Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here, Immersion Box Set

14 December 2011

by Benn Laidlow

“Gotta keep everyone buying this shit.”

So sings Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour to a packed crowd at Wembley in 1974. Thirty-seven years later, the fact this this track is included in a massive and overly-indulgent box set reissue of Wish You Were Here is more than a little tongue-in-cheek. The fact of the matter is that Pink Floyd fans will indeed buy this, but in doing so will be provided with as many questions as answers.

Where are all the demos? Why are there no documentaries or interviews with the band members? Why are half the tracks on the live CD from the follow-up album Animals? And what's the point of the marbles?

Personally, I believe the best box sets are those that meticulously dissect the original material and neatly present it back to the listener in the most logical and orderly manner possible. The scholarly approach. This is not that kind of reissue. Here instead you have translucent spheres, Blurays, CDs, DVDs, scarves, monogrammed coasters and lavish booklets. And I suppose that's kind of the point: it's supposed to be confusing and inscrutable. The band have no desire to explain or clarify such an ubiquitous, enigmatic and open-ended work. And for everything that frustrates me about this package, there is something else that keeps me equally compelled by it.

For example, an alternative version of wish you were here is included with a virtuosic solo from jazz violinist Stephane Grapelli replacing the now-famous blues lines from the original, and it must be said that Grapelli absolutely mops the floor with Gilmour. One wonders how much of his soloing was directed by the band, and how much off it was just off-the-cuff genius. Either way, it's amazing, enlightening, weird, and forces you to reconsider the original material in a new light. In short, it's everything a bonus track should be.

On the other hand, the original version of Have A Cigar is included with Waters and Gilmour singing in discordant and eerie harmony with each other. Floyd fans have long wondered why Roy Harper sang this number on the record, the official story being that neither singer could quite tackle it. The version presented here proves that to be quite correct, and although it is historically important, and quite avant-garde in composition, the bottom line is that it sounds terrible, and that's why it was left off the original album.

The Marbles: okay, we get the pun: don't lose them. Which is why a black velvet pouch is included here. Surprising this kind of gimmickry works on an aesthetical level; the actual objects themselves are fascinating and unique. Though I wonder why there are only three of them when the liner notes insist that the band tried to lace the album with a myriad of references to the number four.Perhaps this is nitpicking.

The DVD and Bluray: clearly one of these objects is redundant, and it is hard to say which one but I guess they earn points here for trying to be all things to all people. While listening to the surround sound mix, an aeroplane flew over my house. I had to turn down the album to work out if it was real or if I was hearing things. And I guess that, in a nutshell, is why people listen to Pink Floyd.

The box: it is so large, there is actually a disclaimer saying that this object is not a toy and should not be given to anyone under 12. I found this kind of funny. The whole package is a little on the large side, but most Pink Floyd fans will have space on their shelves for LPs so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Just be aware that if you get all three Immersion albums, you will need a lot of display space just to house them all. And just think how many regular LPs that would equate to....

With a price tag of around $200, this isn't going to win any new Pink Floyd fans, but it certainly won't deter any long-term ones either. And despite all my reservations and grumblings about these box sets, you can be sure that when the reissue of The Wall arrives next year I will be first in line to buy some more of 'this shit'.