Pink Floyd "Officially Over"

Chart Attack ^ | 2-9-06

[My Favorite Headache]

Pink Floyd Are Dead, But David Gilmour Certainly Isn't

By: ChartAttack.com Staff

David Gilmour

Pink Floyd guitarist/singer David Gilmour has ended all the band reunion rumours once and for all and formally pronounced the group "over."

After Gilmour and bassist/singer Roger Waters played together at last summer’s Live 8 concert in the U.K., speculation spread that the band would reform to tour later this year. But the rumour mill can now officially close down due to statements made by Gilmour in an interview with Italian newspaper, La Repubblica.

"The band? It’s over. Reunited because of the good cause, to get over the bad relationship, and not to have regrets.

"I think I’ve had enough. I am 60. I don’t want to work much anymore. It's an important part of my life, I have had enormous satisfactions, but now it's enough. It’s much more comfortable to work on my own."

Gilmour emphasized that the decision to not reunite had nothing to do with his stormy relationship with Waters, who left Pink Floyd in 1983. The guitarist simply believes that the band is too big of a "business" now and he didn’t want to deal with the pressure or expectations — with or without Waters.

Gilmour has, however, completed work on his third solo album. His first release since Pink Floyd’s multi-platinum Division Bell in 1994 was co-produced by Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera and Chris Thomas(Sex Pistols, The Pretenders, INXS). On An Island features David Crosby and Graham Nash on harmonies, Robert Wyatt on cornet, Floyd’s Richard Wright on organ and Gilmour taking his first stab at playing saxophone. It will be released on March 7.

Gilmour will play Toronto's Massey Hall on April 9 and 10 in support of the album.

Here are the songs you can hear On An Island:

"Castellorizon" "On An Island" "The Blue" "Take A Breath" "Red Sky At Night" "This Heaven" "Then I Close My Eyes" "Smile" "Pocket Full Of Stones" "Where We Start" —Phil Villeneuve

[zook]

I know I'll get static for saying this but Dark Side of the Moon was the beginning of the end for PF. It was their worst LP up to that time. I know the world loves it, but I grew up on stuff like "See Emily Play" and "Careful with that Ax, Eugene."

[weegee]

Think they'll get the reunited Stooges as half time entertainment next year?

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

For all you youngsters out there, IMHO, their best work came before Dark Side and includes Ummagumma, Atom Heart Mother and Meddle. They were true pioneers.

Amen! The Syd Barrett-era Floyd was one of the all-time great bands. Even after Syd, they were pretty interesting until DSOTM. Set the controls for the heart of the sun, Mr. Sulu!

[Revolting cat!]

Paul McCartney, to draw female viewers.

[Darkwolf377]

I've enjoyed parts of all their albums, and Gilmour's solo records. He's got such a great sound. I was never as into Waters, though--he's shrill. The shrillness worked up to and including The Wall, which is just oerwhelming in its variety and production, not to mention the writing and performing.

The Final Cut is a dreary album, though.

Personally, Van Morrison's vocals on the live Comfortably Numb have nudged the original aside for me.

[Yardstick]

Gilmour's playing is extremely hummable. His knack for stirring catchy little melodies and memorable phrases into his solos is unmatched, in my opinion (at least among the big name guitar guys).

An interesting tidbit I read once is that Gilmour composes a lot of his solos not with his guitar but with his voice. He plays the backing tracks and scat sings a solo over them. Then he goes back and plays what he sung on guitar. Pretty clever approach.

[cardinal4]

One of my favorites-

"Pigman pigman, ha ha charade you are....." Animals, 1977.

[cardinal4]

But, I favor the post-Syd, pre-Dark Side era. No one sounded like them and they sounded like no one else. Totally original.

Meddle from '71 was great. The entire first side was awesome-"You say the hills too steep to climb..." And I loved the way it ended, with a soccer crown chant of "You'll never walk alone.."

[My Favorite Headache]

Bump

[MikeD]

I don't think he'd put it on record if he sounded bad. He already plays a few other instruments well. He would join John Fogerty and David Bowie as axe-men turned sax-men.

[MikeD]

That's the best picture of Syd I've seen in a while. He's slimmed down quite a bit.

[MikeD]

An interesting tidbit I read once is that Gilmour composes a lot of his solos not with his guitar but with his voice. He plays the backing tracks and scat sings a solo over them. Then he goes back and plays what he sung on guitar. Pretty clever approach.

You can hear both the scat and the solo on "Wish You Were Here." He scats over the outro solo. You can really pick it out on live versions.

[bigdcaldavis]

1967, eh? Maybe in eleven years they can do the "Shine on you Crazy Diamond Anniversary" tour.

Too bad Syd Barrett probably wouldn't make a special cameo just to say hello.

[bigdcaldavis]

I really wish people would just leave Syd alone. There's a paparazzi video of Syd on YouTube. Somebody said they don't see anything wrong with filming somebody who wants to be left alone, so I said "How would YOU like it if YOU were being photographed or filmed when you want to be left alone".