WISH YOU WERE HERE

How do you follow up a classic best-seller album like 'Dark Side Of The Moon'? With 'Wish You Were Here' of course! Whilst the former album is widely recognised as group's magnum opus, I personally think that this album is the best Pink Floyd ever cut. If I was on a desert island, and had to choose my top 5 albums to listen to for the rest of my life, 'Wish You Were Here' would certainly be one of them.

There are many reasons why I prefer this album to the rest of the PF catalogue, but the most important reason is the inclusion of the 26-minute 9-part suite that is Shine On You Crazy Diamond which is split in half over the two sides of the record, forming both the intro and outro to the album. The first half is dominated by Gilmour's sublime guitar soloing, which is one of the most memorable this reviewer has ever heard. Both halves of the suite are simultaneously beautiful and powerful, and undeniably brilliant pieces of music. If you ever need to introduce somebody to the idea of longer songs, this would be a good place to start them.

Another reason I love this album is because of its simplicity. There are just five tracks on this album, allowing each one to stand out in its own way. Of course, each track here is a classic, and show the band at their musical peak. In my opinion, the weakest track on the album is Welcome to the Machine, with its distinctly electric artificial sound. Playing this track at full volume seems to help though. Have A Cigar is a funky track with a great main riff. I particularly like how the track fades as if being played on the radio at the end. The album's title track, Wish You Were Here lives through its cryptic lyrics, and beautiful acoustic sound. A classic song if there ever was one.

Everything about this album spells brilliance. Quite simply put, this is a transcendental album which will endure for decades to come. I could listen to Shine On over and over and never get bored. The next album, 'Animals', would show the band's progressive peak, but to me 'Wish You Were Here' is far and away their best album.