Album: Wish You Were Here
Artist: Pink Floyd
Born: Cambridge
Released: September 1975
Genre: Psychedelic Jazz
Influenced: Tears For Fears, Air, Neutral Milk Hotel, Spiritualized, Elbow
Of all the 70s Floyd albums, this is my favourite. Meddle, Obscured By Clouds and Dark Side Of The Moon all have great moments, but are not nearly as cohesive as Wish You Were Here. From the early days of getting in to Floyd, I never really enjoyed Animals and, despite my best efforts, always failed to connect with The Wall (both album and film). For me, the two albums that bookend Floyd's most innovative and productive period, from Piper to Wish You Were Here, are their best. Two themes that dominate this album are the life of Syd Barrett and the failings of the music industry, creating the impression of a band looking back to more innocent times, nostalgic for a sense of youthful positivity and togetherness at a time when cracks were appearing between them. One notable sign of division in the group is visible in hindsight on Have A Cigar, with everyone (except Roger Waters) deciding that Roy Harper's growling guest vocal was better than Waters' own. What's remarkable is that this discord helped to create Floyd's most warm and emotional record. Decent live footage of the band playing live from that era is hard to come by on YouTube, but this is by far my favourite performance of Shine On.
As tributes in music go, Shine On is one of the most affecting I know. Most people with a passing knowledge of music know the incredible story of how Syd turned up to these recording sessions, unprompted and barely recognisable, moving many of the band members to tears at seeing him in such a poor physical and mental state ("now there's a look in your eyes / like black holes in the sky"). As well as Shine On, the title track is also full of nostalgia for past friendships and missed opportunities. In my teenage years, we were asked in an English class to bring in poems that we liked, so (being a pretentious young twerp) I chose to read out the lyrics to Wish You Were Here. The guitar playing by Gilmour on this song and throughout the album is incredible, and I love all the jazz elements, especially the saxophone, while Wright's use of the ARP synth on Welcome To The Machine helps to create a sense of alienation from a music industry that has lost the human touch. All this, plus the great album artwork (partly shot in Norfolk and Lake Mono, two places close to my heart) make this the Floyd album I treasure most.
Of all the 70s Floyd albums, this is my favourite. Meddle, Obscured By Clouds and Dark Side Of The Moon all have great moments, but are not nearly as cohesive as Wish You Were Here. From the early days of getting in to Floyd, I never really enjoyed Animals and, despite my best efforts, always failed to connect with The Wall (both album and film). For me, the two albums that bookend Floyd's most innovative and productive period, from Piper to Wish You Were Here, are their best. Two themes that dominate this album are the life of Syd Barrett and the failings of the music industry, creating the impression of a band looking back to more innocent times, nostalgic for a sense of youthful positivity and togetherness at a time when cracks were appearing between them. One notable sign of division in the group is visible in hindsight on Have A Cigar, with everyone (except Roger Waters) deciding that Roy Harper's growling guest vocal was better than Waters' own. What's remarkable is that this discord helped to create Floyd's most warm and emotional record. Decent live footage of the band playing live from that era is hard to come by on YouTube, but this is by far my favourite performance of Shine On.
As tributes in music go, Shine On is one of the most affecting I know. Most people with a passing knowledge of music know the incredible story of how Syd turned up to these recording sessions, unprompted and barely recognisable, moving many of the band members to tears at seeing him in such a poor physical and mental state ("now there's a look in your eyes / like black holes in the sky"). As well as Shine On, the title track is also full of nostalgia for past friendships and missed opportunities. In my teenage years, we were asked in an English class to bring in poems that we liked, so (being a pretentious young twerp) I chose to read out the lyrics to Wish You Were Here. The guitar playing by Gilmour on this song and throughout the album is incredible, and I love all the jazz elements, especially the saxophone, while Wright's use of the ARP synth on Welcome To The Machine helps to create a sense of alienation from a music industry that has lost the human touch. All this, plus the great album artwork (partly shot in Norfolk and Lake Mono, two places close to my heart) make this the Floyd album I treasure most.
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