Pink Floyd will mark the 50th anniversary of Wish You Were Here with a major archival reissue arriving on 12 December, and the centrepiece of the release is the first ever continuous edition of Shine On You Crazy Diamond presented as a 25 minute stereo mix. The new version unites Parts I to V and Parts VI to IX in a single sequence, a format long discussed by fans yet never officially delivered until now.
Shine On You Crazy Diamond bookended Wish You Were Here when it first appeared in 1975, and the composition served as the band’s tribute to Syd Barrett, whose influence shaped Pink Floyd’s earliest identity. The emotional weight of the piece deepened when Barrett unexpectedly appeared at Abbey Road Studios during the final mixing sessions, an encounter that has since become one of the most recounted moments in the group’s history.
The new Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Pts. 1-9, New Stereo Mix has been prepared by long-time Floyd collaborator James Guthrie, continuing his decades of work in preserving and re-presenting the band’s studio legacy. Accompanying the track is a newly commissioned piece of artwork by comedian and artist Noel Fielding. Fielding created a portrait of Syd Barrett that forms the basis of the visual presentation, and he credits Barrett as a formative creative force in his early life.
Fielding recalls discovering The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn when he was twelve and connecting with Barrett’s lyrical imagination. He notes the longstanding synchronicity between the group’s visual identity and their recorded output, which became a defining feature of Pink Floyd’s work throughout the 1970s.
Wish You Were Here followed The Dark Side Of The Moon, and its thematic examination of absence, alienation, transience and the mechanics of the music industry further established the band’s position at the forefront of progressive rock. The album’s artwork, created under the direction of Hipgnosis co-founder Storm Thorgerson, remains one of the most recognised in popular music. That cover, featuring two men shaking hands, one engulfed in flames, became emblematic of the group’s focus on visual metaphor and conceptual structure.
The new edition, Wish You Were Here 50, presents the album across multiple formats, including three LPs, two CDs, Blu-ray and exclusive clear vinyl configurations. At the core of the project are six previously unreleased recordings, offering alternate versions, early instrumental foundations and developmental mixes that trace the evolution of the album’s key tracks.
CD1 includes the original album sequence, rare mixes, and the guest appearance from violinist Stéphane Grappelli on Wish You Were Here. CD2 expands the archival material with early demos, including The Machine Song and a rough instrumental framework for Shine On You Crazy Diamond, alongside the new continuous stereo edition of the full nine-part composition.
A major component of the Blu-ray edition is the first official release of live recordings captured by legendary taper Mike Millard at Pink Floyd’s Los Angeles Sports Arena concert on 26 April 1975. These recordings have been fully restored and remastered by Steven Wilson, providing an authoritative document of the band’s mid-seventies live approach.
The Blu-ray also features a Dolby Atmos mix of the album, Guthrie’s 5.1 Surround mix, the original 1975 stereo and quad mixes, three of the screen films used on the 1975 tour, and a short film directed by Storm Thorgerson.
The vinyl package includes the original album, studio rarities, Live At Wembley 1974, and a replica Japanese 7 inch single of Have A Cigar backed with Welcome To The Machine. Additional printed material includes a hardcover book of previously unseen photographs, a comic-style tour programme and a reproduction of a Knebworth poster.
Tracklisting
CD 1
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 (featuring Stéphane Grappelli)
CD 2
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Early Instrumental Version, Rough Mix) *
The Machine Song (Rogers 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) *
4LP – EXCLUSIVE CLEAR VINYL
SIDE A
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 1-5)
Welcome to the Machine
Side B
Have a Cigar
Wish You Were Here
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 6-9)
Side C
Wine Glasses
Have a Cigar (Alternate Version)
Wish You Were Here (featuring Stéphane Grappelli)
Side D
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Early Instrumental Version, Rough Mix) *
The Machine Song (Rogers Demo) *
Side E
The Machine Song (Demo #2, Revisited) *
Wish You Were Here (Take 1) *
Wish You Were Here (Pedal Steel Instrumental Mix) *
Side F
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 1-9, New Stereo Mix) *
Side G
Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Live At Wembley 1974
Side H
Youve Got To Be Crazy, Live At Wembley 1974
Blu-Ray – Wish You Were Here original 5-track album
2025 Dolby Atmos Mix
2011 5.1 Surround Mix
1975 Stereo Mix
1975 4.0 Quad Mix
Blu-Ray – Bonus Audio Material (stereo)
Wine Glasses
Have a Cigar (Alternate Version)
Wish You Were Here (featuring Stéphane Grappelli)
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Early Instrumental Version, Rough Mix) *
The Machine Song (Rogers 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) *
Blu-Ray – Live Bootleg (stereo)
Raving and Drooling (Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 1975) *
You’ve Got To Be Crazy (Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 1975) *
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (1-5) (Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 1975) *
Have a Cigar (Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 1975) *
Shine on You Crazy Diamond (6-9) (Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 1975) *
Speak to Me (Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 1975) *
Breathe (In The Air) (Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 1975) *
On the Run (Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 1975) *
Time (Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 1975) *
The Great Gig in the Sky (Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 1975) *
Money (Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 1975) *
Us and Them (Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 1975) *
Any Colour You Like (Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 1975) *
Brain Damage (Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 1975) *
Eclipse (Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 1975) *
Echoes (Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 1975) *
Blu-Ray – Videos
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part I) Screen Film
Shine On You Crazy Diamond Screen Film
Welcome To The Machine Screen Film
Storm Thorgerson Short Film, 2000 Screen Film
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