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Wish You Were Here is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 12 September 1975 through Harvest Records and Columbia Records, their first release for the latter.
Based on material Pink Floyd composed while performing in Europe, Wish You Were Here was recorded over numerous sessions throughout 1975 at Abbey Road Studios in London.
The album’s themes include criticism of the music business, alienation, and a tribute to founding member Syd Barrett, who had left seven years earlier due to his deteriorating mental health; Barrett coincidentally visited the band during the album’s production.
Like their previous record, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Pink Floyd used studio effects and synthesisers. Guest singers included Roy Harper, who provided the lead vocals on “Have a Cigar”, and Venetta Fields, who added backing vocals to “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”. To promote the album, the band released the double A-side single “Have a Cigar” / “Welcome to the Machine”.
On its release, Wish You Were Here received mixed reviews from critics, who found its music uninspiring and inferior to their previous work. It has retrospectively received critical acclaim, hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time, and was cited by keyboardist Richard Wright and guitarist David Gilmour as their favourite Pink Floyd album. It reached number one in the US and UK, and Harvest’s parent company, EMI, was unable to keep up with the demand. Since then, the record has sold over 20 million copies.
In 2011 to celebrate the 35th release of Wish You Were Here.
As they did with their previous release, Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd commissioned James Guthrie, Joel Plante and Gus Skinas to remaster the album for a SACD release and 5.1 surround sound mix.
In 2016, A 180g vinyl was released on the band’s own Pink Floyd Records label (with distribution by Warner Music and Sony Music) featuring a brand new stereo remaster by James Guthrie, Joel Plante and Bernie Grundman.