“A vicious takedown of the record industry and the dreams it nurtures then exploits – in many ways a dry run for The Wall”: Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here remains mysterious at 50

It may have become one of the most iconic albums ever, but Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here remains as beguiling and mysterious as when it was first released 50 years ago.

Blindsided by the success of The Dark Side Of The Moon, the band had struggled to produce a follow-up, with at least two major false starts and several frustrating months spent in the studio waiting for inspiration to strike.

Yet what eventually emerged in September 1975 was extraordinary – an album which somehow managed to channel the inertia and torturous dislocation of the recording sessions to create music of an otherworldly poise and execution.

In particular, the slow-motion intensity of David Gilmour’s guitar and Rick Wright’s glacial synthscapes possess a haunting, almost mechanical beauty. Many critics at the time found the album difficult to connect with, decrying it as passionless and cold; but while there’s a precision that’s far from random in the arrangements and playing, there’s plenty of hard-earned heart and soul too.

It’s also easy to overlook just how conceptual it is. Roger Waters’ eureka moment was to split Shine On You Crazy Diamond in two and use his tribute to Syd Barrett as the basis for a trio of songs. The result was a vicious takedown of the record industry, and the dreams it first nurtures then exploits – in many ways, a dry run for The Wall. This theme of innocent art destroyed by capitalist realism is one of the reasons why, with its message of ‘Welcome to the machine,’ Wish You Were Here still feels chillingly relevant.

The Machine Song (Roger's Demo) - YouTube

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And so to the plethora of formats that constitutes the 50th anniversaty edition. Even for the most hardcore Floyd fans there’s a lot to get excited about – particularly the six previously unavailable demos and alternate versions. The early instrumental rough mix of Shine On… (Parts 2-8) offers a fascinating look under the hood. Gilmour is more in the background, but that allows for a better appreciation of how Nick Mason’s drums lock the track down while delivering lots of little fills and details, and of how Wright’s incredibly warm organ tone sounds like cosmic R&B.

Throughout, there’s nothing fancy about the chords or progressions, but everything’s perfectly weighted. It’s the band’s resistance to over-complicating, and instead letting the groove breathe, that really defines them at this point.

There are two interesting versions of Welcome To The Machine, both referred to as The Machine Song. The first is Waters’ home demo, which shows how many of the song’s elements were there right from the start, including the pulsing, squelching synths. The main difference is his vocal, delivered an octave lower as a sinister homily, which he repeats in the second version here. There’s a studio demo that emphasises just how vital Wright’s contribution was to the song’s eerie authority.

There are two versions of the title track, with the Pedal Steel Instrumental Mix doing what it says on the tin, upping the song’s country rock vibe to the max. Finally, there’s a new stereo mix of Shine On by James Guthrie, which connects the two sections and turns it into a complete piece.

These six tracks, plus the album itself and three previously released bonus numbers, make up the three-LP and two-CD versions of Wish You Were Here 50. But the real treat is on the Blu-ray, which – along with a new Dolby Atmos mix of the album by Guthrie and assorted films – includes the first official release of Floyd’s complete show at Los Angeles Sports Arena on April 26, 1975. It was recorded by avid concert-taper Mike Millard, whose material often ended up being bootlegged. Brilliantly restored and remastered here by the ubiquitous Steven Wilson, it sounds terrific.

You've Got To Be Crazy (Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 1975) - YouTube

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Beginning with a shaky Raving And Drooling and a more confident You’ve Got To Be Crazy – later to be retooled as Sheep and Dogs on Animals – the crowd then hear faithful versions of Shine On’s two sections and an excellent, hard rocking take of Have A Cigar. Waters delivers a series of acerbic stage announcements, but the show goes on with the entirety of The Dark Side Of The Moon.

They sound a little tired on the opening songs, but things really pick up with a crunching Money, and then an extended and absolutely magical version of Any Colour You Like, its cascading keys like sci-fi prog heaven. To top it off, Dick Parry’s sax turns up on the encore of Echoes; and when they really cut loose, the secret of Floyd’s success, particularly with US audiences, is revealed – they were a fantastic jam band.

For those with deep pockets, the deluxe box includes all the above, a Live At Wembley 1974 LP, a Have A Cigar 7”, and lots of ephemera.

Wish You Were Here 50 is on sale now via Sony.