David Gilmour: discography and interesting facts

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Recently there have been several events that have become real holidays for fans of the Pink Floyd group. Last year, the Orion Orchestra of London recorded songs from the album Wish you were here in a symphonic arrangement. Alice Cooper's vocals in several compositions of this disc are one of its indisputable advantages. And this year saw the release of the long-awaited new record by Roger Waters.

Back in Italy

Recently, the music world has been rocked by yet another amazing piece of news. David Gilmour has released a new live CD "Live in Pompeii". The very venue of this show is a landmark for the artist, since back in the late sixties he performed there as part of the Pink Floyd group. That concert was also recorded and released on a record. The new show took place 45 years after that historic performance. Much has changed since then.

David Gilmour from a musician of an aspiring rock band has turnedinto a world-class star, and the team itself has acquired the cult status of one of the greatest bands in the history of the genre. The guitarist and vocalist performs at this concert not only compositions from the Pink Floyd repertoire, but also solo works, mainly from the latest album. This circumstance is a great opportunity to get acquainted with the work of a musician outside the band.

Album highlights

The recording has amazing sound quality. David Gilmour's guitar is brought to the fore by the sound engineers. Therefore, listeners can fully enjoy the signature sound of the instrument and the playing style of the famous rocker. This is what is sometimes lacking when listening to studio and live recordings of "Pink Floyd".

On the group's records, the sound of the solo guitar is drowned in the overall mix. And, of course, the keyboard and drum parts always sound so bright that sometimes they don't let you concentrate on David Gilmour's virtuoso playing.

The other side of talent

Well, the new record allows fans to fully explore Dave's playing style. The diversity of the song repertoire allows the listeners to demonstrate the sound of the famous British guitar in the context of various musical styles. The program included both psychedelic compositions and lighter songs from solo albums.

Surely many fans of the Pink Floyd group, listening to the first songs of the disc, will be surprised: what is itour beloved and highly respected David plays the music? Indeed, the concert does not begin as many fans of the famous Englishman expected. The opening track is a song from one of Gilmour's solo discs. Therefore, it is worth saying a few words about the musician's work outside his own group.

Solo work

David Gilmour's first album came out in the late seventies. Then, after a concert tour in support of the then-new Animals disc, the group was in a state of crisis due to creative differences between its members and a difficult financial situation. It was at this time that two members of Pink Floyd, keyboardist Rick Wright and guitarist David Gilmour, decided to go to France to record solo projects. Many rock musicians from Great Britain worked in this country at that time. There, bandmates began recording their own music albums in parallel with each other.

First album

Gilmour's solo creations are not distinguished by the pomposity and monumentality that are inherent in all Pink Floyd compositions. But the musician, according to his own words, had no intention of recording something too similar to the band's music. He just wanted to find a few like-minded guys to enjoy playing light, unobtrusive songs with them from material not used in Pink Floyd.

At the same time, another of his bandmates, Roger Waters,was engaged in writing material for the future album "The Wall", which a few years later produced the effect of an exploding bomb and caused another surge in the team's popularity. David recorded something completely different. Of course, in this album some features inherent in the musical creativity of "Pink Floyd" are guessed. However, in this work, David Gilmour strives for greater musical freedom.

Life outside the Wall

His solos are more improvisational. They don't sound learned and not distinguished by the calculated ideality that is inherent in many of the group's compositions. It can be said that in solo albums, another Gilmour appears before the listeners, not previously known, more “home”. The lyrics of these songs almost do not touch on social issues. The fight against the vices of modern society, which was carried out by the Pink Floyd group from the album The Other Side of the Moon and reached its peak in The Wall, gives way to love in David Gilmour's solo albums.

Guitar in the spotlight

All the records of the musician are saturated with a similar mood. Of course, each time these are completely unique pieces of music, original cycles of songs by an outstanding guitarist and vocalist, but they all have some common features.

For example, in these compositions there is always only one solo musical instrument that is in constant focus - David Gilmour's guitar. Other parts play a purely accompanying role. This circumstance brings Gilmour's work closer to music.renaissance era. There is the same crystal transparency of the musical fabric and simplicity of texture.

As a rule, work on these albums was carried out in between the band's concert tours and work in the studio. Therefore, these works are a reaction to the creativity of the team, that is, its complete opposite. The only exception was the album About Face, recorded after the release of The Wall and in many ways a continuation of it.

An album interesting for everyone

As for David Gilmour's new live recording in Pompeii, it should be noted that it met the expectations of many fans also because the guitarist and his team play Pink Floyd classics with a certain accuracy in the execution of musical themes, adhering to classic reading of these songs.

Therefore, unlike another live album recorded in Paris, where some compositions are changed beyond recognition, David Gilmour's concert in Pompeii will be of interest not only to connoisseurs of his work, but also to those who hear this music for the first time. On the other hand, there is a certain amount of improvisation in the concerto in the solo parts of such instruments as the guitar and saxophone. One of the most successful numbers of the concert was the Pink Floyd classic The great gig in the sky. The new arrangement of the vocal parts has significantly refreshed the perception of this composition, which has long been beloved by all fans of the group.