About Face: David Gilmour

I like all of it, even/especially Blue Light.  Peter Townshend wrote some good lyrics for it (Love on the Air and All Lovers are Deranged), but Dave's lyrics are pretty good in spots too - a nice sharp tune pointed at Roger Waters (You Know I'm Right), a solemn lament for mankind in the wake of the nuclear war many thought was right around the corner (Out of the Blue), an ironic love song to a cruise missile (Cruise), a meditation on death (Until we Sleep), and yes, the murder of John Lennon (Murder).  I personally think it's the best foot he's yet put forward in terms of establishing himself as an independent creative force outside the grip of Pink Floyd.  It's got his trademark guitar, but the songs don't sound like Floyd songs, and yes, they've got commercial potential.  Unfortunately, it just didn't take off the way he hoped it would, so then it was back to the drawing board that gave us Momentary Lapse of Reason - a good album in itself, but I've always wished he could have pursued the direction taken on About Face further. 

It took about 20 years for him to finally do it with On An Island.  That's a good album but a bit two-dimensional, even predictable.  But still a welcome album, no doubt, and one I'm proud to own, even if I usually skip 2-3 tracks while it plays.  It doesn't have the vitality of a bona fide commercial proposition by a young hungry viable modern performer, like About Face had.  There looked for a moment like there may be life after Floyd for Dave.  Now it's kind of too late for that.

I'm sure a thread of this has been done before.....
No a bad album, some notable guests, some good material. I do enjoy You May Be Right, Murder, Out Of The Blue and definitely Near The End....
.......don't think much of Cruise, Until We Sleep, Blue Light and All Lovers Are Deranged. The other tracks are in-between.
Still, not an excruciating listen.

^ Absolutely correct on every count.

I like better his first solo album.

Not as good as his first but then both are mediocre imho.

The Dark Elf wrote: SteveG wrote: Gilmour's second solo album is awesome at times. I love the song Murder. What's your opinion of About Face?   "Murder" is the best post-Wall song of Floyd or any member of Floyd. I appreciate Gilmour not sticking with a formulaic regurgitation of the Floyd shtick, and presenting himself as an individual performer, which I think he did admirably on this album.

Waters wanted to stick to the Floyd aesthetic by producing concept albums which rarely left any impact. Gilmour did more of what he wanted to do and I pride him for it.

Either underrated or one of my guilty pleasures. This album has a lot of good songs to enjoy: Until We Sleep, Murder, Out of the Blue (my favourite), Let's Get Metaphysical and Near the End. And most of the others are enjoyable as well.

dr wu23 wrote:     IMO that best post Floyd song is this one.....

Edited by Horizons - July 26 2015 at 11:41

DG is a very good guitar album and excellent first solo try.   Waters has taken more chances and expanded his sound much more, so it depends what one responds to.   If you like straight-forward, David Gilmour is a nice treat.   Better?   Hard to say.