the mental image I had at the time, having no other point of reference to the band, I saw a bunch of pink stuffed animals.
Eventually, i borrowed the record and then bought a used copy and just loved it from the moment I heard it.
There are some records I can't listen to very often anymore...side 1 of Led Zeppelin IV is like that for me (I can listen to side 2 over and over).
Animals is an album I never, ever tire of and still listen to regularly. It's a masterpiece. I only wish it was longer!
I agree Abi, Wish You Were Here and The Wall have been my favorite Pink Floyd albums with Dark Side Of The Moon in 3rd place. I do need to purchase and listen to Pink Floyd’s older albums to see if I might need to re-rank my favorite albums. There are some great older songs I have heard and really liked. I have a PF Wish You Were Here T-shirt that I wear on every holiday for my younger brother who was killed in a horrific motor cycle accident at the age of 25. We were very close and his moral support of my music career meant so much to me. He was a great guy and I miss him everyday. It broke my heart. I am a lead vocalist and a guitarist. It took me over a year before I was even able to sing again without breaking down in tears. He told me that I had a great voice and I killed on Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, ACDC -Bon Scott songs tunes to name a few. He said I sounded just like them. My parents and family were all religious people with many preachers and I was the black sheep singing the Devils music. My brother stood with me up against that BS. “Wish You Were Hear” and “Fire and Rain” still really get to me. I know a lot of people have heartbreaking losses of people they love and this song about Sid really means so much to me and so many others. I am so sorry for all of your losses of loved ones and for You Abi with your Dad and how Alcoholism destroyed his personality. I hope somehow the
Situation could miraculously
be reversed Abi and your Dad could be returned whole again. Life can be a real sadistic bastardo. I wish I would have told my brother every time I saw him how much I loved him.
Wish You Were Here 🥺
The story of Syd never fails to make me tear up. Hearing that Roger broke down after seeing him was just absolutely heartbreaking, my god. I rarely tear up while listening to music but “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” (and “Eugene” from Carrie and Lowell, funnily enough) just hit me where it hurts. On a lighter note, You are seriously such a talented writer!! There were multiple lines in the video where I was just like “Shit.”Just absolutely taken aback in the best way possible. Thank you for what you do.
thank YOU so much, i'm glad you enjoyed this one
You have many strengths as a music critic, in my humble opinion one of your strongest points is your sensitivity to the actual people who make the music, their lives and foibles, and how it goes into the creation of the music and makes the music the thing that we, the audience, love so much.
Thank you for sharing the vulnerable moment with us, I didn’t think I would share this on the internet but my uncle recently passed away from alcoholism and you hit everything on the nail. It’s heartbreaking to see someone you love slowly fade away.
Also, I did a deep dive on Pink Floyd this summer and this album gave me constant goosebumps, 100% a no skip album.
Your 'dissertation' on WYWH is honestly beautiful. I am in awe of how well you 'get' it as well as your love of the album.
Out of all the Floyd albums, listen to WYWH more than any other album. Love Rick's keyboards on it. He provided the filling sponge of the cake. Great presentation!
Funny, I also think Echoes is #1, followed by Shine On... but my favorite Floyd album was always Animals. I think it is because it was the first I heard, and I grew up liking darker music like Metal. Great review, Shine On sometimes brings me a tear.
I recently discovered your channel and am really loving your videos. As a longtime record collector and pop culture historian and author on the subject, it always thrills me to find a young person who is excited about any pop culture from the past and cares enough to do the kind of research you obviously do. And your personal aside about why you relate to this album specifically was very brave and moving.
I'm not a huge Pink Floyd fan, but I, too, have a special association with this album. I graduated high school in 1976, and this came out just before we took our senior class trip. I don't know if they still let kids do this, but our class took a school bus from our small central Texas town all the way to New Orleans, which required driving all night. My friends Dan and Joey and I took the last row seat. Dan was the town rich kid who had the latest tech gear, and he'd brought along a portable mixing board style stereo cassette deck with multiple headphone jacks and a cassette of "Wish You Were Here." We drove through the night, listening to it over and over in the dark as everyone else slept, with the greenish highway pole lights whizzing by outside the smoked glass windows. It was the perfect atmosphere for sinking into this ethereal soundscape. To this day, the second I put it on, I am immediately transported back to that bus and feel surrounded by the post-midnight darkness with the eerie green spots of light rushing past me in the distance.
what a way to first experience this album! the transitions between songs alone are the perfect soundtrack to a late-night drive
Exactly. Well said. 💯
Awesome album and an awesome review! I did not realize it ended with “see Emily play”!
Same here. I've listened to that album a bajillion times and never noticed or realized that.
Hi Abby, LOVE your Vinyl Monday videos! I was born in 1960 and I grew up with the best music, 1960s and 1970s. I love that you love this era of music and your genuinely passionate and thorough appreciation of the music and its artists. You remind me of myself when I was young. Thank you for sharing your inner life and for trusting us with it. If it helps, when we have evolved beyond our pain and disappointment then we develop the ability to be self-strong and empathetic and we are able to handle just about anything that comes our way. Fun factoid about the song title "Shine on You Crazy Diamond": the title references SYD Barrett (Shine on S, You crazy, Y, Diamond, D) as well as having been written about Syd. Wonderful videos, Abby!
Syd Barrett also played guitar on the track “Remember a Day” which featured Richard Wright on lead vocals.Other than that,another very nice video Abby!!!
Pink Floyd is my favorite band of all time and Wish You Were Here is my favorite album by them.
1975 was a stellar year for rock. New albums from Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Blackmores Rainbow Nazareth, Aerosmith, Jeff Beck, Ted Nugent, Mahogany Rush, Scorpions, Hawkwind, Eloy and of course WYWH by Pink Floyd being some of my faves that year. I was fortunate enough to see Pink Floyd live in Hamilton, Ontario at Ivor Wynne Stadium on Saturday June 28, 1975 outdoors on a beautiful early summer's evening. Possibly the best show I have ever attended. The band was in great form and this being the last show of that part of their 74/75 North American tour, was extra special. They started the show with two songs in a slightly different form that would show up on the Animals album in 1977. They played DSOTM in its entirety and most if not all of WYWH which was not released until September that year. They closed the show with Echoes and accidentally blew up the scoreboard with pyrotechnics. We all went home happily stoned on the free acid that was handed out just before the show.
A very sweet moment Abby, when you spoke of your father. My mother was similarly absent from my life due to alcoholism, though she was physically there.
Yes, My Mother drinks far too much and always has. Her brain is mush. 😞
Death is an illusion. Back to the music!
My favourite album by my favourite band, featuring my favourite song. (Go away spellchecker - I'm British, that's how we spell favourite.) I went on a tour of Cambridge from a Floyd perspective, visiting Syd, Roger, Storm and David's houses and schools. David's was the nicest - right on the Edge of Grantchester Meadows. There was also an exhibition of Storm's artwork, with prints for sale. I looked at the back cover one - it's my favourite too - it was a few hundred pounds, so I declined. I later got one from Nick Mason's online store for £50 or thereabouts. I have 26 copies of this album, by the way. Yup - I like it a lot. My favourite song - Shine On. When I saw them live for the first time, it was the opening number, Rick Wright back in the band and playing those opening chords - and I think I must have got something in my eye, or something. A very emotional moment.
That way you wove in your own experience of half-absence and loss was so apt and generous.
I could pull any number of records out and tell you where i was living as well as the store where I bought it.
My Pop was 88 and I was living with him after his stroke(he recovered). He would cook breakfast and i would wash up. This is when i first heard The Eurythmics Sweet Dreams Are Made of This.
My brothers and I pooling our allowance money to buy Meet The Beatles after seeing them on Ed Sullivan.
The Wall is still colored by the relationship I had at the time with the woman who first broke my heart. I couldn't even listen to it for 10 years.
We all have these stories like the guy who cleaned his weed inside the White Album and turned me on to Gordon Lightfoot.
Thanks for reminding us of one of the most important parts of a record collection aside from the music. The memories of our lives is woven through it and is unique to each collection.
💙
Wow Abby, I never knew about the deep reference to See Emily Play regarding Syd Barrett and the end of Wish You Were Here ! That’s amazing stuff. I love discovering more in depth trivia of that nature, thanks to your revealing insights.
P.S.: Cool to finally see someone who really loves "Welcome to the Machine" ✌
I’ve loved it since I was a kid and used to hear it on the radio in the 80s. I don’t suppose it was top 40 anymore but it was definitely played on the rock stations regularly.
It fascinated me. It was like being transported to some other place that was a million miles away from my isolated, rural life.
OMG, where do I even start?!? Thank you for opening up about your own life journey that has shaped the incredible, intelligent, and fun person you are.
David Gilmour & Rick Wright to me were the guts of delivering the classic period of Floyd. The songs that grabbed me through the years were the ones that at least had a Gilmour writing credit on them (Yes, Waters wrote the majority, plus lyrics, but starting with The Final Cut, we see historically how that evolved and fared). Dave and Rick's harmonies were beautiful, and I come from the Brian Wilson school of harmonies! (Of course, Dave says as much from the podium when inducting Brian into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Plus, they wanted the Beach Boys to add harmonies to The Wall, but only Bruce Johnston is on it. Damn that total AH Mike Love who cancelled the band's studio appearance at the last minute!!) Rick's passing was hard on me.
I could write a book how the classic period (I include Meddle in that period) shaped my youth. Then, as I entered my adult years right out of college, it was the year of Dave and Roger's solo albums and the rumblings of Pink Floyd officially breaking up. I often think back to those separate concerts. Seeing Dave solo at the Tower Theater a stones throw outside the Philly border, so incredible, to then Roger at the Spectrum with Eric Clapton on guitar. Of course Roger's concert was uptight. His reputation for yelling at audiences well known, but when Clapton would hit those solos, it was heaven.
Incidentally, the first song I sang live on stage was Wish You Were Here. Gilmour's voice . I just stop whatever I'm doing whenever that song comes on.
My dad started drinking in WWII and he stayed slightly drunk until his death in 1996, which I found out much later. He left his family in 1955. My mother revealed nothing about him except it was obvious he was the love of her life. Every decade or so she'd get that thousand-mile-stare and say, under her breath, "Jimmy". James Mason - not the actor.
For many years I was trying to get into Pink Floyd via Dark Side, but it never clicked for me. Then a few months ago I was at my local shop and saw Wish You Were Here in the rack so I grabbed it just to try some other Floyd music, and by the time the title track faded out I was having a real "where you been all my life?" moment
This is my favorite Pink Floyd album. It came out right after I first met my father. I was 12 and after my parents split up after I was born he moved to Europe so in 75 we went out to see him. All those lost years destroyed any bond I could have with him. Wish You Were Here takes me back to listening to it. Wishing I knew what a father was. Hearing always brings me back to that time point. Now a father of 3 amazing young adults I know what it’s like. I will be binge watching your videos now. Thanks for all your hard work you put into making this happen.
Thanks for including your personal story with your dad, it was a perfect fit for your WYWH discussion.
My dad used to play Wish you were here (the song) and Pigs on a wing for me on his guitar when I was very little. I remember he introduced me to pink Floyd my freshman year of high school. I heard the opening guitar of Wish you were here, and I immediately knew I heard it before. It was surreal to say the least.
I've always felt that Wish You Were Here is a poem set to music. It's a well written song Imo. You've done a very brave thing for letting us in to your personal life with you father. Which was germane to the topic on Syd Barrett. No matter how painful it was. I almost wanted to cry. Believe you me. I'm as emotional as they come. That song comes on after Have A Cigar. Dang, even Have A Cigar is a good song. I like how this rock song transistion into a very emotional tune with use of a tiny radio speeker sound. Then it gets into a very clear sound. Pink Floyd is such a gret band.
I remember riding in the front seat of my grandpa’s F-150 when I was about 5 years old, music blasting in my ears. We would always talk about how awesome rock and roll was, and how energetic it could be. The station we would listen to was Z99, the classic rock station. I’ll never forget when Wish You Were Here came on, my first time hearing it. He turned down the radio a bit after jamming out to Sister Christian by Night Ranger. He told me to listen closely, as it was the last time I’d ever be a kid again. I enjoyed the song at the time, but I didn’t know what he meant by that. I didn’t know the loss, and the hardship I’d go through with the rest of my life. In hindsight he didn’t mean that literally, at that very moment in time. But the song itself for me has always been a keystone. I’m 20 now, making my way through college living with the person I intend to marry someday, and it’s our song. It’s a song that’s meant so much to me, and the lyric of two lost souls in a fish bowl means so many different things to me. It means me and my partner, drifting around life together. It means me and my grandpa, who also dealt with alcohol abuse and addiction, who is now a man I no longer recognize. It means me and my best friend, who lives just far away enough from me where it’s hard to see one another. It means my current self and my childhood innocence, constantly switching places. It’s the album that a good friend of mine gave me on graduation day, because he knew it meant so much to me. I’m glad there’s such a large community who loves this album, and a community of people I can share my memories with about it.
My first Floyd album. Amazing!!
Fun fact. My wife and I went to Mono Lake a few years ago. One particular day we spent hours at the lake taking photos. After an amazing sunset we went to Lee Vining and found a restaurant. While we were eating, none other than Wish You Were Here played on the radio. I was amazed.
wow that's too perfect!
Abby, you JUST FULLY, and very personally, explained EXACTLY how I've felt, for the last 56 years!!! Yeah, my whole life. My Dad was an alcoholic, as was my mother. My mother, bloated to over 250 pounds and jaundiced from the effects of alcohol, went into a 9 MONTH treatment program to save our family in 1979 when I was 12 years old. She neve touched another drop.
Dad drank until he couldn't because of Emphysema and Heart Disease that took him at 74.
He worked and drank... period. He was THERE, but he WASN'T there. So, when you so beautifully, yes painfully explained that,:Half-there", I totally understood what you meant. I suffered much physical abuse, as the "pincushion" role in our alcoholic family. Anything that went wrong in Dad's day was all my fault.
I have SOOOO MUCH RESPECT FOR YOU.
YOU ARE TRULY INCREDIBLE, ABBY.
WOW! I just liked listening to your intelligent, deep, very detailed assessments and informative offerings on each album. We are both Geminis, so it seems I "GET" you, and each and every nuance of the woman you are.
Thank you SO MUCH, for doing what you do for music lovers, and moreover, for BEING WHO YOU ARE.
You are, TRULY, 1 in 8.5 BILLION. MUCH Love and even MORE RESPECT.
I PROMISE to spread your show here on UA-cam to anyone snd everyone I know that listens to our music. I have EVERY ALBIM you've done so far.
EVERY SINGLE ONE.
THATS ALMOST SCARY.
But I choose to use the word "Cosmic".
Thank you, again, for being YOU.☺️
If you ever want to share your incredible intellect snd musical knowledge with a like-minded soul. I'm here.
My mind is officially blown.😳🤯☺️
Animals is my FAVORITE Floyd album. That’s how u know a band is awesome when those parallels exist. Thanks for the vid. So many great moments. My dad alcoholic too yada yada.
I wholly agree with you about Echoes. It's by far the best Floyd song.
What you said wasn't easy for you and I admire your strength for saying it. You definitely don't owe it to us, the viewer. Your own cognizance of how such personal experiences direct your thoughts on an album is enough - nobody whose names you'll never know should be entitled to that much of yourself.
That said, I empathize. My father's in prison for life and I recall a lyric from a Modest Mouse song, "I miss you when you're around" - because the longing is worst when we're in the same room.
This episode was definitely not absent of band history, album information, personal sharing, emotion, minimalist wardrobe, Animals bashing (🐑 ouch!), name calling (🐴), flea market album cover wear, our swearing, and lawn care criticism. I enjoyed being present through it all! I rate it … 🕳🕳🕳🕳🕳!!!
thanks so much! i love my beat-up albums more than any album i'd buy new, i like seeing someone loved it first. i also love the running channel jokes (horse man, our swear, leafblowers,) wish i could love animals the same
Wish You Were Here makes four observations on contemporary life. "Shine On" is a eulogy to Syd. "Welcome to the Machine" is a pretty heart-rending description of selling out or giving in. "Wish You Were Here" is addressed to the hippies of the Summer of Love. "Have a Cigar" attacks the music industry. All very insightful. I'm constantly livid that our civilisation treated Rock merely as a vein of wealth to be exploited and then discarded.
WYWH has always been my favorite Pink Floyd Album,
You're such an awesome person! Please never feel like you have to share anything that you're uncomfortable with in the name of authenticity: remember, you have to take care of yourself too, and you don't owe anything to an audience that already values your knowledge, insights, and ideas which are already very authentic (that's why I tune in). Your enthusiasm is contagious, and I definitely am inspired to brush up more on my music history knowledge from watching this. Also, as a side note, I really appreciate how respectful of Syd Barrett and his legacy you are in the context of his battles with mental illness.
Thanks, you're great.
appreciate your courage in talking about your father towards the end.. takes a lot : )
Don't know if anyone mentioned this but Gilmour is playing a pedal steel guitar in that last solo of SOYCD. In concert, they put him on a levitating platform high high high above the stage and slowly brought him down to finish off the rest of the song.
Your black t-shirt works, especially due to one of the prevailing themes of this masterpiece: absence. So, good choice!
I just watched your video for Pink Floyd - The Wall, which was amazing.
This, of course, was suggested to watch.
I really had a tough time watching this one. The song Wish You Were Here had a strong connection to one of my high school friends who decided to move away and that hurt so much.
I've known about the stories, and some of them seemed more in jest to Syd's condition, but you put it together so eloquently, with a bit of a somber mood.
Thank you, for sharing about your relationship with your father. 🤍
picking a favorite Pink Floyd album out of the "big four" is next to impossible and virtually shifts from day to day, but I gotta say the first time I heard the entirety of WYWH the album I was completely blown away by it unlike any other album I had ever heard before, even The Wall which tends to be my resident favorite of the bunch. just the instrumentation and the fact that it takes eight minutes before you even hear any of the vocals was to me the most radical thing I had ever heard in a piece of "mainstream" music.
I think Alice Cooper said it the best: there are plenty of blues rock bands and plenty of heavy metal bands, but there's no one like Pink Floyd. And Wish You Were Here cemented that status for me, and that's why Pink Floyd is my favorite band of all time
There's a stitched together version of Shine On ( several btw ) that I like, it runs a little shorter than the album version at 25 minutes and 36 seconds due to fade outs and fade ins that is very well done. Both parts 1-5 and 4-9 are basically the same song when it comes to the singing parts, but the difference in how they both get there is dumbfounding. Just spectacular.
That hypnotic starting riff. Love the videos, keep it up Abi. Very entertaining and informative!
THE BEST PINK FLOYD SONG!!!
I recently saw Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets & it was so frickin awesome to hear Syd tunes like Lucifer Sam & Bike. I loved it. Wish You Were Here is my favorite Floyd album. I love your take on it. It is Rick Wright's shining moment. David Gilmour's iconic guitar is all over the place. I never caught the reference to See Emily Play. That really blows my mind. Thanks for the review!
WYWH is my favourite Pink Floyd's album since always... I like this more than The Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, Animals, Division Bell, etc. My dear Abigail strikes with this review, i'm new in your channel!
You know I just started bingeing your content the past week, and was excited to get your take on Floyd. But that took a back seat half-way through this video. Thank you for allowing yourself to be vulnerable and open, I hope you know there are 8k views of people who empathize and wish you well. And, as German philosopher Nietzschke said, "That which does not break us only makes us stronger". Our pain and suffering help define the people we become. Now, as another great philosopher stated, "Back to the music". Peace and love :)
Two things: Alcoholics don't drink because they hate the people near and dear to them. They drink because they are suffering from addiction. Also, there is a solution.
Just found you channel. Love your reviews.
Dear Abigail I believe you have exceeded yourself. Your love of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here is truly touching. I personally think it's the Floyd's last truly epic album. Animals & The Wall are albums that I never connected with. Unlike Meddle, The Dark Side of the Moon & Wish You Were Here. TDSOTM left an indelible impression on my teenage psyche in 1973 that is still with me to this day. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on your dad. My father was a compulsive gambler and a heavy smoker. He passed away at 52.
People may not recognize you as wearing a costume in this episode … but as a child of the ‘70s, even though my adolescence took place in the ‘80s, the picture of womanhood forever stamped in my mind and flowing through my veins is … the t-shirt-and-jeans gal!
So you claimed you were simply wearing a black t in homage to Roger Waters, but-even if inadvertently-you _did_ get the 1975 look almost right, even down to the low-key makeup … and I would know: my eight-year-old self became a man in that sea of t-shirt-and-jeans ladies, the fateful day I awoke to them and then could see naught else _for decades!!_ 😊
So kudos to you! If I would change one thing: that Aerosmith logo should be an iron-on decal, cracking and weathering a little from frequent wear! And I’m assuming you have on indigo jeans, a weathered 2-inch-wide leather belt (or a cloth belt with a metal-toothed clasp in lieu of a buckle), and leather Chelsea boots. Perfect!!
Please keep on doing what you do. I’m loving this series, and I _thought_ I knew all there was to know about Pink Floyd, but your research taught me quite a few things! Very well-researched and well-presented, 10 stars!
(I don’t much like _Animals_ either, iconic cover aside.)
Thank you for your Authenticity, Abby. This is my Favorite Pink Floyd record, Too! I really empathized with your story. I too am very partial to this album for it's themes of loss and can fully relate to that feeling of half absence. My younger brother has been struggling with addiction most of his life and he used to be such a brilliant guy. Looking into his eyes, and not seeing that charming, smart, sharp as tac guy I grew up with is a source of sadness I deal with every day in the depths of my heart. He introduced this album to me back when we were both Teenagers! Whenever it gets to the line, "Now there's a look in your eyes, Like black holes in the sky," it kinda makes me tear up...Like every god damned time! I don't want to talk about him as though he's already passed away....He goes through it and I'm happy he at leasts tries to better himself. That's all me and my family can ask for. I teared up at your story... Honestly, the beauty of this album is timeless. It's like a friendly reminder through the power of wonderful music that we are all going through it and have the power in us to heal. If Dark Side of The Moon is the "Life" album (How I mostly tend to think of it as) Then Wish You Were Here is definitely the "Loss" album; Loss and Healing. Oh, and ECHOE'S FUCKING SLAPS!!!
Sad story, Abi, hopefully something good comes in the future.
The answer to "by the way which one's pink" is Pink Anderson. The Pink Floyd name came from 2 obscure blues men: Pink Anderson 'n Floyd Council. I was turned on to Roy Harper in 1975 by Leo O'Kelly from the Irish band Tir Na Nog. Check out the studio version o' Me & My Woman-fantastic! Believe me when I tell you Roy's Forbidden Fruit has some o' the most astonishin' lyrics you'll hear in any song...whew!
Kudos to you. You obviously did your research and know your stuff. And, you're absolutely right -- Echoes (on the Meddle album) is the Floyd's best song.
HEYYYYY I love "plain black T-shirts" !
I’ve just found your videos. Thanks for diving into my record collection!
And as someone who was a teenager in the ‘70s, you’ve absolutely nailed the 1970’s look… :)
One of my favorites! Every song is a masterpiece and the album cover is one of the most inventive ever. Also the first CD I ever bought (can't remember first vinyl I bought, too long ago).
My dad had the same problem, heartbreaking to watch someone you love destroy themselves, and difficult to talk about.
OMG. I thought I was the only one in the world who recognized how unhinged David’s solo in part 6 of SOYCD was. I have never heard him play like that before or since (I’ve never seen/heard Pulse). For some reason, they never seemed to play that part in concert, going straight from Rick’s solo into the vocal part. Thanks for noticing. 💕
Wish is my favorite Floyd Album also! I have the SACD Surround and crank it loud! You are my favorite reviewer, keep it up and thank you for sharing your story too. I completely understand your missing your Father, with me it was my Mother.🤗
You are so correct about Rick Wright! Some pretty amazing stuff.
Wish You Were Here and Final Cut are my fave Floyd albums.
God bless you for baring your soul and sharing the story of your father. I can relate, as I'm know many others can. Thank you and keep up the great work.
Awesome review. There is a sense of loss in the Wish You Were Here album. The way that you relate that to your Dad is brave and a credit to you being able to recognize that and move on through music. I especially love your story of your 7 by 9 foot apartment where you blasted this album within that small space. Music has a universal meaning for everyone and I look forward to your reviews because your albums are meaningful to you and to others.
A brave post. It's such a tough thing to be close to an alcoholic. Well done on a terrific post.
You made me feel very emotional. Don't know what to say. A real fans empathy. ❤👍
I'm currently in college and I've done the same thing with my records
hopefully you’re a better neighbor than i was!!
Abigail,
Many forms of substance abuse have stolen many a great people from us,
Deep down there is a good soul in them, Who they once was, and now they are clouded by the addiction.
Some are able to recover and some never shine again.
Stay strong,
P.S.
You should really give Pink Floyd's Animals a chance.
It is a true amalgamation of all Floyd without the commercialism.
Love this album, been my favourite over Dark Side since my 1st hearing at a end of term party for the Graphic Design students in 1980.
Picture this.....
A community centre, someone’s home hifi system (including record player) coloured lights, smoke machine.....
So after a great night, partying, drinking too much, dancing etc the party is winding down and there’s only maybe a dozen left.
Someone puts on Wish.Y.W.H 😮🤯😍
Thank you Abigail. What a find. You knowledge and exuberance are legendary!
I have said for years this is my favorite and their best. They got lost after this and it shows with later albums
I saw Pink Floyd perform at Carnegie Hall on May 1st, 1972. They played Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety! We all smoked hashish before the show which enhanced the experience.
damn what a show! must've been amazing to see dark side before it was released
Discovered your channel today, listened to 5 of your full album reviews so far. For this album, I have been a huge fan and frequent listener of Wish You Were Here since 1986. I thought I had heard everything everyone has to say about it. However, I had never made the connection with See Emily Play at the end of Crazy Diamond until now. How did I miss it. Now it’s obvious. Great job, and thank you for your efforts. And not to be inappropriate, but I find you and your presentation very appealing and attractive.
Nothing like twenty minute deep dives 😊
My favorite Pink Floyd album out of the big three. I think Wish You Were Here is the most balance Pink Floyd album between the meaning, instrumental, and the vocal part of the album. When I think about Pink Floyd music I’ve always think about David Gilmour guitar sound and Richard Wright keyboard, it’s the most integral part of Pink Floyd sounds in my opinion, and in this album the guitar and keyboard part is marvelous especially in the track Shine on Your Crazy Diamonds. I also love Welcome to The Machine, Have a Cigar, and (my personal favorite) Wish You Were Here, i think they’re one of the best of their works. I love all the tracks from this album but if a were about to chose my favorite it’s between Shine on Your Crazy Diamonds part I-V and Wish You Were Here.
I am so sorry to hear about your Dad. (Now I feel bad about the comment I left on your Dark Side review) But you make a very good point, that the best music affects on a deep emotional level, which is why this album is my all time favorite. The emotions it brings out in me can never be understated. It has allowed me to deal with those emotions better than any therapist ever could.
Now, back to the album.
We must state that, as you said, the album was supposed to feature Shine On on one side and Raving and Drooling and You Gotta Be Crazy on another but, as Roger was the only member in the studio, working almost obsessively on the follow-up to Dark Side (because he was going through a nasty divorce), and the other members were off trying to cope with the massive success of Dark Side in their own ways and not caring to even try to work on what they thought would not be a worthy follow up, Roger became the mastermind behind Wish You Were Here (and, as Nick Mason states in his wonderful 'biography' of Pink Floyd, titled Inside Out - Read it - was the beginnings of Roger seeing himself as the leader of the band - due to their lack of interest). First, he decided to not include the future Animals tracks, as they did not go with the tone of Shine On, and then split the song in two to bookend the album - both decisions which drew the ire of David. But, as the other two (Nick and Rick) were not good at decisions, but had good ears for ideas, sided with Roger. So, Roger wrote Welcome To The Machine and Have a Cigar, and collaborated with David on Wish You Were Here because again (as he so often did in their time together) pointed out that he loved something David was 'noodling around with' on his guitar and had him expand on it. And after assembling the album they all agreed each decision was the right one. To this day, David has also stated WYWH is his favorite Pink Floyd album.
And, as I stated before, is mine, as well.
It warms my heart that this generation is 'rediscovering' (did they ever stop being relevant?) my favorite band.
Great video, thank you!
Now, on to your other Pink Floyd reviews
p.s. sorry, I must disagree with you on Animals. It features some of the absolute best 'angry' Gilmour solos, since you mentioned how sublime they are on Shine On, and such great keyboards, once again by the man who gave Pink Floyd their sound: Mr. Richard William Wright.
Thank you for sharing your very personal story. I had a similar half-loss with my father, who was semi-absent as I grew up (due to divorce) then later changed drastically (due to a stroke).
It really is a difficult thing to describe, missing someone who is still there, but not the person you remember them to be.
All I can say is to make the most of your relationship while they are still in your life. Losing them for good is always painful, even if you've grieved already.
Love your videos! You have the correct opinion on both "Echoes" and "Animals" 😆
So Brave and Honest of you to talk about your Dad. Peace and happiness ,Mick
When Syd showed up at the studio, during the Wish You Were Here sessions. He held a tooth brush and jumped up and down, imitating himself moving and the tooth brush not moving. They said it was funny but also sad at the same time.
You deal with Syd with great compassion, Abigail. Robin Witting England
Abigail, Thank you so much for this awesome video about one of my favorite bands. And for keeping it real. Sending you hugs regarding your dad. 🤗❤
My first proper album of proper ownership, a birthday gift, my copy came in midnight blue shrinkwrap. I still have a square of it with the sticker on top. Very sophisticated.
I'm partial to this record as well, and for the same reasons as you. AND it came out the same week I was born.
Excellent review and interesting commentary. Thank you. Regarding the "big four" albums of Pink Floyd (Dark Side, Wish, Animals, The Wall) what I really appreciate about them is the diversity from one album to the next. That uniqueness extends to my other favorites from Pink Floyd. (Atom Heart Mother, Obscured by Clouds, Meddle, Pipers) Puzzling that you don't like Animals. Gratitude.
thank you so much. i admit i really wanted to like the animals album, i feel like a bad floyd fan for not liking it!
@@abigaildevoe TOTALLY AGREE!! such a fuss over such a bland album.
Only a stranger at home…
Thanks for sharing. Great tracks. "Wish You Were Here" is a great tune to cover, too. Shawn R., Mo-Mutt Music/Sacred & Secular
I can relate to your situation with your father. My dad is also a raging alcoholic who has his 95 year old mother taking care of him. He makes great money off his pension and was able to retire early. However, he is a complete mess and it has destroyed our family over the years. Very distressing. I know exactly where your coming from, Abie.
A brilliant review! Very brave to mention your personal tribulations. Lots of love.
"ECHOES IS THE BEST PINK FLOYD SONG"...agreed!
Echoes is not only the best PF song; it is the best song ever (album version, the pompeii version is only superior in the funk part)