When the CD revolution happened in the mid 80s with its promise of increased sound quality (on which it never delivered), the one natural topic of conversation was "What is the first CD you're going to buy?"

Every one I knew who already owned "Wish You Were Here" on vinyl always answered "Wish You Were Here".

I got the album round about 1979. By the time I was 17 I was listening to it several times a week.

Back in those days I lived with my mum in a council flat in Horsham - a flat which was basically a collection of boxes joined up by a corridor. We hadn't done much to make the place "homely", but I had back then my first proper hifi, an Oak turntable, NAD 3020A amp (the only one to buy those days) and a couple of big Mission speakers I'd got off the local paper. This, together with a rather beaten up 3 piece suite, was home enough for me.

Collyer's 6th form college was about 15 minutes walk away, and I would regularly come home during private study periods, of which we had many, even though leaving the college was in defiance of their rules, in order to stick the hifi on and, with a cup of coffee, relax and let that glorious music flow through me.

The coffee would frequently end up cold and undrunk.

Shine On you Crazy Diamond part 1 is a mellow introduction to the piece. It's nice but really just a promise of the pleasures to come. The two tracks that follow seem a little out of place. Wellcome to the Machine is the best of the two, and athough they're nice enough in their way, lyrically a little unsubtle, they're not of the same quality as the rest of the album. The title track is excellent and has all the best lyrics. Musically, the pièce de résistance is Shine On You Crazy Diamond part 2.

If you've never listened to music like this before then you need to imagine a collection of beautiful pieces flowing into one another whilst varying the musical mood from the upbeat to the ecstatic to the mellow to the funky. There is so much there to listen to that you can hear it over and over again, giving it your full attention, yet never satisfy everything it has to offer.

1978/79/80 were great times for pop music, yet although we might discuss the pros and cons of last night's Top of The Pops everyone I knew loved this album. It was almost a no-brainer. "Of course I think Wish You Were Here is an excellent album. Who doesn't?"

(wikipedia ref)

Richard