Harder work than almost any album we ever did': Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here turns 50

"By almost every measure, from commercial reward to creative reach, Pink Floyd scaled its peak on Dark Side of the Moon. But, when I asked drummer Nick Mason how he would rank the album in their catalogue, he slotted it below the set that came next, Wish You Were Here. Speaking of Dark Side, he said, the idea of it is almost more attractive than the individual songs on it."

"The set not only features the obligatory remixed versions of all the songs from original album but also revealing demos, significantly altered versions of key tracks, and formative live recordings from the tour that led up to its creation. For Mason, the best part of the set is the chance to listen to it from front to back in its vinyl version. I had lost that thing of sitting down and listening to an entire album properly, he said."

Dark Side of the Moon achieved peak commercial success and creative reach, yet Wish You Were Here is valued more for its expansive atmosphere and cohesive space. The 50th‑anniversary box set includes remixed album tracks, revealing demos, significantly altered versions, and formative live recordings from the preceding tour. Vinyl listening restores the experience of playing an album front to back and highlights the recording quality. Meticulous engineering at Abbey Road contributed to sonic clarity. The album's coherence was surprising given protracted false starts during its creation.

Read at www.theguardian.com