Here’s a full breakdown of what we know so far about Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here 50 — the 50th-anniversary reissue announced in September 2025 — including what the early demo of “Welcome to the Machine” reveals, all the formats, track-lists, rarities, live recordings, and extras. (If you want I can also pull up reactions or how this compares with previous reissues.)
What is
Wish You Were Here 50
- The reissue is being released on December 12, 2025 by Sony Music.
- It marks 50 years since the original album first came out (September 12, 1975 in the UK).
- It will be available in several formats: 3×LP vinyl, 2×CD, Blu-ray, digital, and a Deluxe Box Set.
What is New / Rarities & Demos
These are among the key new or special tracks in this edition:
- “The Machine Song (Demo #2, Revisited)” – an early demo of “Welcome to the Machine” (originally the song was called “The Machine Song”). This version is shorter than the final album version.
- “The Machine Song (Roger’s Demo)” – apparently the home demo brought by Roger Waters before the band worked on it together.
- An instrumental mix of “Wish You Were Here” that highlights David Gilmour’s pedal-steel guitar work.
- A new stereo mix of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 1-9)” putting together both halves (on the original album it is split into Part 1-5 and Part 6-9).
- Other alternate takes and versions:
- Wish You Were Here (Take 1)
- Wish You Were Here (Pedal Steel Instrumental Mix)
- Have a Cigar (Alternate Version)
- Wish You Were Here [feat. Stéphane Grappelli] – there’s a version that includes the violin part by jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli.
- A track called “Wine Glasses”, an early idea from the “Household Objects” experiments (using wine glasses, etc.).
Live Material & Other Audio
Beyond studio rarities:
- A 16-song live recording from Los Angeles Sports Arena, April 26, 1975, recorded by Mike Millard. This has been a popular bootleg but is now officially released, restored and remastered by Steven Wilson.
- Blu-ray includes concert screen films from the 1975 tour, plus a short film by Storm Thorgerson.
Audio / Mixes / Technical Upgrades
- The original album in this collection gets a new Dolby Atmos mix by James Guthrie, who has worked with Pink Floyd before.
- Other mix formats include stereo, quadraphonic, older surround (5.1) formats where applicable.
Formats & Extras in the Box Set
The Deluxe Box Set is especially loaded. Some of its contents:
- Clear vinyl LPs (the ones with special colour / clear vinyl for the 3LP and LP extras)
- A fourth clear vinyl LP: Live at Wembley 1974 (Empire Pool, London), exclusive to the box.
- A replica Japanese 7-inch single with Have a Cigar b/w Welcome to the Machine.
- A hardcover book of unseen photos from the period.
- A comic-book style tour programme.
- A poster (Knebworth concert poster).
Track Listing Snapshot
Here’s a rough look at how the tracks are organized, particularly in digital / Blu-ray / box sets: the original five tracks of Wish You Were Here (i.e. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts.1-5), Welcome to the Machine, Have a Cigar, Wish You Were Here, Shine On… (Pts.6-9)) followed by the bonus tracks: studio rarities, demos, alternate mixes, then the live bootleg tracks.
What the Demo of “Welcome to the Machine” Tells Us
- The early demo “The Machine Song (Demo #2, Revisited)” is shorter, which suggests that earlier stages of the song were more concise or less elaborated.
- There is also Roger’s demo version, which gives insight into the song’s genesis: how the track might have sounded before the heavier production effects, before all the synthesiser layers and studio polish.
These demos allow fans to trace how the song evolved: composition, arrangement, studio effect layering, etc. For a track like “Welcome to the Machine”, known for its ominous synths, tape manipulation and atmospheric build, hearing a more raw/demo version is especially illuminating.
Why This Matters
- Wish You Were Here is one of Pink Floyd’s most iconic albums, often regarded as a counterpoint to The Dark Side of the Moon, dealing with themes of absence, disillusionment, fame, and mental health (especially in relation to Syd Barrett).
- The reissue is not just a re-packaging; the presence of multiple unheard tracks, new mixes (especially Atmos), restored live material, etc., makes this a fairly definitive archival edition.
- It also ties in with the visual side: cover art, the photographic aspect, films, the Hipgnosis legacy (Storm Thorgerson, Aubrey Powell) especially given how the cover of Wish You Were Here is so iconic (the man on fire etc.).
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