Roy Harper's 'Have a Cigar' and the Saxophone Struggle for 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond'

The vocal on “Have a Cigar” wasn’t meant to be a guest spot. David Gilmour and Roger Waters both tried singing it but couldn’t make the dry, cynical lyrics work without sounding like they were doing a bit. Roy Harper, a folk singer and friend of the band, was hanging around the studio and knocked it out in two takes — Waters later said Harper understood the “record company bastard” character better than they did.

The saxophone for “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” took a different kind of patience. Dick Parry, who had played on The Dark Side of the Moon, recorded multiple versions of the solo, but the band kept pushing for more emotion. They spent hours in the studio trying different mics, rooms, and takes until Parry finally hit the long, weeping sustain that opens the piece. The result is one of the most recognisable sax moments in rock, but it nearly didn’t happen — Parry later admitted he was exhausted and about to give up when they finally printed the master take.