Wish You Were Here (1975) is the ninth studio album by the English progressive rock group Pink Floyd (pictured), recorded at London's Abbey Road Studios. Some of its songs critique the music business; others express alienation. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is a tribute to Syd Barrett, whose mental breakdown had forced him to leave the group several years earlier; it was lead writer Roger Waters' idea to split the song into two parts and use it to bookend the other songs on the album. As on their previous album, The Dark Side of the Moon, the band made use of studio effects and synthesizers, and brought in guest singers for some tracks, including Roy Harper for the lead vocals on "Have a Cigar". The album became an instant commercial success, and record company EMI was unable to print enough copies to satisfy demand. Although it initially received mixed reviews, the album has since been acclaimed by critics and appears on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Band members Richard Wright and David Gilmour have each cited Wish You Were Here as their favourite Pink Floyd album. (Full article...)

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