“Okay, I think we’re ready. I think WE’RE ready. I think we’re ready. This is a song called ‘Raving and Drooling I fell on his neck with a scream’. It’s a new one. I hope you’ll like it”. It is April 26th, 1975 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. Pink Floyd are embarking on their North American tour in support of their forthcoming release Wish You Were Here.
During that time frame, the band had achieved success with their magnum opus, Dark Side of the Moon released in 1973. There’s no denying the band’s follow-up has become one of their next crowning masterpieces which remains not just as powerful as it was originally released 50 years ago, but can still pack a punch like no other.
The themes behind their ninth album, originally released on the Columbia label in the states and on Harvest in the UK, tackles alienation, disillusion, the corruption of the music industry, struggling with fame, the rough details living in the modern world, and their co-founder Syd Barrett. This was at the time that Floyd was exhausted from touring and trying to come up with ideas for the next album after Dark Side.
But what they put out was something unique, something extraordinary, and something wonderful that is talked about many years later. And it was also Roger Waters creative genius in the mid-70s as the conceptual leader during the recording sessions. He would later tackle those themes later on between the Orwellian universe with Animals, and isolation with The Wall in 1979 before his departure with the band in 1985.
You can feel the tension cut with a knife as the synths, David Gilmour’s vocals, and its futuristic greed with a dystopian atmosphere, singing “Welcome my son, Welcome to the machine. Where have you been? It’s alright now we’ve know where you’ve been”. It’s still relevant from its original release and to this day of what’s happening right now in 2025, into 2026.
That and this incredible reissue entitle Wish You Were Here 50, is a magnifying look at the band’s work for fans to delve into that era once more. It’s one of the albums along with Dark Side of the Moon, refuses to die. Not only there’s three of the tracks that originally appeared in the 2011 Immersion and Experience edition tracks; one of which includes the Tangerine Dream-like moody ‘Wine Glasses’ from the Household Objects sessions, the alternate version of ‘Have a Cigar’ with David and Roger singing, and the title-track with Stephane Grappelli’s wonderful violin work that he lays down.
We have an early instrumental version of ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ with Nick’s laid-back drumming, Roger’s bass, and Rick’s organ work. You can hear David’s bluesy-like improvisation in the background in the mix, but giving Nick and Rick a chance to get into their soulful techniques with the arrangements, makes it all worth exploring.
There’s something church-like on this rough mix, but everything organized to the core where the band makes absolutely sure they keep the beat flowing and seeing where the direction they were about to embark on in their uplifting tribute to their fellow comrade. On the two pieces of the work-in-progress with ‘Welcome to the Machine’, known as ‘The Machine Song’ we have the VCS3 having this pulsating beat with this ghostly-like vocals from Roger setting up his home demo with its ominous arrangement, singing with an acoustic guitar.
Then, a re-visit of the demo, showing how Rick can take his keyboards into this nightmarish world of the music business and its cruel tricks they can play on you. It’s really important that Rick deserves the recognition he truly deserves. Not only as a band member, but the heart behind the band’s music and its sound.
And of course, the 25-minute take of a new stereo mix done by James Guthrie, who had done the 2018 mix of Animals, of ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ adds in the sadness, the beauty, connecting the two pieces as one, unifying, hearing the vocals of David, Roger, and Rick in its wonder and creative way. What Guthrie has done, and he has been with the Floyd as a producer and engineer since 1978, is capturing the beauty and reconstruction of the epic in all of its amazement that never backs down without a fight.
Now, we come to the crème de la crème. Next up, is the first official release of a bootleg of the band’s performance at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on April 26th, 1975. Recorded by Mike Millard, known as Mike the Mic, had recorded shows alongside Floyd, but Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Jethro Tull, Joni Mitchell, Alice Cooper, David Bowie, Rush, and Yes, he made quality live recordings and did it an unusual way.
According to the YouTube documentary, Juicy Sonic Magic: The Mike Millard Method that The National put out six years ago, Jim Reinstein, who was Mike’s friend and co-conspirator calls it, the Wheelchair-era. “It started out of necessity”. He said, “Getting a Nakamichi 550 and all of these microphones in, can’t just put down your pants and walk in. He would smuggle a deck into a hollowed-out wheelchair cushion. And I would push Mike in with the wheelchair. This started in March of 1975”.
The security would check the bag, it would be underwear, so that they wouldn’t check too much in the bag a lot. Of all things! “I would push him in, we would go in right up to the aisle, next to our seats. I would put the wheelchair out to the side, and then Mike would start immediately wiring everything up”. What Mike did was he put the mics in his hat, because that way you have direct lines to the speakers.
Once the lights dim down, audience cheer and stand up, and so would Mike. I can remember hearing this live recording back, and I might be wrong, was on Brain Damage – The Definitive Pink Floyd Radio Show podcast many years ago when I was in college during the iPod-era. So, for Millard’s live show, capturing the Floyd’s best, and remastered by Steven Wilson, gives you the front-row seat of seeing the Floyd at their best.
And hearing the live recording again, even though I wasn’t there at the time, gives you a terrific ear-listening and imaginative eye-opening experience of how Pink Floyd were amazing. From the roller-coaster ride eruption of the two tracks which would later be revision as ‘Sheep’ and ‘Dogs’ from their 1977 Animals album; ‘Raving and Drooling’, the question of being famous and the price that comes with it on ‘You Got to Be Crazy’, you can feel the audience are cheering them on when it comes to the tribute to Syd Barrett on ‘Shine On’ in parts one through five, then erupting with a cannon blast with Gilmour’s powder-kegging riffs in ‘Have a Cigar’ then segueing for the closer on six through nine on ‘Shine On’.
Before they took a break, Roger goes on this rant saying “We’re going to come back and do another set. When we do, I’d appreciate if you people in the yellow shirt stop fucking wandering about in front of the stage nagging the fucking shit out of me. Why don’t you just sit down somewhere and enjoy the show if you can. Leave everybody alone. Everything will be all right”.
What was going on during their five-night run at the Sports Arena in April of that year, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested about 511 fans for marijuana possession, which caused controversy over what the police were doing over their tactics as Arena General Manager Jim Hardy criticised the L.A.P.D. for what they were doing as Police Chief Davis labeled the venue, a “pot festival”.
The next set is the band tackling Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. Even though the band maybe exhausted after the first act, the second act of the performance is where things get really good. There’s an incredible version of ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’ with Venetta Fields & Carlena Williams (The Blackberries) handling backing vocals in their soulful-like church arrangements, tipping their hat to Clare Torry.
But when they do ‘Money’ with Dick Parry, leading the way on his sax improvisation, the good gets even better for its sing-along lyrical textures about greed, living the high-life and capitalism. And then, it’s a funky-like heaven for the Floyd tackling an 8-minute improv on ‘Any Colour You Like’. Talk about Prog at its finest with its delicious aroma, waiting to be served in the dining room table.
After Dark Side, the band comes back for an encore with a fan-favourite from their early years from the Meddle album, the 22-minute epic of all epics, ‘Echoes’. The Floyd themselves had accomplished their goal between the live recording you have in your hand and they weren’t just an incredible progressive rock band; they were the band that were philosophical and unique in their own way to capture the vision and the sonic alchemy that is brought to their listeners.
