Music Moment – About Face by David Gilmour

For his second solo album, About Face, guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour brought in a slew of outside talent. The list includes Jeff Porcaro (Toto), Jon Lord (Deep Purple), vocalist Roy Harper, and Steve Winwood. To top that off, Pete Townsend supplied lyrics for two tracks. 

Gilmour, who is best known as the guitarist and co-vocalist of Pink Floyd, wanted to “make a really good album”, and in my opinion, he did. While his first outing, the self-titled David Gilmour, is a great collection of songs, it was his first time handling things on his own and it shows some rough edges. This time, with Bob Ezrin (of The Wall fame) co-producing, he created a polished and tightly arranged tracklist.

If you haven’t heard any of Gilmour’s solo work, don’t expect it to sound too much like his Pink Floyd work. The guitar tone is there, as are his vocals, but the songs are more radio-friendly, less angsty, and feel more accessible to a general audience. Not to say there isn’t a recognizable Floyd influence. 

Also, unlike his previous solo outing that had three instrumentals, About Face only has one, “Let’s Get Metaphysical”. I take it as a tongue-in-cheek response to Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” which contained the refrain, “Let’s get physical…”. Who knows? Maybe Gilmour is a fan of her music.

While all the songs on this album are excellent for repeat listening, it’s the second cut on side one that is my personal favorite. “Murder” wasn’t released as a single, which I found surprising since it’s possibly the most Pink Floyd-sounding song in this collection. 

The song was Gilmour expressing his horror at the killing of John Lennon a few years earlier. And while the lyrics are eerie and haunting, it’s the instrumentation that blows me away. The song starts slow, soft, and invokes an almost dreamlike air. But as it progresses it becomes, much like the lyrics, more aggressive. Finally, it reaches this crescendo where Gilmour layers on what seems like four or five different guitars, all playing something different, like competing rhythm and leads, acoustic and electric. It’s a great example of his phenomenal guitar playing.

It’s so incredibly well done and the song fades out on these guitars calling and responding. Every time I listen to it I wish it went on for a bit longer. 

I’ve posted the song and the lyrics below, so give it a listen and let me know what you think. 

Some of them standing, some were waiting in the line
As if there was something that they thought they might find
Taking some strength from the feelings that always were shared
And in the background, the eyes that just stared

What was it brought you out here in the dark?
Was it your only way of making your mark
Did you get rid of all the voices in your head?
Do you now miss them and the things that they said?

On your own admission you raised up the knife
And you brought it down ending another man’s life
When it was done you just threw down the blade
While the red blood spread wider like the anger you made

I don’t want this anger that’s burning in me
It’s something from which it’s so hard to be free
But none of the tears that we cry in sorrow or rage
Can make any difference, or turn back the page

—–

RB