Wish You Were Here (2CD Experience Version)

After the artistic and financial success of Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd were bereft of ideas for their followup Wish You Were Here. Similarly after the richest of the bonus and unreleased material in the Immersion Edition of DSOM most fans will find the Immersion Edition of WYWH disappointing.

The original WYWH album was released in September 1975 less than 3 years after DSOM hit the shops; it is not unusual now for many new and well established artists or groups to take twice as long between releases. During 1974 and 1975 Pink Floyd undertook extensive tours of France, Britain and USA with a suite of three new songs and accompanying films.

The BBC recorded the entire concert at Empire Pool Wembley in London on Saturday November 16 1974. The first half of this concert included three work in progress versions of Shine On You Crazy Diamond and Raving & Drooling and You Gotta Be Crazy. The second half was a note-for-note representation of DSOM with Echoes as the encore. The BBC broadcast the entire Dark of the Moon on the Alan Freeman Show on Saturday January 11 1975 and it is now available on the Immersion Edition of DSOM. The second CD presents Shine On You Crazy Diamond as one continuous piece. Raving & Drooling opens with a backing tape excerpt from BBC Radio One DJ Jimmy Young followed by a pounding bass riff and slashing guitar and insensitive lyrics about Floyds new mass audience. You Gotta Be Crazy also includes negative lyrics about corporate and individual greed set to a jazzy Gilmour chord sequence. All these recordings are presented in new stereo mixes with all the flaws of a live performance resolved. By the time the tour reached the USA in summer 1975 Shine On You Crazy Diamond was split into two parts with Have A Cigar sang by Roger Waters as the filler. The second CD also includes an outtake of Have A Cigar with Roger Waters on lead vocal which the other band members felt was inadequate. Another surprise on the second CD is a version of Wish You Were Here featuring the violinist Stephane Grappelli which was previously thought to have been lost. When the Floyd reconvened to record WYWH they revisited their ongoing Household Objects project which produced the wine glasses outtake on CD2. This sound effect also appeared on the final version of included Shine On You Crazy Diamond.

The first CD contains James Guthries 360 degree mix of the original album which sounds amazing with every note and lyric and sound effect clearly audible. This latest mix will satisfy the expectations of new listeners in this digital era. However, there will be a few diehards that will long for the original.
Although the musical content is disappointing the opportunity to hear the three song suite from the 1974 & 1975 Tours is worth the admission fee.

Any Pink Floyd Fan knows this album very well and there is no filler here at all. So for this third re issue second re-master what's the difference in sound quality. There is an improvement but I don not feel i can hear a lot more, Pink Floyd were always into there quality and even the original Vinyl version on a good stereo sounded great. Now this version is the two disc version and if you are going to re buy this album then this is the one to get for the few extra pounds. As well as live version of Shine on you crazy diamond, You get a insight to the first draft of "dogs", you've got to be crazy, and Raving and drulling "Sheep" which later appeared on Animals, the live versions for sound quality are good and worth the extra price. The package is better, than the single disc but there are still less pictures than the first re issue why I don't know, I still would have preferred a plastic jewel case just better at protecting the discs.

The original album never sounded bad on CD so many have rightfully questioned the reasons for remastering the classic Floyd album. The remastered WYWH is no revolution in sound quality, more like an evolution - bringing a 70s recording into the hifi world of the new millennium. The changes are subtle and mostly atmospheric in nature bringing beautiful clarity, crispness, and transparency to the 35 year old songs. The music just flows.
The bonus CD, alone, is worth the upgrade - the album by itself? Hmm, if you're a fan like me then no question but if you're not I wouldn't chip in for the 2011 remasters I think.