DAVID GILMOUR

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