Wish You Were Here
Studio album by Pink Floyd
Released	September 15, 1975
Recorded	January-July 1975
Genre	Progressive rock Blues-rock
Length	44:28
Label	Harvest (UK original) EMI (UK reissue) Columbia (original US) Capitol (US re-issue)
Producer(s)	Pink Floyd
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Robert Christgau (A-) link Rolling Stone link
Pink Floyd chronology
A Nice Pair (1973)	Wish You Were Here (1975)	Animals (1977)
Alternative covers
The original stickered outer packaging
25th anniversary CD artwork

Wish You Were Here is a concept album by Pink Floyd. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios between January and July, 1975 and released on September 15, 1975 (see 1975 in music), the album would later be regarded as one of Pink Floyd's greatest albums. Its lyrics, composed by Roger Waters and concerning the music industry, question the market-oriented record companies' lack of understanding and interest for musicians. The album also pays tribute to Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd's former guitarist and chief songwriter, especially "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", and the title track itself. Wish You Were Here is the name of: Wish You Were Here (album), a 1975 album by Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here (1975 song), a song included in that album Wish You Were Here (Rednex song), a song by Rednex Wish You Were Here (musical), a 1952 Broadway musical... Image File history File links WishYouWereHere. ... A Studio Album is an album of regular studio recordings. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their avant-garde progressive rock music. ... September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... For the Swedish political music movement, see progg. ... Blues Rock or Blues-rock is a fusion genre of music which combines elements of the blues with rock and roll. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Harvest Records was a record label, formed by EMI in 1969 to promote progressive rock music and to compete with Philips Vertigo label and Deccas Deram labels. ... The EMI Group (LSE: EMI) is an English music company comprising the major record company, EMI Music which operates several labels, based in Brook Green in London, England, and EMI Music Publishing, based on Charing Cross Road, London. ... Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label, owned by EMI. // The Capitol Records company was founded by the songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, with the financial help of movie producer Buddy DeSylva and the business acumen of Glenn Wallichs, (1910-1971) (owner of Music City, at the... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their avant-garde progressive rock music. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 5_stars. ... Robert Christgau (sometimes abbreviated in print to Xgau), born April 18, 1942, is an American essayist, music journalist, and rock critic. ... This article is about the magazine. ... Image File history File links 5_stars. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their avant-garde progressive rock music. ... A Nice Pair is a compilation album by Pink Floyd. ... Animals is a concept album by English rock band Pink Floyd, released on January 23, 1977 in the UK and on February 2 in the U.S.. Although the album proved a success in America, reaching #3 on the Billboard album charts, it got very little radio play, due to... Image File history File links Wishyouwereoriginal. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (679x679, 84 KB) Licensing This image is of a music album or single cover, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the album or the artist(s) which produced the music or artwork in... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their avant-garde progressive rock music. ... The legendary recording studio Abbey Road Studios, created in November of 1931 by EMI in London, England is best known as the legendary recording studio used by the rock artists: The Beatles, Cliff Richard, Pink Floyd and The Shadows. ... September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... See also: 1974 in music, other events of 1975, 1976 in music, 1970s in music and the list of years in music // Events January 2 - New York City U.S. District Court Judge Richard Owen rules that former Beatle John Lennon and his lawyers can have access to Department of... George Roger Waters (born September 6, 1943) is an English rock musician; singer, guitarist, bassist, songwriter, and composer. ... Roger Keith Syd Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, guitarist, and artist. ...

Overview

The Dark Side of the Moon had proved to be a phenomenal success, bringing Pink Floyd into the public spotlight, and the band members were worried about how they could ever follow up such a record. After a brief flirtation with recording an album without using musical instruments, the band began honing three extended songs by playing them live over the subsequent two years after Dark Side: "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", "You Gotta Be Crazy" and "Raving and Drooling". In the process, however, "Shine On" became too long to fit on a single side of a vinyl album and at the behest of Waters the band split it into two halves, composing new material to fit between them. Waters convinced the band to temporarily drop the other songs (a decision that guitarist David Gilmour fought against), which later became, respectively, "Dogs" and "Sheep" on the Animals album. Waters' newer compositions documented the band's current condition (with the lyrics of the title track "Wish You Were Here" alluding to their boredom and frustration with music) and caricatured the negative aspects of the record business (on "Welcome to the Machine" and "Have a Cigar"). The Dark Side of the Moon (titled in the 1993 CD release as Dark Side of the Moon) is a concept album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released in 1973. ... The Household Objects project was an attempt by the band Pink Floyd to create a whole album using only sounds from ordinary household objects, such as stretched rubber bands, with no conventional instruments. ... The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour as a 33 â…“ LP vinyl record A gramophone record (also phonograph record, or simply record) is an analogue sound recording medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed modulated spiral groove starting near the periphery and ending near the center of the disc. ... David Jon Gilmour CBE (born March 6, 1946 in Cambridge) is an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known as a member of the band Pink Floyd. ... Dogs is a song by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd. ... Sheep is a song by the English band Pink Floyd. ... Animals is a concept album by English rock band Pink Floyd, released on January 23, 1977 in the UK and on February 2 in the U.S.. Although the album proved a success in America, reaching #3 on the Billboard album charts, it got very little radio play, due to...

Wish You Were Here was Pink Floyd's first album with Columbia Records, their new label for the rest of the world (in Europe they remained with EMI), which they signed with in 1973 for a reported $1 million after the success of The Dark Side of the Moon. This change in labels stemmed from the band's dissatisfaction with Capitol Records, who had under-promoted the band in America prior to Dark Side. The deal with Columbia (and later CBS Records/Sony Records) gave the band complete artistic control and also ownership of their own compositions and albums from this point forward would be copyrighted to the band. Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... The EMI Group (LSE: EMI) is an English music company comprising the major record company, EMI Music which operates several labels, based in Brook Green in London, England, and EMI Music Publishing, based on Charing Cross Road, London. ... The Dark Side of the Moon (titled in the 1993 CD release as Dark Side of the Moon) is a concept album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released in 1973. ... Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label, owned by EMI. // The Capitol Records company was founded by the songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, with the financial help of movie producer Buddy DeSylva and the business acumen of Glenn Wallichs, (1910-1971) (owner of Music City, at the... Columbia Records is the oldest continually used brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888. ... Sony Records is a record label courtesy of Columbia; Epic; and American Recordings. ...

The crafting of the album saw tensions rise within the band. Wish You Were Here would be the last Pink Floyd album to see a writing credit for keyboardist Richard Wright until The Division Bell in 1994, and essentially the last Pink Floyd album where the whole band actively contributed to the process of creation; hereafter Roger Waters was to strengthen his grip on the band's output, writing the bulk of their material. Despite these difficulties, band members Gilmour and Wright confirmed on the radio show In the Studio with Redbeard that Wish You Were Here remains their favorite Pink Floyd album. Richard William Rick Wright (born July 28, 1943 in Hatch End, London, England) is a self-taught pianist and Keyboardist best known for his long career with Pink Floyd. ... This article is about the Pink Floyd album. ... In the Studio with Redbeard is a North American radio program hosted by Dallas, Texas rock and roll disc jockey Redbeard. ...

Reissues and remastering

Wish You Were Here was originally released on Harvest Records in the UK and on Columbia Records in the US. In 1980 Columbia's CBS Mastersound label released a half-speed mastered audiophile LP. The album was first digitally remastered in 1992 for the box set Shine On. In 1993, Sony Mastersound released a 24 karat gold-plated CD of the album, which was remastered with Super Bit Mapping and also had all of the original art work from the LP, in both longbox and regular jewel case forms, with a cardboard slipcover. Then, the 1992 remaster was made available in 1994 as a CD in its own right in the UK and Europe, on the EMI label with a running time of 44:11 on the CD and the CD's picture label depicted a flame with a black background. Then in December of 1997, Columbia Records released an updated remaster (which was 17 seconds longer than the EMI remasters from 1994 and superior sound quality and a running time of 44:28). The Columbia CD's artwork featured a recreation of the original vinyl picture label (which was the handshake logo with a black and blue background). The album was subsequently re-released on April 25, 2000 in time for its 25th anniversary, on the Capitol Records label in the US, and on the EMI label for the rest of the world again using the 1994 remaster artwork but the remastering job was the 1997 Columbia remaster. Harvest Records was a record label, formed by EMI in 1969 to promote progressive rock music and to compete with Philips Vertigo label and Deccas Deram labels. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... Long Playing (LP), 12-inch diameter, 33 rpm (actually 33â…“) vinyl gramophone records were the primary release format for recorded music for about 40 years from the 1960s until CDs effectively replaced them in the late 1990s. ... Shine On is a nine CD box set by Pink Floyd released in 1992 (see 1992 in music). ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... The EMI Group (LSE: EMI) is an English music company comprising the major record company, EMI Music which operates several labels, based in Brook Green in London, England, and EMI Music Publishing, based on Charing Cross Road, London. ... Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label, owned by EMI. // The Capitol Records company was founded by the songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, with the financial help of movie producer Buddy DeSylva and the business acumen of Glenn Wallichs, (1910-1971) (owner of Music City, at the...

It is rumoured that Wish You Were Here was to be re-released as a dual-layered Super Audio Compact Disc in late 2005 to commemorate the album's thirtieth anniversary, but the release has been pushed back into 2007. Dark Side of the Moon received the same treatment in 2003 for its own thirtieth anniversary. Super Audio CD (SACD) is a new audio recording format aimed at providing higher fidelity audio reproduction than the compact disc. ...

Artwork

The packaging for the original vinyl release was intended to be shrouded in an anonymous, all-black plastic wrapper. This idea was rejected by the record companies, who were appalled at the suggestion that they deliberately hide their product, so an additional image featuring the band name over top of two robotic hands in front of the four elements was included as a sticker on top. Removing this outer wrapper then revealed the proper artwork with its now-famous cover: the flaming businessman, shaking hands with his counterpart (as in the robot image). Three other photographs on the back and inner sleeve represented the remaining elements: a faceless salesman selling Pink Floyd products in the desert (earth); a naked female figure in a grove, barely visible behind a windswept red veil (air); and a splash-less diver half submerged in Mono Lake (water). All four photos in this design appeared to have each element 'breaking' (or burning) into the surrounding white margins. Chinese Wood (木) | Fire (火) Earth (土) | Metal (金) | Water (æ°´) Hinduism and Buddhism Vayu / Pavan — Air / Wind Agni / Tejas — Fire Akasha — Aether Prithvi / Bhumi — Earth Ap / Jala — Water Many ancient philosophies used a set of archetypal classical elements to explain patterns in nature. ... Mono Lake is an alkaline and hypersaline lake in California, United States that is a critical nesting habitat for several bird species and is one of the most productive ecosystems in North America[citation needed]. // Satellite photo of Mono Lake Mono Craters to the right of the image are rhyolitic...

The vinyl record's custom picture labels depicted the robotic handshake (as on the wrapper) with a mainly black with blue prisms background. This picture label was then used again for the 1995 SBM Mastersound reissue and the 1997 Columbia/Sony remastered CD.

Beneath the outer cover, which on the U.S. release was dark blue, Columbia originally released the LP with a slightly different sleeve, using an alternative picture showing the burning man standing up straight (instead of leaning toward the other businessman) and taken from a lower angle. Columbia started using the more familiar EMI photo in 1984 for their first CD issue and kept using it in subsequent reissues, the only exception being the "SBM MasterSound Collector's Edition". There are other, subtler differences in the artwork of the more commonly-found remastered CD: the naked female is clearly visible behind the veil in the LP artwork, but is almost completely obscured in the remastered CD booklet; the photo of the diver used in this booklet is larger, and shows more of the background salt formations; additional black-and-white photos of the band working in Abbey Road Studios were added to this booklet as well.

A CD edition released overseas in 2000 coupled the album with the remastered Early Singles collection (first released as a bonus disc in the Shine On box set), using the original front cover art with the robotic handshake sticker (as one picture layer) and the burning man photo on the back of the CD booklet. The inlay of this booklet included the diver photo from Mono Lake and a photo not used elsewhere — a deserted beach with a caged schoolboy — and some notes on the cover art from one of the Hipgnosis artists who had overseen it. Shine On is a nine CD box set by Pink Floyd released in 1992 (see 1992 in music). ... Hipgnosis was a British art design group which specialized in creating cover art for rock albums, most notably for Pink Floyd, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, Yes and Black Sabbath. ...

Syd Barrett's studio visit

According to drummer Nick Mason's book Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett actually turned up at the studio in the middle of a recording session on 6 June 1975, which was also the day David Gilmour married his first wife, Ginger according to the book Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey. Barrett hadn't been seen by any of the band members in five years. He arrived unannounced, his head completely devoid of hair (including eyebrows, as alluded to in The Wall film) and had put on so much weight that most of the band did not recognise him at first. Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley (who was a guest at Gilmour's wedding reception) mistook him for a Hare Krishna devotee. Others were close to tears at the transformation: Waters later confided that he cried. While the band were listening to a song in progress (Mason says he doesn't remember which song, but mentions some 'legends' that contend it was "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"), Barrett sat motionless; he is sometimes quoted as saying, when someone asked to play it back again, that this would be pointless as they had already just heard it. He asked (despite the album being nearly complete) if there was anything he could do, and that he was available if needed. Later on, one of the band's technicians, Phil Taylor, drove past Barrett, who appeared to be looking for a lift. Avoiding an awkward situation, Taylor ducked down in the car as he passed. In a July 2006 interview with a New York City radio station before Barrett's death, Gilmour indicated that they never saw him again after that point. Echoing Barrett's presence, Wright plays a subtle refrain from "See Emily Play" in the final seconds of the album. Nicholas Berkeley Nick Mason (born January 27, 1944 in Birmingham, England) is the drummer for Pink Floyd. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining // 1508 - Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year truce and cede several territories to Venice 1513... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... David Jon Gilmour CBE (born March 6, 1946 in Cambridge) is an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known as a member of the band Pink Floyd. ... Hare Krishna Mantra in Devanagari. ... See Emily Play was the third single recorded by British psychedelic rock group Pink Floyd, written by original frontman Syd Barrett. ...

Press coverage

In 2003, the album was ranked number 209 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. This happened twenty-eight years after the magazine initially panned and trashed the recording, when reviewer Ben Edmonds wrote in the November 6, 1975, issue that "Passion is everything of which Pink Floyd is devoid." This article is about the magazine. ... Promotional Book Cover The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time is the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2003. ...

In 1998, Q magazine readers voted Wish You Were Here the 34th greatest album of all time. In 2000 the same magazine placed it at number 43 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. Q is a music and entertainment magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. ...

In 1986, Slitz (at that point the leading pop/rock magazine of Sweden, with strong new wave/post-punk credibility) invited its readers to vote for the best produced rock album of all time. Wish You Were Here was voted #1 and Dark Side of the Moon #2.

Track listing

This article or section may be confusing or unclear for most of the readers. Please improve the article or discuss this issue on the talk page. This article has been tagged since March 2007.

Various re-issues simply list both "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" as "Part 1" and "Part 2", respectively. Image File history File links Circle-question-red. ... Shine On You Crazy Diamond is a nine-part Pink Floyd composition with lyrics written by Roger Waters, in tribute to former band member Syd Barrett, and music written by Waters, Richard Wright, and David Gilmour. ... David Jon Gilmour CBE (born March 6, 1946 in Cambridge) is an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known as a member of the band Pink Floyd. ... George Roger Waters (born September 6, 1943) is an English rock musician; singer, guitarist, bassist, songwriter, and composer. ... Richard Wright, also known as Rick Wright (born July 28, 1945), is the keyboard player of Pink Floyd. ... Vanetta Field was originally a back up singer for R&B legend Ike Turner. ... Welcome to the Machine is the second song on Pink Floyds 1975 album Wish You Were Here. ... Have a Cigar is the third track on Pink Floyds 1975 album Wish You Were Here. ... Roy Harper (born 12 June 1941), is an English singer-songwriter / guitarist who specialises in folk music. ... Wish You Were Here (song) redirects here. ... Shine On You Crazy Diamond is a nine-part Pink Floyd composition with lyrics written by Roger Waters, in tribute to former band member Syd Barrett, and music written by Waters, Richard Wright, and David Gilmour. ...

Singles

• (1975) Have a Cigar / Welcome to the Machine (US release only)
• (1975) Have a Cigar / Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part 1) (Italy and France release)

United States may refer to: Places: United States of America SS United States, the fastest ocean liner ever built. ...

Credits

• David Gilmour – Vocals, guitars, lap steel guitar, EMS Synthi AKS, additional bass guitar, additional keyboards, tape effects.
• Roger Waters – Vocals, bass guitar, additional guitar, VCS3, tape effects.
• Richard Wright – Keyboards, VCS3, background vocals
• Nick Mason – Drums, percussion, tape effects

with David Jon Gilmour CBE (born March 6, 1946 in Cambridge) is an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known as a member of the band Pink Floyd. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Chandler electric lap steel guitar, a modern solid body with the classic Weissenborn profile. ... The EMS Synthi A, and a version of it with a built-in keyboard/sequencer, the EMS Synthi AKS, is a portable modular analog synthesizer made by EMS in England starting in 1972. ... Martin EB18 Bass Guitar in flight case. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... George Roger Waters (born September 6, 1943) is an English rock musician; singer, guitarist, bassist, songwriter, and composer. ... Martin EB18 Bass Guitar in flight case. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The VCS 3 (from Voltage Control for Studio with 3 components) is an oscillation effects musical analog synthesiser, initially made in 1969 by EMS. The VCS 3 was smaller and less cumbersome than the Moog Taurus and similar early synthesizers. ... Richard William Rick Wright (born July 28, 1943 in Hatch End, London, England) is a self-taught pianist and Keyboardist best known for his long career with Pink Floyd. ... Nicholas Berkeley Nick Mason (born January 27, 1944 in Birmingham, England) is the drummer for Pink Floyd. ...

• Roy Harper – Vocals on "Have a Cigar"
• Dick Parry – Saxophone on "Shine on You Crazy Diamond"
• Venetta Fields – Background vocals on "Shine on You Crazy Diamond"
• Carlena Williams – Background vocals on "Shine on You Crazy Diamond"
• Stephane Grapelli – Violin on "Wish You Were Here" (barely audible in the final mix)

plus Roy Harper (born 12 June 1941), is an English singer-songwriter / guitarist who specialises in folk music. ... Dick Parry is a saxophonist born in 1944. ... The saxophone (colloquially referred to as sax) is a conical-bored instrument of the woodwind family, usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece like the clarinet. ... Vanetta Field was originally a back up singer for R&B legend Ike Turner. ... Stephane Grappelli (January 26, 1908 - December 1, 1997) was a pioneer jazz violinist who founded the quintet of the Quintette du Hot Club de France with Django Reinhardt. ...

• Brian Humphries – Engineer
• Peter Christopherson – Design Assistant (see Hipgnosis)
• Peter James – Engineer, Assistant Engineer
• Hipgnosis – Design, Photography
• Storm Thorgerson – Re-design
• Phil Taylor – Additional Photography (Remaster)
• Jill Furmanovsky – Additional Photography (Remaster)
• George Hardie – Illustrations
• Richard Manning – Design Assistant
• Howard Bartrop – Design Assistant
• Jeff Smith – Design Assistant
• James Guthrie; Remastering producer
• Doug Sax; Remastering
• Gerald Scarfe; "Welcome to the Machine" Music Video

Hipgnosis was a British art design group which specialized in creating cover art for rock albums, most notably for Pink Floyd, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, Yes and Black Sabbath. ... Hipgnosis was a British art design group which specialized in creating cover art for rock albums, most notably for Pink Floyd, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, Yes and Black Sabbath. ... The iconic cover of Pink Floyds album The Dark Side of the Moon. ... Jill Furmanovsky is a rock photographer born in in Zimbabwe in 1953. ... James Guthrie is a British record producer best known for his work with the band Pink Floyd. ... Remaster (and its derivations, frequently found in the phrases digitally remastered or digital remastering) is a word and concept ushered into the mass consciousness via the digital age, although it had existed before then. ...

Single

• "Have a Cigar"/"Welcome to the Machine" - Columbia 3-10248; released November 15, 1975

Chart and sales success

Wish You Were Here peaked at #1 on Billboard's USA Pop Albums chart in October, 1975 (dethroning Jefferson Starship's Red Octopus from the top spot for two weeks before being unseated by John Denver's Windsong) and stayed on the charts for a year. The album has, to date, sold over six million copies in the US (12 million worldwide) and was certified Gold on September 17, 1975 in the US and as Sextuple Multiplatinum in the US on May 16, 1997 by the R.I.A.A. Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. ... Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band from San Francisco, a pioneer of the LSD-influenced psychedelic rock movement. ... Red Octopus is a 1975 album by Jefferson Starship. ... John Denver (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), born Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. ... John Denver This is a comprehensive discography and filmography of folk music legend John Denver. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (137th in leap years). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a special interest group representing the U.S. recording industry, and the body responsible for certifying gold and platinum albums and singles in the USA. For more information about sales data see list of best selling albums and list of best selling...

Album - Billboard (North America) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. ...

Quotes

"I definitely think that at the "Wish You Were Here" recording sessions most of us didn't wish we were there at all, we wished we were somewhere else. I wasn't happy being there because I got the feeling we weren't together. The album is about none of us really being there, or being there only marginally. About our non-presence in the situation we had clung to through habit, and are still clinging to by through habit - being Pink Floyd."

- Roger Waters, Unidentified press article c.1977

"Wish You Were Here was a very good title for that album. I've often said what that album should have been called was Wish We Were Here because we weren't really."

– Roger Waters, July 1989, In the Studio with Redbeard for the making of The Wall.

"It was a very difficult period I have to say. All your childhood dreams had been sort of realized and we had the biggest selling records in the world and all the things you got into it for. The girls and the money and the fame and all that stuff it was all...everything had sort of come our way and you had to reassess what you were in it for and it was a confusing and sort of empty time for awhile but...I for one would have to say that it is my favourite album, the Wish You Were Here album. The end result of all that, whatever it was, definitely has left me an album I can live with very very happily I like it very much,"

– David Gilmour, December 1992, In the Studio with Redbeard for the making of Shine On (parts 1 and 2 aired in December of 1992) and In the Studio with Redbeard for the making of Wish You Were Here (first aired in September of 1995).

"It's hard to say but it just happens to be the album for me that from the moment it starts 'til it finishes, it flows, the songs flow into each other and it just has a wonderful feeling in it".

– Rick Wright, March 1994, US World Premiere of The Division Bell with Redbeard and In the Studio with Redbeard for the making of Wish You Were Here (first aired in September of 1995).

"The line sounds like a weak joke, but it used to be a fairly common question".

-Richard Wright commenting on the line "Oh by the way, which one's Pink?" in Have A Cigar. From an interview cited in Pink Floyd - through the eyes of the band, its fans, friends and foes, ed by Bruno MacDonald, Da Capo Books, N.Y.C. 1997.

Trivia

• The four-note "Syd's Theme" that first appeared in Shine On You Crazy Diamond Part II is used throughout the entire album and can be found on each track in some form.
• A few months after the Wish You Were Here album was released, the band recorded a rather unlikely Christmas tune entitled "A Christmas Song" during Nick Mason and Roger Waters' appearance on The John Peel Show on December 23, 1975. It is available on A Tree Full Of Secrets bootleg.

Shine On You Crazy Diamond is a nine-part Pink Floyd composition with lyrics written by Roger Waters, in tribute to former band member Syd Barrett, and music written by Waters, Richard Wright, and David Gilmour. ... A Tree Full of Secrets is a Pink Floyd bootleg comprising a vast collection of studio outtakes and rarities (defined as not on a core album). It is generally considered the definitive Pink Floyd/solo rarities collection, catching every obscure remix and outtake (even if suspected to be fake) available...

External links

• Album lyrics and trivia
• Official Pink Floyd Website
• Pictures, Lyrics, Guitar Tabulature and More
• Pink Floyd Discographies Page