The 500 - #211 - Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #211
Album Title: Wish You Were Here
Artist: Pink Floyd
Genre: Progressive Rock, Art Rock
Recorded: EMI Studios (Now Abbey Road Studios), London, England

Released: September, 1975
My age at release: 10
How familiar was I with it before this week: Very!

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #264, dropping 53 spots
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 6 - 9)

There is not another album on The 500 list that I have listened to more often than Wish You Were Here by English quartet Pink Floyd. The album has spoken to me deeply for more than 40 years and I never tire of listening to it because it seems to age along with me. The lyrics, which resonated so powerfully as a teenager, take on a different tenor now that I am listening to it as a man nearing 60. Like "comfort food" -- warm, hearty traditional dishes – that sustain you and also remind you of childhood and home.

However, the album is more than that. It is a piece of art that has seeped into the fibre of my being – witness to my life in times of joy, triumph and elation, as well as periods of darkness, sadness and loss. Seemingly part of my DNA.

The album consists of only five songs: Welcome To The Machine, Have A Cigar and the title track Wish You Were Here, book-ended by the 30-minute opus, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, which is divided into nine parts. Shine was written by three members of the band – bassist and vocalist Roger Waters, guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour and keyboardist Richard Wright. The final member of the classic line-up was drummer Nick Mason.

Pink Floyd in 1975 (l-r) Mason, Gilmour, Waters and Wright.

Shine On You Crazy Diamond was conceived by Waters as a tribute to the band's founding member, Syd Barrett. Barrett, who struggled with mental health issues and drug addiction, was eased out of the band in 1968, and his health continued to decline. Once joyful, friendly and extroverted, Barrett began experimenting heavily with the psychedelic drug LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) in the mid-sixties. Changes in his personality were gradual. However, after a long weekend during which he went missing, he returned "a different person", according to keyboardist Wright. Barrett became increasingly unreliable as a band mate. He was withdrawn, experienced hallucinations, struggled with his speech and was even prone to bouts of catatonia -- sometimes when on stage.

Syd Barrett - 1960s.

Gilmour, who was a college friend of Barrett, joined Pink Floyd as a fifth member to fill in - as needed - during live performances. However, eventually, the situation became untenable. As bassist Waters put it, "He was our friend, but most of the time we wanted to strangle him."

Although Barrett  continued to write music and released two solo albums in 1970, (Barrett and The Madcap Laughs), his mental health continued to decline. The rest of the band did not see him for many years, but  in 1975, as Floyd were recording Wish You Were Here, he arrived at the studio unannounced. He had gained a lot of weight and had shaved himself bald, including his eyebrows.  For much of the visit he brushed his teeth. When Waters asked him what he thought about the songs, Barrett replied, "Sounds a bit old."

Barrett at Abbey Road Studios (1975)

The first time I heard Shine On You Crazy Diamond, I was leveled by its hypnotic beauty. It was late at night and I was listening to a rock radio station, procrastinating over a high school homework assignment. I don't recall the song being introduced; I just remember that, at first, there was silence, which I assumed was "dead air". --

Then a gentle susurration pulsed from my tiny transistor speaker. Almost imperceptible, a rich synthetic/orchestral, whispering swelled slowly. I could detect the faint tinkling of chimes, and imagined the sound waves as electronic vines being absorbed by my entire being.

Shine On You Crazy Diamond Pt. 1 - released
as a single (which seems ridiculous - you need the
whole suite.)

The first time you truly “hear” a song, time seems to move more slowly. This was one of those times. It was like floating comfortably through a warm pool toward a distant light. I stopped everything, entranced. The notes modulated ever so subtly, but always found their way to a perfect, albeit temporary, resolution...and then a guitar, (a black Stratocaster, I  later learned) struck a simple series of four notes. I don't think I did anything but breathe for the next eight minutes...and then the vocals began…

"Remember when you were young?

You shone like the sun.

Shine on you crazy diamond.

Now there's a look in your eyes,

Like black holes in the sky.

Shine on you crazy diamond."

I had no idea what it meant and it was some time before I learned it was about Barrett.  My world was forever changed by this album. I wore out at least two cassettes, listening to them over and over on my portable player. The music was my companion on walks and in the evening on my bed and on countless bus trips around the city. Sometimes, I skipped class and sat on concrete benches out side the school in order to listen to it again.

I was a toddler when the original Floyd group broke up in 1968, and I was too young to see the classic line-up (Waters, Gilmour, Mason & Wright). However, I have seen the other members on their solo outings numerous times. Most recently, I saw Roger Waters (for the sixth time) on his This Is Not A Drill tour in 2022. He included Shine (Parts 6-9) in his first set.

Waters on tour in 2022.

I also attended what was billed as David Gilmour's final concert tour in 2016. He played the first half of Shine (Parts 1-5) -- which was the highlight for me. Thirty-six years removed from my first listen, I am still transfixed by the sound Gilmour seduced from his trademark black Stratocaster guitar. Below is a photo I took at the concert.

In 2021, he auctioned off 126 of his guitars at a fund-raising event for climate change -- netting $21 million. Included in the auction was the famous "Black Strat" which fetched $3.9 million. My friends and I believed the fund-raiser signalled the end of his writing and touring. However, last month, the 78-year old announced the release of his fifth solo record, Luck And Strange, along with dates for a small 2024 tour – visiting only Rome, London, Los Angeles and New York.

It seems unlikely that we will see either of these band members perform again, but I’m thrilled to have had the opportunity of sharing their careers. As I said at the start, I’ll always have this album – my auditory comfort food.

And we'll bask in the shadow of yesterday's triumph
And sail on the steel breeze
Come on, you boy child, you winner and loser
Come on, you miner for truth and delusion, and shine!