At some point, we must ask the question: How many Pink Floyd tribute albums do we really need? But not right now.
On Still Wish You Were Here, we get an impeccable performance of the band’s seminal 1975 album Wish You Were Here in its entirety by a slew of A list vocalists and musicians known for their work in Asia (Geoff Downes), Dream Theater (James LaBrie), Genesis (Steve Hackett), Yes (Rick Wakeman, Patrick Moraz), Triumph (Rik Emmett), Megadeth (Dave Ellefson), Deep Purple (Ian Paice), The Damned (Rat Scabbies), Public Image Ltd. (Jah Wobble), The Zombies (Rod Argent), Vanilla Fudge (Carmine Appice) and Queensrÿche (Geoff Tate). Other musicians include Tony Levin, Billy Sheehan, Todd Rundgren, Bootsy Collins, Steve Stevens, Joe Satriani, Edgar Froese, Steve Hillage and Mel Collins.
If you’re going to invest in a tribute album, it better be a damn entertaining one. And from the first piercing notes of Steve Hackett’s guitar on “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-5),” it’s clear this project deserves your attention -- even though Hackett and everyone else on all five songs remain faithful to the originals.
The most distinct track here is LaBrie’s take on “Have a Cigar.” With musical backing by Stevens, Moraz, Scabies and Jah Wobble, it becomes less bluesy and more epic. Meanwhile, Emmet’s vocals on “Wish You Were Here” are barely recognizable from his days as Triumph’s frontman. Deeper and wearier, his voice serves the material and lyrical theme well, with Satriani’s guitar propelling the song to sophisticated heights.
In the end, Still Wish You Were Here will be compared to Pink Floyd’s original version, which is now more than 45 years old. But that’s not a fair way to assess this project. If I want to hear Wish You Were Here the way David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright intended, I’ll just play that record. Rather, this tribute succeeds in providing listeners a sonic peek into how other artists -- some with radically diverse backgrounds -- tastefully and respectfully interpret material that no doubt influenced how they perform their own work.
Track Listing:
1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-5) -- Tate, Hackett, Sheehan, Collins, Downes
2. Welcome to the Machine -- Rundgren, Wakeman, Levin
3. Have a Cigar -- Labrie, Stevens, Moraz, Scabies, Jah Wobble
4. Wish You Were Here -- Emmett, Satriani, Froese, Ellefson, Appice
5. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 6-9) -- Argent, Hillage, Paice, Collins
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