rock music

AN unreleased track by rock legends Queen that “no one has ever heard” will be played publicly for the first time today.

Guitarist Sir Brian May, 78, will broadcast Not For Sale (Polar Bear) on radio station Planet Rock.

It was originally recorded during the sessions for the band’s 1974 album, Queen II, but did not make the final cut.

This remastered version will feature in the 2026 re­release of the album.

While a “bootleg” version of the song by May’s pre-Queen band Smile may already have circulated, he says “no one” has heard this version.

It will be played during Sir Brian’s Planet Rock Christmas Special at 6pm — featuring his favourite seasonal tracks.

He said: “It’s a song that goes back a very long way, but to my knowledge no one has ever heard this version.

“It’s a work in progress and will appear on the forthcoming rebuild of the Queen II album.

“But I’m sneaking this into my Planet Rock special because I’m fascinated to know what people think about it.”     

Formed in the 1970s, Queen was made up of guitarist Sir Brian, drummer Roger Taylor, late frontman Freddie Mercury and bassist John Deacon.

The group has since had six UK number one singles and 10 UK number one albums with some of their best known songs including Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, and We Are The Champions.

IT was the year when those noisy Mancunian brothers brought the Britpop Nineties back to packed stadiums everywhere.

It was the year when Pulp made a charming first album in 24 years, with Jarvis Cocker singing about getting older with a wry smile on his face.

But I contest that one band from the era has been the most forward-facing, the most creative and the most kick-ass – Suede.

Which is why their vibrant, visceral, unflinching and wildly adventurous Antidepressants is our Album Of The Year.

Back in September to mark its release, frontman Brett Anderson told me: “We’ve fallen in love with being a rock band again.” And this week I caught up with him again to impart some good news . . . 

Congratulations! Antidepressants is the SFTW Album Of The Year. Does that make you happy?

Thank you. Very!

In all the years of Suede, where does 2025 rank?

Right up there. Somewhere between 2024 and 2026.

What have been the highlights of the year for you?

The South Bank takeover gigs in September were great – playing those new songs live for the first time was special.

I particularly enjoyed the Clore Ballroom show where we just did post-reformation stuff.

I thought that was an exciting and fairly unique thing to do for a band of our generation.

Also, I just love the South Bank. Walking over the footbridge from Embankment tube and looking at the skyline always gives me a sense of awe, a feeling of London being this big, beautiful, living thing.

Which of the new songs have you enjoyed singing live the most?

June Rain has a nice dynamic and slow sense of build which works great live. Plus the first half is spoken-word so I get to sit down a bit.

I personally think the album’s opening song Disintegrate should be the Christmas No.1 . . . do you agree?

Ha! Yes, love it. A kind of resolutely unseasonal Christmas song full of dread and fear.

Which album, aside from Suede’s, has been your favourite this year and why?

I liked Sprints’ All That Is Over. It was sharp and shouty and brainy and brash. (Sprints are an Irish garage punk band).

You told me that Suede are “the anti-nostalgia band”. What keeps you facing forwards rather than reflecting on the past (unlike some of your peers)?

Hmmm, huge question. I’ve always thought the point of any artist was to create rather than to repeat and consolidate.

That search for the next great song, the next great album, the next great moment has always been the carrot I’ve chased.

I come from a fiscally poor but culturally rich family background. My mum was an artist and a dressmaker and my dad was a classical music-obsessed taxi driver who made our furniture.

When I was a kid, we didn’t have any money, so if you wanted something you made it yourself.

I’m much less interested in what I wrote 30 years ago than in what I’m going to write next.

Have you started work on the third album of Suede’s “black and white” trilogy, following Autofiction and Antidepressants?

Yes, we’ve written a handful of songs already. I want it to be harder and more extreme than Antidepressants, a relentless onslaught, incessant and uncompromising and very rhythmic.

I already have a title which I’m keeping secret.

You also spoke to me of the importance of family relationships. Does that mean Christmas is a special time for you?

My family and my band are of course so, so important to me and in many ways they feed into each other. It’s hard to write about family without coming across as schmaltzy but luckily I can find the cloud in any silver lining.

Among my favourite songs I’ve ever written are Life Is Golden and She Still Leads Me On which have both been inspired by fatherhood and family.

And yes, Christmas is especially great when you have kids.

Happily though, now my son is older, there’s less pressure for me to dress up in a Santa suit.

What are your hopes for 2026 – for you, your family, the band, and for humankind?

For the band to write a great follow-up to Antidepressants and for humankind to stop scrolling. My hope for myself is always the same – to be a good husband and father.

2. ROSALIA

Lux

THE Spanish star known for her reinvention of ­folk and flamenco turned her attention to more bombastic, classical genres on this fourth album.

Backed by the London Symphony Orchestra it was a lavish production sung in a variety of languages. Bonkers but brilliant. JS 

People Watching

WITH its widescreen ambition, driving intensity and visceral lyrics, songs about “the human experience” couldn’t fail to draw comparisons with Fender’s “biggest hero”, Bruce Springsteen.

But it also marked the Geordie’s coming of age as a major artist in his own right. SC 

4. ROBERT PLANT with SUZI DIAN

Saving Grace

FOR six years, Led Zeppelin legend Plant has surrounded himself with acoustic musicians who live near his Worcestershire home, singer Dian among them.

Together, they gave us a ravishing mix of trad and contemporary covers. Rarely has he sounded so sublime. SC 

5. BIFFY CLYRO 

Futique 

A REFLECTIVE album shaped by friendship, family and loss, it captured Biffy Clyro at their most emotionally open.

Goodbye explored mental health, while A Thousand And One and Two People In Love delivered some of the most moving moments. JS 

6. MARGO PRICE 

Hard Headed Woman

FURTHER proof that Price tells it like it is. This was a stirring return to her country roots, following the trippy rock textures of Strays.

It drew comparisons with her beloved debut, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, but was inspired by another decade of life experience. SC 

7. TURNSTILE

Never Enough

THIS fourth album from the hardcore punks from Baltimore, known for their energetic live shows, crossed into the mainstream.

The title track had a catchy chorus and melodic guitar breaks while at its heart there was still an uncompromising mandate to rock out. JS 

8. THE DIVINE COMEDY

Rainy Sunday Afternoon

WE’VE long been intrigued by Neil Hannon – not just because he once wrote a song called Something For The Weekend.

These 11 tracks assumed a reflective tone, with love and loss prominent themes, and featured some of Hannon’s most sumptuous tunes. SC 

9. YUNGBLUD

Idols

THIS album sees Yungblud questioning hero worship and identity after a life-changing encounter with a fan.

Inspired by Britpop, it’s his most confident work yet, opening with a nine-minute rock opera and driven by limitless self-belief and ambition. JS 

10. LADY GAGA

Mayhem 

GAGA proved why we loved her in the first place, returning to her dance-pop roots.

She recalled the vibe of her 2008 debut The Fame yet delivered an album for the here and now.

It was marked out by strong singles Abracadabra and Disease. SC 

11. GEESE

Getting Killed

THIS was a case of do believe the hype. With mesmerising singer Cameron Winter at the helm, Brooklyn’s indie rock saviours might channel The Strokes, The Stones, or even Nirvana, but they’re too weird and original to be slaves to their influences.

On the brink of greatness. SC 

12. JACOB ALON

In Limerence

FEW debuts arrived so perfectly formed as this one featuring the tender storytelling of Scottish singer Alon.

With an impossibly pure voice which sat somewhere between Bon Iver and Thom Yorke, it was full of fragile hope.

Vulnerable and haunting ambient soundscapes. JS 

13. PULP

More

JARVIS and Co’s first album in 24 years was dedicated to dear departed bassist Steve Mackey – and it summoned the old mischief. “I am not ageing.

No, I’m just ripening,” cried the singer on Grown Ups, a song filled with lyrical twists and turns. SC 

14. CMAT

Euro-Country

WITH songs about Teslas and Jamie Oliver, there was a quirky, kitsch element to Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson’s third album.

It also plumbed deeper depths of emotional pain but was allied to soft pop melodies.

Issues tackled included social media and objectification. JS 

15. MATT BERNINGER

Get Sunk

TALL, elegant, blessed with a sumptuous baritone, The National’s frontman and lyricist is an, er, National treasure.

But he managed to save wonderfully evocative songs for his second solo outing, including the intoxicating ebb and flow of opener Inland Ocean. SC 

16. DAVE

The Boy Who Played The Harp

HIS first album in four years found Dave drawing on the power of his biblical namesake King David to explore vulnerability and masculinity.

With James Blake’s ghostly production on Selfish and Chapter 16 (ft. Kano), it struck a reflective mood. JS 

17. JASON ISBELL

Foxes In The Snow

THE Alabama-born artist recorded his latest offering without his ace band, the 400 Unit, but with an old acoustic guitar for company.

“This is the first time I’ve done an album with just me and a guitar,” he told SFTW of the exquisite, stripped-back song cycle. SC  

18. BILLY NOMATES 

Metalhorse 

METALHORSE emerged from a personal, tumultuous period for Tor Maries.

A loose concept album set in a dilapidated funfair it featured radio hit The Test, while Strange Gift offered hope.

Closing song Moon Explodes was especially moving, written after Maries’ MS diagnosis. JS 

19. BIG THIEF

Double Infinity

FEW vocalists could handle the word “incomprehensible” like Adrianne Lenker on this LP’s fuzzy joy of an opening track.

Though the indie darlings have contracted to a three piece, there was nothing shrinking about their fearless, exilharating sonic adventure .SC  

20. OLIVIA DEAN

The Art Of Loving

MELLOW and sumptuous, the second album from the stylish Londoner was smooth soul to relax into.

Tracks such as Nice To Each Other and Lady Lady were warm and all-enveloping, exploring affairs of the heart with a particular emphasis on self-care. JS 

21. LILY ALLEN

West End Girl

LILY’S fifth album, the first in seven years, was also her most vulnerable and intensely personal.

It came after her split from actor husband David Harbour and the songs laid it all out in heartbreakingly painful detail.

Infidelity and betrayal were constant themes. JS 

22. BON IVER

Sable, Fable

DIVIDED into two distinct halves, the first was an understated return to the folky stylings of Justin Vernon’s wintery debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago.

The second blossomed into more upbeat territory, primed for glorious spring sunshine. SC  

23. THE WATERBOYS

Life, Death And Dennis Hopper

MIKE Scott took us on a wild ride with this 25-track album celebrating “one of the great American lives”, actor and hellraiser Dennis Hopper.

He summoned a blizzard of musical styles and included cameos from Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle and Fiona Apple. SC  

24. AFRICA EXPRESS 

Bahidora 

EVEN before Blur completed their reunion gigs, Damon Albarn headed to the Mexican jungle with a dizzying array of 70-plus artists from four continents.

The result? A thrilling mash-up of African rhythms, electronic textures, Latin soul, rock, hip hop – everything! SC  

25. MAVIS STAPLES

Sad And Beautiful World

SHE bears one of the greatest living voices . . .  and it remained in towering form.

Well into her Eighties, Staples tackled our uncertain world with unerring compassion.

Guests included Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. SC  

26. BRANDI CARLILE

Returning To Myself 

THIS record found Brandi in an introspective, stripped-back mood after a landmark year.

Working with Aaron Dessner, Andrew Watt and Justin Vernon, the album reconnected her with loneliness, self-belief and politics, from the reflective title track to the powerful Church & State. JS  

27. WOLF ALICE

The Clearing

THE fourth album from the Brit award winners was a grandiose affair, a bold and confident leap forward.

Tracks like Bloom Baby Bloom incorporated all their strengths with bombastic choruses and lush melodies, showcasing Ellie Rowsell’s exceptional rock vocal range. JS 

28. STEREOLAB

Instant Holograms On Metal Film

A STRONG return after 15 years from the much-loved Anglo-French combo.

Led, as ever, by Tim Gane and Laetitia Sadier, the album revisited their distinctive blend of art-pop and motorik beats, really hitting the mark on the effervescent Electrified Teenybop! SC  

29. RICHARD ASHCROFT

Lovin’ You

ASHCROFT’S first album of new music since 2018 arrived after he supported Oasis on tour.

From the Joan Armatrading-sampled Lover to the title track, which sampled Mason Williams’ 1968 Classical Gas, it was a vocally focused, emotionally wide record. JS 

30. WET LEG

Moisturizer

MORPHING from duo to fully-fledged band, the follow-up to their debut album was still as oddball as ever, but it came with a tighter focus.

Tracks like Davina McCall and Jennifer’s Body were heartfelt, kooky love songs backed by ragged, punky basslines. JS  

31. SOMBR

I Barely Know Her

A SPECIAL debut full of heartbreak from the bedroom pop star who quit school to make music.

His melancholy voice accompanied by his own guitar, bass and keyboards and drums, made this magical, with Dime and disco-tinged 12 To 12 emerging as standouts. JS 

32. MOLLY TUTTLE

So Long Little Miss Sunshine

THE Grammy-winning singer forged her reputation at the forefront of the bluegrass revival.

Now she has spread her wings with this ravishing work of myriad styles. It also provided her with the confidence to be open about her alopecia. SC  

33. TOM GRENNAN

Everywhere I Went, Led Me To Where I Didn’t Want To Be

THE down-to-earth singer from Bedford laid his feelings bare on this reflective fourth album shaped by growth, friendship and vulnerability.

It balanced anthemic pop with emotional depth, from Shadowboxing to Boys Don’t Cry. JS 

34. TAYLOR SWIFT

The Life Of A Showgirl

RECORDED in stolen moments during the record-shattering Eras tour, it found Swift reflecting on love and life in the spotlight after falling for NFL star Travis Kelce.

Working with Max Martin and Shellback, it was polished, theatrical pop with self-aware glamour and emotional insight. JS 

35. JOHN FOGERTY

Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years

FOGERTY celebrated the recent end of his decades-long fight to get his publishing rights back.

It meant he could belt out timeless hits Proud Mary, Born On The Bayou, Bad Moon Rising and Up Around The Bend with unbridled joy rather than lingering bitterness. SC  

36. MIDLAKE

A Bridge To Far

BEST remembered for their second record, 2006’s The Trials Of Van Occupanther, these enduring Texans rekindled their love of melody-rich folk rock. Two decades on, A Bridge To Far might just have been their best since that hallowed album. SC 

37. TATE MCRAE

So Close To What

THE Canadian singer’s third album was slick and polished futuristic pop and highlighted her journey from teenage dancer to arena-selling pop princess.

Tracks like Purple Lace Bra were multilayered with beats, synths and strings, and created a sultry, sizzling mood. JS 

38. BEIRUT

A Study Of Losses

FOLLOWING Zach Condon’s sortie to the Arctic Circle for 2023’s exquisite Hadsel came this work of unerring beauty.

The 11 songs and seven instrumentals, spanning nearly an hour, struck a melancholy tone but they left a lasting and profound impression. SC 

39. ALISON KRAUSS & UNION STATION

Arcadia

TO Robert Plant’s duet pal Krauss, her latest project was “like stepping into an old pair of shoes”.

Her first album with her virtuoso bluegrass band since 2011 evoked bygone times, while still connecting with 21st Century listeners. SC

40. TOM SMITH

There Is Nothing In The Dark That Isn’t There In The Light

AFTER 20 years fronting Editors and two records with Andy Burrows, Tom Smith stepped out on his own.

His first solo album stripped everything back to the core of his songwriting, capturing the honesty, anxiety and hope that shaped this new chapter. JS 

41. FKA TWIGS 

Eusexua 

THE album title was a made-up word taken from euphoria and sexual to describe “a feeling so intense it transcended the human form”. 

And it lived up to its name.

On the arty, left field side of electronica, this third record was her most complete and satisfying. JS 

42. THE DELINES

Mr Luck & Ms Doom

WHEN ex-Richmond Fontaine frontman Willy Vlautin (lyricist/guitarist in this band) is involved, you tend to get songs with disturbing narratives about people from the wrong side of the tracks.

This firmly ticked that box – and then there was Amy Boone’s enriching, expressive vocals. SC 

43. DAVID BYRNE

Who Is The Sky?

THE world may be going to hell in a handcart, but at least Talking Heads legend Byrne kept a smile on his face.

That was the vibe you get from his latest effort, most notably on rousing opening track Everybody Laughs, which came with a cameo from longtime collaborator St Vincent. SC 

44. BLOOD ORANGE

Essex Honey

ECLECTIC and imbued with an aching sense of loss and nostalgia, Dev Hynes’ fifth album as Blood Orange was an exploration of his upbringing in London.

A collection of memories recalled through spindly indie, jazz, chunky beats and evocative soundscapes. JS 

45. DAMIANO DAVID

Funny Little Fears

FOR Maneskin’s Damiano David, this felt the right moment for a solo album, revealing a more personal, previously hidden side.

It was less rocky than Maneskin, confronting fear and identity through piano-led pop inspired by Keane, The Killers, and Elton John. JS 

46. RON SEXSMITH

Hangover Terrace

THE Canadian has assembled a fine body of work, marked out by sumptuous melodies and perceptive lyrics.

He returned with one of his strongest collections.

Recorded in London, the album visited his childhood, his current concerns and much more in between. SC 

47. MY MORNING JACKET

Is

SINGER Jim James hoped the band’s genre-hopping tenth album would help people “navigate the chaos in the world”. 

If the overall vibe was psychedelic rock with plenty of reverb, MMJ employed elements of pop, country, soul, reggae, you name it. SC 

48. ETHEL CAIN

Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You

FEW artists have been able to express the intimate, sometimes painful, feelings about first love as well as the singer from Florida.

Evoking a haunting, Southern gothic atmosphere, her ambient rock sound-scapes framed a raw, heartfelt song cycle. SC 

49. CAR SEAT HEADREST

The Scholars

THE career trajectory of Will Toledo is nothing short of breathtaking.

He started out making lo-fi DIY albums in his parents’ car and now, as frontman of a fully fledged band, he made this crazily ambitious rock opera in the vein of Tommy or Ziggy Stardust. SC 

50. ADDISON RAE

Addison

THE debut album from the former TikTok star, who rose to popularity with her dance videos, broke the code.

Stepping confidently beyond influencer fame, she moved into sleek, self-aware pop.

Playful hooks and glossy production balanced vulnerability and attitude. JS 

WOKE BBC bosses could thwart a fresh bid to finally get Fairytale of New York to the Christmas number one spot – 38 years after it was released.

The corporation’s radio stations refusing to play a newly released ‘live’ version of The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York because it contains the “cheap, lousy f****t” lyric.

The track by the Irish rockers, originally released in 1987, is one of several vintage festive tracks that only reached number two in the charts, despite becoming classic anthems

Another example is White Christmas by Wham! which was kept off the number one spot by Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas in 1984.

But fans finally got that to the top spot in 2023.

Fairytale has long been surrounded by controversy because it contains a perceived homophobic slur which has either been removed in some versions or not played at all.

A music industry insider said: “It feels unfair that this live version which shouldn’t be edited has now been barred from the Beeb’s playlist.

“It’s an authentic performance of a much loved track by a much loved band and this move might be the measure that prevents it from getting to number one at Christmas, which is where it has always deserved to be.”

The original single was only kept from the top spot by Pet shop Boys classic Always On My Mind, which was a high-energy cover version of the Elvis Presley ballad.

Despite always making it into the top ten every Christmas, and featuring in the 2019 festive special of Gavin & Stacey, it’s never made it to number one.

The BBC were approached for comment.

THE Rolling Stones have called off plans for a UK and European tour next summer.

It would have been their first string of live dates since their huge Hackney Diamonds tour in the US in 2024 – which sold almost one million tickets.

It’s understood the band – who’ve sold over 250 million records worldwide – were looking at plans to play huge stadiums across Europe and the UK after pulling the plug on dates in 2025.

An American music critic said Keith Richards, who turns 82 on Thursday, told his bandmates Mick Jagger, 82, and Ronnie Wood, 78, he couldn’t commit to the trek at this time.

They added: “The Rolling Stones had all the big promoters throwing loads of ideas and dates at them for next summer.

“But when they properly sat down to discuss the tour, Keith said he didn’t think he could commit and wasn’t keen on a big stadium tour for over four months.”

A spokesperson said at the time: “The band were looking to tour earlier this year but couldn’t make it work either.

“It’s hard for their fans but The Stones will get back onstage when they’re good and ready.”

In September, Ronnie confirmed to The Sun that he was waiting on the nod on the 2026 tour dates.

He also confirmed they had been working on their next album, which was recorded at Metropolis Studios in Chiswick, west London.

Ronnie said: “You will be getting new music from the Rolling Stones with an album next year. It is almost done. ”

Their last album, Hackney Diamonds, came out in 2023 and was their first record of original material in 18 years.

The album went straight to No1 in the album charts and spawned hits including Angry, which had Sydney Sweeney in the official music video.

SEX PISTOLS frontman John Lydon has slammed singer Chrissie Hynde in a furious rant after accusing her of ‘doing a very nasty thing’.

The former I’m A Celeb star, 69, had a lot to say about The Pretenders band member, even admitting that she was jealous of his late wife Nora Forester.

John, who’s stage name is Johnny Rotten, first crossed paths with music star Chrissie in the 1970’s becoming close friends, amidst London’s punk scene.

But years later, Lydon has revealed he has a very different view of his longtime pal, launching into a furious rant about the singer. 

Speaking to comedian Paul Whitehouse and his wife Dr Mine Conkbayir, on the latest episode of their podcast I’m ADHD! No You’re Not, John unveiled the shocking revelation.

Paul opened up the line of fire, saying: “Anyone would think you were in the Sex Pistols? 

“Talking of which, by the way, Chrissie Hynde sends her love,” he chimed.

John replied: “F*** her. No, no. She did a very, very nasty thing. I met her before Nora died and on all of that. And she never told me what they were doing behind my back. 

“Oh, sorry,” Paul quipped.

John continued: “And she knew, and she was involved with all that, that film and like and these are my friends. Yeah. And you’re not telling me, you know.”

 “It was hurtful,” he added.

Mine went on to further question the music star: “And you never had it out for her?”

To which he replied: “She was always jealous of Nora as you know. Right. I don’t date horse hair blankets. Hello, Chrissie. How you doing?”

The punk icon became the primary carer of his beloved wife Nora following her battle with Alzheimer’s – she sadly passed in 2023.

Chrissie herself opened up about her own experiences with Lydon this week. 

Speaking to The Guardian about a wild night with the star, she said: “The one thing I remember about that Nashville Rooms show was that I had drunk a lot of tequila beforehand and I never drank before a show again because it impaired my abilities.”

“That night, I pierced Johnny Rotten’s ear in the toilet, by pushing an earring through it into a bar of soap.”

The American born singer had even proposed to Johnny Rotten and his Sex Pistols bandmate Sid Vicious in 1976, but not for romantic reasons. 

Chrissie proposed the idea of marriage after needing a visa so she could stay in the UK.

When asked what she thought her life would be like if she had married either star, she said: “That was just so I could stay in the country, but life with either of them would have been chaos.”

‘I’m ADHD! No You’re Not’ is available every Thursday on all podcast platforms.

IN one of my encounters with Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason, he cast his mind back to his first dealings with the “crazy diamond”.

This would have been late 1964, early ’65, when the band still called themselves The Tea Set because they rehearsed in a basement tearoom at Regent Street Polytechnic in London.

The drummer recalled with great affection the addition to their ranks of Syd Barrett with his mop of dark curls and pop star good looks.

Mason, Roger Waters and Richard Wright had found themselves not just a singer and a guitarist but a charismatic frontman, all set to “shine on”.

“Syd was the most delightful man, absolutely charming,” Mason told me. “He wrote wonderful, whimsical, pastoral English music.”

Barrett, a childhood friend of Waters in Cambridge, came up with Floyd’s first single, the eyebrow-raising Arnold Layne, about a pervert whose hobby was stealing women’s underwear from washing lines.

He composed the top ten follow-up, See Emily Play, a classic slice of Sixties psychedelia, and most of the debut album The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn.

But then, fuelled by psychoactive drugs, most notably LSD, Barrett’s world fell apart.

Before the second album, A Saucerful Of Secrets, was even completed, the troubled star had no choice but to leave and guitarist David Gilmour was already in place.

“It’s still not entirely clear what happened with Syd,” Mason continued. “There is a belief that maybe he didn’t want to be a pop star. You have to know that, in 1967, the rest of us DID want to be on Top Of The Pops.

“Maybe Syd realised it wasn’t what he wanted, but didn’t know how to get out of it.”

As students of Pink Floyd know, the band crossed paths with Barrett several years later in haunting, uncomfortable circumstances.

On June 5, 1975, a shambling figure — shaven-headed, overweight, largely incoherent and clutching a plastic shopping bag — pitched up at EMI Studios (Abbey Road), stomping ground not just of The Beatles but also Floyd.

Years later, keyboard player Wright described the scene: “I remember going in and Roger was already in the studio working.

“I came in and sat next to Roger. After ten minutes, Roger said to me, ‘Do you know who that guy is?’

“I said: ‘I have no idea. I assumed it was a friend of yours.’ Suddenly I realised it was Syd!”

Art director Storm Thorgerson, responsible with Aubrey “Po” Powell for the band’s iconic album covers, also witnessed the scene.

“Two or three people cried,” he said. “Syd sat around and talked for a bit, but he wasn’t really there.”

On that very day, the band were mixing their nine-part, 26-minute homage to Barrett, Shine On You Crazy Diamond.

To many, it ranks as the band’s greatest single composition, matching Gilmour’s elegant, fluid guitar, Wright’s serene keyboards and Mason’s perfectly weighted drumming to some of Waters’ most touching lyrics.

“You were caught in the crossfire of childhood and stardom. Blown on the steel breeze.”

The song would be split into two sections, Parts 1-5 and Parts 6-9, to bookend Wish You Were Here, the follow-up to a cultural phenomenon, The Dark Side Of The Moon.

Now, to mark its 50th anniversary, the album is appearing in expanded formats, adding alternate takes to the original release.

Poet Laureate and Floyd superfan Simon Armitage has written a stream-of-consciousness love letter to the band and, in particular, Wish You Were Here.

I’m very sad about Syd. I wasn’t for years. For years, I suppose he was a threat because of all that was written about him and us

Roger Waters

It has no capital letters or punctuation, but these lines give you the drift: “it’s the forty four minute five second guide to eternity — it’s infinity measured in five songs.”

And for the first time, Shine On You Crazy Diamond is also presented as one continuous piece thanks to a new remix by James Guthrie.

It stands as an emotional remembrance of Barrett, who died a recluse in 2006, aged 60, at his home in Cambridge.

Poignantly, as the track fades to nothing, you hear strains of the See Emily Play keyboard melody.

Waters once reflected: “I’m very sad about Syd. I wasn’t for years. For years, I suppose he was a threat because of all that was written about him and us.

“Of course, he was very important and the band would never have started without him but, on the other hand, it couldn’t go on with him.”

As for Shine On, he added: “It is not really about Syd. He’s just a symbol for the extremes of absence some people have to indulge in because the only way they can cope with how sad it is — modern life — is to withdraw completely.”

On the song’s scale in musical terms, Mason likened it to another lengthy set piece, Echoes, from 1971’s Meddle album. “Echoes,” he said, “was Shine On’s grandfather.”

Now let’s rewind to 1974 when Pink Floyd set about devising an album in the wake of the juggernaut that The Dark Side Of The Moon had already become.

Their initial attempt, using everyday objects as instruments, was not very encouraging, to say the least.

When I reminded Mason of it, he replied: “Some things I’ve been trying to obliterate from my brain — and I’m afraid you just brought that one up!

“The problem was that we ended up spending an awful lot of time grinding away, developing the sounds.

“We hadn’t even got any real music. Things like plucking rubber bands slowed down to quarter-speed.”

He added: “It was a fantastically fruitless exercise, really a way of putting off the ghastly business of what the hell were we going to do next.”

So, did the whole band buy into the daft idea? I ventured.

“We did,” Mason sighed. “If only two people at least had had the gumption to go, ‘F*** this! Let’s work on a record’.”

One of the extra Wish You Were Here tracks, Wine Glasses, offers listeners a taste of the project that became known as Household Objects.

And, as Mason reported, “The wine glasses did make it on to the beginning of Shine On.” (Listen carefully and you’ll hear the tinkling sound.)

So what about the three tracks, further exploring themes of absence and alienation, which were sandwiched between Shine On’s lengthy sections?

Synthesiser-heavy Welcome To The Machine was a product of Floyd’s infatuation with latest technology, and the others came with fascinating back stories.

If Barrett had been a surprise visitor to the Abbey Road sessions, so were two virtuoso violinists just as Floyd were recording the album’s title track, Wish You Were Here.

Mason picked up the story: “If someone was down the hall recording at Abbey Road, it was OK to pop in and say, ‘Hello’.

“Suddenly the door opened and Yehudi Menuhin and Stephane Grappelli were standing there, going, ‘Hello boys’.”

Menuhin, an American-born Brit, was widely regarded as one of the greatest 20th Century classical violinists. Grappelli, a French jazz violinist, was noted for an intuitive, more improvisational approach.

Mason added with English understatement: “By ’75, we were reasonably well known and Grappelli being French would have heard about us because we always had a standing in France.

“I think we invited them both to play with us. Menuhin wanted to but wasn’t comfortable improvising, whereas Grappelli could do it like stepping off a log.”

So the Frenchman went up to one of Pink Floyd’s mics and added gorgeous violin flourishes to a take of the acoustic guitar-led Wish You Were Here.

Ultimately, his contribution didn’t make the finished album, but it can be heard on the expanded editions.

Mason said: “I’m really astonished by it. We thought it had been recorded over, that we’d lost it for ever. I don’t know why we didn’t use it — it would have enhanced the record, but maybe it sounded too folky.

“Or maybe, in a pre-Euro world, we thought, ‘It’s a bloody Frenchman and he shouldn’t have anything to do with it!’”

Grappelli was paid £300 (a princely sum in those days), but went to his death in 1997 oblivious to this unlikely footnote to the Wish You Were Here story.

People did say to us: ‘Which one’s Pink?’ They thought Pink Floyd was the lead singer!

David Gilmour

Another outsider at the sessions — Floyd’s friend, folk-rock troubadour Roy Harper — felt “hard done by” when it came to payment for his lead vocals on Have A Cigar.

After numerous failed attempts by Waters to nail his withering put-down of music industry executives “on the gravy train”, he turned to a singer who loaded his delivery with the perfect sneering tone.

“Roy was recording in the studio anyway,” remembered Waters, “and was in and out all the time. I can’t remember who suggested it, maybe I did, probably hoping everybody would go, ‘Oh no Rog, you do it’, but they didn’t!

“They all went, ‘Oh yeah that’s a good idea’. And he did it and everybody went, ‘Oh, terrific!’ So that was that.”

We know how single-minded Waters can be and he still gave it one final go — but to no avail.

Tape engineer John Leckie recalled Waters saying to Harper that they should reward him for his efforts.

“And Roy said: ‘Just get me a season ticket for life at Lord’s.’ He kept prompting Roger, but it never came.”

Many years later in 2013, when Harper released his comeback album Man & Myth, I met him for coffee near Lord’s, just before the avid cricket fan watched England play Australia for The Ashes.

Best known for When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease, he bemoaned his lack of payment for Have A Cigar but talked about his close ties to three of Britain’s biggest rock bands.

“I was an interloper really,” he said. “I was the one who didn’t have a band. I drifted between Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and The Who basically.

“At the time, they were big and here was this strange interloper moving between all three.

“One thing I never did, for which I deserve credit, was to transfer what one said about the other. Keep it discreet!”

On the recording Have A Cigar, he said: “I listened to the song at home for a night. I came back the following day and didn’t quite nail it. But then, on the day after that, I did — and they had a song.”

The track’s most memorable line is, “Oh by the way, which one’s Pink?”

Gilmour once admitted: “People did say to us: ‘Which one’s Pink?’ They thought Pink Floyd was the lead singer!”

As you may have gathered, Wish You Were Here comes with a rich history and timeless, captivating music.

Emerging as it did from the mighty shadow cast by The Dark Side Of The Moon, it still shines on 50 years later.

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PINK FLOYD
Wish You Were Here
50th Anniversary

★★★★☆

SHE’s the ultimate Queen of Christmas, best known for her soulful pop tunes, but I can reveal Mariah Carey’s next record will surprise fans.

After years of speculation, I’m told the Hero singer will release her long lost GRUNGE album next year.

While the exact date is still being worked out by the label, I hear it will drop in the second half of 2026.

The record, which is called Someone’s Ugly Daughter, was secretly recorded by Mariah back in the Nineties.

A source said: “Ever since she let slip about the existence of the record, fans have been desperate for it to be officially released and put on streaming.

“After years of casual talks about what to do, everyone has now agreed the album will be released in the second half of 2026.

“It’s been a long time coming, but hopefully fans think it’s worth the wait.

“It’s certainly Mariah as you’ve never heard her before.”

The first anyone knew of the record was when Mariah let slip about it in 2020 memoir, The Meaning Of Mariah Carey.

She said: “I think this unearthed version will become, yes, something we should hear. I’m working on a version of something where there’ll be another artist working on this with me as well.”

‘So carefree’

Mariah says the reason she made the album was to push back at being over-controlled by her record label, adding: “I had no freedom during that time. That was my freedom, making that record.”

In the book, she said: “I was playing with the style of the breezy-grunge, punk-light white female singers who were popular at the time. You know, the ones who seemed to be so carefree with their feelings and their image.

“I honestly wanted to put the record out back then under, you know, the same pseudonym, just put it out and be like, you know whatever, let them discover that it’s me.

“But that idea was kind of stomped and squashed.”

I wait with bated breath . . . 

Hardworking Rita worth even m-Ora

EVEN if you’re not a fan of her music, it’s impossible to deny that Rita Ora is a hustler.

The I Will Never Let You Down singer is busy landing jobs doing everything from acting and presenting to modelling and working as a charity ambassador.

Which is why it comes as no surprise to us that the latest accounts for Ora Live and Ora Multi Services reveal she’s topped up her fortune with £4.8 million in profits.

It’s a sure sign Rita is going nowhere anytime soon as the figure is more than double the £2.3 million she made the year before.

Her companies manage her various income streams and reflect her broad career beyond singing.

Multi-talented Rita has also served as a judge on The X Factor and The Masked Singer and even had a film role in the Fifty Shades movie series.

Rita’s takings – which work out at £13,000 per day over the year to April – has helped to increase her net worth to £31 million.

It’s not a bad life, eh?

Kath: LA life not for me

CANADIAN comedian Katherine Ryan has ruled out moving to Hollywood after admitting she hates everything about Tinsel Town.

Letting rip, she said: “I would love some opportunities to do some comedy acting but I will never move to Hollywood because people seem quite sick there . . . in the head.

“I like England. I like people who aren’t positive all the time.

“I like the British way of telling the truth. I like a bit of taking the mick out of one another without getting offended.”

Not stopping there, Kath added: “Hollywood to me seems too sanitised. I would not be welcome.

“I’ve already not been welcome. I had a glass of vino in the morning when my daughter was swimming, they were like, ‘Maam, orange juice?’.

“I was like, ‘No, alcohol’. They nearly called the police.”

Taylor in her stride

TAYLOR SWIFT has hit back at critics who say she should take time out from the industry to give other artists space to shine.

The superstar seemingly breaks every possible record with each new track, causing some music fans to get Taylor-fatigue.

Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Taylor said: “There are corners that are like, ‘Give someone else a turn! Can’t you just go away so we can talk about how good you were?’.

“And like . . . ‘I don’t want to’.”

This morning, the first two episodes dropped of The End Of An Era – a six- part Disney+ docuseries that goes behind the scenes of her record-breaking Eras Tour.

You can bet come next week the show will have broken a few more records.

Tate: Why I can be a pop girl

TATE McRAE has opened up about her on-stage alter-ego Tatiana.

The Canadian star explained: “I started to black out onstage and become this person that I couldn’t explain, nor could my family or my friends, and I needed a reason for it.

“And I think it helps me grasp the strange theory of why I’m not nervous in front of 15,000 people, and why I can be nervous at a dinner party with four people.”

She added to Rolling Stone magazine: “Tate is this very introspective, very sensitive, very introverted, awkward Canadian.

“Maybe more on the shy side. I’m observant, and I feel very internal, all the time.

“And then, this persona that I’ve created is my way of being this confident pop girl.”

Sam: Stay with me, Ed

SAM SMITH made sure the final of their To Be Free: New York City residency went off with a bang.

The Stay With Me singer was joined on stage at Warsaw in Brooklyn by Ed Sheeran and Brandi Carlile.

Brandi and Sam duetted on her song Party Of One, while Sam and Ed gave a rendition of Who We Love – a track on Sam’s 2023 album Gloria.

The show was watched by American Vogue’s ice-queen former editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

In February, Sam’s residency will move to San Francisco and will play at the historic Castro Theatre for eight nights.

While nothing has even been hinted at, I wouldn’t be surprised if a run of shows in London is announced in the New Year.

Liam’s trackie record

HIS dress sense is similar to my own, so I was shocked to see Liam Gallagher named in Vogue’s inaugural 50 best dressed list.

The Oasis rocker was mentioned in the Dedicated Dressers category alongside Iris Law, Miquita Oliver and Amal Clooney.

Meanwhile, my favourite pop star Dua Lipa was in the Music Makers category alongside a line-up of stellar talent including Skepta, Central Cee, Lily Allen and Charli XCX.

Even those with a slightly eclectic taste were catered for, with The Traitors host Claudia Winkleman, and actors Cynthia Erivo, Richard E Grant and Emma Corrin all getting a nod.

I never knew my Adidas tracksuit and tatty old Parka were so cool.

Xmas hit battle

THE official race for Christmas No1 kicks off today – with a new single from Kylie Minogue and WHAM!’s Last Christmas tipped as the front-runners.

Kylie’s song Xmas, which is on track to become her highest entry in the UK charts since 2010’s All The Lovers, leads the pack, while Denise Welch’s Slayyy Bells and Tom Fletcher’s One Of Us, from Paddington The Musical, are also in the running.

Classics including Shakin’ Stevens’ Merry Christmas Everyone, The Pogues’ Fairytale Of New York, and Kelly Clarkson’s Underneath The Tree are also expected to climb the chart.

There are a load of non-festive tunes vying for a shot too, with Raye’s Where Is My Husband, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s For Good and Labrinth’s Where Love Lives.

Once again Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You is tipped to finish in the top five.

The winner of the Christmas No1 will be revealed live on Radio 1 next Friday.