Pink Floyd Release 1974 Live Recording Of ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’
Words by Riley Fitzgerald
Graphic by Press
Pink Floyd have released a live version of parts one to six of ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’.
Recorded at the Wembley Empire Pool during the band’s 1974 winter tour, the song was previously only available on the band’s Wish You Were Here Immersion boxed set.
‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ now arrives as the latest in a series of rarities Pink Floyd have shared as part of their Syd, Roger, Richard, Nick, and David Spotify playlist.
The band originally developed the song during rehearsals and on the road in the Autumn of 1974.
Built over a guitar motif by David Gilmour, lyrics were provided by Roger Waters.
In Waters’ view, it was a song about the band’s former creative visionary Syd Barrett.
“I wrote and rewrote and rewrote and rewrote that lyric because I wanted it to be as close as possible to what I felt,” Roger Waters would later share. “There’s a truthful feeling in that piece. That sort of indefinable, inevitable melancholy about the disappearance of Syd. He’s withdrawn so far away that he’s no longer there.”
By a bizarre stroke of fate, Barrett would make a visit to Abbey Road studios while the band was working on the song.
“Roger was there, and he was sitting at the desk,” Pink Floyd keyboard Rick Wright would later recount, “and I came in and I saw this guy sitting behind him – huge, bald, fat guy. I thought, ‘He looks a bit… strange…’”
Upon realizing the figure was Barrett the band then engaged in an uncountable and somewhat disjointed conversation.
Barrett then offered to add a guitar part to the song only to be informed by the band that ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ had already been completed.
The final version would later be divided into two parts – ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Pts. 1-5’ and ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond Pts. 6-9’ – for the band’s ninth studio album Wish You Were Here in 1975.
The full Wish You Were Immersion tracklist below.
DISC 1 / CD
1. Wish You Were Here (digitally remastered by James Guthrie 2011)
DISC 2 / CD
1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (parts 1-6) live at Wembley November 1974 (2011 mix and previously unreleased)
2. Raving & Drooling live at Wembley November 1974 (2011 mix and previously unreleased)
3. You’ve Got To Be Crazy live at Wembley November 1974 (2011 mix and previously unreleased)
4. Wine Glasses from the unreleased ‘Household Objects’ project
5. Have A Cigar alternate version (previously unreleased)
6. Wish You Were Here featuring Stephane Grappelli (previously unreleased)
DISC 3 / DVD (ALL AUDIO)
1. Wish You Were Here, James Guthrie 2007 5.1 Surround Mix (previously unreleased) in standard resolution audio at 448 kbps and 640kbps
2. Wish You Were Here, James Guthrie 2007 5.1 Surround Mix (previously unreleased) in standard resolution audio at 640kbps
3. Wish You Were Here, Quad Mix (previously released only on vinyl LP/8 track tape) in standard resolution audio at 448 kbps
4. Wish You Were Here, Quad Mix (previously released only on vinyl LP/8 track tape) in standard resolution audio at 640 kbps
5. Wish You Were Here, James Guthrie 2011 High Resolution Stereo Mix
DISC 4 / DVD (AUDIO VISUAL)
1. Concert Screen Films: Shine On You Crazy Diamond Intro / Shine On You Crazy Diamond
2. Welcome To The Machine animated clip
3. Storm Thorgerson short film
4. Concert Screen Films
(All in stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound)
DISC 5 / BLURAY
1. AUDIO: Wish You Were Here, James Guthrie 2007 5.1 Surround Mix (previously unreleased) in standard resolution
Wish You Were Here, James Guthrie 2007 5.1 Surround Mix (previously unreleased) at 96kHz / 24-bit
2. AUDIO VISUAL: Concert Screen films / Shine On You Crazy Diamond Intro / Shine On You Crazy Diamond
3. AUDIO VISUAL: Welcome To The Machine animated clip
4. AUDIO VISUAL: Storm Thorgerson short fil
MEMORABILIA
1. 40 page 27cm x 27cm booklet designed by Storm Thorgerson
2. Exclusive photo book edited by Jill Furmanovsky
3. 27cm x 27cm Exclusive Storm Thorgerson Art Print
4. 5 x Collectors Cards featuring art and comments by Storm Thorgerson
5. Replica of Wish You Were Here Tour Ticket
6. Replica of Wish You Were Here Backstage Pass
7. Scarf
8. 3 x Clear marbles
9. 9 x Coasters (unique to this box) featuring early Storm Thorgerson design sketches
10. 4-8 page credits booklet
