The first five notes of ‘Wish You Were Here’ can untether a soul from the ordinary. A guitar slides in, cuts through the muffled intro, and pulls the song into focus. It causes brain waves to bend with a dangerous elasticity as the guitar strings move up the neck of the harmonic frame like the ocean as it laps onto its sandy counterpart.
Songs like this sit at the center of Pink Floyd’s legacy. Over half a century later, the band returned with “Wish You Were Here 50,” an anniversary edition that adds demos, alternate versions and live recordings.
‘Wish You Were Here’ arrived in the mid-1970s by visionaries who, while unable to get along with each other for longer than the length of a studio session, would go on to transform what music meant and the artistic meaning of a record.
Roger Waters, considered the driving force behind the creative process, centered the themes around absence and disillusionment with the music industry and popular culture of the era. Another theme it was centralized around was the loss of Syd Barrett, the original singer who had left years prior as his interest and commitment to the band decreased as he succumbed to mental illness. According to an interview Waters conducted with AXS TV, the line “We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl,” directly references Barrett, accompanied with other lines scattered throughout the entire discography.
Perhaps the most meaningful addition in “Wish You Were Here 50” is the complete 25 minute rendition of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond – Pts. 1-9, New Stereo Mix”. On the original album, the suite appears in two halves – “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 1-5)” at the beginning and “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 6-9),” at the end. The new presentation seamlessly transitions between the two parts, emphasizing the slow build of the full arrangement.
This song in particular carries some of the album’s most famous lines. “Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun,” which references Barrett’s youth in Cambridge when he was often referred to as a “bouncy and lively” character. “Now there’s a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky” refers to his state of mind at the time this was written, a stark contrast to his bright and cheery youth.
The title track also appears in an alternate version, with Stéphane Grappelli now featured much more prominently between the second verse, chorus and throughout. His violin enters with a soft sound and sails deeper as it accompanies the instrumentals. The added section proves uniquely similar to a “country fiddle” melody, a dramatic turn from the sound Pink Floyd typically entertains, which is what makes this collaboration so special.
Disc 2 includes “Wine Glasses”, one of two songs created for the barest bones of a scrapped album to be titled “Household Objects” after the initial release of “Meddle”. The song itself sounds similarly mournful to many other Pink Floyd songs, heavy strings drawn out for seemingly an eternity, the organ playing endlessly, no lyrics or guitar solos interrupt its mourning ballad.
“Have A Cigar – Alternate Version” starts off strong with a loud buzzing keyboard. In the official iteration, one minute into the instrumentation the raspy voice of Roy Harper sings over the hit of the drums and the plucky beats of the bass. In this rendition, however, Roger Waters and David Gilmour, both give their best attempt to sing the lyrics in a manner that suits the rhythm and feel of the song. The beat of the drums hits stronger against the guitar solo, and follows a much more progressive rock style than the official release. Ultimately, this version was later scrapped for the mix that was later released.
“Wish You Were Here 50” gives hidden diamonds the opportunity to shine. Remixes and live tracks give Pink Floyd fans the chance to remember what made this album so special and commemorates a momentous release. Overall, this rerelease illustrates to fans new and old the history weaved between lyrics and the foreground laid in each individual note as they continue to influence music for generations.
