Search - Pink Floyd :: Wish You Were Here

Kevin G. (kkg-ct) from NEW FAIRFIELD, CT
Reviewed on 1/14/2015...

as good as it gets. I chose not to trade for cold comfort and embrace change. I hope to never have a lead roll in a cage and i know which one is pink. From my youthful misspent nights in a haze to my dottage, a transcendent leap of musical faith that i have always been thrilled I took. One of the 5 desert island discs if i ever get stuck with Marianne and Ginger.

1 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

Elegant, Progressive and all Floyd

Lonnie E. Holder | Columbus, Indiana, United States | 09/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I often have a hard time putting into words the beauty of the music in a CD. I also have a tendency to say that some music is so good it can't truly be described with words, and then spend nearly a thousand words inadequately describing it. This CD, one of the best rock or progressive rock CDs of all time, falls into that category. Regardless of what you say about the music and the lyrics and their depth and elegance, you'll never approach the beauty and eloquence of the artists. The best a reviewer can do in print is attempt to describe the experience and attempt in some poor fashion to explain how the music can make the astute listener feel.



The album is dedicated to Pink Floyd's original lead singer, the late Syd Barrett, and does so directly with two songs. The other songs address how difficult the entertainment business is. The lyrics are often roaringly hilarious, and yet the seriousness with which the music is played is bizarrely incongruous. Pink Floyd's skill with their instruments and their lyrical skill came together to bring us five works of art that will always be a standard for others, and themselves.



The CD opens with "Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Part One," which consists of the first five portions of the song, the remaining four portions making up Part Two as the fifth song on the CD. The song opens with a synthesizer and guitar; somber, serious, haunting, beautiful, elegant. The guitar provides a simple transition to the drums kicking off a bluesy portion of the song. Eventually Roger Water's heartfelt vocals kick in the lyrics, which lament those caught up in the success of the entertainment industry, which is likened to a machine in the second song.



The second song is so filled with synthesizers that some people who've never heard "Welcome to the Machine" (if you can imagine such a thing) think it is from the electronic eighties. Crank your bass up for this song as the synthesizers provide a bone jarring background for the lyrics. Pink Floyd used an acoustic guitar to front the synthesizers and result is surprising and wonderful and indescribable. Another cool instrument in this song is the timpani. Few, if any, rock groups have used timpani in such a prominent way within a song. If you enjoy progressive rock and synthesizers, and simple music that is subtly complex, this song is the epitome of all that and more. This song is my favorite on this CD, and perhaps my favorite Pink Floyd song.



"Have a Cigar" is cynical and is the most humorous song on the CD. The commercialism of the music industry in particular is lambasted, even though most rock artists have succumbed to the pressure at various times in their careers. The song is all Pink Floyd, and yet, I hear an influence in this song from The Who's "Tommy." This song is the least progressive rock song on the CD, yet the music is sumptuous and full, with excellent guitar work. The ending on this song is quite novel as the sound level drops as though there was an electronic problem, or perhaps the group no longer was sufficiently popular that they were backed by the music industry as they were when they were popular.



"Wish You Were Here" opens as intriguingly as "Have a Cigar Closed." It sounds as though someone is tuning an AM radio, listening to various stations, until they run across this song. There is even a high pitched tone in the background that was often present as noise on some AM stations, which slowly fades away as the song progresses. The song laments the loss of Syd Barrett from the group, and eloquently wishes he was still with them.



The album closes with the second part of "Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Part Two," which is parts six through nine. A synthesizer once again commands a critical part of the music, with the guitars providing counterpoint. The music transitions from the opening as the guitars take the forefront and the synthesizer drops into the background. The lead and bass guitars are phenomenal. The instrumental portions leading into the song and exiting the song make up the bulk of this track, and allow the track to experiment with the sounds and feeling of the musical theme. Rather than cutting a wonderful song short the group took their time to explore the possibilities and let the music lead them where it would.



"Wish You Were Here" is a musical experience that can only be understood by being a participant. My words are too poor to provide even a fraction of what this progressive rock gives you in feelings from the words and music playing off each other. In the pantheon of music that makes up progressive rock, Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" will always be a standard of excellence against which other works of music may be measured, including Pink Floyd's own music. "Wish You Were Here" is in some ways better than the ground-breaking album "Dark Side of the Moon." The theme on "Wish You Were Here" is more mundane, but less pretentious than that of "Dark Side of the Moon," and the music and lyrics are readily accessible. A must have in any progressive rock collection.



Note that there is more than one version of this CD available, with varying prices. Please consider which version best meets your needs before buying.



Enjoy!

"

"Remember when you were young... you shone like the sun... S

finulanu | Here, there, and everywhere | 06/30/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You hear a lot about how Dark Side was a tough act to follow, and how Wish is slightly worse than Dark Side as a result. But I say no. It took me a while to realize this, but WYWH is my favorite Pink Floyd album. It's much more personal than Dark Side, particularly the sincere title track. Damn and a bucket of chicken wings, THAT is a song. Heartfelt, tender, sincere, good lyrics, love the guitar riff. My favorite PF song, ever. I also think the humming of the riff near the end is a nice touch. So is the pedal steel. Song hits hard. Of course it's about Syd Barrett, as is the album's other major piece: Shine on You Crazy Diamond. Both parts are perfect. The first is highlighted by Gilmour's blues-guitar playing and saxophone solos; the second, a long, innovative keyboard solo. And the lyrics are just beautiful. To top it off, I love that faint, dribbling synth in the beginning. Good stuff. Two of PF's best moments. For whatever reason Crazy Diamond is divided in half - I think that it kind of disturbs its flow - but that's just a minor quibble. As for the other two songs, needless to say they can't match the aforementioned. But I like 'em. I used to despise Welcome to the Machine with every fiber of my being( well, maybe not *that* much, but I didn't like it). Still, it creates a wonderful eerie atmmosphere, and it has grown on me. Especially the beginning - those monotone voices going, "WELCOME MY SON, WELCOME TO THE MACHINE..." The first industrial song? I'd bet on it. The bluesy Have a Cigar (sung by Roy Harper) provides well-needed comic relief - a sarcastic attack on the music industry.

So there you have it. Great, GREAT album, better than even Animals or The Dark Side of the Moon. Can't recommended it highly enough. You gotta have it!"