Poll: How do you rate Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" album?

"Welcome my son, welcome to the machine."

The rules for this series: this poll is designed for people familiar with the album in question and with at least some familiarity with some of their other catalog (for comparison purposes). If the poll doesn't interest you, please kindly move on to a thread that does. Please simply consider how YOU would rate the album in question, in comparison with the rest of the Floyd's discography! And as always, a shout-out to member mrjinks for creating all the groundwork for this series.

So, how do YOU rate this album?

Album history: "Wish You Were Here is the ninth studio album by English rock band Pink Floyd. It was released on 12 September 1975 by Harvest Records in the United Kingdom and a day later by Columbia Records in the United States. Inspired by material the group composed while performing around Europe, Wish You Were Here was recorded during numerous recording sessions at Abbey Road Studios in London, England. Two of the album's four songs criticise the music business, another expresses alienation and the multi-part track "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is a tribute to Syd Barrett. Barrett's mental breakdown had forced him to leave the group seven years earlier after the release of the group's debut studio album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. It was lead writer Roger Waters' idea to split "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" into two parts that would bookend the album around three new compositions and to introduce a concept linking them all. The band had used a linking concept for their previous album, The Dark Side of the Moon, to great success. As with The Dark Side of the Moon, the band used studio effects and synthesizers and brought in guest singers to supply vocals on some tracks of the album. These singers were Roy Harper, who provided the lead vocals on "Have a Cigar", and the Blackberries, who added backing vocals to "Shine On You Crazy Diamond".

Wish You Were Here was an instant commercial success (despite the fact that Harvest Records' parent company EMI was unable to print enough copies of the album to satisfy commercial demand), and although it initially received mixed reviews, the album has since gone on to receive critical acclaim. It appears on Rolling Stone's lists of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" and the "50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time". Band members Richard Wright and David Gilmour have cited Wish You Were Here as their favourite Pink Floyd album."


Tracklist:
1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V) 13:32
2. Welcome To The Machine 7:32
3. Have A Cigar 5:24
4. Wish You Were Here 5:40
5. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX) 12:29




Previous polls:
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Currently 491 people have voted, with an average of 4.25.
A Saucerful Of Secrets. Currently 277 people have voted, with an average of 3.81.
Ummagumma. Currently 368 people have voted, with an average of 3.07.
Obscured by Clouds. Currently 365 people have voted, with an average of 3.87.
The Wall. Currently 790 people have voted, with an average of 3.99.
The Final Cut. Currently 498 people have voted, with an average of 3.06.
The Division Bell. Currently 406 people have voted, with an average of 3.29.
Pulse. Currently 269 people have voted, with an average of 3.30.

 

Well, it's either this or DSOTM as their best... The eternal question.

 

Too much "Diamond", but I still voted "Clearly one of their best works - essential listening for Floyd fans".

 

Clearly one of their best works - essential listening for Floyd fans

 

What can I say? The word "perfection" comes in handy.

 

Animals is my all time favourite Floyd album, but truth be told, this is probably their crowning glory. an immense album that never grows old.

10/10

 

My favorite Floyd record for quite some time. Symphonic, rocking, wistful, and haunting. A stunning production, a tour-de-force. Obviously I voted essential.

Dark Side was a high-water mark for the post-Syd band. This masterpiece surpassed even that. As excellent as Animals is for different reasons, I don't think the band ever approached these heights again.

 

This might be my favorite Floyd, though it wasn't always. At times Animals and The Wall were my faves.

Also it's got their best song I think, the title track.

 

You already know...

 

This obviously fits the top category. Probably my second favorite (besides Dark Side).

 

A perfect album. (And to the forum member who is convinced that those who think highly of The Final Cut, and I'm one of 'em, will trash WYWH.....nope!)

 

Honestly, I'm quite amazed someone could be a Floyd fan and vote the lowest option here. What a great album.

 

Maybe it's just a troll fooling around, who knows.

 

This is the last Floyd album where it feels like all of the members contribute equally to the material, not only instrumentally, but as a cohesive unit, collectively. It's second only to Dark Side of the Moon as their most definitive release, for me.

 

My very first Pink Floyd album.

It was so revelatory and eye opening for me, that I copied the "Guy in Bowler Hat in the Desert", in blue ball point pen, drawn on brown paper sack bag, folded as high school textbook cover, on my Trigonometry book.

A proud declaration for everyone in my 3rd period class to see.

It was THAT amazing an album for me.

 

Agreed! If it weren't for that almost duplicate extension on Side 2 it would rival with DSOTM as an equal.

 

The top of the arc, for the Syd-less Floyd. Although one could argue Syd did make a contribution, by showing up to the studio one afternoon during recording; which clearly affected the others.

 

An alltime classic and for the longest time my favorite without Syd

 

On this forum that could even be a mainstream argument! (I don't buy it for one moment.)

 

Excellent, except for the dumb cover.

 

At the top, above DSOTM, for me.

I'd like to think that by just showing up, Syd's vibe somehow ended up on the record and gave it that extra little push to the top!

 

It's a great album, though Meddle remains my favorite.

 

What's dumb about the cover exactly?

 

this is a joke, yeah?

 

Why the chair? Meddle is an awesome album