A singer who worked with legendary rock band Pink Floyd has revealed who put in the most effort on the seminal album Wish You Were Here.
Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason came together just two years after The Dark Side of the Moon to create Wish You Were Here. The 1975 release featured all-time greats like the title track, Welcome to the Machine, and Shine On You Crazy Diamond. The five-song LP would follow up on the band’s critical and commercial breakthrough and featured tributes to ex-bandmate Syd Barrett, as well as a surprise change in who led the project, according to Venetta Fields.
Fields, who has worked with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Steely Dan, and Barbra Streisand, would also work with Pink Floyd on Wish You Were Here. When she was present in the studio, she said that there was a clear leader in the band for the sessions she was sitting in on.
Speaking to A Fleeting Glimpse back in 2004, Fields was asked: “Another email stated that it’s been said that David was the gentleman, and Roger the genius during the creation of The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here recordings. Do you have any comment on that?”
Though it would be Waters’ alienation with the music industry that inspired the likes of Have a Cigar, Fields would say that Gilmour played a pivotal role in shaping the album. She shared: “I think that Dave did have a little more input into Wish You Were Here. But I always saw a joint effort.
Some songs from the album feel a touch unnerving to perform live according to Waters. Barrett would die in 2006, aged 60, and his death would have a long-lasting effect on the bassist, as well as the rest of Pink Floyd.
Speaking about one song that’s still too unnerving to play, Waters would confirm a Wish You Were Here track is tricky because he still feels a “deep connection” with Barrett when performing the song. The first few performances of the song were trickiest of all for Waters, who says the shows after Barrett’s death were an emotionally trying time.
He said: “I do Shine On You Crazy Diamond in my show as well – and I have to say it was slightly unnerving playing it for a few performances immediately after Syd died. I still feel a deep connection with Syd whenever I play those songs. Shine On You Crazy Diamond is specifically about him, but Wish You Were Here is a far more general piece.”
Gilmour would perform Wish You Were Here on his recent Luck and Strange tour, with the song featuring during the setlist for most nights of his 2024 tour.
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