Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)
From Pink Floyd
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Song Name: Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. I-V)
Artist: Pink Floyd
Album: Wish You Were Here, Shine On
Run Time: 13:30
Year: 1975
Track Number: 1
Sung By: Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright
Written By: Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright
Info:
- The song was intended to be a side-long composition like "Atom Heart Mother" and "Echoes," but the song grew longer than a single side of vinyl would allow. It was split into two and bookends the album. Both parts make up the longest Pink Floyd song ever recorded.
- Part I (Wright, Waters, Gilmour; from :00 – 3:55) begins with the fading-in of a dense synthesizer pad created with EMS VCS 3, an ARP Solina, a Hammond organ and the sound of wet fingers running around the rims of wine glasses filled with various amounts of water (recycled from an earlier project known as Household Objects). This is followed by plaintive Minimoog passages and a lengthy guitar solo played by David Gilmour on a Fender Stratocaster (neck and middle pickups) using a slightly overdriven sound and reverb. The part ends with the synth pad fading into the background.
- Part II (Gilmour, Waters, Wright; from 3:55 – 6:28) begins with a four-note theme (B-flat, F, G (a minor third below the B-flat), E) repeated throughout much of the entire section. This part includes a second solo by Gilmour. Nick Mason starts his drumming after the fourth runthrough of the four note theme. This theme is sometimes referred to as Syd's Theme.
- Part III (Waters, Gilmour, Wright; from 6:29 – 8:43) begins with a Minimoog synthesizer solo by Richard Wright. This part includes a third Gilmour guitar solo which was bluesy in tone. When performed on the Animals tour, Gilmour added distortion to the guitar for this solo.
- Part IV (Gilmour, Wright, Waters; from 8:44 – 11:10) Roger Waters is on lead vocals and David Gilmour, Richard Wright and female backing vocalists on harmonies.
- Part V (Waters, from 11:11 – 13:34) has 2 guitars repeating a riff for about 1 minute. A baritone saxophone overlays the sounds, played by Dick Parry. It ends as the saxophones change from a baritone saxophone to a tenor saxophone. After, a time signature switch from 6/8 to common time (4/4) gives the appearance that the the tempo speeds up the saxophone, and eventually drops the guitar and drums and opens to a tenor saxophone solo accompanied by an ARP string synthesizer keyboard sound and an arpeggio guitar riff that fades into the background. A machine-like hum fades in and segues into "Welcome to the Machine".
- In a famous anecdote, a heavyset man with a completely shaved head and eyebrows wandered into the studio while the band was recording "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", although Nick Mason has since stated that he's not entirely certain whether this was the particular song being recorded when the man was in the studio. The band could not recognise him for some time, when suddenly one of them realised it was Syd Barrett. At that time, Barrett had gained a lot of weight and had shaved off all of his hair, including his eyebrows, and his ex-bandmates did not at first recognize him. Eventually, they realized who he was and Roger was so distressed he was reduced to tears. Someone asked to play the song again and Barrett said a second playback wasn't needed when they'd just heard it. Apparently, "Wish You Were Here" was also played, and when asked what he thought, Barrett said it sounded a "bit old". He was greeted enthusiastically by the band but subsequently slipped away during the impromptu party for David Gilmour's wedding (which was, coincidentally, also on that day). It was the last time any of the other band members saw him. Gilmour recently confirmed this story, although he could not recall which song they were working on when Syd showed up.
- In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts I–V" at number 25 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.
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