Gilmour's guitar playing and song writing became major factors of Pink Floyd's world-wide success during the 1970s. However, after the back-to-back successes of first Dark Side of the Moon and then Wish You Were Here, Waters took more and more control over the band, writing most of Animals and The Wall by himself. Wright was fired during The Wall sessions and the relationship between Gilmour and Waters would further deteriorate during the making of The Wall film and the 1983 Pink Floyd album The Final Cut.
Musical style
Gilmour has a very precise solo style, rooted in blues and notable for expressive note bends and sustain, indeed his use of 'multiple bends,' where he bends a note to pitch, sustains it, then bends the note to a higher pitch before releasing it, is very characteristic of his style and a useful way of identifying him in recordings. His solos are noted for being well-composed, economical, lyrical and emotional often favouring the minor pentatonic (1 b3 4 5 b7), blues(1 b3 4 b5 5 b7) and natural minor (1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7) scales . In interviews, Gilmour has explained that what he sees as his lack of technique led him to concentrate on melody and mood over speed and 'virtuosity', and this is borne out by the enduring appeal of his solos.
During many of his solos he would switch the guitar to the rhythm (or neck) pick-up. This, switching pick-up, produced a fatter, stronger "liquid" sound to a "cut through" sound all in the same solo and is featured in "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and "Echoes". This is part of what gives Gilmour's playing such a distinctive sound and tone.
In his early career with Pink Floyd Gilmour played a multitude of Fender Stratocasters. He employs a Fender pedal steel guitar for the re-formed Pink Floyd's rendition of the classic "One of These Days". During both the Momentary Lapse and Division tours he almost exclusively played a Red '57 reissue with a set of EMG active pick-ups. In his solo career he employs a wide assortment of guitars, favouring none. Indeed, one of his most famous solos ("Another Brick in the Wall Part 2") was played on a Gibson Les Paul
Although mainly known for his guitar work, Gilmour is also a proficient multi-instrumentalist. He also plays bass guitar (which he did on some Pink Floyd tracks), keyboards, harmonica, drums (as heard on the Syd Barrett solo track "Dominoes", and other songs where he opted to play all the instruments) and lately, the saxophone.
In 1996, Gilmour was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Pink Floyd.
In August 2006, Gilmour's solo on "Comfortably Numb" was voted the greatest guitar solo of all time in a poll by listeners of the digital radio station Planet Rock. [extracts from the pink floyd experience]
Why a solo album?
In a recent interview with Uncut Magazine, David explained his motive for doing a solo album in 1978 “I don’t think it was a counteract to some sort of frustration I was feeling within Floyd. If anything, I thought it would be nice to have a bunch a guys in a room, play some tunes, knock ’em down and put out record”.
David Gilmour solo album
This might very well be one of the reasons for doing the album, but there definitely was a lot of tension within Pink Floyd at that point – both during and after the Animals tour, which ended in July 1977. They were sick and tired of each other and from touring.
Roger, especially, went through a tough time and didn’t feel comfortable with the exposure and the rabid fans. His pissy mood was a stark contrast to David, who, according to himself in later interviews, enjoyed the tour.
There might also have been a financial motive for doing a solo album. By 1978 it was evident that although Pink Floyd was one of the biggest selling bands of all time, their investments had failed and they were now also subject to massive taxation. In short – they were broke.
Both Rick and David recorded solo albums in early 1978 and they did it in France to avoid taxes. Roger started writing what eventually ended up as The Wall (and Pros of Cons of Hitch Hiking) and although having a great idea for the band’s next album album, he also knew that he needed to create a success that could save the them financially.
The Recording Sessions
David Gilmour was largely written between November 1977 and January 1978 and recorded and mixed at Super Bear Studios in Nice, France, during a few weeks in February 1978. The album was released in May to fairly good reviews and it charted decent in both US and UK.
There are very few sources from the sessions. David has stated in several interviews that everything went really fast, which was, and still is, quite unusual for him. Sadly, there was also a fire that burned Super Bear Studio to the ground in 1986, and with it all the documents, reels and pictures from the sessions.
Using close friends and old band mates seems to be a pattern in David’s musical career. Willie Wilson continued to work with Pink Floyd as the drummer in the Surrogate Band during the The Wall tour. Snowy White, who played rhythm guitar during both the Animals and Wall tours, is an old friend of David’s. So is Dick Parry, who played saxophone on Dark Side, WYWH, Division Bell and On an Island. [extract from gilmourish.com Thanks to Bjørn Riis]
Loose and collaborative with some interesting instrumentals, David Gilmour succeeds on its terms by not trying too hard to sound like Pink Floyd – and that's a mistake Gilmour was prone to during the band's third act. Instead, everything feels familiar and comfortable. Credit goes in part to his backing band, a group of old buddies who had been members of his earlier solo group Bullitt. Together, they construct what stands as Gilmour's most varied offering.
In 1996, Gilmour was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Pink Floyd.
In August 2006, Gilmour's solo on "Comfortably Numb" was voted the greatest guitar solo of all time in a poll by listeners of the digital radio station Planet Rock. [extracts from the pink floyd experience]
Why a solo album?
In a recent interview with Uncut Magazine, David explained his motive for doing a solo album in 1978 “I don’t think it was a counteract to some sort of frustration I was feeling within Floyd. If anything, I thought it would be nice to have a bunch a guys in a room, play some tunes, knock ’em down and put out record”.
This might very well be one of the reasons for doing the album, but there definitely was a lot of tension within Pink Floyd at that point – both during and after the Animals tour, which ended in July 1977. They were sick and tired of each other and from touring.
Roger, especially, went through a tough time and didn’t feel comfortable with the exposure and the rabid fans. His pissy mood was a stark contrast to David, who, according to himself in later interviews, enjoyed the tour.
There might also have been a financial motive for doing a solo album. By 1978 it was evident that although Pink Floyd was one of the biggest selling bands of all time, their investments had failed and they were now also subject to massive taxation. In short – they were broke.
Both Rick and David recorded solo albums in early 1978 and they did it in France to avoid taxes. Roger started writing what eventually ended up as The Wall (and Pros of Cons of Hitch Hiking) and although having a great idea for the band’s next album album, he also knew that he needed to create a success that could save the them financially.
The Recording Sessions
David Gilmour was largely written between November 1977 and January 1978 and recorded and mixed at Super Bear Studios in Nice, France, during a few weeks in February 1978. The album was released in May to fairly good reviews and it charted decent in both US and UK.
There are very few sources from the sessions. David has stated in several interviews that everything went really fast, which was, and still is, quite unusual for him. Sadly, there was also a fire that burned Super Bear Studio to the ground in 1986, and with it all the documents, reels and pictures from the sessions.
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| Album Press Release (select to read) |
Interestingly, the guys David chose for his project, was his old band mates Rick Wills (bass) and Willie Wilson (drums). Both from Joker’s Wild and Bullitt – the bands David played in before joining Pink Floyd. The power trio rehearsed and recorded all of the songs together and additional session musicians were hired for piano, backing vocals and other overdubs.
Using close friends and old band mates seems to be a pattern in David’s musical career. Willie Wilson continued to work with Pink Floyd as the drummer in the Surrogate Band during the The Wall tour. Snowy White, who played rhythm guitar during both the Animals and Wall tours, is an old friend of David’s. So is Dick Parry, who played saxophone on Dark Side, WYWH, Division Bell and On an Island. [extract from gilmourish.com Thanks to Bjørn Riis]
The album found success on the U.K. charts, landing at No. 17. But from that point forward, Gilmour focused mainly on his work with Pink Floyd. In 1979, Floyd released The Wall, their double-album opus. Gilmour's next solo album, About Face, wouldn't arrive until 1984.
Gilmour's self-titled debut is probably destined to be forever compared with Animals and then The Wall, the two Waters-heavy Pink Floyd releases on either side of it. But David Gilmour holds up better when considered as a smaller, personal statement." This album was important to me in terms of self-respect," Gilmour told Circus in 1978. "Being in a group for so long can be a bit claustrophobic, and I needed to step out from behind Pink Floyd's shadow."
Gilmour's self-titled debut is probably destined to be forever compared with Animals and then The Wall, the two Waters-heavy Pink Floyd releases on either side of it. But David Gilmour holds up better when considered as a smaller, personal statement." This album was important to me in terms of self-respect," Gilmour told Circus in 1978. "Being in a group for so long can be a bit claustrophobic, and I needed to step out from behind Pink Floyd's shadow."
On May 26th - 1978, David Gilmour's eponymous, first solo album was released. The cover was designed by the team at Hipgnosis, and by David as well. It also reached number 17 in the Australian charts in late September and is still very popular with Floyd fans. Below is a picture taken from the cover photo sessions...
This post consists of FLACs ripped from my 'near mint' LP. This album literally got me through my second year at Uni and was a favourite amongst my College friends. Full album artwork and label scans are included, along with all photos featured above. I have also decided to include a few live tracks taken from Gilmour's Berkley concert, held on the 29th June in 1984.
Track List
01 Mihalis 5:42
02 There's No Way Out Of Here 5:05
03 Cry From The Street 5:08
04 So Far Away 5:49
05 Short And Sweet 5:28
06 Raise My Rent 5:30
07 No Way 5:31
08 Deafinitely 3:26
09 I Can't Breathe Anymore 3:06
10 Mihalis (Bonus Live) * 9:18
11 Short & Sweet (Bonus Live) * 7:17
* Bonus tracks recorded live at Berkley, 29th June, 1984
The Band:
David Gilmour - Guitars,. Keyboards, Vocals
Rick Wills - Bass, Vocals
Willie Wilson - Drums, Percussion
David Gilmour Link (322Mb)
Hello! Check the link, the download starts and after a few minutes an error message appears. Thank you for kindly providing these rarities!
ReplyDeleteP.O Rodrigo from Belo Horizonte - MG - Brazil
FILECAT download worked perfectly for me - perhaps it has an issue in Brazil.
DeleteBut to help you out - here is an alternative link & host
https://pixeldrain.com/u/W7iv44T6
How wonderful! This new link worked master! I'm already listening to this excellente album, gratitude and long live rock in roll! Thank you and good sounds always! Rodrigo from Brazil.
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