David Gilmour: October 2007 Archives

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October 30, 2007

Barn favourites

There's just one more of Polly's photos from the Barn rehearsals that gave you 'Island Jam 2007' after this one, so it seems like a good time to ask which picture you liked best. (Obviously next time would be an even better time to ask, but we've got some news to go with the final shot, and are sure that you'll have an opinion, so now will just have to do.)

You can see the full set, starting with David on drums, from 25 September. Just follow that link, then click your way through the entries by using the forward (>>) and back (<<) links at the top of each page.

Remember, you can click on any image for a better look.

Do let us know if you had a particular favourite - and don't forget the captions.

Posted by Features Editor at 9:02 PM | Comments (107)

October 29, 2007

GHS strings

One for the guitarists out there, today.

As you may have seen from our Latest News, GHS are putting out David Gilmour signature strings next month (only in the US and not before Thanksgiving).

David uses their 'Boomers' on his Fender Strats and Gibson Les Pauls.

The packs include the following string gauges, available for the first time in sets: 0.10, 0.12, 0.16, 0.28, 0.38, 0.48 (Stratocaster) and 0.10.5, 0.13, 0.17, 0.30, 0.40, 0.50 (Les Paul).

We'll have a contest for you to win some just as soon as we get a few packs to give away.

There's no chat today, but our chatroom will be open tomorrow afternoon. Please see our calendar for details of all future chat sessions. Opening and closing times are stated there.

If you haven't registered to chat yet, you'll find a starter's guide here. If your question isn't answered there, just shout.

Posted by Features Editor at 9:19 AM | Comments (106)

October 26, 2007

Blu-ray dates

As you liked Polly's photos from band rehearsals so much, here's one more. Click it for a better look.

Before the rumour mill starts winding everyone up, we thought you should know when the Blu-ray version of 'Remember That Night' will - hopefully - be in the shops.

These dates are subject to change, naturally, but we're presently looking at Tuesday 20 November for North America (Sony) and Monday 26 November for Europe (EMI).

As is always the case, these two dates act as a guideline for the rest of the world to work around. Parts of Europe may have it on Friday 23 November, for example. Please see the calendar for how the DVD release was staggered, and expect something similar as 2007 draws to a close.

There is no update on a proposed HD-DVD release.

After more than one regrettable delay, we are happy - and more than just a little relieved - to finally be able to say that the 'Remember That Night' DVD is released in parts of Brazil today.

We'd love to hear from Brazilian fans. Was the DVD worth waiting for, do you think?

That's all for yet another week. Enjoy the weekend.

Posted by Features Editor at 7:04 AM | Comments (62)

October 24, 2007

DVD thoughts

Sadly, this is the last of Polly's shots from the band's farmhouse rehearsals.

Seeing them all lined up like that is perhaps a jolly good excuse to get you talking about your favourite individual contributions to the DVD.

We've discussed Stevie's stand-out moments already. If any others spring to mind, don't keep them to yourself (but do keep them to a reasonable length, maybe half a dozen at most for each band member?).

'Remember That Night' is finally released in Brazil on Friday.

The chatroom is open between 3PM and 5PM (UK) today. Everyone is welcome. Doors will close at 5PM sharp and there is no 'lock-in', so please arrive early to avoid missing out.

If you failed to spot it, see our Latest News for details of when and where 'Remember That Night' compilations are due to be broadcast on television. Tell your friends, foes, family, work colleagues and random (sane-looking) people in public places about it.

If you're in France, Japan or Norway, you might wish to think up imaginative ways to nag local broadcasters about it. They're presently considering showing it, but a bit of friendly arm-twisting never hurt anyone... much.

Posted by Features Editor at 12:12 PM | Comments (132)

October 22, 2007

Programme winners

The following win a signed copy of the UK-only programme commemorating the cinematic premieres of 'Remember That Night' last month: Amedeo, Cevin, Patrick Eaves, Marian, Melanie, Thomas and Wade.

The following runners-up win a non-signed copy: Beppo the Mime, Comfortably Dumb, Genevieve, Ina, Tony K., Ernest Peske and Barbara Phillips.

Congratulations to you all. Please leave a post with your full name and address. Needless to say, it will not be published.

The chatroom will be open between 11AM and 1PM (UK) today.

Lastly, just in case anyone in Brazil is still wondering, 'Remember That Night' will be released on Friday.

Posted by Features Editor at 10:30 AM | Comments (148)

October 18, 2007

Programme give-away

We've happily given away some programmes commemorating the two cinema events at The Odeon and The Ritzy. Now we'd like to give away some more, and David has very kindly signed some of them.

If you'd like one, all you have to do is tell us why you want one, using no more than five short sentences.

Only trusted regular contributors will be considered eligible recipients of such a rare, signed item.

Runners-up will receive an identical, non-signed programme.

These were only available in the UK, don't forget: at the two London premieres, as well as the 14 participating cinemas.

If you attended either Odeon or Ritzy premiere, we know that, chances are, you already have a programme (or two, three, four...). And we know who attended, of course. The same goes for anyone who attended any participating UK cinema on Thursday 6 September.

Therefore, we'll only send the non-signed ones to addresses outside the UK, due to the fact that these are still being auctioned at ridiculous prices by UK fans. We have no desire whatsoever to assist anyone in such shameless profiteering.

Furthermore, David has given some signed items to Crisis, the homelessness charity, to auction on eBay. Unlike the people trying to make a quick buck, any money raised from these auctions will assist Crisis with their work. We'll let you know when they're up and running, should you wish to place a bid.

So, tell us why you think you should have one, include the name of your country, and please do so by 12 midday (UK) tomorrow.

You have exactly 24-hours, so please put some thought into it. Don't be boring. Sincerity is good, honesty is always a delight. It's good to laugh, too... Your entry has to stand out to stand a chance of winning.

Only one entry per person, please. Good luck to all of you.

The chatroom has just opened, should you wish to call in. Closing time today is at 2PM (UK time).

Posted by Features Editor at 12:00 PM | Comments (188)

October 16, 2007

Stevie update

As one of the most pleasant of many surprises during David's tour was the fantastic drumming (and not to mention ever-cheerful personality) of Steve DiStanislao, who you have taken to your hearts, we thought you might appreciate an update on what Stevie has been up to since the tour ended.

He is currently touring America's East Coast with David Crosby and Graham Nash, who were most welcome - and rather special - guests of David's during the 'On An Island' tour.

As David did last year, they are performing in small, beautiful theatres in an attempt to achieve an intimacy that's impossible with large venues. The next show is tonight, in Washington, DC. Please see the official Crosby & Nash site for details.

On behalf of everyone here, we'd like to wish Stevie the very best of luck with all that he does.

Your favourite Stevie moments are very welcome today. Do you have a favourite from the DVD, for example?

Posted by Features Editor at 2:06 PM | Comments (139)

October 15, 2007

Brazilian DVD release

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: ANOTHER DELAY (19/10/07)

'Remember That Night' will finally (yes, really) be released in Brazil on Friday 26 October.

We'd like to apologise - on behalf of Sony - to David's many passionate Brazilian fans for this late date. We know how irritating these delays are and can only say that we're truly sorry for the frequent disappointment caused.

The DVD is worth waiting for, we can promise that much.

The winners of Friday's 12-hour raffle are as follows:

- Signed David Gilmour lithograph print: Emilio (#99)
- Best Buy exclusive 'Remember That Night' DVD: Pete (#8)
- Promo CD, as issued to radio stations: Piero (#84)
- 'Remember That Night' programme/pass: Chris (#38)

Well done, all. Please let us know where we should send your prizes.

'Remember That Night' is finally released in Brazil ~~today.~~ We hope you enjoy it and, as always, look forward to hearing your views.

Our chatroom is closed today, but will be open tomorrow from 9AM (UK time).

Posted by Features Editor at 10:28 AM | Comments (104)

October 12, 2007

12-hour raffle

You seem to have enjoyed our 24-hour contests, so here's a 12-hour equivalent.

All you have to do, making use of just one number (between one and 100), is share a piece of trivia about 'Remember That Night'. For example, the DVD was released in Germany on 17 September, or 'Remember That Night' has topped the Music DVD charts in 12 countries so far.

Your number is your raffle ticket substitute. You can only have one, and nobody else can have the same one as you (so, the first person to pick a specific number gets to use it).

Please get your entry in by 9PM (UK) today. Just one entry per person, please. If you choose a number that's already been used, you will be asked to choose another, so please take note of any numbers already in play, or include a second choice with your post.

If your chosen number isn't obvious, please make it so.

If, as the deadline draws near, you're left stuck for entertaining trivia, you can take the easy way out and write something like "My favourite live song is 'Take A Breath', which is track 12 on the DVD" (even if it isn't your favourite - we won't hold you to anything).

Winners to be announced on Monday.

The prizes include a signed lithograph print, a Best Buy copy of the 'Remember That Night' DVD, a radio promo CD and a programme/pass from the European cinematic premiere.

Good luck and have a good weekend.

Posted by Features Editor at 9:00 AM | Comments (215)

October 10, 2007

Blu-ray audio formats

Some technical mumbo-jumbo now for those of you who are curious about the Blu-ray version of David's 'Remember That Night', which will (hopefully) be out on Monday 19 November in Europe and Tuesday 20 November in North America.

With regards to which audio formats are supported, we are told that...

48khz LPCM Stereo is mandatory on all Blu-ray players, so, at the very least, anyone can listen in stereo.

However, to get the full benefit of Dolby TrueHD you need to have a particular set-up that will achieve the best results.

First, your Blu-ray player must support Dolby TrueHD.

Second, assuming that your Blu-ray player supports TrueHD, you need to correctly connect the player to your amplifier or receiver.

If you connect your player by the coax or optical TOSLINK connectors to the amp, you will not be getting the benefit of the TrueHD signal. You will get a Dolby Digital version that is included within the TrueHD instead.

As long as the player understands TrueHD, you can get the audio signal out in one of three ways.

First, you can allow the player to decode the audio internally and feed the audio out via six analogue outs (normally phono/RCA connectors are present if the player offers the feature). You would connect this to your amplifier six-channel analogue input with six phono/RCA to phono/RCA cables.

The second and third options both output the audio via an HDMI cable to an amplifier/receiver that can accept HDMI audio.

The audio can be decoded to uncompressed by the player and sent via the HDMI to your 'amp'. The amp processes this as 5.1 uncompressed PCM.

In the last method, the TrueHD bitstream can be sent directly along the HDMI cable - the decoding happens in the receiver. In order to use this method, you will need to have an amplifier and Blu-ray player that both conform to the HDMI specification version 1.3.

HDMI 1.3 is new, but most higher-end gear is designed to work to this standard. If you are planning on purchasing new equipment, then it is worth looking for this specific feature before you buy.

Hope that helps.

Thanks to Hilary for the detailed clarification.

Posted by Features Editor at 12:38 PM | Comments (104)

October 8, 2007

Phil Taylor Q&A

As we explained last week, the David Gilmour Stratocaster is likely to be launched the same week as the Blu-ray version of 'Remember That Night'. That is to say, around Thanksgiving in the US.

This is still not carved in stone, however.

Although we had hoped that its availability would coincide with the European and North American release of the 'Remember That Night' DVD last month, this has not been possible due to reasons of quality and suitability: basically, and quite rightly, David wouldn't give Fender his approval until he was completely happy with their prototype, so it took several attempts to get it just so.

However, there is some good news to come from the delay (as if the guitar being as close to the original as possible isn't good enough).

David's long-time guitar technician, Phil Taylor, has written a history of David's famed black Strat, and a copy of this book will be included with each guitar purchased.

We've seen some sample pages and can confidently say that it should be of interest to guitarists and non-guitarists alike, owing to the magazine-style mix of photos and facts.

We're really pleased that Phil has agreed to take part in an exclusive Q&A session.

If you haven't noticed it before, Phil has a section on our FAQ page, called Ask Phil. Maybe your question has already been answered there, so please check before writing.

All suitable questions will be published below, so please read what's already been asked before submitting your own.

As always, so that everyone gets an equal chance of having a question answered, we only want a maximum of three questions per person, please. Lists will be deleted immediately.

You have until 6PM (UK) on Wednesday 10 October to get your questions to us, so please don't rush. Far better to put time and thought into your question so that it stands out than to send in something unimaginative.

We look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Posted by Features Editor at 10:21 AM | Comments (119)

October 5, 2007

Latin American delays

We regret to inform you that the scheduled release of 'Remember That Night' in both Brazil and Mexico has been delayed.

It should have been released on Wednesday in Brazil. It's now out on Monday 15 October instead.

The planned release for Mexico - Monday 8 October - unfortunately cannot be met due to an issue with the DVD's packaging. We'll have a new date for you on our calendar just as soon as possible.

Our apologies to disappointed fans in Brazil and Mexico.

There is no confirmed date as yet for Chile, but the DVD is now available in Argentina. Again, as soon as we hear from Sony and can give you more information, we'll update you.

The winners in our latest contest are Andrew and Ax, (who each win the exclusive 'Remember That Night' DVD set from Borders, with poster), Adriano and Michael, (who each win the Best Buy equivalent, complete with bonus AOL Sessions CD), and Craig, (who wins a five-track promo CD, as issued to US radio stations in the run-up to the DVD's release).

The winning captions can be seen at the foot of this page.

Congratulations to all five of you, and thanks to everyone who submitted a caption. Choosing the five best ones was easier than picking out three, as originally planned.

Thanks also to everyone who sent in kind words about our DMA win, plus birthday greetings. Your support is always greatly appreciated.

The latest country to propel 'Remember That Night' to the top of its Music DVD chart is Denmark.

It has also reached the Number One spot in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, Sweden, the UK and the US, but appears to have peaked at #3 in Holland, #2 in Ireland and #6 in Spain.

We've got a real treat for some of you on Monday, so don't miss it.

Until then, have a very good weekend.

Posted by Features Editor at 7:05 PM | Comments (77)

October 3, 2007

Another 24-hour contest

Following the tremendous reaction to last week's 24-hour contest, here's another.

'Remember That Night' prizes are as follows:

- Exclusive Borders DVD (available only in the US, comes with an Abbey Road mini-poster)
- Exclusive Best Buy DVD (again, US-only, includes three-track CD from the AOL Sessions)
- Rare promo CD, issued only to radio stations in the run-up to the DVD's release

Everyone is welcome to enter.

To be considered eligible, leave a caption for the above photo by 5PM (UK time) tomorrow, please. Only one caption is allowed per person.

You can click the image to see a larger version.

Three names will be drawn at random. Winners to be announced, and all captions published, on Friday.

Good luck, all.

If you are one of our latest winners and await delivery of your prize, please be prepared to wait a little longer. Management have moved to a new office, and many things are still in boxes.

'Remember That Night' is now Number One in Portugal. It has also topped the Music DVD charts in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden, the UK and the US.

Posted by Features Editor at 5:00 PM | Comments (210)

October 2, 2007

Best Music Blog

Well, thanks to your votes, we won the BT Digital Music Awards', er, award for Best Music Blog.

Guy Pratt and Richard Wright collected the award for us at tonight's ceremony at the Roundhouse in Camden, highlights of which are televised on Channel 4 on Friday night/Saturday morning. Please see the calendar for details, although it's not yet known whether this part of the event was covered by the TV cameras.

Thanks to Guy for doing the honours and, no doubt, for giving a typically-witty acceptance speech. Thanks to Richard for accompanying him. Thanks to the BT DMA folk, of course.

But, above all, thank you all very much for voting. We wouldn't have won without your votes.

In the unlikely event of any Brazilian fans needing reminding, David's 'Remember That Night' DVD is released in Brazil tomorrow. Please tell us what you think of it.

'Remember That Night' has just reached the top of the Music DVD charts in New Zealand, meaning that it has now reached the top spot in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden, the UK and the US.

Posted by Features Editor at 9:11 PM | Comments (180)

October 1, 2007

Blu-ray version

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: DMA TICKETS

We have two pairs of tickets to attend the BT Digital Music Awards tomorrow night, where we stand a chance of winning the awards for Best Music Blog and Best Official Music Site.

If you can make it to the Roundhouse in Camden by 8PM (UK time) tomorrow - and "dress smart," as it says on the tickets - let us know.

However, you must be able to collect the tickets from the management office's new location in London (N8) by 6PM (UK) tomorrow. There isn't time to send them out to you, unfortunately.

If you can definitely meet the above criteria, let us know.

Just in case you're still blinded by optimism, the Blu-ray (or blu-ray, Bluray, Blu-Ray, or whatever it's called) version of David's 'Remember That Night' set will not be released this month, as some reports have suggested.

It will definitely not be available before late-November.

We'll have a precise date just as soon as one can be confirmed, so please continue to be patient. For now, it's scheduled for Tuesday 20 November in North America, but this is subject to change.

The same applies for Fender's David Gilmour Stratocaster, which will hopefully (that's the best we can do right now, sorry) be launched the same week as the Blu-ray version of 'Remember That Night'.

More, as ever, when it's carved in stone.

Another update on how 'Remember That Night' is doing in the Music DVD charts... It's now hit the Number One spot in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the UK and the US.

Posted by Features Editor at 12:56 PM | Comments (95)