Wish You Were Here

Wish You Were Here
LP by Pink Floyd
Released	September 1975
Recorded	January 1975 - July 1975
Genre	Rock
Length	44 min 26 sec
Record label	Columbia Records
Producer	Pink Floyd
Professional reviews
RollingStone review	5/5	link
Pink Floyd Chronology
A Nice Pair (1973)	Wish You Were Here (1975)	Animals (1977)

Wish You Were Here is a prog rock album by Pink Floyd, released on September 15, 1975 (see 1975 in music). The album is a homage to former bandmember Syd Barrett, whose mental ill health had made it impossible for him to continue as a useful member; this makes the album more melancholic than most of their previous records, though there are notes of optimism and joy throughout. The title track Wish You Were Here is said to be as much about the thoughts they have that they are falling apart as a band, as a tribute to Syd. The suite "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" is divided into nine parts and begins and closes the album (parts one through five open it, parts six through nine are the final track).

Wish You Were Here peaked at #31 on Billboard's USA Pop Albums chart.

Track listing

1. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Pts. 1-5" (Gilmour/Waters/Wright) - 13:34
2. "Welcome to the Machine" (Waters) - 7:31
3. "Have a Cigar" (Waters) - 5:08
4. "Wish You Were Here" (Gilmour/Waters) - 5:34
5. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Pts. 6-9" (Gilmour/Waters/Wright) - 12:31

Personnel

• Roy Harper - Vocals on "Have a Cigar"
• Roger Waters - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
• Nick Mason - Drums
• Richard Wright - Keyboards, Vocals
• Venetta Field - Background vocals
• Pink Floyd - Producer
• David Gilmour - Guitar, Vocals
• Brian Humphries - Engineer
• Dick Parry - Saxophone
• Carlena Williams - Background vocals

plus

• Peter Christopherson - Design Assistant (see Hipgnosis)
• Peter James - Engineer, Assistant Engineer
• Hipgnosis - Design, Photography
• George Hardie - Illustrations
• Richard Manning - Design Assistant
• Howard Bartrop - Design Assistant
• Jeff Smith - Design Assistant

Referenced By