The 25-minute-long song is available in a new stereo mix
Pink Floyd unveils “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (pts. 1-9, New Stereo Mix).” Renowned globally as the two-part epic bookending their era-defining LP Wish You Were Here, the new version sees the full song pieced together for the first time. Newly mixed in stereo by James Guthrie, the result is one 25-minute-long epic, which will be included in the 50th anniversary edition of the album to be released on December 12th via Sony Music.
“Shine On You Crazy Diamond” and the story of its creation have gone down in rock folklore. Pink Floyd’s tribute to their childhood friend and former bandmate Syd Barrett is a hauntingly beautiful, sprawling masterwork, imbued with feelings of guilt, frustration and sadness at not just the decline of Syd’s health, but the failings of society and modern life. In one of the most poignant episodes of the band’s career, Syd arrived unannounced at Abbey Road Studios on the day Pink Floyd were beginning the final mixes of the track, only for none of the band to recognise the new appearance of their former frontman.
In celebration of the release and of Syd Barrett’s enduring legacy, comedian, actor and artist Noel Fielding has created a series of specially commissioned original paintings inspired by Syd’s iconic image, spotlighting this most unique and influential of souls. The video features Fielding’s paintings.
The collaboration with Fielding follows “Dear Pink Floyd,” a new poem written and performed by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, which was unveiled last month to celebrate Wish You Were Here at 50. The poem is one of the myriad of special collector’s gems included in the upcoming deluxe box set release.
Wish You Were Here 50 will be released in multiple formats, including 3 LP, 2 CD, Blu-ray, digital and a deluxe box set. The digital release includes the original 1975 album, featuring a new Dolby Atmos mix by James Guthrie, whose work with Pink Floyd dates back to 1979’s The Wall. It also includes 25 bonus tracks of nine studio rarities, and 16 live recordings captured by the renowned bootlegger Mike Millard at Pink Floyd’s Los Angeles Sports Arena concert on April 26, 1975, now receiving its first official release. The live audio has been meticulously restored and remastered by Steven Wilson. The Blu-ray edition also gives fans the chance to see three concert screen films from the band’s 1975 tour, plus a Storm Thorgerson short film. The 3 LP and 2 CD formats include the original album and the nine studio bonus tracks. The deluxe box includes the 2 CD, 3 LP on exclusive clear vinyl and Blu-ray material, plus a fourth clear vinyl LP, Live At Wembley 1974, a replica Japanese 7-inch single of “Have A Cigar” backed with “Welcome To The Machine,” a hardcover book including unseen photographs, and Dear Pink Floyd, by Simon Armitage, a comic book tour programme and Knebworth concert poster.
Wish You Were Here has been a mainstay on all-time greatest albums lists for decades. The multi-platinum-selling No. 1 hit record was Pink Floyd’s first to reach the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, becoming the band’s fastest-selling album. In 1973, The Dark Side of the Moon had taken Pink Floyd from a hugely successful breakout British band to one of the biggest rock groups on the planet. Wish You Were Here was the band’s powerful response to their newfound global fame.
