![\"Roger](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Roger-Waters-Us-Them-2019-Far-Out-Magazine-1140x855.jpg\")
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(Credits: Far Out \/ YouTube Still)<\/p>\n
Fri 10 October 2025 17:45, UK <\/p>\n
Any artist who\u2019s been playing as long as Roger Waters<\/a> has is always going to have their personal favourites in their arsenal. <\/p>\n Even though not everything in Pink Floyd\u2019s catalogue warrants repeated listens, there are pieces of their body of work that go well beyond anything that most rock musicians can even come close to. And while Waters does have a fine line between what\u2019s exceptional and what\u2019s rubbish from his past, there are many tunes that have stood the test of time for a reason.<\/p>\n Because, really, Floyd was always at their best when they moved away from the sci-fi angle they were always pushing in their early days. Syd Barrett was clearly the most qualified for that job, and the minute that he left, all the highlights of their catalogue seemed to go with him. \u2018Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun\u2019 was Waters\u2019 greatest contribution up until that point, but it makes sense that they would need to move on from their early days if they wanted to stay relevant.<\/p>\n And while tunes like \u2018Echoes\u2019 did set up the version of Floyd that most people know about today, Barrett always seemed to linger like a ghost throughout every piece of their history. Sure, there would be times where they tapped into a mood that sounded vaguely space-related, but it was always bittersweet knowing that he wasn\u2019t there to share in the spoils. So when they finally reached the big time, they knew the only thing to do was to do right by their old frontman.<\/p>\n Traces of Dark Side of the Moon had the lingering side effects of dealing with a close friend who has lost their mind, but Wish You Were Here is practically one big love letter to him. When not having to worry about the warnings that the band are sending out on tracks like \u2018Have A Cigar<\/a>\u2019 and \u2018Welcome to the Machine\u2019, \u2018Shine on You Crazy Diamond\u2019 encapsulates everything painfully human about the group.<\/p>\n From the moment he hit on \u2018Echoes\u2019, Waters knew that empathy was his greatest musical superpower, and \u2018Shine On\u2019 is all of that humanity packed into one tune. All of those experiences working with Barrett are captured here, and given that their old frontman did hear the song getting made, it\u2019s almost like he was there to check in on his bandmates after a while.<\/p>\n