Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” celebrates 50th anniversary of its release
PINK FLOYD
The world celebrates the album
“Wish You Were Here”
on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its release
“WISH YOU WERE HERE 50”
the special reissue coming out on December 12th on Sony Music
FROM 12 TO 14 DECEMBER
THE POP-UP STORE IN MILAN
DECEMBER 14
AT THE AUDITORIUM PARCO DELLA MUSICA IN ROME
Listening to the remastered version with JBL Everest speakers and Mark Levinson amplification
Presented by Marco Fullone and Giancarlo Valletta
PINK FLOYD have announced the reissue of their landmark 1975 album “Wish You Were Here,” which, 50 years after its release, still sounds as vibrant and vital as it did back then, deserving of both celebration and exploration. The special anniversary edition, “Wish You Were Here 50,” out December 12th on Sony Music, will allow fans, for the first time, to delve deeper into a pivotal moment in Pink Floyd’s history.
A preview of the reissue has been released online: for the first time, “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (pts. 1-9, New Stereo Mix)” is assembled as a single track. Remixed in stereo by James Guthrie, the result is a unique 25-minute opus.
“Shine On You Crazy Diamond” and the story of its creation have become rock ‘n’ roll legend. Pink Floyd’s tribute to their childhood friend and former band member Syd Barrett is a poignant and monumental masterpiece, permeated with feelings of guilt, frustration, and sadness. In one of the most touching episodes of the band’s career, Syd arrived unannounced at Abbey Road Studios on the very day Pink Floyd were beginning the final mixes of the song, but none of the members recognized the former frontman, so changed in appearance. To celebrate the release and Syd Barrett’s enduring legacy, comedian, actor, and artist Noel Fielding created a series of original paintings. specially commissioned, inspired by Syd’s iconic image and dedicated to this unique and influential soul (for more information on Noel Fielding’s art, please refer to the Podgorny, Jealous and Don’t Walk Walk galleries).
The Pink Floyd website features the Dear Pink Floyd Experience www.pinkfloyd.com/dear-pink-floyd : an interactive digital space where fans from around the world can share poems, memories, and reflections inspired by the band’s music.
A series of initiatives around the world are commemorating the centrality of the iconic album, ahead of the December 12 reissue, which will offer a new and exciting perspective with several rarities.
Following the double date in Milan during Milan Music Week, an unmissable pop-up store dedicated to the album will be set up at Ripa di Porta Ticinese 47 from December 12th to 14th , immersing you in the world of Pink Floyd. For the occasion , an exclusive limited edition white vinyl of “Wish You Were Here” will be available for purchase.
Following the success of the first guided listening sessions dedicated to Pink Floyd’s discography, on December 14th we return to the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome with an unmissable event for all music lovers: the new 2025 remaster of “Wish You Were Here” will be played on a top-notch system with JBL Everest speakers and Mark Levinson amplification, accompanied by the authoritative voices of Marco Fullone and Giancarlo Valletta, who will enrich the experience with stories, curiosities, and reflections on the cultural and musical context that made this work immortal. The free event can be booked by emailing: wywhauditorium@gmail.com and waiting for booking confirmation. There will be six sessions in Studio 2, which seats 50, from 10:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.
The special anniversary edition, “Wish You Were Here 50,” out December 12th on Sony Music, will allow fans, for the first time, to delve deeper into a pivotal moment in Pink Floyd’s history.
At the heart of this special collection are six previously unreleased alternate takes and demos that present Pink Floyd’s eighth studio album in a completely new guise.
Studio rarities on the release include “The Machine Song (Roger’s demo),” the first home demo that Roger Waters originally presented to the band, a previously unreleased instrumental mix of “Wish You Were Here” that highlights David Gilmour’s pedal steel guitar, another previously unreleased demo of “Welcome to the Machine” “The Machine Song (Demo #2, Revisited),” and, for the first time, a complete version of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 1-9)” that combines the two halves of the song in a new stereo mix by James Guthrie.
“Wish You Were Here 50” will be released in various formats: 3LP, 2CD, Blu-ray, digital and deluxe box set.
Pre-order is available: https://bio.to/PFWYWH50 .
The digital edition will include the original 1975 album with a new Dolby Atmos mix by James Guthrie, a Pink Floyd collaborator since 1979’s “The Wall.” It also includes 25 bonus tracks, including nine studio rarities and 16 live recordings made by famed bootlegger Mike Millard from Pink Floyd’s concert at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on April 26, 1975 (officially released here for the first time).
The live audio has been carefully restored and remastered by Steven Wilson.
The Blu-ray edition also allows fans to see three of the concert clips from the 1975 tour, as well as a short film by Storm Thorgerson.
The 3LP and 2CD formats include the original album and nine bonus studio tracks.
The deluxe box set contains all the material on 2CD, 3LP (on exclusive clear vinyl) and Blu-ray, plus a fourth LP on clear vinyl, “Live At Wembley 1974”, a replica of the Japanese 7” single “Have A Cigar” / “Welcome To The Machine”, a hardback book with previously unseen photographs, a comic book with the tour programme and a poster of the Knebworth concert.
Exclusive 50th anniversary merchandise and limited-edition items are available at PinkFloyd.com.
“Wish You Were Here” has been a constant presence on the best albums of all time lists for decades. The multi-platinum, #1 album was Pink Floyd’s first to top the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, becoming their fastest-selling album. In 1973 , “The Dark Side of the Moon” had elevated Pink Floyd from a highly successful British upstart 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.
With the multi-part elegy “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” dedicated to Syd Barrett, the hypnotic “Welcome To The Machine” , the scathing “Have a Cigar” with its immortal line “Oh, by the way, who is Pink?” sung not by Waters or Gilmour but by non-band member Roy Harper, and the inevitable title track, “Wish You Were Here”, it is undoubtedly one of the most important releases in the history of popular music.
The themes of absence , isolation , transience and criticism of the hypocrisy of the music industry find expression in the famous album cover .
The visual games created by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey “Po” Powell of Hipgnosis remain iconic and instantly recognisable images today.
In 2025, the passionate support and fascination surrounding Pink Floyd’s music remains intact. The restored version of their groundbreaking 1972 film “Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII” broke box office records worldwide, and the live album went straight to #1 on the UK Albums Chart, marking their first UK number one album in eleven years and the seventh of their career. The film was acclaimed by critics and audiences internationally, with The Guardian describing it as “a hypnotically singular portrait of a band on the brink of greatness.”