Putting The Orb to one side (with whom he has recorded two albums), it can never be said that Gilmour has exactly been prolific away from Waters (however much he would hate to admit it). Together they recorded 11 albums in 15 years (plus Gilmour’s debut), and then in the following 40 years Gilmour released 3 with Pink Floyd and 3 other solo releases prior to this one, the last being 9 years ago. I am not sure who was expecting another solo album now Gilmour is in his late seventies, but it certainly was not me. Also unexpected was the realisation that Richard Wright performs on the title track, and given he died back in 2008 it shows how long Gilmour has been sat on that material.
I have been a fan of Floyd for more than 40 years, even buying ‘Animals’ on 8-track when it was released, and remember the joy of first getting a CD player and playing ‘Wish You Were Here’ on repeat all day in my flat. But when one comes to release from an icon how can one remove the subjectivity and memories from the objectivity and come up with words to accurately describe what one is listening to? I decided to stay clear of all other reviews and give myself the opportunity to play this album multiple times before starting to collect my thoughts, and I am glad I did just that as there is no doubt that this is one of his best albums in many years, and while not infallible there is a lot going for it.
His vocals and guitar still have all the presence and dynamics one would expect, and he is one of the few guitarists in the world where one could listen to just a few bars and immediately know who is playing, such is his individual style. His vocals still have that soft and welcoming gravelly drawl which seems not to have aged over the years, with just a little quavering on the long-held notes. As well as being a really enjoyable album, this is very much a family affair. Gilmour's wife, writer Polly Samson, wrote the majority of the lyrics, which she said reflected themes of mortality and ageing and adapted the lyrics for "Dark and Velvet Nights" from a poem she composed for their wedding anniversary. Their son Gabriel contributed backing vocals on a few tracks, another son, Charlie, contributed some lyrics of "Scattered while their daughter Romany provides lead vocals on “Between Two Points”, harp on a couple of songs and backing vocals on some more. Actually, Romany is a delight and I hope her career builds on this as I would love to hear a lot more from her (check out the video on YouTube of her father joining her at a pub gig for a version of “Wish You Were Here”).
The last track on the album is the original jam for the title cut recorded in 2007, from which Gilmour then developed the final version. It is interesting to hear the origins, but I doubt if any apart from the diehards will play it more than once, but in terms of completeness it is nice to have it available. This is an album I enjoyed much more than I thought I would, and I am sure those lucky enough to see Gilmour on his world (which of course currently is just Europe and the States) tour will find this material sits well alongside his catalogue.
