WISH YOU WERE HERE

I agree with the many other reviewers on the prog archives that this album is an amazing work of art and one of the greatest musical achievements of all time. I first heard it as a teenager, alone with a pair of headphones in a dark, quiet room. I was mesmerized to say the least. I still get the same feeling whenever I hear it all these years later.

The real wizard behind the deeply atomspheric sound was Richard Wright. The sounds from the synthsizers and clavinet are abosolutely gorgeous and impressive. Gilmour's bluesy guitar is also very touching. The main piece "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is mostly instrumental. The sax parts are fantastic and a perfect addition to the moody music. Waters' idea to split the long track into two parts and to throw three compositions in between was an excellent idea.

In "Welcome To The Machine" the keyboards are softened by some acoustic guitar. The vocals are cold and dark as the song itself is about oppression and technological fear. I've never heard anything like it. The title track is much brighter and the second half of the album is slightly bluesy. The album nicely ends in a similar swirling mood as the opening part.

It's an emotional, captivating ride from start to finish. There's a good reason why so many other prog fans rave about it. 5 shining stars from this reviwer to add to the overall rating.