By Joseph Christ
After years of
anticipation, Pink Floyd has finally opened up their archives to the public. On
September 27th, 2011, the band launched their “Why Pink Floyd?”
campaign. This entails a planned re-release of all 14 of their original studio albums
remastered from the original analog tapes by long time engineer for the band,
James Guthrie. The albums Dark Side of
the Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall are to be made available in
various special editions, featuring a plethora of previously unreleased audio
and video material.
The 2-disc Wish You
Were Here: Experience Edition, released on November
8th, 2011, seems the most exciting of the titles
released thus far. The first disc contains the original mix of Pink Floyd's
1975 album that we all know and love, remastered in 2011 by James Guthrie.
Critics appear to unanimously agree that this remaster is the best-sounding to
date. Yet, I must say I tend to favor the original 1983 CBS issue, which, to
me, sounds less compressed and much more dynamic. The 2011 remaster, however,
does appear to have a bit more color and detail.
Wish You Were Here originally released September 12th, 1975.
What caught my
attention more than anything was the inclusion of three bonus tracks on the
second disc that were recorded on November 15th, 1974 at the Empire Pool in
Wembley, London. These tracks include early work-in-progress versions of the
songs “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-6),” “Sheep” and “Dogs.” The latter
two were originally titled “Raving and Drooling” and “You Gotta Be Crazy,” and
were later released on the Animals
album.
Animals originally released January 23rd, 1977.
This early version of
“Shine On You Crazy Diamond” is very similar to the final track that ended up
on the actual Wish You Were Here
album. The only real significant differences are that there are no female
vocals to accompany David Gilmour and Richard Wright's vocals on the chorus of
the song. When listening to the track, they seem to get by without the soulful
harmonies of Venetta Fields and Carlena Williams, but it is apparent that
something crucial is indeed missing. The other major difference is the notable
absence of the saxophone solo, to be made famous later by friend of the band,
Dick Perry. In retrospect, I find the find this early version of “Shine On You
Crazy Diamond” to be a fascinating insight into how the band rehearsed and developed
new material in a live setting while on tour.
Pink Floyd in 1974.
The remainder of the
live tracks, “Raving and Drooling” and “You Gotta Be Crazy,” were written and
conceived during the tours of 1974 and 1975, but were in fact saved for the Animals album, later released in 1977.
The discovery of these tracks in the archives is one of the most profound
discoveries to date in the Pink Floyd camp, as these are the only live
recordings that exist from this period of the band's career. Upon listening to
these two tracks, it is immediately apparent that these are definitely
“in-progress” pieces of work. They are vastly different from the songs that
appeared on the final album.
“Raving and Drooling”
is mostly an instrumental piece with lyrics that, in comparison to “Sheep,”
leave a bit to be desired. In my opinion, this track is the one of the weaker
unreleased tracks. One thing that is nice about it, though, is the prominence
of Richard Wright's keyboard work, something that seems to fall by the wayside
oftentimes in Pink Floyd recordings.
Richard Wright on keyboard in the 1970s.
“You Gotta Be Crazy”
is relatively faithful to the version of “Dogs” that appeared on the final
album. The lyrics are very similar, in a sense. The melody and structure of the
song are also similar as well. The lyrics come off a bit faster and with a bit
more contempt, which David Gilmour seems to deliver with more venom than on the
final studio version. My favorite thing about this work-in-progress is the
inclusion of the line, “Gotta keep everyone buying this shit,” which, to me,
signifies the beginning of lyricist Roger Waters' disenchantment with being in
a rock and roll band, and the beginning of his best era of songwriting.
Roger Waters in the 1970s: the look of pure inspiration.
The other tracks on
the disc of bonus material are outtakes from the “Wish You Were Here” recording
sessions in 1975. Included is a rough version of “Have a Cigar,” featuring Roger
Waters handling lead vocals instead of Roy Harper, and an alternate guitar solo
by David Gilmour. After my initial listen, I immediately thought to myself,
“Why didn't they keep this for the final album?” I simply love this alternate
take. I think it’s safe to say that I strongly prefer this version to Roy
Harper's, which appears on the final album. Call it blasphemy if you will, but
to me it just sounds much more like Pink Floyd.
Other gems on this
disc are the “Wine Glasses” track from the infamous “Household Objects”
sessions and an alternate version of the title track “Wish You Were Here,”
featuring Stephane Grappelli on violin. The abandoned “Household Objects” track
is mostly forgettable to anyone but the most ardent Pink Floyd fan. However,
the alternate version of “Wish You Were Here” is a gem. Thought to be lost for
over 35 years, the tape was found by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason. It features
a violin coda by Django Reinhardt's violinist, Stephane Grappelli, and it adds
a lovely touch to the song, which made me think yet again, “Why didn't they
keep this for the final album?” For whatever reason they chose not to include
it, the original album is still a masterpiece, and finally having these
alternate and live tracks after all these years should be enough of a blessing to
satisfy even the most hungry Pink Floyd fan. Even if you already have the
original Wish You Were Here album, I recommend purchasing this release just
for the bonus tracks.
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