Pink floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’ 50th Anniversary Box Set Unearths Historic Bootleg, Reveals Band’s Evolving Dynamic
The new “Wish You Were Here 50” box set commemorates the golden anniversary of Pink Floyd’s ninth studio album, offering fans a treasure trove of previously unreleased material – including a remarkably restored fan bootleg from a 1975 concert, providing a unique glimpse into the band’s transition from intimate venues to stadium-sized performances.
The centerpiece of the collection, released now, is a recording from an April 26, 1975, show at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, just four and a half months before the album’s official release. Captured by the late, legendary bootlegger Mike Millard, the recording was a well-known fixture in the “grey market” before being meticulously enhanced by steven Wilson for its first-ever official release.
According to a senior official, the recording offers a interesting historical document for Pink Floyd enthusiasts. “The great thing about Dark Side was it launched us from being a theater-sized operation to an arena, possibly even a stadium one,” drummer Nick Mason reflected on the band’s burgeoning status at the time. Wilson,who previously remixed the Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII soundtrack,noted a palpable shift in the band’s dynamic captured on the Millard recording.
“I think one of the really interesting things is to hear how much the dynamic within the band and the relationship between the band and audience had changed – and not actually always for the better,” wilson explained. He contrasted the band’s earlier,more intimate performances with the challenges of connecting with massive crowds. “When you listen to something like Pompeii, you’re listening to the sound of a band that developed an amazing chemistry from playing relatively small venues night after night over a period of years. So they’d developed this intuitive chemistry. Then suddenly Dark Side of the Moon explodes and they go to…playing massive arenas and massive stadiums, and I actually feel sometimes they’re not enjoying it. They’re still playing amazing, don’t get me wrong, but can hear the frustration, you can hear the sense of disconnect, that, of course, Roger [Waters] would famously channel into creating The Wall, that sense of alienation he felt from the audience.”
The bootleg features early previews of three tracks that would ultimately appear on Wish You Were Here – “Have a Cigar” and the two-part “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.” it also includes performances of “raving and Drooling,” which evolved into “Sheep” on the subsequent Animals album, and “You Gotta Be Crazy,” which became “Dogs.” While earlier recordings of the latter two songs from a November 1974 show in London were included in a 2011 reissue,Wilson believes the Los Angeles renditions possess a unique energy.
“I do think they’re superior,” Wilson stated. “These versions are more feisty. What’s fascinating is they’re still trying to be, at this point at least – and I don’t think it really changes until the Animals tour – a kind of exploratory, improvisational band. Those pieces…are still very loose. They’re still quite extended. There’s still quite a lot of what you might call the ‘psychedelic’ spirit.”
He observed a growing disconnect between the band’s experimental tendencies and the expectations of a larger audience. “It’s fascinating to hear them still trying to pull that off in front of an arena crowd. but I can hear the audience get impatient – I don’t mean literally, but when I listen to the recording I can feel the sense of impatience the audience is having with t
Simon armitage.Limited-edition merchandise is also available via PinkFloyd.com and at pop-up shops in Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Barcelona, and milan from December 12-15.
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