WISH YOU WERE HERE

As it stands, this is easily the greatest Pink Floyd experience for anybody new to Floyd. The first song welcomes anybody with ease; it contains all of the Floyd elements and ties them together beautifully. The distinct guitar, the subtle key part, the simplistic drum part, the dynamics, the vocals, saxophones, everything you'd expect of Floyd is present here. The lyrics will only come to mean something to the listener upon several listens, however, which one may deem negative. I guess, I do.

Welcome to the Machine is another great song. Completely different from any other song on the album, it introduces the versatility of the band lyrically, musically, and atmospherically.

I guess the next song, Have a Cigar, would have to be my least favorite, however some elements of it are worth question. The fact that it's sung by somebody out of the band (Roy Harper) adds to the effect the song is trying to portray; A two-faced music executive interested more in money and image than music. To be honest, I have zoned out quite a bit on this song most of the time. It has never really done it for me.

Wish You Were Here, the title track is easily one of Pink Floyd's biggest moments as a band. A perfect, abstract song about loss. Musically, just beautiful. Lyrically it's also a very good track, too. This song is important as I believe it proves Pink Floyd can write pop songs while still somehow having the air of being progressive and always moving towards something bigger.

The closer is just as magnificent as the opener. I can't really say much on it that hasn't been said, although the lyrics make a lot more sense after the first four tracks. Delightful song.

This album is incredibly tight. I wouldn't say it's Pink Floyd's most grand moment, but I'd say it comes damn close, rivaled only by Animals in my humble opinion.