Pink Floyd’s album Wish You Were Here was released in 1975, and listening to it today, it sounds like the soundtrack for these times. At the end of 2025, it was given a big box archival release, and the quality of this new reissue is commensurate with the importance of the album.
The release came two years after the group’s monumental Dark Side of the Moon. Following up on that album was nearly impossible, but Wish You Were Here is a strong record. While Dark Side of the Moon reflected a variety of emotions and themes that tackled growing old, dying, the passing of time, greed, a world out of control due to rapid advances in technology, and so much more, Wish You Were Here, while still touching on some of these themes, was very different.
The central theme of the album was very much about loss. It was about loss of innocence, a planet out of control and, on a very personal level for the group, the loss of their original guiding light, Syd Barrett, who left the band due to severe mental problems from drug abuse while they were making only their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets in 1968, with original members Roger Waters, Rick Wright, and Nick Mason joined by new guitarist David Gilmour. And, strangely enough, Barrett made a surprise appearance in the studio one day while the group was making the album.
There is an unsettling, eerie, almost post-apocalyptic feel to the music. The music is filled with longing, regret, and sadness. While delving even further into the use of synthesizers, there is also beautiful acoustic guitar work by Gilmour, as well as subtle jazzy touches. In fact, it is the subtleties and jazz tinges that are more pronounced on this new remaster of the album, particularly on the vinyl records.
The lushness of the music is more pronounced, and this softness is quite inviting. Instead of a tone of omnipotence, which would not have been out of character for a group at such a commercial peak, there is a vulnerability to the music and lyrics that is endearing and part of why the album packs such an emotional wallop, means so much to people, and has stood the test of time.
The album has been reissued multiple times over the years and received the deluxe box treatment in 2011 as part of the Immersion series of releases from Pink Floyd. That reissue did not include any vinyl, and some of the material on that box is duplicated here. Anyone who already has that box and is a serious Pink Floyd fan will also want to have this box.
That box included two CDs, two DVDs, and one Blu-ray. It also came with a plethora of additional materials. This new box set comes with 2 CDs, 4 LPs, and a Blu-ray disc. It is the vinyl content that will be most attractive to fans. The four LPs are all pressed on 180-gram clear vinyl, ensuring the best sound quality. They include a replica of the original album jacket and art, except for the outer plastic wrapping.
There are also additional albums featuring alternate versions, different takes, instrumentals, demos, a version of the title cut featuring the legendary jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli, and a new stereo mix of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” spread across two albums. The fourth album features “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” and “You’ve Got To Be Crazy” recorded live at Wembley in 1974. One additional vinyl item is a replica Japanese 7″ single of “Have A Cigar/Welcome To The Machine.” The sound quality on these vinyl albums, unsurprisingly, is superb.
The two CDs include 14 of the 15 tracks contained on the four vinyl albums. Six tracks that appear on both the CDs and vinyl albums have never been officially released before.
After the vinyl albums, Floyd fans will also thoroughly enjoy the contents of the Blu-ray. The original album is presented in a new 2025 Dolby Atmos Mix by James Guthrie, as well as the 2011 5.1 Surround Sound mix, the original 1975 stereo mix, and the 1975 4.0 SQ Quadrophonic mix. The nine bonus tracks are in stereo, as are the 16 live performances recorded at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in 1975, initially captured by bootlegger Mike Millard and subsequently restored and remastered by Steven Wilson.
As for visual material, there are three “screen films” and, from 2000, a Storm Thorgerson short film that combines live-action and animation with mashed-up music from the album. Pink Floyd has consistently taken full advantage of recording advances, releasing their music in the latest audio formats and presenting it visually, perhaps better than any rock group in history.
While not as chock-full of goodies as the Immersion box, the extras here are more functional and welcome. The hardcover book is beautifully produced and is heavy on visuals, but offers very little in the way of text, which is in keeping with the group’s preference to let their audio and visual presentation of their music speak for itself. Additionally, there is a comic book-styled tour programme, similar to an album by The Who, entitled Tales From The Who. There is also a huge concert poster from their 1975 Knebworth show. Everything is contained in a sturdy slipcase box. There are also CD, vinyl, and Blu-ray releases of this reissue, which offer a more comprehensive sampling of the music on the box.
This bespoke celebration of Wish You Were Here is an exceptional release and easily one of the best box sets of 2025. Additionally, both Roger Waters and David Gilmour have new concert releases that demonstrate their continued musical relevance.
David Gilmour’s Live at the Circus Maximus chronicles the handful of shows he did in the fall of 2025 in Rome, London, Brighton, Los Angeles, and New York. This was only the fifth ever David Gilmour solo tour. The focus of the shows was the music of his excellent 2024 fifth solo album, Luck and Strange.
The two-disc Blu-ray set includes one disc featuring the Rome concert film and a second disc containing audio from all the concerts, as well as two hours of bonus video content. Gilmour proves yet again that he is one of the most captivating guitarists in rock history. The album was very much a family affair, as his wife, Polly Samson, wrote the lyrics, and his children, Romany and Gabriel, sang on several tracks. Some of the other key members of the live band include Guy Pratt and Greg Phillinganes. Romany is also one of the featured performers at the concert performances.
The bonus content is extensive and includes four documentaries, nine music videos, and four songs from the Luck and Strange tour rehearsals, all in stereo. The concert material is available in stereo, 5.1 Surround Sound, and Dolby Atmos. The package includes a set of stickers and a 24-page color booklet. There are several other format releases for this concert video. Like previous Gilmour live videos, this is breathtaking.
While both David Gilmour’s and Roger Waters’ recent video releases are exceptional, the contrast in tone and material is striking, with a few notable exceptions. Waters’ latest, This Is Not A Drill, was filmed at the 02 Arena in Prague in 2023. It is a single Blu-ray release that comes with an 8-page booklet. There are two bonus videos, and the concert is presented in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 (Dolby TrueHD), and uncompressed LPCM Stereo. Like the Gilmour video, there are several other format releases to choose from.
While Gilmour presents a show that is very personal and intimate, despite the sometime grand settings, involves his family and reflects an artist happy and at peace, Roger Waters is very much still raging at the machine (and who can blame him) and seamlessly makes his point by perfectly dipping generously into the Pink Floyd catalog from 1973 on, along with including solo material.
Like Gilmour, Waters has an exceptional backing band. Dave Kilminster and Jonathan Wilson make up a formidable twin-guitar attack, Jon Carin has played with Waters and even Pink Floyd, and has been a key player, to name three musicians here. This band strikes the perfect tone between being faithful to classic Pink Floyd material while giving the music just enough of a new slant to keep it fresh.
The music has a very organic feel, and even during the more expansive and grandiose musical moments, things never come across as overblown. This is an incredibly theatrical and political show. Many of the themes that Waters explored in Pink Floyd are, unfortunately, still relevant, including war, injustice, oppression, corrupt governments, and other pressing issues. Waters often comes under fire for his politics, but in many cases, he is simply making people uncomfortable because he forces them to face hard truths. This two-and-a-half-hour concert film is occasionally a gut-wrenching experience, both emotionally and chilling. It is one of the most moving concert film experiences that has been made in years.
It’s interesting to note how both Gilmour and Waters make various European locations central to the setting of these two recent works. In fact, both have had recent projects set in a European locale, and recent Pink Floyd reissues have also featured a European backdrop.
The Pink Floyd camp continues to release some of the best archival releases of any artists from the 1960s or 1970s, while all three surviving members continue to record and tour with excellent results.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
A+
David Gilmour, Live at the Circus Maximus
A+
Roger Waters, This Is Not A Drill – Live From Prague
A+
