WISH YOU WERE HERE

How do you follow-up a multi-million selling masterpiece like the Dark Side of the Moon? Easy. You make another masterpiece. And you make it even better. Which is exactly what Pink Floyd did. Wish You Were Here is considered by many, myself included, as the crowning achievement for Pink Floyd. True, it didn't sell as much as the Dark Side of the Moon, but it still sold a huge number of records. And that's always an achievement for a prog band, regardless of time period.

On Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd continued with a conceptual album, this time dealing with the insanity of success in the rock business. Instead of a bunch of short tracks, this time they created a nine-part, mostly instrumental epic, and split it into two halves with three shorter pieces in between. Richard Wright played a more forward role with many lush synthesizers giving the band it's first truly symphonic prog album, though of course with the bluesy psychedelic touches still present. The nine-part Shine on You Crazy Diamond was a tribute to the band's original lead singer, Syd Barrett (who mysteriously showed up at the recording sessions for this album unannounced, overweight and with a shaved head). Welcome to the Machine is also an amazing song and of course the title track, a concert favorite many years after this was released. Roy Harper also does a wonderful performance as a guest vocalist on Have a Cigar.

Wish You Were Here featured the group at its best, musically and compositionally. The melodies, though often sad, are some of the most beautiful ever recorded. This is an absolute must-have and is one of the top 10 greatest progressive rock albums ever released. And yes, it is much, much better than their classic Dark Side of the Moon. Five stars.