Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal Vol. 281 - Pink Floyd’s Classic Album Wish You Were Here, Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary

Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here Is Celebrating Its 50th Anniversary!!

I recently came across an article about Pink Floyd in a magazine. It was immediately clear from the record jacket featured that the album in question was Wish You Were Here, released after The Dark Side of the Moon. This album centers on Syd Barrett, one of Pink Floyd’s early members. Presenting the album title in this way reflects the band members’ deep feelings toward Syd Barrett.

Pink Floyd released their monumental masterpiece The Dark Side of the Moon in 1973, which achieved an unprecedented run of 741 consecutive weeks on the Billboard charts. Two years later, in 1975, they released Wish You Were Here, the follow-up to The Dark Side of the Moon. This album was a piece of work born out of the immense pressure the band faced, crafted with great effort and perseverance.

In Japan, the album’s original title is 炎 (“Fire”) instead of Wish You Were Here. The original title was rarely used as the main title and instead appeared only as a subtitle. Why wasn’t the album’s main theme used as the title? The reason is fairly obvious—simply saying “Wish You Were Here” doesn’t immediately convey what the album is about. The choice of 炎 (“Fire”) as the title in Japan is thought to have been largely influenced by the album artwork that was created by the design group Hipgnosis, who handled much of Pink Floyd’s visual identity.

Album Jacket of Wish You Were Here (1975)

Wish You Were Here was released in 1975. I remember as a high school student at the time seeing records lined up on the shelves wrapped in navy-colored plastic. On the top left of this opaque navy wrapping was a 10-centimeter square sticker with the word 炎 (“Fire”) printed on it. When you tore off the navy plastic, the album jacket emerged. The cover features a photograph of two men shaking hands, with flames rising from the man on the right, and the upper right corner of the white border around the photo is scorched. This kind of surreal artwork is a specialty of Hipgnosis, and it seems likely that the record company chose the title 炎 (“Fire”) based on this striking image. The bold promotional strategy, hiding the album’s content, gave a sense of the mysterious and enigmatic nature of Pink Floyd as a band.

For reference, the following packaging is the 50th-anniversary edition of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here. When the album was originally released 50 years ago, the album was simply wrapped in navy-colored plastic with only the 炎 (“Fire”) title sticker. The Pink Floyd illustration sticker in the center was not included at that time.

■ Recommended Album: Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here – 50th Anniversary Edition (2025)

Fifty years have passed since the album was originally packaged in navy-colored plastic, and the navy wrapping now shows considerable wear, giving it a vintage, aged look. In addition, the design includes the prism sticker illustration from The Dark Side of the Moon, the pyramid card sticker that was originally included as a bonus, and even backstage passes. At first glance, it seems odd for a Wish You Were Here anniversary edition to feature elements from The Dark Side of the Moon, but this 50th-anniversary release actually includes live takes of Dark Side tracks. Songs such as “Speak to Me”, “On the Run”, “Time”, “Money”, and “The Great Gig in the Sky” are included. The track lineup feels like a combined feast of Christmas and New Year gifts, making one wonder if it’s really just a Wish You Were Here anniversary edition—but for fans, it offers a treasure trove of intriguing tracks.

Recommended Track: “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” (Early Instrumental Version, Rough Mix)

For those familiar with the original track, this version is bound to spark interest. The mix is quite rough and David Gilmour’s guitar track comes through rather quietly. The Stratocaster sound, however, is almost identical to the original. On the other hand, Rick Wright’s Hammond organ is clearly audible, making it easy to hear where the Leslie speaker is engaged and how he is shaping the sound. The tone of the Hammond organ is excellent. Listening to this track gives insight into the song while it was still in progress and allows listeners to understand, to some extent, how the piece was refined and developed during the recording process.

This track does not include the first five minutes of David Gilmour’s solo guitar section from “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.” In the original opening, the guitar plays alone over the sustained, rich tones of the organ, without bass or drums. For a melody to sing effectively over such long organ tones, it needs to be well-constructed, otherwise the piece feels weak. It seems that Gilmour’s showcase moments at the beginning were not yet fully developed. Even the striking melodic lines in the guitar solo section were not yet finalized; he plays lines close to, but different from, the original take. You can start to sense which parts are improvised and which were intended as planned lines. David Gilmour is not a particularly technical guitarist—he focuses more on how to sing memorable melodies. Listening to Pink Floyd’s music, it has long seemed that his guitar solos are carefully considered, and this early version of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” confirms that. Reflecting on Gilmour’s process of trial and error adds another layer of fascination to the track.

The synth obbligato that accompanies the guitar is also absent, and some sections of the chord progressions and overall structure are still undecided. It seems this rough mix eventually developed into the original version. Additionally, Rick Wright’s synthesizer playing during the closing theme of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” sounds thinner and weaker compared to the original, making one wonder if it’s really the Minimoog. Listening to the 50th-anniversary edition of Wish You Were Here offers a fascinating glimpse into Pink Floyd’s creative process through these outtakes. With so much material already released, it’s exciting-–and a bit humorous to imagine what might appear for the 75th anniversary. There were also intriguing elements in the previously mentioned The Dark Side of the Moon live tracks, which I will cover in the next section.

Musicians, albums, and recommended tracks featured this time:

• Artists: Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, Rick Wright
• Album: Wish You Were Here
• Recommended Track: “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”

⇒ Synthesizer list

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