WISH YOU WERE HERE

It's not easy to make a prog rock masterpiece, considering all the elements, all the tiny little pieces that prog consists of, it's seems almost impossible. Wish You Were Here somehow succeeds, it's not only Pink Floyd's greatest album, it's really one of the best prog albums of all time, and that's impressive.

Wish You Were Here includes of a long (about 25 minutes) suite (however, it's split in two, it couldn't fit into one side). It's called Shine on Your Crazy Diamond. It's a great suite, with great lyrical moments (sung and written by Waters) and some of Wright's jazz and Gilmour's blues. A bit melancholic, and mellow, works well with the general theme of the album. Many long songs usually tend to take over albums, Foxtrot with Supper's Ready, Close to the Edge with Close to the Edge or Meddle with Echoes. In Wish You Were Here, Shine on does not take over the show, it's a great track, but not too pretentious and it let's the other tracks of the album breathe and shine through.

Welcome to the Machine is the best track on the album. It's a proto-industrial, electronic thing. Somewhat abstract lyrics, perfect with Dave's voice. It's melancholic, yet it have this strange Pink Floyd experimental feel. It's not quite cold and yet it's strangely filled of angst. In general, it's an exiting track.

Have a Cigar is the "regular rock track". It's quite aggressive, of course, as aggressive as Pink Floyd can get. Pulsing bass and raw guitar. Not my favourite track, but it makes for an interesting intermission to the rather experimental, spacey stuff. Much like what Money did to Dark Side of the Moon. And Roy Harper sings, isn't that neat?

Wish You Were Here, the title track, is a typical acoustic track. It's a lyrical masterpiece. It has the essential Floydian lyrics. Roger's best work - and I mean that. Who could ever have thought the line; "we're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl", would be so emotional. The lyrics have allot to do with the concept of the album, yes it's a concept album. It's pays a tribute to the former (late) front man, Roger (Syd) Barrett whilst attacking the absurdity of the music industry.

It's a masterpiece. I love it. It's experimental and melancholic nature, it's the essential Floyd album, and without doubt one of the few essential prog albums. Five stars.

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