Musical Snapshots: Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" album was released today

"Wish You Were Here" initially received mixed reviews, but has since been recognized as one of the greatest albums of all time.

On September 12, 1975, Pink Floyd's ninth album, "Wish You Were Here," was released. Their previous album was 1973's "Dark Side Of The Moon," which was a huge success and was considered the pinnacle of the band's artistic creation. So how do you follow up on that success? Pink Floyd did it by completely redefining themselves, something they did constantly throughout their first two decades, where you'd hardly find two albums that were alike until their collapse in the early 1980s.

Pink Floyd were a dysfunctional band. This was especially true during the “Wish You Were Here” period, with Roger Waters already beginning to act like the absolute leader, something that would only get worse until “The Wall” and his departure (or, according to some, the breakup of the band). David Gilmour ’s relationship with Nick Mason was also not at its best. Recording was interrupted by touring, delayed by disagreements, and hampered by an engineer who managed to ruin some tracks, requiring hours of tedious re-recording. The album itself is a tribute to the band’s difficult history, as it deals with the negative aspects of musical success.

Lyrically, while “Dark Side Of The Moon” deals with the madness that results from living in a crazy world, “Wish You Were Here” is about the effects of the public’s beautification of it. If “WYWH” is a tribute to the band’s founder Syd Barrett , it’s because Barrett was the first victim of this madness. Syd’s “ghost” appears for the second time (after “Brain Damage” on “Dark Side”) on “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” a fact further reinforced by his unexpected visit to the studio, with the members of Floyd initially not recognizing him (so the legend goes).

“Shine On” is a nine-part epic, unifying piece that sets the main musical and lyrical themes. On the album, it is divided into two major sections, with the first, comprising parts 1-5 (or IV as Waters’ megalomania dictates it be written) opening the first side of the album, and the second (6-9) closing the second side. This decision to split the piece was made at the last minute after a vote, and was crucial as it transformed “WYWH” into a single musical work.

The track begins with a slowly emerging minor chord, played on various instruments from synths to glass harmonica, and on top of that, some synth melodies with the characteristic Moog sound slowly begin. Then Gilmour's guitar takes over the role of the melody, while Wright, after two minutes of static harmony, now begins to change chords.

Moving on to the second part, Gilmour's characteristic four-note riff, which became known as "Syd's riff", makes its appearance. Shortly after, the drums and bass enter for the first time, and in a way this very long introduction is completed with another solo part by Gilmour.

In the 3rd part, a synth and a guitar solo alternate again, and only in the 4th part do the vocals come in. Until then, and throughout the album, the listener never has the feeling that they are waiting for the main song to begin, because the playing of Gilmour and Wright is sensational, with their melodies being so clear and memorable that they function as songs in themselves.

The wonderful two verses of the fourth part come just in time to enhance the grandeur of the piece. The words, which are now clearly referring to Barrett, the harmonies and the laughter that can be heard produce a chilling effect, echoing the theme of mental disorder. With the climax now over, the piece closes with Dick Parry's saxophone and moves without interruption into "Welcome To The Machine".

Mechanical noises lead a slow guitar strum into a slow, drumless, heavy rhythm that alternates between 3/4 and 4/4 time behind Wright's Moog. Waters's mournful and melancholic lyrics now shift to a scathing observation of the RnR dream, asking: "Are our passions and dreams simply the product of mass manipulation?"

The second side is no less critical, with Roy Harper taking on the role of the music industry mogul. Waters believed he had made a mistake in enlisting Harper to sing on “Have a Cigar,” but having an “outsider” perform the song enhances its meaning, giving it a theatrical dimension that Waters would fully exploit on “The Wall.” The track ends with another masterful solo from Gilmour.

Suddenly the sound cuts out and we hear someone changing stations on the radio. One station is playing the theme song for “Wish You Were Here.” We understand that the one changing stations was Gilmour, because soon he picks up his acoustic guitar and solos over the radio. Then he starts singing the first verse alone, with the band joining in on the second, and so we have one of the best introductions to one of the best Floyd songs and in general. Gilmour beautifully interprets this awesome letter from Waters to Syd, in which he wonders again if what happened to him would happen to the rest of the band.

As the track transitions into the sounds of strong winds, it takes us back to “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” for parts 5-9. This time we have a synth solo intro followed by Gilmour’s best “lap steel” solo, another verse with lyrics about Syd, a funk part and the album closes with Wright’s “death procession”. The fade out is peppered with melodies from Syd’s Floyd era.

“Wish You Were Here” initially received mixed reviews, but has since been recognized as one of the greatest albums of all time. It topped the charts in many European countries and has sold over 13 million copies worldwide. It is the album that Gilmour and Wright have always cited as their favorite, the epitome of the creativity of one of the greatest bands in music history.