"Wish You Were Here" is the ninth studio album by
the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 12 September 1975. It 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. 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 an estimated 13 million copies.
The album was sold in one of the more elaborate packages to
accompany a Pink Floyd album. Storm Thorgerson had accompanied the band on
their 1974 tour and had given serious thought to the meaning of the lyrics. The
album's cover images were photographed by Aubrey "Po" Powell, Storm's
partner at the design studio Hipgnosis, and inspired by the idea that people
tend to conceal their true feelings, for fear of "getting burned",
and thus two businessmen were pictured shaking hands, one man on fire. Two
stuntmen were used, one dressed in a fire-retardant suit covered by a business
suit. His head was protected by a hood, underneath a wig. The photograph was
taken at the Warner Bros. studios in Los Angeles. The band were reportedly
extremely happy with the end product, and when presented with a pre-production
mockup, they accepted it with a spontaneous round of applause.
SPECIFICATIONS
500 pieces
Weight: 385g
Jigsaw size: 39cm x 39cm
Box size: 30.9cm x 30.9cm x 2.8cm