Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd

	Artist Type Album Released September 15, 1975 Rating 4.34  Ranked #1 for September 15, 1975
	Wish You Were Here is Pink Floyd's top album on RYM, but ultimately does not quite deserve that distinction. "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" occupies a little more then half the album. The two split tracks are excellent fusions of jazz and the prototypical Floyd sound. Gilmour's playing in top form, mixing well with the ominous synth. The "singing sections" (for lack of a better word) are the high lights of the song, however. The singing is some of the best vocals from Floyd, and the chorus and bridges boasts what Flyod often lacks - power and emphasis. The saxophone is smooth. "Welcome to the Machine" and "Have a Cigar" are lacklustre tracks rounding off side A and starting side B respectively. Both feature harsh synth and painful singing. "Welcome to the Machine" features tasteless, protoindustrial screeches that ask too much of the listener. "Have a Cigar" poses confused rhytym and seamingly random intruments molding in and out of the song. Luckily , "Have a Cigar" is saved from total medocrity by a decent Gilmour solo. "Wish You Were Here" brings the album back into positive. A radio favourite of Q107 (a Canadian radio station), it's exactly what everyone says it is - a classic. It's simple but focused, unlike the previous two songs, with great guitar and good singing. To sum it up with a metaphor, Wish You Were Here is a sandwich - stale meat between two fresh pieces of fine bread. The length of Shine On means most of the album is still good. A worthy choice of a proggressive fan.