PINK FLOYD – WISH YOU WERE HERE LP + POSTCARD – Nr MINT UK 1976 PROG ROCK

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
(Harvest Records  1976  SHVL814)
Matrix No’s: A4/B10 HTM – UK Pressing

Pinched Spine Sleeve in Excellent+/Nr MINT condition
– a little bit of discolouration/rubbing near top edge and a little wear to bottom
Round Cornered Inner Sleeve in Nr MINT condition
– 1 or 2 light marks
Postcard in Nr MINT condition

Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
(there are some light surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality)

Pink Floyd were an English rock band formed in London. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music. Distinguished by their use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, extended compositions and elaborate live shows, they are one of the most commercially successful and influential groups in the history of popular music.

Pink Floyd were founded in 1965 by students Syd Barrett on guitar and lead vocals, Nick Mason on drums, Roger Waters on bass and vocals, and Richard Wright on keyboards and vocals. They gained popularity performing in London’s underground music scene during the late 1960s, and under Barrett’s leadership released two charting singles and a successful debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967). Guitarist David Gilmour joined in December 1967; Barrett left in April 1968 due to deteriorating mental health. Waters became the band’s primary lyricist and conceptual leader, devising the concepts behind their albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977), The Wall (1979) and The Final Cut (1983). The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall became two of the best-selling albums of all time.

Following creative tensions, Wright left Pink Floyd in 1979, followed by Waters in 1985. Gilmour and Mason continued as Pink Floyd; Wright rejoined them as a session musician and, later, a band member. The three produced two more albums—A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987) and The Division Bell (1994)—and toured through 1994. After nearly two decades of acrimony, Gilmour, Wright, and Mason reunited with Waters in 2005 to perform as Pink Floyd in London as part of the global awareness event Live 8; Gilmour and Waters later stated they have no plans to reunite as a band again. Barrett died in 2006, and Wright in 2008. The final Pink Floyd studio album, The Endless River (2014), was recorded without Waters and based largely on unreleased material.

Pink Floyd were inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. By 2013, the band had sold more than 250 million records worldwide, including 75 million certified units in the US.

Wish You Were Here is the ninth studio album by the English progressive rock group Pink Floyd, released in September 1975. It explores themes of absence, the music business and former band-mate Syd Barrett’s mental decline. Inspired by material the band composed while performing across Europe, Wish You Were Here was recorded in numerous sessions at London’s Abbey Road Studios. Although some of these sessions were problematic, it was lead writer Roger Waters’ idea to split the centrepiece track “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” in two and join each half with three new compositions. “Shine On” was a tribute to Barrett, who, coincidentally, made an impromptu visit to the studio while it was being recorded.

As with their previous album, The Dark Side of the Moon, the band made use of studio effects and synthesisers. Roy Harper provided the lead vocals on “Have a Cigar”. The album’s packaging, designed by Storm Thorgerson, featured an opaque black sleeve which hid the album artwork. Wish You Were Here was an instant success and record company EMI was unable to print enough copies to satisfy demand. Although it initially received mixed reviews, the album has since been acclaimed by critics and appears on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. Band members Richard Wright and David Gilmour have each declared Wish You Were Here their favourite Pink Floyd album.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Roger Waters.

Personnel