I owned this, way back when, but in the 70s we couldn’t see how totally 70s that guy’s hair was. And the sunglasses!
Some time in 1975, I forget when, a local radio station, KZAM i believe played the album the day it was released. It was awesome. Later in the summer I went to see Pink Floyd at the Seattle Center Coliseum for the Wish You Were Here Tour. That was awesome too.
This was a long time ago but I seem to recall the album coming out earlier in the year then September.
Edit: Just checked and they played in Seattle in April. Granted I was a suburban teen in the Seventies so my memory could be altered but I could have sworn I heard and owned the album prior to the concert. But I also saw a source that said it was released in the US on 9/12/1975.
Sigh
So much love for this group.
oh my sweet jeebus how i love this album.
I saw that show at the Spectrum in Philly!
Wish I Was Then!
Probably the best of their collective work.
Love it still.
Feel a little older.
…shorter of breath and one day closer to death?
A friend tried to turn me on to Floyd when I was in high school by playing bits of The Wall and Delicate Sound of Thunder, neither of which did much for me at the time. But a year or so later, someone started playing “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” during a road trip, and it totally knocked me out. Been a fan ever since!
Still can’t pick my favorite Pink Floyd album, but this one was so good. Definitely in the top 3. If I had to chose ten albums for my desert island, at least 5 of them would be Floyd.
No just a lost soul swimming in a fish bowl
The second album I bought with my own money. Played it to death.
Good stuff for an anxiety ridden teenager.
A few months back, as part of a deal-sweetener for donating to our local public radio station, I got a ticket to touring replica band “Brit Floyd”. I had no idea what to expect, I was just like sure, I’ll go, what the hell. Blew my socks off. They played ALL the good stuff, it was a three hour show, twenty piece band with several vocalists and visuals, and it sounded real. The intro to Shine On and the guitar solos in Comfortably Numb were note-for-note perfect. They finished by performing the entire second disk of The Wall. It wasn’t the real thing, but close enough, and if you get a chance, I say go.
(Having “Waiting for the Worms” played live, referring to some groups represented in the audience at that moment, had me feeling kinda squirmy. But, other than that.)
One of my favorite things in the world is to open up Rocksmith, plug in my bass, and play through a 42 minute non-stop cut of Dark Side of the Moon. So much fun.
It’s a shame other albums haven’t gotten the same treatment.
Yes, yes, yes! One of the all-time greatest albums ever. However, this quote:
…neatly captures one of my hot buttons. Our apps, programs, and player devices have lost all respect for the sanctity of music. Music is not just something to fill the air with sound. Radio DJs who cared (remember them?) tried hard to keep their segues clean; they showed respect for the sanctity of music. The cuts of an album are assembled with care to keep the energy and flow moving consistently; when there are abrupt changes, they’re there for effect. (Haydn’s Surprise Symphony, anyone?) These modern contraptions are too often built upon an abhorrence of silence, as if their very purpose is to ensure that the listener never be allowed to sit, alone, basking in her own thoughts.
If I want to stop after Welcome to the Machine and sit in silence while contemplating the wave of resulting emotions, I damn well should be able to. And when I start clicking around, in silence, looking for something else to continue the mood, I damn well don’t want 2-second snippets of Pete Miser, Joe Jackson, and Alison Brown coming at me, even though they’re all in my collection.
One of my rules is that once a song starts, it’s never cut off abruptly. I listen to the end (even if I’m gritting my teeth) or I gently fade it out.
The sanctity of music. We’re rapidly losing it, and it makes me sad. Perhaps I’ll go listen to Wish You Were Here to cheer myself up… 
The 5.1 mix of this album is probably the greatest single listening experience I’ve had. Just amazing.
I bought a guitar to try to play “Wish You Were Here”
still working on that…
such an amazing album, one of rock’s greatest
shine on you crazy diamond!
Get a copy of Wish You Were Here, carve out 45 minutes from your day, find a quiet space, unplug, load the album on your favorite player, get so stoned you can barely move, and press “play”. Let the Pink Floyd’s music fully penetrate your ears and pierce your soul. Timeless magic awaits you.
FTFY.
