RICHARD HOUGHTON

Wish You Were Here – A People’s History of Pink Floyd takes the reader on a trip back in time (without the aid of acid) to the psychedelic Sixties, when London was tuning in, turning on and dropping out and when Pink Floyd were at the heart of what was happening in the music capital of the world.

With concert memories going back to the earliest Floyd shows, in 1966, through to the last appearance of the band at Live 8 in London's Hyde Park in 2005, this is the Pink Floyd story in the words of over 500 fans, featuring eyewitness accounts of concerts from around the globe by one of the most legendary bands of all time. It’s the story of Syd Barrett’s founding of the band and of his genius and burn out; of the move by the band from the singles charts (‘See Emily Play’ and ‘Arnold Layne’) and into recording and performing the multi-million selling albums The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall; of the gruelling world tours and the increasing tension between band members Roger Waters and David Gilmour that fuelled the creative genius of the band then, and which continues to spark debate to this day, nearly 20 years since the band last played live together. Over 300 different gigs are recalled by fans who remember the music, the light shows and the aural adventure of a Pink Floyd concert along with the wine, the magic mushrooms and the window pane acid. Floyd concerts were not captured on smartphones. Concert memories were an aural and visual experience made in the mind’s eye. Now these stories, previously shared only with family and friends, are told anew.