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, with eyewitness accounts from around the globe of seeing in concert 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 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 and which continues to spark to this day, nearly 20 years since the band last played live together.

More than 300 different gigs are recalled by fans who remember the music, the light show 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. 

Written and compiled by Richard Houghton, creator of the People’s History series of music books, Wish You Were Here – A People’s History of Pink Floyd is published on 20 October 2023 by Spenwood Books.

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Pink Floyd author Glenn Povey delves deep into Floyd’s history within the biggest music market in the world. This book not only charts the concerts they played and records that Floyd released in the USA and Canada from 1967 through to 1983 but it also looks in detail at the band’s relationship with their American record company; the promotional aspects (or lack off!) that propelled Floyd to stadium status, and extensive details of TV and radio appearances, along with band interviews and much more.