DAVID GILMOUR

The first album of greatest guitarist of Pink Floyd. It Sounds like Animals era, the last album of the floyd before the release of this try solo. Collaboration of Roy Haper was really interessting in "Short and Sweet" . Rick Wills (bass) and Willie Wilson (drums) was old collegue on the embryo line-up of his old Band (before pink floyd) Jokers Wild in 65-66. All this people create a special spirit for this eponym album. A wonderful treasure!!!

A very good solo album (and only topped by Roger's Amused To Death) as I am usually very wary of solo albums of group members, this ranks among the better one ever coming out of the Floyd stable. Released a few months before Rick Wright's Wet Dream, both album probably suffering from Floyd's Animals' proximity, these albums can be seen nowadays a bit differently than back then: Obviously Roger Water's concepts about Floyd's musical directions was causing a pile of songs that the other two writers couldn't use on the group's albums, so they had to do something in order to get them published. Both chose solo albums.

Short unrelated songs that are generally spreading wider than the usual Floyd spectrum, this self-titled debut is an honest one, where it's obvious Gilmour is not keeping his better material for his solo ventures (some issue often popping up in other groups), as there are no tracks of the calibre of Dogs or Comfortably Numb. Gilmour's voice used alone, without Wright's to tone it down, might surprise a bit, but you recognize the man's vocal chords immediately.

Opening on the made-for-spacey-guitar instrumental Mihalis, the mood is set for mid-tempo tracks that are more (another delightful made-for-guitar instrumental, Raise My Rent) or less (So Far Away, No Way Out Of Here, Short And Sweet) successful tracks, some being a bit haunting like No Way (into here ;o))))). A bit harder is the track Cry From the Street, where Gilmour's guitar is obviously feeling in its edgy playing the kid's cry of anguish and anger in the never-ending 70's economic crisis hitting the UK. The very Jeff Beck-like (the JR/F era) It's Deafinitely is another instrumental winner , but the album closes on the neutral I Can't Breathe Anymore, which is a bit of a miss - better save a good track for an album's outro.

Despite some of the unmistakably Gilmour songwriting ticks, I don't see much relation to Floyd music of that era (that's Animals or The Wall) or others outside of the guitar playing and the singing. Clearly this album was made like Wet Dream for two songwriters to publish their musical ideas while a third musician was hogging the group's album for his mammoth projects. Both this and Wet dream are minor works, especially compared to Water's then-works, but they have much charms and merits.

If you liked the guitar sound on PINK FLOYD's "Animals", then you should like it here: the resemblance is obvious. The electric guitar sound is varied, and the distortion he uses is rather pronounced. I like the mellow distortion free parts which sound like RUSH's "2112" (I can't breathe anymore). The guitar solos are outstanding, like he uses to do (mihalis, raise my rent). The keyboards are mostly organ, piano and moog. The bass is really present and well played; the drums do a very good job. I like the catchy So far away: very good piano, wonderful guitar solo, mellow lead vocals. GILMOUR's voice is excellent, as always.

The late 70's were great for strong solo efforts especially Gilmour and Wright. Gilmour's solo album is a stunner. It certainly bear resemblance to the ' Animals' era and also reinforced ( if any ever doubted it) Gilmour's mastery. His guitar shines throughout but the highlight track for me is the instrumental ' Mihalis' It takes a while to hook you but once set in there is no turning back.' There's no way out of here' demonstartes Gilmour's strong vocals. The whole album is strong with for me the other high points being the collaboration with his mate Roy Harper on ' Short and Sweet' and also another instrumental' raise my Rent' If you are lucky enough to have an excellent sound system at home play ' Raise my rent' as loud as possible and let Dave Gilmour's guitar do the talking.

DAVID GILMOUR's self-titled first solo album was, without a doubt, the best one he did. While not always the most innovative member of the FLOYD in terms of composing (lyrics and music), he does do a quality job here of making a rock album. Like any work written solely by GILMOUR, this album relies on traditional chord structures and styles. The lyrics are also pretty ordinary, not always even seeming personal to him (guy wants girl, guy can't have girl), although occasionally with some interesting wordplay. If you enjoyed songs like "The Gold, it's in the..." and particularly "Childhood's End" from Obscured by Clouds, you should do well with this album. From a purely prog standpoint, I give this album a 3...but those who are interested in straight rock-and-roll should consider my rating a 4 instead.

Perhaps DG's musical best is "Raise My Rent", which, interestingly enough, seems to be the inspiration for "What Do You Want From Me?" on The Division Bell (my second favorite instrumental being "It's Deafinitely"). After that, I'd name "Short and Sweet", which departs a bit from a more standard rock format, giving it an easily memorable sound all to itself. That's the trouble with this album--that certain songs are too "standard", and while they're well made, and showcase GILMOUR's guitar and vocal talents well, they don't really stick in the mind. "Mihalis" , for instance, while still very nice, is not as effective as RICK WRIGHT's instrumental "Waves" in evoking the feel of the sea--one might guess the latter's subject matter without the title (WRIGHT musically creates the sound of waves slapping into a boat's hull), whereas the subject of "Mihalis" requires explanation to get the intended images. Mihalis, incidentally, was the name of GILMOUR's boat.

Here are two of the other noteworthy moments to watch for. GILMOUR shows off his capabilities on multiple instruments on "Cry from the Street"--he does a nice job with the Hammond organ that would not seem out of place on a PINK FLOYD album. Perhaps RICK WRIGHT gave him lessons? If so, he seems to have paid attention. Also, the singing in "So Far Away" is some of the best I've ever heard from him anywhere, and perhaps the most difficult. The rapid note changes are quite impressive--not the sliding, warbling sound so common in today's second-rate radio garbage, but clear, crisp notes each individually sounded in rapid succession.

Overall, this rates as GILMOUR's strongest album. Guitar enthusiasts will be happy to know that his playing excels throughout and his unique style is unmistakable. The only drawback is, unlike PINK FLOYD and RICK WRIGHT's albums, other instruments aren't generally ever invited to the forefront. Even trumpet legend Miles Davis would yield the floor to other instruments, making his accomplishments no less remarkable. Something similar might have helped here. This, and other flaws, are why I can't award five stars, or four from the prog standpoint. Still, I think serious FLOYD fans should definitely consider buying a copy.

It is interesting to see Gilmour's input in Pink Floyd, very similar in some ways to Psot Waters Floyd. There is no doubt that Gilmour is a very original guitarist, and his work can be picked out of a crowd. That being said, this album is based around his guitar playing, and thus a very good listen. Also his beutiful vocals shine through as well. Reccomended to any Floyd fan for sure.

DAVID GILMOUR's self-titled first foray into solo territory comes off quite well. This obviously guitar-focused work will probably be enjoyed more than any of the other band member's various solo projects (at least it is for this reviewer). FLOYD fans will fall in love with this bluesy album. A "missing" FLOYD album if ever there was one...

While not overly 'progressive', the FLOYD 'sound' and 'feel' is present to the trained ear. With a voice that could melt butter, GILMOUR's vocals and axe work are worth their weight in gold, even if some of the songwriting and lyrics can at times come across as just 'straightforward, mainstream' rock n' roll. Yet, 'average' GILMOUR is still superior to most other artists ;-)

'There's No Way Out of Here' will most likely be the only song people have heard before listening to the record in full, as it it was a (minor) FM radio hit when released. Replete with the requisite GILMOUR solo it is a good, if not stereotypical tune.

The fans of the more 'melodic' GILMOUR (think: 'SOYCD', 'Green is the Colour', 'Fat Old Sun') will find the gentle offerings found in 'Short and Sweet' (wonderfully co-written with ROY HARPER) and 'So Far Away' more to their taste.

Fans of the edgier GILMOUR sound (think: 'Time', 'Dogs') will appreciate the heavier sounding 'Raise my Rent' and 'Cry From The Street'. But GILMOUR is no WATERS, so don't expect any dark, brilliant and cynical "Animals"-type lyrics.

FUN FLOYD FACTOID: Dave Gilmour originally wrote 'Comfortably Numb' for this album. Still in its demo form with only guitar tracks and without any lyrics, Gilmour wisely decided to save it, and bring it to a certain Mr. WATERS for the next FLOYD album. We all thank him for that!

My favourite FLOYD solo album by any of the band members. 4/5 stars.

When I bought this album in cassette format sometime in late seventies, I put aside this album as when I played at first time it was not as great as Pink Floyd music at the time. I put it at shelf for quite a long time until early eighties when many prog bands went pop I grabbed back the album and put it back at my cassette deck player (I think it was TEAC's first tape deck). It's not a bad album at all even though it's far from Pink Flod's Wish You Were Here or even Animals. I had a little problem with the opening track "Mihalis" (5:48) because it has so boring repetitive opening part. Lucky me, about in the middle of the track Gilmour moves his teeth by bringing the true Floydian guitar work. Excellent. "There's No Way Out of Here" (5:10) was once my favorite track because this song has a very close similarity with Pink Floyd music especially on the guitar solo. Even though the song structure is pretty straight forward but I still can enjoy this track with a feeling of excitement.

"Cry from the Street" (5:13) was for me like a rock-n'roll outfit with guitar work at opening very similar to bands like Mountains (with Leslie West as guitarist). When the music enters it's actually a blues-based song with unique Gilmour singing style and guitar work. Yes, it's repetitive, rhythm-wise, but since the singing line is excellent, this track is enjoyable. "So Far Away" (5:50) is a slow-beat song with piano as music filler as well as main rhythm. Key attraction point of this track is the Floydian guitar solo during interlude part, even though the rhythm section is quite boring.

The fifth track "Short and Sweet" (5:26) opens with guitar work and then followed with bass lines and voice line. This song has in a way inspired the band's "Division Bell" album. "Raise my Rent" (5:32) is an instrumental with slow tempo and simple (and repetitive) guitar fills. What makes this track interesting is the stunning guitar solo. "No Way" (5:32) brings Gilmour nice vocal in a blues-based music with slow tempo beats. Gilmour performs nice guitar solo in here. "It's Deafinitely" (4:27) is a faster tempo music exploring keyboard and guitar. "I can't breath Anymore (3:08)" concludes the album with simple guitar fills

Overall, it's a good album especially for those who enjoy Pink Floyd. One thing worth taking note is that all songs have a simple rhythm and structure. The things that deserve attention are excellent vocal quality and/or Floydian guitar style. What I mean with this is that the music that accompanies the guitar solo and/or vocal is flat and has a very simple flow. Look at how bass guitar is played - it's so repetitive. I would categorize this album as an ear candy prog. Keep on proggin' ..!

Progressively yours, GW

Being released shortly after animals this album has the same feeling minus the grandure. It really is quite laid back from start to finish with quite a similar sound all the way through. I'd say animals crossed with some acoustic guitarist like clapton or tommy emanuel.

To be perfectly honest this is not progressive rock. If your looking to extend your Pink Floyd collection beyond the works of the floyd I'd get Roger Waters Amused to Death as it sounds much more like the floyd. On the other hand if your looking for a good guitar based album then this is it. Of course there are solos in almost every song. They arent as explosive as some of DG's earlier work but I'm sure you won't be disapointed.

I'd say this is a great album for your car as the songs are only short but still have in my opinion a great sound. It isn't an album that will be in your top ten favourites or anything however I believe its one that most people will like for its simplicity and widley appealing musical structure.

Remember it's NOT PROG!!! (thats why its only 3 stars)

I used to play Dave's second solo album much more than this one. In fact, this one used to languish in my old tape box, gathering dust, until recently. Having started to play it again, I now find I enjoy it much more than I used to. This effort has more guitar on it than About Face, and is, all in all, closer to Floyd than its successor. Both have solid, if unchallenging melodies throughout the songs, but I prefer the production on this earlier record. The songs on this one seem to merge and blend together more than on About Face, which is more diverse. No real highlights on here for me, but, also, no real weaknesses either. 'Mihalis', 'Short And Sweet' and 'Raise My Rent' are probably my favourites here, but it's hard to choose faves in reality. Not much more to really say about this really. Floyd fans will find it pleasant and enjoyable, if not exactly Floyd-like. What it does do is highlight Gilmour's vocal and guitar playing abilities, as one would expect it to do. I will be interested to hear his third solo, due out next year. This is worth adding to any Floyd fan's collection.

This is an underappreciated gem and is a must have for fans of Gilmour's amazing guitar playing. The album, as Gilmour's playing,is based in blues rock but the album often ventures out into the progressive genre particulary with the instrumental It's Definitely. Several songs are instrumentals and even the songs with lyrics have long instrumental sections focusing on Gilmour's playing. Not a natural lyricst Gilmour employed the likes of Ken Baker, Ed Stuart, and Roy Harper(the singer on Have a Cigar) to pen the lyrics to There's No Way Out of Here, Cry from the Street, and Short and Sweet respectively. Gimour himself wrote the lyrics to three other songs and at times his words can be quite evocative especially on So Far Away. However, Gilmour's lyrics pale in comparision to Roger Waters' and if your main focus is the lyrics you'll be disappointed with this effort compared to Pink Floyd. However, Gilmour more than makes up for his deficieny as a lyricst with a multitude of melody both vocally and instrumentally that surpasses many Floyd albums. The album in particular showcases Gilmour's mastery of the guitar more than even Floyd albums did. Gilmour proves with such treasures as Raise My Rent and Mihailis that an instrumental piece often can be just as moving as singing, a truth lost in today's popular music. Having said that though, Gilmour's singing top notch and quite melodic especially on There's No Way Out of Here and Short and Sweet. During the sessions for this album Gilmour came up with the tunes for both Comfortably Numb and Run Like Hell, but he decided to save them for a future project which of course turned out to be the Wall. Despite the witholding of those two classics, Gilmour's first solo effort is quite powerful offering more melody than the previous Floyd album, Animals, while still rocking out just as hard. I highly recommend this album but I can't quite bring myself to grant it 5 stars because although lyrically the album is good it is not outstanding.

This album has two great songs--No Way Out of Here and So Far Away. The latter is a gut-wrenching melancholy beauty both lyrically and instrumentally that is most definitely in the Pink Floyd vein of, say, the Wall, though not quite as horribly depressing.

I just don't think critics have given this cut a fair review and I wanted to do so now.

Thanks!

After Pink Floyd had finished flogging their mammoth Animals tour around North America in 1977, each member went off to 'do their own thing' - while waiting for Roger Waters to come up with the group's next blockbuster both Gilmour and Wright recorded debut solo albums. Gilmour's eponymous effort was recorded in February 1978 at Super Bear Studios (Nice, France) and released in May the same year. For a core band he went back to his past, to two people who had played with him in his mid-60s band Jokers Wild: Rick Wills (bass) and Willie Wilson (drums). Gilmour handled all other instrumentation except for some piano on one track by Mick Weaver.

This is instantly recognizable as a David Gilmour album - it simply couldn't be anything else. His silky vocal chords and fluid guitar ooze out of every bar, smothering the album in a warm glow. Unlike his most recent solo album [On An Island], this is very much a rock setting, contemporary with his classic material on The Wall. It has much the same overall sound and feel - smooth and mellow but with a good solid rhythm section. Indeed, these guys sound as if they belong together, which makes you wonder "what if ...."

Two things let the side down a little. There is not enough variety or contrast - songs are generally mid paced, easy on the ear, easy-going, laid-back .... you get the idea! It flows along in the same mood all the way through and really needs some other front-person [eg a strong keyboard player] to provide a counter-point, something to jolt the listener from time to time. Perhaps, too, to add some textures alien to Gilmour's natural relaxed tendencies.

The other complaint has to be the song-writing. Sadly, this is an area where Gilmour does not excel. Five of these songs are written by Gilmour (two in collaboration) and none would win any prizes: Short And Sweet and I Can't Breathe Anymore are quite good, but the other three are saved by arrangements and guitar playing. Of course, some might argue that this album is all about The Guitar, and it is true his unique guitar work is its main voice. Aside from three instrumentals, you generally get the feeling that songs are there solely to provide a foundation for the next guitar solo.

By far the best song on the album, by a large margin, is There's No Way Out Of Here, written by Ken Baker of Unicorn, which has all the hallmarks of a classic Floyd song including some nice organ touches. That would be an automatic choice for a home-made compilation. Of the others, Short And Sweet is also quite Floydian with some great guitar work and I like the way his chorus-guitar follows the vocal. No Way and Cry From The Street are slowish bluesy numbers with excellent arrangements but average songs. So Far Away is an underwhelming soft rock number with a welcome lift into a chorus, while I Can't Breathe Anymore is a slow song blessed with a noisy guitar workout in the coda. The remaining three tracks are instrumentals.

You may have noticed I am not glowing with enthusiasm for this album and it is true I find it too heavily dependant on That Guitar. While I love his guitar style, I prefer my music to be more structured. For me then, this album is one excellent song amidst an otherwise pleasant easy-listening experience in a soft-rock idiom - clearly 3 stars. BUT .... for Gilmour loving guitar buffs I would suggest this album is absolutely essential.

Do you have all the Pink Floyd albums? Like Gilmour's guitar? Then this is definitely worth checking out. Great guitar work from start to finish. You can sort of hear essence of The Wall and the later Gilmour lead PF stuff within it.

If you love bluesy mid-pace rock, you'll love it. If you like symphonic prog like Yes, you probably won't.

3.5 stars. I like this slightly better than "On An Island" as there is more emphasis on his guitar playing on this one.

The record opens with an instrumental called "Mihalis", a light, mellow mid-paced tune with some nice guitar melodies. After 3 minutes the song intensifies and the guitar sounds great ! "There's No Way Out Of Here" is a really good song I remember being on the radio back then in 1978. There is some organ, good vocals and passionate guitar. "Cry From The Street" features fairly restrained guitar riffs throughout and sounds rather listless to me. "So Far Away" sounds better with meaningful lyrics,piano and a laid back guitar solo.

"Short And Sweet" has some raw sounding guitar outbreaks followed by vocals and background organ. "Raise My Rent" is an instrumental that rivals "There's No Way Out Of Here" as the best track on the record. We finally get some Gilmour-like (haha) guitar melodies that are beautiful to say the least. "No Way" is a pretty good song, mostly because of the main melody ."It's Deafinitely" is more uptempo with some interesting guitar playing on this instrumental. "I Can't Breathe Anymore" is a slow paced, reserved song until a minute and a half in when the heavy drums signal an increase in intensity the rest of the way.

This record is not as polished as "On An Island" but this came out 28 years ago ! Well worth a listen for PINK FLOYD fans.

Hair today, gone tomorrow

David Gilmour released this his first solo album in 1978, at a time when Pink Floyd were between "Animals" and "The wall". Prior to that he had of course contributed half a side of solo material to Pink Floyd's "Ummagumma", but this self titled album represents his first real venture on his own.

Gilmour writes or co-writes virtually all of the songs, and is album producer. Apart from bass and drum contributions by Rick Wills and Willie Wilson respectively and some help with the backing vocals, what you hear is pretty much all Gilmour.

The album is significantly lighter than the Pink Floyd work of the period. The songs do not sound like they are band rejects, although tracks like "There's no way out of here" might well have found a place on the later "A momentary lapse of reason".

Blues influences come to the fore on "Cry from the street" which features a striking phased change of pace towards the end, and on "No way". "So far away" is a pleasant piano based ballad, Gilmour receiving assistance from Mick Weaver on piano. My personal favourite is the rock orientated "Short and sweet", which features a much harder guitar sound than the rest of the album.

While each track features a guitar interlude from Gilmour, these are kept relatively brief. Apart from the three instrumental tracks ("Mihalis" "Deafinately" and "Raise my rent"), this is primarily an album of songs. "Raise my rent" has Gilmour's trademark guitar sound as its focal point, the almost ambient waves of the solo predating by almost 30 years the core sound of his "On an island" album. "Deafinitely" has a real Camel sound to it, the repeating keyboard theme would have made a fine introduction to any of their albums.

In all, a decent solo album by Gilmour, which allows him to explore areas on the perimeter of Pink Floyd's territory, while remaining well within his own comfort zone.

The sleeve features a collage of photographs of Gilmour and the other contributors to the album. Suffice to say Dave ( and I) had rather more hair then!

A revealing album in so many ways.

It shows us DAVID GILMOUR'S heart lies squarely in standard rock territory, and alerts us to the fact (which becomes pertinent in the 1980s) that he is not the creative force behind PINK FLOYD.

It also shows us what he offers PINK FLOYD: accessibility, professionalism and excellent guitar skills. But we knew that.

And it shows us that GILMOUR hasn't got a lot to say.

All that said, this is a pleasant listen. There are none of the shocking moments that made PINK FLOYD such a revolutionary, often-imitated band, nor any of the grand lyrical conceits. Instead GILMOUR offers tight, controlled and ultimately meaningless music. Oddly, there are none of the searing solos GILMOUR trademarked in PINK FLOYD; the sound is more like 'Obscured by Clouds' than anything. But there are moments of beauty, and certainly much of the disc is smooth AOR. Sandwiched between 'Animals' and 'The Wall', however, this eponymous album suffers in comparison.

Before any critic it would be good to understand the concept of solo album for Dave Gilmour... ... Dave said many times that the band (Pink Floyd) was cutting his legs. He said that artists like Clapton could do covers without run away from the music that fans are used to. And he doesn't! Pink Floyd as that distinctive color!

I think that this album is prog related and that's all. Dave wanted to free himself and remember his early influences, like Hank Marvin (from the Shadows). The first song shows us a kind of "David Harvin" in the beginning and the real Gilmour in the master solo. Gilmour wrote some beautiful songs in this album, but in his point of view . Of course Waters would made it more dark. The guitar sound is getting better, wanting for "The Wall". It's an important step in Gilmour's technique, that's why we've got "comfortably numb" now!... Was middle step...

There's a couple a cute songs but nothing more... For fans only!

During a break between Pink Floyd albums, David Gilmour brought in Rick Wills and Willie Wilson from his former band Joker's Wild and worked on his first ever solo album. The result was this collection of nine rock songs, many showing a bit of a proggy touch, with the focus of course on Gilmour's guitar work and vocals. It's quite a departure from Pink Floyd, but the music is quite enjoyable and skillfully composed.

It's often interesting to hear the first solo albums of members of prominent bands to get a feel for what they contributed to that band and their writing style. Gilmour's first solo album clearly shows he is an effective songwriter and composer. Every song on this album is a delight to listen to, not an ounce of filler. The instrumentals are very catchy, showcasing Gilmour's wonderful guitar work.

If you're interested in acquiring any of Gilmour's solo output, this debut is where to start as it is the best of the three he has done thus far (as of 2007). However, if you're expecting something like Pink Floyd or something clearly in the progressive rock genre, you might be disappointed as Gilmour's approach on this album is chiefly with song-oriented rock tracks. Nearly all of them do show some "progressive tendencies." Still, this album is just a delight, as each song is intellectually inspiring and well constructed. Overall, in the prog rock scheme of things, I consider this good, but not essential, thus three stars. If this were rated as a rock album without considering any relation to prog rock, easily four stars.

Here Dave strikes out on his own a bit, and I for one am glad he did it. Of course, there's nothing exceptionally different, progressive, or otherwise groundbreaking here, but by and large I would categorize this collection of songs as "pretty good". Unlike his next album, which is packed with special guests and notable contributors, this is mostly Dave putting together a suitable set of session musicians to play relatively straightforward blues/rock.

Most of my take on this album has already been well-stated by FloydWright, so I'll be brief. Highlights for me include Mihalis (repetitive, sure, but I want to hear Dave on guitar and here I get plenty of it...almost sounds like a restrained Satriani piece in places); There's No Way Out of Here (perfectly suited for radio play, and I'm still happy to hear it once in a while on the air), and I Can't Breathe Anymore (Dave is one of the best at writing and performing this song format: slow and featuring smooth vocals to start, and a rocking guitar solo to close). The rest is also good, but certainly nothing to return to often. Like most proggers, an album full of decent singles strung together just doesn't do it for me like it used to.

This is one that I would wait to find in a record store bargain bin. That way, you won't be expecting too much, and you'll feel like you lucked into a keeper. Who knows, maybe if Dave hadn't gotten this off his chest, he wouldn't have had the energy for the tiring, multimedia extravaganza that would be The Wall. At any rate, Dave at this point was far from a spent force in rock.

Although this solo album was released in '78, there are some indications already of what the Floyd will become after the departure of ''dear'' friend Roger. Songs as ''There's No Way Out Of Here'', ''So Far Away'', ''Short & Sweet'' are not alien at all to the Gilmour years of the Floyd. It was all premonitory.

They all hold a fine melody, it is easy listening and enjoyable music and David dispenses some fine guitar moments as usual. This is of course not revolutionary but pleasant.

I can't really consider the excellent ''Raise My Rent'' as another one of those upcoming Floyd work some nine or sixteen years later. The passion is sweating out of Dave's guitar; he probably realized one of his finest guitar work here. This instrumental track is THE highlight from this album. At least I feel so.

This album also holds some straight rock songs like '' Cry from the Street'' or ''No Way'' which are only valid for their fine guitar breaks (nothing but normal BTW) but they don't necessarily shine.

When I listen to ''It's Deafinitely'', it almost brings me back in time you know .''One Of These Days''. This debut solo album is quite good after all. What I don't understand is that some are praising this album while they severely consider the work of the late Floyd. IMHHO, this album is just some rehearsal of later things to come. And these are also the songs that I prefer here. Up to the closing number ''I Can't Breathe Anymore''.

This is actually a pretty good album which should please the late Floyd fans. Four stars.

Don't expect much more than bluesy rock because that's what David Gilmour's first solo album has in abundance. But that doesn't necessarily mean that it's a bad thing; in fact, I'm quite fond of the solo excursion.

I really feel the Pink Floyd connection here, as many of the songs could fit very easily on a Floyd album with help from Rick Wright's distinctive keyboard work and Roger Waters's lyrical content. And even though I'm at most vaguely familiar with 90's Pink Floyd, I feel that ''Raise My Rent'' sounds like Pink Floyd of the future.

My two favourite things are ''There's No Way Out of Here'' and ''Cry Out From the Street'', but there's plenty of other strong songs like ''Raise My Rent'', ''Mihalis'' and ''Short and Sweet''. Maybe not the most ideal for progsters, but definitely the Pink Floyd/David Gilmour fanatics and even the hard rock crowd. A slight lack of complexity is deciding factor in my three star rating.

First PF guitarist David Gilmour solo album. Not bad, but nothing in common with progressive rock at all. Could be of interest of two main groups of listeners: PF maniacs ( and they will find there some PF characteristic sounds plus much more gutar sound than in any PF album) and just blues rock lovers.

Album contains mid-tempo guitar based blues rock with many guitar sounds, pleasant in melodies in arrangements. Few instrumentals as well. Almost all songs are better than average, and few are good.

Gilmour blues-rock is coming not from dirty black US-roots, isn't it and classic british blues rock ( in vein of John Mayall). Gilmour is using blues rock structures and sounds, mixing tham with some PF characteristic signs, and all that are cooked as pop-rock dish.

All in all, album is pleasant for listening, but perfectly demonstrates, who is the main person in PF ( for sure, not Gilmour). If you're interested in more Floydian solo work, just take Rick Wright's "Wet Dreams".

David Gilmour's solo debut is my favourite solo album from any of the Floyd members. However, it doesn't really succeed in recreating the Floyd sound. Well probably that wasn't the idea anyway, but essentially, this is rather a very attractive collection of bluesy pop/rock songs then a progressive rock endeavour.

This brings me to two conclusions. The first one is that not one singular person of PF can be credited for the exceptional quality of the band: the sum of the four forces together was infinitely higher then the sum of its parts.

However, a second conclusion is that David Gilmour is sure the aspect of Floyd's sound that appeals the most to me, both his cool understated vocals and his extraordinary guitar skills connect with me on a very emotional level. His music just gets to me. Similar to Andy Latimer, he's the kind of guitar player that always needs just a few notes. But it always are the right notes in the exact spot where they should be.

These days it's common practice to be a bit condescending against Gilmour. I often hear criticisms that he is all empty pathos, devoid of feeling, lacking intensity and substance. Well, I agree that his ensuing solo albums are drowsy affairs, but I really can't see how these criticisms could possibly apply to the mesmerizing melancholic beauty of this album here.

I regard this as an essential solo album from David Gilmour. It doesn't come near anything prog so I will leave it dangling at 4 stars, but it's a very smooth and moody Gilmour-blues affair that boasts strong songs, great guitar work and his ever-charming vocals.

If you are a Pink Floyd fan, and are looking for more Pink Floyd music, this is an album you must buy. Released between the great Animals and the not as great The Wall, this recording has some of the same feeling as each of those albums. Particularly, there are guitar solos that sound very similar to solos in Dogs and Sheep.

My favorite tracks are Mihalis, There's no way out of Here and Raise my Rent. And really, the only big difference I find between this album and the Pink Floyd albums from around that time is the lack of Roger Waters' sound effects experiments. In fact, I like it better than any of Waters' solo albums.

DAVID GILMOUR is a very important part in the FLOYD so what you're gonna find here will sound familiar to a FLOYD fan.Of course it's seems to bee more bluesy and less prog,but who cares, i don't ! This is very melodic and inpired music with beautifull guitar parts,MIHALIS is a stand out instru track and so is RAISE MY RENT ,even poeple not turned to that kind of music love it ,and what about SHORT AND SWEET , cowritten with ROY HARPER , great ! You can even try the other cover on ROY'album with DAVID on guitar .Songs are good to,THERE'S NO WAY , CRY FROM THE STREET , just imagine a mix between that stuff and RICK first album and what you get iswhat looklikes agood FLOYD album . I give 4 STARS .

After Wish You Were Here, when Pink Floyd enetered the phase which led to their disbanding, both Wright and Gilmour released their first solos. While Wright's Wet Dreams was closer to the standard Floyd sounds, Gilmour released something slightly different.

The album opens with an instrumental "Mihalis", that reminds to the athmospheres of Obscured by Clouds. Gilmour probably liked this opener so to put something similar as openers on the two post Final Cut Pink Floyd albums. It's followed by a cover that's my favourite track "There's No Way Out Of Here". Some Ken Baker is credited as songwriter. Honestly I don't know anything of him but if this is what he's able to write I'd like to find more.

"Cry From The Street" is a blues opened by a solo guitar intro. It's a typical Gilmour's song on which his voice is clearly recognizable. It runs on the same binaries of Wright's "Funky Deux". When Gilmour is bluesy his guitar is not much different from his The Wall alter-ego Snowy White. The final shows the rock side of Gilmour, unfortunately the coda fades out.

Soft piano and drums open "So Far Away". We are back to the sounds of Obscured By Clouds or the B side of Atom Heart Mother. Not a great song as Fat Old Sun, but surely a consistent one. The guitar solo in the middle seems taken from Bridges Burning. Who likes that period of Pink Floyd will appreciate.

The side B is opened by "Short and Sweet". The guitar intro reminds to the previous "Cry from the Street". However this time it's not a blues. We will find songs like this on Momentary Leapse Of reason. Good guitar but nothing special.

"Raise My Rent" is very floydian. A slow guitar harping with soft drums and bass on which after 1 minute of intro Gilmour places a great solo. It's somewhere between Obscured by Clouds and Shine on You Crazy Diamond. Very athmospheric and one of the album's highlights.

"No Way" is another blues of the kind of "Cry From The Street", but slower. The slow tempo and the keyboard background make it more floydian. The guitar solo is a typical Gilmour's one. Who likes Sir David will like this song,

"It's Definitely" is an instrumental and probably the track that I like less here. Not a bad one, but it sounds more like an excersize for guitar effects. A bit too rocky maybe. When the bass starts playing a single note and keyboards stop it sounds like "what Gilmour would have liked to do onto One of These Days".

The closer "I Can't Breath Anymore" is another average song. Nice enough but I think it lacks feeling. It's too good to be considered a filler but not good enough to be a highlight.

The lineup consists of two former Jokers Wild and no keyboardist is credited except for the piano on "So Far Away". I suspect that keyboards are played by Gilmour.

This is an excellent album but not all the songs here are masterpieces. There's not a concept as in all the Gilmour's slos. It's a collection of songs that can live alone. I rate it four full stars but I've never thought about a fifth.

This begs the question: what makes a great musician? Is it the instrument he plays? The company he keeps? Or is it all simply about the songs he writes? Many members of outstanding rock groups have attempted to furrow their own peculiar path, though more-often-than-not the results are lacklustre and rarely surpass the creators band-orientated material. The Beatles are a prime example. Together, John Lennon and Paul McCartney(sorry George, we still love you) created some of the most enduring compositions of the 20th century. Apart, Lennon produced wimpy, simplistic, hugely-overrated hippie pop, McCartney ploughed a decidedly mushy mainstream rock course. So what of Pink Floyd? Gilmour apart, the results have been predictably mixed. Roger Waters, the group's main writer during the latter half of their career, would give us several albums worth of glum, wordy, angst-ridden art-rock that was all about himself. The group's quietly- reserved keyboardist Richard Wright would compose a couple of pleasantly-diverting albeit rather lightweight Floyd-ish instrumental albums separated by an ill-advised foray into early-eighties synth-pop with his short-lived duo Zee. Finally, Nick Mason's 'Ubiquitous Sports' would defy categorisation, proving both inaccessible and downright odd. Which leaves Gilmour. A supremely-talented guitarist in his own right, Gilmour's solo career would be similarly chequered, though this first effort is miles ahead of anything concocted by any of his colleagues. Basically the sound of the Pink Floyd front-man kicking back, relaxing and throwing off the self- imposed shackles of his day-job, this bluesy collection of mid-tempo rockers and soothing ballads is the musicians much-needed antidote to the increasingly overblown histrionics being cooked up by the increasingly domineering Waters in the name of Pink Floyd. Recorded at his own home studio between 'Animals' and 'The Wall', 'David Gilmour', which was released in 1978, is a warm, melodic album bristling with a carefree atmosphere that also borrows liberally from the idioms of folk, pop and straight-up rock to limited, if nevertheless impressive, effect. Opening track 'Mihalis' sounds like Pink Floyd doing pop - no bad thing - and that's the essence of the album. Highlights include the rather beautiful 'Cry From The Street', a track featuring an impassioned vocal performance, and the rockier 'Raise My Rent', which harks back to the more straightforward 'Meddle' material. A nicely-judged debut from a singular talent, 'David Gilmour' is a carefree rock creation that should more than please Pink Floyd's legion of fans.

STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012

As I have mentioned somewhere I am not a "Pink" fan; I am more like a "Pink" songs fan. With every band and musician in fact; (hanging around with the right crowd, teaches you that you "owe nobody nothing and the other way around").... No obligations or concessions: The expierence as such. If it moves you it is for you; if not; it is not. This David Gilmour self-titled album; was once part of my vinyl collection. Lost; not by intention...(the opposite;actually). When the digital "overblow" came to be; my CD "re-collection" grew in variety and a lot more in quality. And this first David Gilmour solo work was missing.........The kind of records I like: solo works of members out or in the meantime (as this one) of "monster-bands" . Normally they are at least entertaining; because nobody wants to sound like their band . In the case of this work which; by the way will be highly more appreciated in the world of good Rock n´Roll without the prog-tag. But being that this is Progarchives and not some "Rock mag";.David Gilmour´s great solo effort outside Floyd is closer in style to good manufactured songwriting proto-prog based bands. It has language, body (a basically 3 piece unit: Guitar, Bass, Drums), good songwriting as mentioned, no "phlosophical" lyrics, just songs; the "normal" kind.. even love songs. By now we all know he can carry this endeavor with his voice and guitar alone; back then it was not so obvious. When it comes to guitar "trademarking" sounds; this guy stands among "giants" in any field of its forms;.. and the best of all is; it does not sound like the Floyd at the time. Closer in feeling to his later own-version of the Floyd; but without the musical pandemia which they are well known for. So;... overshadowed by one hell of a "wall". This is good music. ..Got it once; lost it; got it again. Now if you keep it forever and ever;.. is up to you! Anyway 3 Stars more towards excellent than mere good.

This is the first solo album by Pink Floyd's guitarist. It is basically a collection of enjoyable straightforward rock songs with vocals and a few instrumentals. There is nothing prog about it, but it is still a good album. Most of the songs are mid-tempo with meaningful lyrics, David Gilmour's excellent voice and stellar guitar playing. Nothing really stands out on it, the songs are very blues oriented rock and there really isn't anything challenging about it. However, I have owned this one on vinyl and CD for many years, and I do still enjoy listening to it. If you enjoy the more rock oriented music of Pink Floyd and you love David Gilmour's guitar style, you will love this album. The songs grow on you just like his songs do.

Not much else to add here. It's pretty much what you would expect if you don't expect any progressive rock. If you have that expectation out of the way, you will not be disappointed. It's an excellent way to round off your all exclusive prog rock influenced collection.

So many years on and I can't help but think this album has stood the test of time, positive and negative views. Of course heard through the ears of someone who has not grown up and lived the sound of Floyd and anyone associated with that band may have a different view.

A very song oriented album, Short and Sweet co written with Roy Harper who with DG guesting recorded it on his fine album The Unknown Soldier. Oddly perhaps I prefer this one but that's just me.

His old band mates from Jokers Wild join DG in some things that are often PF oriented. Its Deafintely seems like a cousin of One Of These Days - check the bass rhythm.

No great concept album every number is it's own little masterpiece with a lot of the details in the finely tuned and intricate performances. The album rocks quite energetically for a voice and guitar that emerged from one of the most glacially mobile bands ever.

The music is rock, unlike most who think this is bluesy perhaps only in some textures such as the lap steel guitar but this is one of those interesting albums that do not pander to a fashion or style but expresses the author's musical and lyrical views in the context with which he is most comfortable; a series of varied styled rock numbers.

Some think this may be the "lost" PF album. Well as much as I love this it's not really. It could have been had Roger been present to apply the over riding concept as well as the intricate narratives that allow his lyrics to flow logically from point to point. Rather this is an indication of what Pink Floyd may have been like without Roger Waters - pre-Momentary Lapse.

Reviewer context alert - I really like most things Pink Floyd (Final Cut and Momentary Lapse and Piper all emphasize the Pink Floyd of the moment - not the listener's view of what should constitute Pink Floyd). I also like most solo albums but only rate Dark Side as the PF album with the most perception and direction (WYWH may be my favourite though). The Wall is utterly brilliant but does not have the generality that allowed Dark Side it's mainstream accessibility.

David Gilmour has a collection of songs that well express his music and the sort of lyrical concerns that discard religion and reflect the cynicism of the late '70s times (not that those times have changed much) but also reflects a determination to succeed "with or without god o his side" - the underlying self determination both resilient and understated.

He nearly toured the album (I wish those rehearsals and studio performances found on the Net would be compiled properly) but Roger Waters had Pros And Cons and The Wall in demo form and required Floyd to get together and choose.one. And pull together as a team. David did.

If you are into Floyd you' probably really like this for what it is, a fine collection of songs with his guitar sounds and styles wrapping it all up. Nice melodic vocals - his voice would get harder sounding in later years. In a way this is winter to Obscured By Clouds' summer.

If this is ignored by radio then that is their fault and problem. A fine album of excellent accomplishment that is always welcome.

Three stars for a DSOTM / Wall only fan, four for Pink Floyd fans and if you are a nut about DG of course it gets five stars. The negative views will make themselves known. Fine album, much loved.

Some great songs.

David Gilmour's first album contains shorter, more commercially-structured AOR songs. No concept album, nor political messages. But there are some great songs, all very easily identifiable as Gilmour. "There's No Way Out of Here" is the clear standout. However, "Cry From the Street", "Short and Sweet" and "I can't Breath Anymore" are all very worthy tunes, and could easily have been fit into a Floyd concept album ala The Wall if another one had existed back then. But the album is mixed, and without the contributions of the other Floyd members, the album taken as a whole gets a bit more boring. On balance, I give this 6.8 out of 10 on my 10-point scale, which places it as 3 PA stars.

PINK FLOYD is a good example of a band in which the musical magic is a sum of many parts, and the relatively modest solo discography of its members underlines that fact. Think of Rick Wright: Broken China (1996) is sonically pretty interesting but in the end terribly boring. The winner of the foursome is undoubtedly the main songwriter Roger Waters, even if there had been only Amused to Death (1992) and the new album. And what about David Gilmour then? russellk's two-star review of this eponymous debut hits the nail by saying that Gilmour offers Pink Floyd "accessibility, professionalism and excellent guitar skills", and that this album "also shows us that Gilmour hasn't got a lot to say".

Which indeed doesn't mean it wouldn't be a fairly pleasant listen. Gilmour, practically teamed only with the rhythm section, does a good job as a musician and producer. The weakness lies clearly in the songwriting. The opening instrumental 'Mihalis' sounds good but it doesn't really go anywhere. Nor the sung songs are very memorable. Perhaps the most solid one 'There's No Way Out of Here' wasn't even written by himself. The strong lyricism of Waters is deeply missed here. The typically tidy Gilmourian blues flavour is well audible, for example on [another song!] 'No Way'. By the way, a Finnish-language adaptation of 'Short and Sweet', co-written with Roy Harper, appeared three years later on the album of singer-songwriter Hector.

The progressive aspect of this album remains sadly quite minimal. The relationship to the music of Pink Floyd can be recognized. On the nicely named instrumental 'Deafinitely' one hears some echoes from 'Sheep', or to be more precise, from its fanfare-like final section. (I happened to hear it live last Saturday on a wonderful prog covers -oriented gig, in which that composition was actually the least interesting one.) All in all, "David Gilmour" is a justified, if rather forgettable, addition to your Floyd-related stuff, but I'd rather recommend the more atmospheric On an Island (2006). 2½ stars rounded upwards.

A wonderful album by David Gilmour, it includes really good riffs, solos and astonish voice that remember us to the pink floyd before Roger Waters took the led and almost composed entirely several albums, but still different to the post Waters era. Very little prog element are present here, I always liked more the style of Gilmour than Waters, however we can not deny Waters was the most fundamental part of Pink Floyd. They complemented too well, and after his departure Pink Floyd had good moments but not as good as the golden era. Talking about this album, I liked a lot, It is really good album, but for a prog collector it could be for what is expected for a prog band, so if you take that in to consideration, you are going to enjoy it as rock fan

Legendary Pink Floyd guitarist and singer DAVID GILMOUR (born 1946) has played on all of Pink Floyd's albums apart from the first one, "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" (1967). David Gilmour was brought in for the second Pink Floyd album "A Saucerful of Secrets" (1968), when the drug-induced, unreliable behaviour of Syd Barrett was becoming increasingly erratic. Gilmour replaced Barrett during the making of the album and he went on to record fourteen albums with Pink Floyd in total from "A Saucerful of Secrets" in 1968, right through to "The Endless River" album in 2014, which also included a posthumous appearance by keyboard player Richard Wright. With a long career spanning over 50 years, David Gilmour has won numerous awards both as a singer and guitarist, including being inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 as part of Pink Floyd, and in 2011, he was voted one of the greatest guitarists of all time in Rolling Stone magazine. He's also made guest appearances on a multitude of albums over the years. This self-titled album "David Gilmour" (1978) is the first of four acclaimed studio albums. He followed it up with "About Face" (1984), "On an Island" (2006), and his most recent album "Rattle That Lock" (2015). David Gilmour's four solo albums might be few and far between, but that makes them all the more special amongst his devoted fanbase. He's also released a couple of very well-received Live albums on CD & DVD, "Live in Gdansk" (2008) and "Live at Pompeii" (2017). The "David Gilmour" album we have here was produced and written by Gilmour and featured the guest musicians Rick Willis on bass and Willie Wilson on drums with three female backing singers providing vocal harmonies. Okay, that's enough waffle for now, so let's plunge in and have a listen to the album.

David Gilmour is in stonking good form with the instrumental opening number "Mihalis" (the Greek name for Michael). It features the kind of long-drawn-out soaring Floydian guitar riffs we've come to know and love from Pink Floyd. Although there are no lyrics, the music has a joyous and jubilant feel-good vibe to it, which makes it a perfect album opener. "There's No Way Out of Here" for Song No. 2, and it's a good thing too, because we're not going anywhere. We're sticking around to listen to this uplifting song and album in its entirety. "There's No Way Out of Here" might be a moody bluesy number, but it definitely won't leave you feeling moody or blue. The sound of David Gilmour's captivating guitar riffs is enough to brighten up the dullest of days and there's some lovely vocal harmonising too from the three female backing singers. We're getting all down and dirty now for some hard drivin' blues now in Song No. 3: "Cry from the Street". It begins as a slow bluesy number, but don't let that put you off, because the song quickly gathers in pace and concludes with some magnificent guitar flourishes from Mr Gilmour to leave you on an emotional and spiritual high. We're not "So Far Away" from being halfway through the album now. This song probably most resembles classic Pink Floyd than any of the songs on the album so far. It's similar in style to "Us and Them" and wouldn't seem out of place at all on the "Dark Side of the Moon" album. Even the vocal harmonising from the three female singers is very reminiscent of the Pink Floyd sound, which has to be a good thing.

Side Two opens with "Short and Sweet", which is not particularly short, but it's a little bit bittersweet. It's five and a half minutes of inspirational and uplifting music, given the masterly Gilmour touch of magic with some euphoric-sounding vocals and magnificent guitar work, in true Floyd-esque fashion. It's one of the highlights of the album in an album that's packed solid with great songs. Song No. 6 is "Raise My Rent", an instrumental number, featuring those oh-so-beautiful, trademark Gilmour glissandos. If you weren't on Cloud 9 already from listening to this superb album, then you may be after hearing this stunning virtuoso performance. You may not reach seventh heaven, but this uplifting piece of music will show you the way there. Song No. 7 is another song rooted in the blues, but there's "No Way" you'll be feeling blue after listening to the sound of David Gilmour's intoxicating guitar solo midway through the song. Onto Song No. 8 now and "Deafinitely" (no, that's not a spelling mistake or typo error). It's another instrumental piece giving David Gilmour a chance to really shine and do what he does best with some sublime soloing. Somewhat unusually, this uptempo and exuberant piece of music also features the sonorous sound of a synth with some weird electronic effects thrown in for good measure. We now reach the concluding song on the album with "I Can't Breathe Anymore", which could have been a Pink Floyd classic for sure, if it wasn't included on this solo album. It's classy and sophisticated Progressive Rock in true "Floyd-esquian" tradition.

This invigorating and uplifting album is absolutely essential for fans of Pink Floyd, although I expect most Floyd fans will already have this album nestling in their treasured LP record and CD collections. It has all the hallmarks of the classic Pink Floyd sound we've come to know and love over the years from guitar maestro David Gilmour. I "Wish You Were Here" with me to hear this album because it's sensational!

Review Nº 315

David Gilmour is, as many of we know, the lead guitarist, one of the lead singers and one of the main songwriters of the legendary prog rock band, Pink Floyd. And as many we know too, he wasn't an original member of the band. But in 1967, Nick Mason, the drummer of the group, asked him if he would be interested in joining to Pink Floyd. He accepted and joined the band in 1968, making them a group of five members. It was brief because soon the founder guitarist Syd Barrett left the group because his erratic conduct on the band, and David Gilmour assumed the role of lead guitarist.

"David Gilmour" is their self titled debut solo studio album and was released in 1978. As he explained when the album was released, this debut solo studio album was very important to him, in terms of self respect, because he needed to step out from behind the Pink Floyd's shadow. All songs on the album were written by David Gilmour except "There's No Way Out Of Here" written by Ken Baker, "Cry From The Street" written by David Gilmour and Electra Stuart and "Short And Sweet" written by David Gilmour and Roy Harper.

Loose and collaborative, with some interesting instrumentals, "David Gilmour" is recommended because it's neither withering in the shadow of Roger Waters, nor like Gilmour's led albums in the band's third-act, trying too hard to sound like Pink Floyd. Instead, everything feels familiar and comfortable. Credit goes, in part, to Gilmour's backing band.

The line up on the album is David Gilmour (lead vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards, lap steel guitar, piano and harmonica), Rick Wills (backing vocals and bass guitar), Willie Wilson (drums and percussion), Mick Weaver (piano), Carlena Williams, Debbie Doss and Shirley Roden (backing vocals).

The album has nine tracks. The first track "Mihalis" is a Greek name and was the name of a yacht that David Gilmour owned at that time. It's an instrumental song, very light and mellow with some nice guitar melodies performed in David Gilmour's classic guitar style. This represents a good way to open the album. The second track "There's No Way Out Of Here" is a great song and one of the best tracks on the album. It's a song with the typical Pink Floyd's sound, and what is more interesting about that, is that is apparently the only song of the album that wasn't composed by David Gilmour. The third track "Cry From The Street" is a very good and enjoyable song and is a song more based in the blues style. It's a song a little bit repetitive but with excellent arrangements and where we can hear the typical David Gilmour's guitar sound. The end of the song reminds me strongly the sound of the Pink Floyd's album, "Animals". The fourth track "So Far Away" is a pleasant piano based ballad with meaningful lyrics, beautiful piano work and a nice guitar sound with a laid back guitar solo. The vocal performance on the song is also very impressive and is also one of the best I've ever heard from him. The fifth track "Short And Sweet" is a rock oriented song more in the vein of Pink Floyd's songs. It features a much harder guitar sound than the rest of the album and has also a good bass line and a fantastic vocal line. This song represents one of the best moments on the album and one of my favourite songs too. The sixth track "Raise My Rent" is another instrumental track. What makes this song most interesting is the slow, simple and repetitive guitar fills and the stunning guitar solo with the typical trademark sound by David Gilmour. This is another highlight of the album and one of my favourite moments too. The seventh track "No Way" is another song based in the blues style. It's a very nice song, very slow, with a main melody that brings to us the David Gilmour's nice voice and a nice guitar work too. Who likes David Gilmour' typical sound, likes this song too. The eighth track "It's Deafinitely" is another great instrumental song that explores the keyboard and the guitar works. It's a song with some good and interesting guitar moments with the repeating keyboard theme on the back, what makes a find and interesting musical moment on the album. The ninth and last track "I Can't Breathe Anymore" is a simple and nice song that finishes this first solo David Gilmour's studio musical experience. We can say that it's a slow song with a noise guitar sound. It's a short and good song that concludes the album with simple guitar fills. It's an enough good song to closes the album.

Conclusion: Despite I only purchased the album few years ago, I know it since it was released and I always considered it a great musical work. Although it isn't very progressive and be an album very influenced by the blues, it's a very well balanced and a very cohesive work. "David Gilmour" is, in my humble opinion, an album that despite remaining in the area of Pink Floyd's music, explores also another musical areas but only if they were very close to that area. So, "David Gilmour" is a very good album and if you like, as I like, of the inimitable guitar sound of David Gilmour, especially on the Pink Floyd's album "Animals", the resemblance is obvious, you mustn't miss this album, for any kind of reason. It should please the late Pink Floyd's fans. It boasts strong songs, great guitar work and Gilmour's ever-charming vocals.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Gilmour's first solo album will please Pink Floyd and intelligent pop/rock fans. The album is mostly well constructed and accessible. We can hear the interesting warm vocal by Gilmour and his typical slightly restrained guitar playing.

There are only three instrumentals but all worth repeated listening. "Mihalis" reminds me slightly of Camel; just that guitar playing is more dominant here. "Raise my rent" has a Floydian guitar and playfulness. Absolutely tasty playing and smoking solos. "It's deafinitely" is the most prog-sounding composition but at the same time, compositionally rather weak. It's dynamic pace sets guitar/synths/drums at the same winning position.

The sung tracks are melodic, allow more space for keyboards and even harmonica. My favourite is "So far away" especially when the guitar and female vocal reach the climax. It has the typical laid-back PF feeling.

Despite quite a convincing output, I think this is not an essential piece of prog.