David Gilmour vs. Roger Waters

Well, overall I would say I prefer David Gilmour as I like the soothing, mellow sound of his solo stuff, whereas Roger Waters' solo stuff is just a bit strange to me, and often too political.  I would agree, of course, that the combined talents of both of them made the Floyd magic.

But let's not forget the valuable contributions of Richard Wright, Nick Mason and of course SYD, without whom there'd be no Floyd.

Waters was essentially a one trick pony with arguably limited talent as a performer/musician. Gilmour on the other hand possessed the creativity, imagination, chops, and yes - the humility to build upon a successful career. He forged a distinctive sound from his Fender Strat that is instantly recognizable with a soaring, almost lyrical presentation earning him the title - "king of sustain". Gilmour was never considered a very flashy or gifted player in an Al Di Meola or Steve Howe kind of way. Despite this, his unquestioned ability to paint vivid soundscapes and make his instrument "sing" has consistently placed him on the short list of favorites for many prog rock fans over the years - no small feat. Gilmour's apparent "humility" or ability to successfully collaborate with other world class artists like Tony Levin has resulted in critically acclaimed recordings like those on Momentary Lapse of Reason. Water's efforts since Pink Floyd have paled by comparison. You just don't see Roger Waters showing up on favorite lists of fans like Chris Squire, Geddy Lee, Jaco, or Levin. He simply doesn't belong in that kind of company. David Gilmour, however, clearly does.

Roger.  The music of Floyd definitely goes to David and Rick, but Roger wrote all the hits like "Money" and "Have A Cigar".  And my favorite thing about Pink Floyd is the lyrics.  The depths of Roger's soul are revealed in those lyrics (and they changed my life) and the music accentuates that.  Although I do like "The Division Bell" a good bit.  But yeah, Roger gets my vote mainly for lyrics.  And I like his bass style.  Have you ever listened to "Shine On You Crazy Diamond Parts I-V"?

The Truth wrote: They are nothing without each other. Amused to Death was good but with a little Gilmour input it'd be great

Funnily enough, you speak the truth. I'm listening to the album now, and it's good, but it lacks the punch that Gilmour could've provided, were he there.

Hard to say, when it comes to solo albums, Gilmour has at least one album I can listen to. Waters none, too self-indulgent and pointless.

On the other hand, when it comes to PF I'd certainly pick DSOTM + Animals(Waters) above Wish You Were Here (Gilmour)
But then Meddle is my favorite and that's a Gilmour one.

This is too hard, I wish I hadn't even started to try answering this




Edited by Bonnek - December 13 2009 at 14:19

Bonnek wrote: Hard to say, when it comes to solo albums, Gilmour has at least one album I can listen to. Waters none, too self-indulgent and pointless.On the other hand, when it comes to PF I'd certainly pick DSOTM + Animals(Waters) above Wish You Were Here (Gilmour)But then Meddle is my favorite and that's a Gilmour one. This is too hard, I wish I hadn't even started to try answering this

I don't think you could say this albums were Waters or Gilmour's, they were in all the meaning Pink Floyd's, with input from all members... well, not Animals, there Waters certainly took a more dominant role than before, but even on this album, Dogs is co-written with Gilmour, and as far as I understan, Dogs is mainly Gilmour's baby, and that song is certainly a very important part of the album. As far as DSotM is concerned, I guess that's one of the most collaborative albums. Time, Great Gig, Us and Them, and Any color you like all have about nothing to do with Waters (except the lyrics, ofcourse), and that alone makes about half of the album.

Bonnek wrote: Dellinger wrote: Bonnek wrote: Hard to say, when it comes to solo albums, Gilmour has at least one album I can listen to. Waters none, too self-indulgent and pointless.On the other hand, when it comes to PF I'd certainly pick DSOTM + Animals(Waters) above Wish You Were Here (Gilmour)But then Meddle is my favorite and that's a Gilmour one. This is too hard, I wish I hadn't even started to try answering this I don't think you could say this albums were Waters or Gilmour's, they were in all the meaning Pink Floyd's, with input from all members... well, not Animals, there Waters certainly took a more dominant role than before, but even on this album, Dogs is co-written with Gilmour, and as far as I understan, Dogs is mainly Gilmour's baby, and that song is certainly a very important part of the album. As far as DSotM is concerned, I guess that's one of the most collaborative albums. Time, Great Gig, Us and Them, and Any color you like all have about nothing to do with Waters (except the lyrics, ofcourse), and that alone makes about half of the album. Yes you are wright about DSOTM. But Animals definitely feels more waters to me as he sings more there, besides Gilmour never played any Animals stuff live since the split. But then again I love that album most of all for its guitars. Ehm... Am I still making sense? Let me try once more. When it comes to Floyd I like them both equally, when it comes to solo work I'd pick Gilmour.

Is this even a serious poll? David Gilmour is without doubt the clear choice here. No offence to Mr Waters but.... its like trying to convince matthew mcconaughey that he's a bad actor. I'm sorry, I went off topic....... David Gilmour.

A Person wrote: yface1 wrote: Is this even a serious poll? David Gilmour is without doubt the clear choice here. No offence to Mr Waters but.... its like trying to convince matthew mcconaughey that he's a bad actor. I'm sorry, I went off topic....... David Gilmour. Hmm, why is David Gilmour inherently better than Waters? Just wondering why you picked Gilmour.

It is no revelation that Gilmour could play, and Waters could not compared. They both admitted that, but it is also clear that Waters was the more ambitious, lyrically creative and driven.

Thus, they were as good as each other in Floyd, for without either, Floyd proper did not, and would not exist.