Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Gilmour, David
Label: Harvest Records
Release: 1984
Length: 45:18
Rating: 3.5/5
By 1984, Pink Floyd guitarist and singer David Gilmour was fed up to the back teeth with the willful mannerisms of his former partner in crime, bassist/vocalist Roger Waters, so he could hardly wait to get back to his solo career after the splendid solo debut from 1978. Waters had conceived Pink Floyd’s last album with him, »The Final Cut« (1983), largely as a solo record, relegating Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason to mere supporting roles, which the two accepted with utter apathy. Gilmour reportedly tried to convince Waters to give him a bit more room for songwriting contributions, but the iconic bassist/vocalist, in his ambitious zeal, had already written most of the »The Final Cut« material by then. Ironically, partly thanks to Gilmour’s encouragement, he released it as a Pink Floyd album, even though David soon realized it was Roger’s extremely personal concept project, which only wore him out and bored him even more.
With Pink Floyd’s future hanging by a thread, Gilmour decided to shake up his career a little and record his second solo album, »About Face«, with longtime collaborator Bob Ezrin, the renowned producer, arranger and keyboardist, helping out on production. In doing so, he threw down the gauntlet to Waters, who put out his own solo debut, »The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking« (1984), two months later. On two tracks, the funky pop rocker »All Lovers Are Deranged« and the organ-laced ballad »Love On the Air«, Gilmour teamed up with old friend and legendary The Who guitarist Pete Townshend, who wrote both lyrics. Most of the other tracks got a hand from a fine roster of outstanding session players, such as Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro, the highly respected bassist Pino Palladino, legendary Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord and the all-round talent Steve Winwood, to name just a few. The orchestral arrangements were handled by the guest National Philharmonic Orchestra.
The lyrics on »About Face«, apart from the two tracks with Townshend’s poetry and the occasional ‘flash of brilliance’, weren’t exactly the product of some deep intellect, and David was well aware he couldn’t compete with Roger in that department. So he pushed all the harder to shine as a songwriter and arranger, and of course as a distinctive singer and guitar virtuoso, where he’d always been strongest. David, whose guitar solos are often the main attraction of individual tracks, has since drifted a long way from that approach. Hearing »About Face« again, a very solid blend of prog rock, pop rock and hard rock, he probably can’t be all that thrilled with it, since it’s a document of its time, with the typical production stamp of the eighties and plenty of the synthesizer tech of the day all over it.
Opener »Until We Sleep« is by far the weakest track on the album. Its synthetic, rather monotonous rhythm has aged very badly, and David’s vocals sound like they were recorded in a sensory deprivation chamber. »Murder« turned out much better and sounds a bit like Gilmour’s later Pink Floyd exploits, with clever bass guitar improvisations and brilliant organ variations. David dedicated the lyrics to the brutally murdered John Lennon, one of his main musical idols. It’s hardly surprising that both of the aforementioned tracks with Townshend’s poetry are among the album’s highlights, and the same goes for the rather commercially minded »Blue Light«, which sounds like a close encounter between Gilmour-era Pink Floyd and a big band, with some almost disco-flavored rhythmic touches.
»Out of the Blue« starts out as a gentle power ballad and turns dramatic later on, the kind David loved to write throughout most of his career, and it’s where his vocal melancholy really comes into its own. The orchestral »You Know I’m Right«, the album’s most successful single, which is rather surprising given its symphonic prog nature, has a similarly melancholic pulse, with sentimental guitar phrases and nostalgic singing, while David hits some unusually high notes in the chorus. The pastoral »Cruise« is a thoroughly likable little number with a pleasant folk arrangement and David at his most upbeat as a singer, while toward the end the piece takes an unexpected turn from folk into reggae rhythms. The symphonic instrumental »Let’s Get Metaphysical«, with its pompous orchestral arrangements and sensuous guitar soloing, and the still-life »Near the End«, which puts David’s distinctive vocal warmth front and center, make for an atmospherically very effective close to the album
While listening to »About Face«, which wasn’t an (un)expected masterpiece but ‘just’ a very solid record that confirmed the iconic guitarist/singer could hold his own, you often get the sense that Gilmour was enjoying himself immensely, finally making new music again outside the Pink Floyd constraints of the time. No wonder he soon seized the big opportunity that showed up after Waters’ ‘final cut’. After a grueling but, for him, victorious courtroom showdown with Waters, Gilmour teamed up with Mason to take the reins of Pink Floyd’s future, while his next solo album, »On an Island« (2006), was a full twenty-two years away.
Lineup
David Gilmour – guitar, vocals, bass guitar
Jeff Porcaro – drums, percussion
Pino Palladino – bass guitar
Ian Kewley – Hammond organ, piano
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Steve Winwood – piano, organ
Anne Dudley – synthesizer
Bob Ezrin – keyboards
Luis Jardim – percussion
Ray Cooper – percussion
Jon Lord – synthesizer
The Kick Horns (Roddy Lorimer, Barbara Snow, Tim Sanders, Simon Clerk) – horns
Vicki Brown – backing vocals
Sam Brown – backing vocals
Mickey Feat – backing vocals
Roy Harper – backing vocals
Steve Rance – Fairlight programming
The National philharmonic Orchestra
Micheal Kamen – orchestral arranger
Production
Bob Ezrin and David Gilmour
Track list
1. Until We Sleep (5:12)
2. Murder (4:58)
3. Love On the Air (4:18)
4. Blue Light (4:35)
5. Out of the Blue (3:36)
6. All Lovers are Deranged (3:14)
7. You Know I’m Right (5:04)
8. Cruise (4:39)
9. Let’s Get Metaphysical (4:09)
10. Near the End (5:43)
