This deluxe SACD reissue from APO of Pink Floyd s masterpiece Wish You Were Here was mixed for both 5.1 surround sound and 2-channel stereo from the original analog master tapes by Pink Floyd s Producer/Engineer James Guthrie. On its release in 1975, Wish You Were Here topped the album charts in both the UK and the U.S. Reflecting the band s thoughts of the time on the music business and exploring themes of absence, the album contains the classic cut Shine On You Crazy Diamond, a tribute to founding band member Syd Barrett. As they did with their previous release, Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd made great use of studio effects for this, their ninth album overall. The record s winding soundscapes are perfect for the canvas
of multichannel SACD. Wish You Were Here was selected by Rolling Stone for their list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Wish You Were Here is a song cycle dedicated to Pink Floyd's original frontman, Syd Barrett, who'd flamed out years before: two grimly funny songs about the evils of the music business ("By the way, which one's Pink?"), and two long, touching ones about the band's vanished friend. The real star of the show, though, is the production: sparkling, convoluted, designed to sound deeply oh-wow under the influence--and pretty great sober too--with David Gilmour getting lots of space for his most lyrical guitar playing ever. And, though the album is big and ambitious, even bombastic, it somehow dodges being pretentious--the Barrett tributes are honest and heartfelt, beneath all the grand gestures and stereophonic trickery. --Douglas Wolk