Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd

Wish You Were Here is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 12 September 1975 through Harvest Records in the UK and Columbia Records in the US, their first for the label. 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.

The album's lyrical themes concern 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 release, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Pink Floyd employed studio effects and synthesisers during recording. 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".

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

0:00 Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)
13:34 Welcome to the Machine
21:03 Have a Cigar
26:11 Wish You Were Here
31:46 Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX)