There’s something for the rock fan in your life this holiday season. Pink Floyd are releasing a 50th-anniversary edition of their genre-defining eighth studio album, Wish You Were Here, on December 12. The album will be available in several formats: 3LP, 2CD, Blu-ray, digital, and a deluxe box set.
The anniversary set features multiple discs with rarities, including six previously unreleased alternate versions and demos that accompany the original album. The 3LP and 2CD formats include the original album plus the nine studio bonus tracks.
The digital version includes the album with a new Dolby Atmos mix by James Guthrie, who has worked with the band since The Wall in 1979. It also contains 25 bonus tracks — nine studio rarities and 16 live recordings, officially released for the first time. They are captured by renowned taper and bootlegger Mike Millard at the band’s April 26, 1975 concert at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, and have been fully restored and remastered by Steven Wilson.
Meanwhile, the Blu-ray edition adds three concert films from the 1975 tour, along with a short film by Storm Thorgerson, the artist behind many of the band’s iconic album covers.
The Deluxe Box Set, on the other hand, contains all of the above, plus an additional clear vinyl LP of Live at Wembley 1974 and a replica Japanese 7” single of Have a Cigar b/w Welcome to the Machine. Also included is a hardcover book with never-before-seen photographs, a comic book tour program, and a replica Knebworth concert poster.
Since its original release, the album has consistently appeared on greatest-albums lists over the years. It was also the band’s fastest-selling album at the time and marked their first LP to reach number one on both the U.S. and U.K. charts.
To mark the announcement, the previously unreleased demo of “Welcome to the Machine,” titled “The Machine Song,” has been released. Listen to the track below: