Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd album)

1975 studio album by Pink Floyd / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Wish You Were Here is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 12 September 1975 through Harvest Records and Columbia Records. Based on material Pink Floyd composed while performing in Europe, Wish You Were Here was recorded over numerous sessions throughout 1975 at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in London.

Quick facts: Wish You Were Here, Studio album by Pink Floy... ▼
Wish You Were Here
An image of two men dressed in dark grey business attire standing in the grounds of a Hollywood film studio, facing each other and shaking hands. The man on the right's hair and clothes are on fire, but he seems oblivious to the fact. The upper right edge of the photograph appears singed.
Standard artwork for most releases. Cover by Hipgnosis.
Studio album by
Pink Floyd
Released12 September 1975
Recorded13 January – 28 July 1975[1]
StudioEMI, London
Genre
Length44:11
Label
ProducerPink Floyd
Pink Floyd chronology
The Dark Side of the Moon
(1973)		 Wish You Were Here
(1975)		 Animals
(1977)
Additional cover
The circle sticker at the right-centre position shows two machines clasped together, resembling a handshake. The whole circle is divided into four quarters in different colours. The pink quarter, located on upper-left, has the sun shining and "PINK FLOYD" in big font; below the band name is "WISH YOU WERE HERE" in small font. The yellow quarter at lower-left displays sand dunes. The blue quarter at upper-right shows blue skies. The green quarter at lower-right displays green- or teal-coloured water.
Banner used for 1970s vinyl releases packaged in black shrink wrap, 1970s tape releases, 1980s European CD re-releases, and slipcase of 2010s vinyl re-release.
Singles from Wish You Were Here
  1. "Have a Cigar"
    Released: November 1975
Audio
"Album" playlist on YouTube
Close ▲

The themes include alienation and criticism of the music business. The bulk of the album is taken up by "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", a nine-part tribute to founding member Syd Barrett, who left the band seven years earlier due to his deteriorating mental health. Barrett coincidentally visited during the album's production in 1975. Like their previous record, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Pink Floyd used studio effects and synthesisers. Guest singers included Roy Harper, who provided the lead vocals on "Have a Cigar", and Venetta Fields, who added backing vocals to "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". To promote the album, the band released the double A-side single "Have a Cigar" / "Welcome to the Machine".

On its release, Wish You Were Here received mixed reviews from critics, who found its music uninspiring and inferior to the band's previous output. It has retrospectively received critical acclaim, hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time and was cited by keyboardist Richard Wright and guitarist David Gilmour as their favourite Pink Floyd album.