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Following some teases changing just about every Pink Floyd album cover on digital music services to mirror original packaging elements of Wish You Were Here, the band has announced a new expanded edition of its 1975 masterpiece, reissued to mark its 50th anniversary.
Coming December 12 from Legacy Recordings, the deluxe Wish You Were Here arrives in a frankly dizzying display of formats:
A 2CD or 3LP set pairs the original album with nine bonus tracks: three from the “Immersion Edition” box set released in 2011 and six previously unreleased outtakes and alternate mixes.
A deluxe box set includes the two CDs, four “crystal-clear” LPs (adding an extra 12″ with a pair of live tracks from the Immersion box), a replica Japanese 7″ single and a Blu-ray. That Blu-ray includes all the audio from the 2CD or 3LP set (so, minus those extra live tracks), plus an additional live bootleg, multiple alternate mixes of the album, vintage video projections by Storm Thorgerson, as well as a hardcover book of unseen photos from the period and replicas of a tour program and poster.
The Blu-ray in that box will also be available separately.
Finally, a digital edition includes all the stereo audio from the Blu-ray: the album, outtakes and live bootleg.
It’s a considerable trove of audiovisual material chronicling the British band’s Herculean task of following up the commercial success of 1973’s The Dark Side of the Moon, which was in the early stages of a staggering multi-year run on the Billboard charts. After mooting a conceptual piece involving “household objects” (heard on the bonus track “Wine Glasses”), Wish You Were Here largely deals with the numbness of absence. “Welcome to the Machine” and “Have a Cigar” (with its immortal stranger-than-fiction lyric “Oh, by the way: which one’s Pink?”) are cutting satires of record label politics, while the title track and the epic “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” addressed, in various capacities, the mental health-related departure of band member Syd Barrett. (A nearly unrecognizable Barrett dropped into the studio during the mixing of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” initially recognized by none of the band members and reportedly reducing singer/songwriter/bassist Roger Waters to tears at his appearance and detached presence. He was almost never seen in public again, and died of cancer in 2006.)
Enclosed in a typically ornate package by Storm Thorgerson at Hipgnosis – the sleeve depicted two men, one on fire (portrayed by recently deceased stuntman Ronnie Rondell Jr.), shaking hands on the Warner Bros. Pictures backlot, and initial copies were sold in opaque black shrink wrap – Wish You Were Here originally divided critics ready for an epic follow-up to Dark Side. It did find its commercial audience and was ultimately seen by critics as a sterling effort in the band’s discography. (Singer/songwriter/guitarist David Gilmour and keyboardist Richard Wright each cited it as their favorite, and even Waters – largely estranged from Gilmour since the ’80s and a more dominating presence on albums like 1979’s The Wall – once declared it the group’s “most complete” work.)
The set’s studio bonus material tells the further story of the album’s creation, including the aforementioned “Wine Glasses,” demos of “Machine” and multiple takes of the title track (one featuring a mostly-unused violin part from French jazz musician Stéphane Grappelli). The Blu-ray offers considerable treats for surround audio fans, offering a vintage quadraphonic mix, a 2011 5.1 surround pass by engineer James Guthrie and a new Atmos treatment by him as well. The Blu-ray (and digital set) also offers a somewhat legendary live bootleg by noted taper Mike Millard at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on April 26, 1975 that includes tracks from Wish You Were Here as well as a full-album performance of The Dark Side of the Moon. (Engineer Steven Wilson has restored and remastered the original recording for this release.)
Pre-orders for all physical sets are live below, along with the track lists. They’re out December 12. (As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)
Wish You Were Here 50 (Pink Floyd Music Limited, 2025)
2CD/4LP/Blu-ray/7″: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
CD/LP 1 and LP 2, Side C: Original album (released as Harvest SHVL 814 (U.K.)/Columbia PC 33453 (U.S.), 1975)Â and bonus material
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 1-5)
Welcome to the Machine
Have a Cigar
Wish You Were Here
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 6-9)
Wine Glasses
Have a Cigar (Alternate Version)
Wish You Were Here (feat. Stéphane Grappelli)
CD 2/LP 2, Side D and LP 3: Bonus material continued (previously unreleased)
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Early Instrumental Version – Rough Mix)
The Machine Song (Roger’s Demo)
The Machine Song (Demo #2, Revisited)
Wish You Were Here (Take 1)
Wish You Were Here (Pedal Steel Instrumental Mix)
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 1-9 – New Stereo Mix)
LP 4: Live at Wembley Empire Pool, London, England – 11/14-17/1974Â (exclusive to box)
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
You’ve Got to Be Crazy
CD 1, Tracks 6-8 and LP 4 released on Wish You Were Here (Immersion Box Set) – EMI 50999 029435 2 7, 2011
Blu-ray
Original album:
stereo mix
quadraphonic mix (released as Harvest Q4SHVL 814 (U.K.)/Columbia PCQ 33453 (U.S.), 1975
5.1 surround mix by James Guthrie (released on Wish You Were Here (Immersion Box Set) – EMI 50999 029435 2 7, 2011)
Dolby Atmos mix by James Guthrie (previously unreleased)
Bonus audio material from CD 1-2 (stereo)
Live Bootleg – Los Angeles Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA – 4/26/1975 (recorded by Mike Millard, remastered by Steven Wilson – previously unreleased)
Raving and Drooling
You’ve Got to Be Crazy
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 1-5)
Have a Cigar
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 6-9)
Speak to Me
Breathe (In the Air)
On the Run
Time
The Great Gig in the Sky
Money
Us and Them
Any Colour You Like
Brain Damage
Eclipse
Echoes
Videos
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pt. 1) – screen film
Shine On You Crazy Diamond – screen film
Welcome to the Machine – screen film
Storm Thorgerson Short Film 2000 – screen film
7″:Â Have a Cigar (Edit) b/w Welcome to the Machine (Japanese single – CBS/Sony SOPB-347, 1975)
Mike Duquette
Mike Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he was a teenager. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, holding positions at Legacy Recordings and Rhino Records and contributing to Allmusic, Discogs, City Pages, Ultimate Classic Rock and Mondo Records, for whom he penned liner notes for his favorite piece of music: John Williams’ Oscar-winning score to ‘E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.’
Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with his wife, a cat named Ravioli, twin daughters and a large yet tasteful collection of music.