David Gilmour's ON AN ISLAND more Pink Floyd....

[mozo-pg]

Were you already pretty familiar with the songs on On an Island?

Yes - I bought the CD before the show. It was really great seeing Richard Wright in the band.

[Tangram]

....than Pink Floyd - compared to the Division Bell and Momentary Lapse of Reason.

Makes me wonder how much corporate "commercial" infuence was exerted on Floyd's last albums.

You mean the near bankrupt Pink Floyd at the end of the 70's wanted to recoup some money and then went on tour for over two years with the MLoR tour was bigger than expected? Gilmour and Mason put up most of the money for the tour, nobody was twisting their arms too hard. FWIW, I'm an fan of both post Waters albums but no, they don't match their previous works. Neither does Waters' solo output.

On An Island was an album from an older, more relaxed man who had nothing to prove but made an album with friends and produced an album that he wanted. These older ears enjoyed it a lot.

[cavgator]

"More Pink Floyd than Pink Floyd"? WTF does that mean? MLoR and DB weren't Gilmour solo albums, you do realize that, right?

Agree completely, but in the minds of many, "No Waters, no Floyd."

[cavgator]

1I think they where! those albums are Gilmour with a host of session musicians
Gilmour ruined Pink Floyd, there, I said it!

While The Wall was just the band? They had 17 additional musicians. Fail.

Both post Waters PF albums blow away The Final Cut and any of Waters' solo navel-gazing diatribes...IMO

I did struggle with On an Island, however.

[Facelift]

Yesssss, I find AMLOR a Gilmour solo album... that caused permanent damage to Floyd's near-spotless discography (not hust the productioon, but the poor songwriting as well)


OK!!! All hell breaks loose from here on!!

AMLOR was the prototypical post-Live Aid cash grab. That said - I still like some of it, but my judgment of it is probably clouded by nostalgia, as it was the first Pink Floyd album I ever owned.

[JJ88]

I don't think AMLOR is such a bad album, if you compare it to other recognised career nadirs like, I don't know, 'Open Your Eyes', it positively shines. Yes, one might say that's not saying much but I think the worst thing about it is the production. Certainly 'Learning To Fly', 'Sorrow' and 'On The Turning Away' hold up well from a musical perspective.

[ronmac]

So you fell asleep for the new stuff but woke up when they played MEDDLE? lol

Because "One of these Days" is so trance-inducing.

[JKL2000]

I like it, but rather too 'pipe and slippers' to really be a major work.

LOL. I like that term, but you say it as if it's a bad thing!

Funnily enough, the only really 'rock' track on it, 'Take A Breath', is still the low point IMHO...just as, for me, 'Take It Back' and 'Keep Talking' were on 'The Division Bell'.

Definitely agree with this - Take a Breath is a pretty bad song.

[Birdy]

O,n an Island is a boring snoozefest.... and probably Gilmour's weaker solo album.

both Xaters-less Floyd albums are better than OIA, but AMLOR is only very barely so...

What seves TDB is the closing High Hopes track.

Agree totally! A VERY disappointing album compared to his other 2, especially his first which is brilliant!

[ronmac]

I just listened to this for the first time. I can see how some might consider it boring. And, let's face it, Gilmour's singing does have a "hypnotic" effect.

I found it quite good, ON IT'S OWN MERITS. But, I also made sure not to compare it to anything else. I can see how it would grow on people. Yet, I can also see how it might disappoint people expecting something he might have put out 30 years ago, which, IMO, isn't fair.

I put this in the same category as Gregg Allman's "One More Try," which is a bit sedate, but really, really good in the right setting.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

While The Wall was just the band? They had 17 additional musicians. Fail.

Both post Waters PF albums blow away The Final Cut and any of Waters' solo navel-gazing diatribes...IMO

I did struggle with On an Island, however.

I don't think AMLOR is such a bad album, if you compare it to other recognised career nadirs like, I don't know, 'Open Your Eyes', it positively shines. Yes, one might say that's not saying much but I think the worst thing about it is the production. Certainly 'Learning To Fly', 'Sorrow' and 'On The Turning Away' hold up well from a musical perspective.

exactly my feelings

[Hour Candle]

Last two or three cuts are sublime!!

[Trane]

You mean the near bankrupt Pink Floyd at the end of the 70's wanted to recoup some money and then went on tour for over two years with the MLoR tour was bigger than expected? Gilmour and Mason put up most of the money for the tour, nobody was twisting their arms too hard.

Well, I'm pretty sure that Gilmour did pressure Mason... Mason had lost total interest in music (he hadn't drummed in a few years apparently), busy racing his cars...
Gilmour absolutely needed Mason's presence on AMLOR to give it a Floyd credibility (which more of less failed AFAIAC)...

Though he might have enjoyed it, I'm sure Gilmour later participated to Carrera Panamerica as a kind of trade-of

[Big Ears]

On An Island is one of the most poignant albums I've ever heard. The last four tracks have brought me to tears. Can't listen to it too often, but when I do, at the right time, look out. Yeah, I like it much better than anything Floyd has done since Animals.

Funny you should say this as the Gdansk album moved me to tears. Dave Gilmour said he could not perform Echoes without Rick Wright. I first heard On an Island when Gilmour performed tracks on Jools Holland's show and the performances are great.

In answer to the OP, I always thought the Gilmour solo albums sounded like the guitar from Pink Floyd, as if it was extracted from a never-released parent album. They are good nevertheless, as is Rick Wright's underrated Wet Dream record.

[Tangram]

Well, I'm pretty sure that Gilmour did pressure Mason... Mason had lost total interest in music (he hadn't drummed in a few years apparently), busy racing his cars...
Gilmour absolutely needed Mason's presence on AMLOR to give it a Floyd credibility (which more of less failed AFAIAC)...

Though he might have enjoyed it, I'm sure Gilmour later participated to Carrera Panamerica as a kind of trade-of

I hadn't heard that Gilmour twisted Mason's arm before. Yes, he did need him as there was a provision with Waters that Wright could not return as a band member. Then again, Mason wasn't exactly doing anything...

Gilmour was a bit of a car guy too, but probably was Mason's idea. DG probably wasn't too happy after he crashed during the race. Happier the manager Steve O'Rourke, who broke both of his legs in the crash.

[Tangram]

Funny you should say this as the Gdansk album moved me to tears. Dave Gilmour said he could not perform Echoes without Rick Wright. I first heard On an Island when Gilmour performed tracks on Jools Holland's show and the performances are great.

In answer to the OP, I always thought the Gilmour solo albums sounded like the guitar from Pink Floyd, as if it was extracted from a never-released parent album. They are good nevertheless, as is Rick Wright's underrated Wet Dream record.

When DG played 'Remember A Day', it was quite touching, then I wondered why they never played it before. Not even when it was released. Someone correct me it it was played a couple of times. I always liked that song.

I agree with your comment about about Gilmour's and Wright's solo work. Add Waters' into that and I find it very interesting and easy to see what each brought to the table in PF. And probably more importantly, what each was missing without the other guys input.

[ronmac]

When DG played 'Remember A Day', it was quite touching, then I wondered why they never played it before. Not even when it was released. Someone correct me it it was played a couple of times. I always liked that song.

Me, too. I've never seen a live PF version either.

[Brian Griffin]

I'm quite sure I'm in the minority, but I just revisited Gdansk and I was pretty much bored

Not much of a stage show for an event of this magnitude, not too much there visually

Almost no surround effects played in the Dolby 5.1 layer

I see why I didn't remember much : )

BG

[Casey]

If memory serves me (feel free to jump in to correct me), Richard Wright cited "Remember a day" as an example of why he felt he wasn't a good song writer. I was baffled by this admission as I had always liked it.

[echolynfan]

I'm quite sure I'm in the minority, but I just revisited Gdansk and I was pretty much bored

Not much of a stage show for an event of this magnitude, not too much there visually

Almost no surround effects played in the Dolby 5.1 layer

I see why I didn't remember much : )

BG

I think you can pretty much expect the concert to be understated considering the material and orchestra, however - I thought it was beautifully done and appropriate for Gilmour's music.

[bill g]

Rick Wright's underrated Wet Dream record.

Wet Dream was always my favorite PF solo endeavor, up until 'On An Island'. I think Rick would have had more confidence in his writing if he had more positive input from Roger who was never kind about Rick's writing. Though didn't he write all the music to 'Us and Them' with Roger writing the lyrics? That's a pretty nice tune, in my opinion, as is pretty much all of his stuff with PF.

Admittedly, his last solo album didn't quite do it for me though on the whole.