Pink Floyd, a household name in music. Everyone knows the name of this band, if you don't, you've been living under a rock. No excuses for not knowing one of the most popular and greatest bands of all time. Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason took the world by storm when they released their influential album Dark Side Of The Moon, which is to this day one of the greatest albums of all time, and a classic of its genre and music alike. Before that, they were less well known, but albums like Meddle and Atom Heart Mother showed a creativity which was yet unheard of; and the Piper at the Gates of Dawn (with Syd Barrett still), is a classic of the psychedelic genre.
Now that I have mentioned Syd Barrett, we can easily continue with this album; for huge parts of this are an elegy and tribute to the misunderstood genius that Syd was. I believe the band saw Syd during the recording of this album, in the terrible state he was in, and it slightly inspired them, to what I think is the best record Pink Floyd ever released (I dig this more than DSOTM or The Wall, and a lot more than Animals.)
The first song, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, which is divided into nine parts (despite not being indexed), is one of the best masterpieces that progressive music has ever produced. From the awesome keyboard and guitar solos, the atmospheres created in this song augment it to heights never before, and the lyrics of Waters are cryptic but never fail to address the point. Pink Floyd slam their point home, on what I consider one of their most amazing pieces of work.
Welcome to the Machine deals not with Syd as much as his problems with society, and the commercialisation thereof. The acoustic guitars, the tape effects, I find this to be a song that really blows you away. It takes two or three listens, but you'll love it in the end. See through the lyrics and accompanied music and effects, and you'll be guaranteed to say that this song is another classic of the golden PF era.
Have a Cigar is the "worst" track on the album, but still an ace track altogether. I can't figure out the lyrics a lot, except they hate society once again, Waters loves criticising society, piece of chagrin that he is, but again, all the effects and the wonderfully crafted music ensure that despite this not being the best PF song ever, it's still an ace addition to their catalogue.
Wish You Were Here is one of the best songs ever released period. If I have to explain to you why this is the best song of all time, you've got to have no brains, because not loving this song is near impossible. Again dealing with Syd Barrett, it is one of the most enthusing elegies and one of the most emotional songs ever written. If a song could get a five star rating max, this would get seven on any objective scale. It's that good.
Like any Pink Floyd album, this takes a while to get into, but you're going to be well rewarded, as this is a classic album in the PF catalogue. It's their best record in my opinion, and almost nothing can touch this thing, I love this album to death, even though I'm usually into metal more, this album will always be a part of my classic lists. A recommended buy for anyone who's into music altogether. If you haven't got this, do yourself a favour and pick it up now, because you're missing out.
