Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here

"Wish You Were Here": with these simple words, Pink Floyd dedicated this masterpiece to the ex-leader Syd Barrett. The idea of dedicating a concept album to him came on July 9, 1975, when Syd appeared in the studio, and no one recognized him. Wright sat near him and only after several minutes did he recognize their friend Syd in that now overweight and bald figure. That day, David Gilmour was getting married to his girlfriend, the American Ginger, and he invited Barrett to the wedding party. Syd went with his former bandmates, but after a while, he disappeared as he had appeared.

So, as I promised at the beginning, I'll talk to you about one of the greatest albums of the Waters period. Ready? Fasten your seat belts... here we go!

During 1974, Pink Floyd had outlined three new compositions, "Raving and Drooling", "Gotta Be Crazy", and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", and performed them in a series of concerts in France and England. The first two would be discarded and revisited for the subsequent Animals, while only the last one was included in Wish You Were Here. By then, the golden era of rock and music was drawing to a close: Genesis had been abandoned by Peter Gabriel, Led Zeppelin had already given their greatest contribution (and a few years later, with the death of John Bonham, they would disband), Queen had released "A Night at the Opera" and, after "Jazz", they would turn towards more listenable and less baroque sounds, changing the melodies from hard to more commercial (see "The Game"). In short, we were heading into the 80s, which would radically change every musical genre, while the large and menacing figure of punk was becoming increasingly insidious.

The album opens with the first part of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", initially conceived to be included on an entire side, but as its duration was excessive, it was decided to divide it into nine parts, grouped into two blocks. David Gilmour's guitar screams more than its owner, accompanied by the ever-present sax of Dick Parry; at the end, there is the sung part by Roger Waters' clear voice... "Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun... Shine on you crazy Diamond". With the term "Crazy Diamond" (Mad Diamond), there is a broad reference to Syd Barrett, as the band members often dared to call him by this nickname. It is undoubtedly the central track that dominates the album and surrounds it with that epic atmosphere otherwise unavailable, I would dare to say "chilling".

At the end of these epic and dreamy atmospheres follows the intro of a synthesizer: it is naturally "Welcome to the Machine", strongly characterized by the recurring use of electronic objects and acoustic guitars. In full "Floydian atmosphere", timpani and bass are also used. In general, the frequent use of synthesizers, capable of generating very dark atmospheres, is observed. The song describes a period of Syd's life, talking about the music industry and industrialized society in general. In fact, "The Machine", that is, the Machine, is the music industry, which feeds on new singers and groups to survive. The text describes the dialogue between a rough and arrogant record executive and a young singer, presumably Syd Barrett. The song is partly very autobiographical, as Pink Floyd recount the first contract they signed with EMI, the company to which they were still linked. Obviously, Gilmour wasn't there back then, but there was "Mad Diamond" in the role of the group's leader and guitarist.

The track from the album that I prefer more than the others is undoubtedly "Have a Cigar", with a very bluesy influence. The voice features Roy Harper, a British singer-songwriter. I must say that his voice perfectly marries the melody of the song, because it has an intense tone that reaches directly the listener. The text is a strong critique of the hypocrisy and greed within the music industry world (a theme already tackled with the preceding and already mentioned "Welcome to the Machine"). A record executive, cigar in mouth, is described, promising success and wealth, imposing on the group the realization of an album and its subsequent tour.

Let's move on: do you remember the words I quoted at the beginning of the review? "Wish you were here". Well, Pink Floyd built the album on these words, to the point of composing a song with this name... one of the most beautiful and famous by the English quartet: we are talking about "Wish You Were Here"! The intro was conceived by the genius David Gilmour and then recorded with a twelve-string guitar. It is a light "voice and acoustic guitar" ballad in which David gives his best, both as a guitarist and a singer. It is one of my favorites by Pink Floyd. The text, so deep, well conveys the main concept of the album, which revolves entirely around it:

"So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell,
Blue skys from pain.
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

And did they get you to trade
Your heros for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange
A walk on part in the war
For a lead role in a cage?

How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found?
The same old fears.
Wish you were here."

In my opinion, a song that should be listened to at least once in a lifetime. The album closes with the second part of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", which partly reprises the main theme of the first.

If today I consider myself an avid fan of Pink Floyd (and my name proves it) I owe it partly to this album. I still remember the day I listened to it: I was so impressed by that music that I never abandoned it again. Yes, because true music will never die.