“He said things like, ’Well, why does there have to be a guitar solo there?’… He has a wonderful lack of knowledge or respect for this past of mine”: David Gilmour’s first solo album in 9 years features a new producer tearing up the rulebook

David Gilmour has just announced his first album in nine years, Luck and Strange. The first track, The Piper’s Call, drops tomorrow following a world-exclusive first play on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show.

Recorded over five months in Brighton and London, the record sees Gilmour team up with Alt-J producer Charlie Andrew. The collaboration pushed Gilmour to expand his horizons and rethink his traditional methods of composition.

“We invited Charlie to the house, so he came and listened to some demos, and said things like, 'Well, why does there have to be a guitar solo there?' and 'Do they all fade out? Can’t some of them just end?'” Gilmour relayed.

“He has a wonderful lack of knowledge or respect for this past of mine. He’s very direct and not in any way overawed, and I love that. That is just so good for me because the last thing you want is people just deferring to you.”

The full tracklisting is below:

1. Black Cat
2. Luck and Strange
3. The Piper’s Call
4. A Single Spark
5. Vita Brevis
6. Between Two Points - with Romany Gilmour
7. Dark and Velvet Nights
8. Sings
9. Scattered

Other collaborators include Polly Samson, Gilmour’s co-writer and collaborator for the past 30 years, who co-wrote the album's lyrics. Late Pink Floyd keyboard player Richard Wright also features on the album. Wright recorded his part on the title track in 2007 while jamming in a barn at Gilmour's house.

The full lineup of musicians comprises Guy Pratt and Tom Herbert on bass; Adam Betts, Steve Gadd and Steve DiStanislao on drums; Rob Gentry and Roger Eno on keyboards, with string and choral arrangements by Will Gardner.

Best known as Pink Floyd's guitarist, Gilmour released his eponymous first solo album in 1978. His last album, Rattle That Lock, was released in 2015, just a year after Pink Floyd released their final album, The Endless River.

Luck and Strange is out on September 6 and available to preorder now. 

David Gilmour new album Luck and Strange out September 6, 2024! - YouTube

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