David Gilmour: January 2006 Archives

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January 30, 2006

No Floyd reunion

Before you get carried away by the latest rumours, please allow us to make the following crystal clear.

There is no Pink Floyd reunion in the pipeline and there will be no Pink Floyd shows anywhere in the world in November - or at any other time.

An official statement will be coming out later today categorically denying reports that appeared in yesterday's British press, which speculated that there will be a Pink Floyd reunion later this year. Please see www.davidgilmour.com for this statement.

One Sunday tabloid reported yesterday that there will be at least two shows in London’s Royal Albert Hall. David is, of course, playing at this venue three times in May, but there will be no following Pink Floyd shows.

Sorry to disappoint, but we have to make it clear before the story escalates further and people get their hopes up.

It’s not going to happen, so no questions please. Everything that needs to be said will be said in the statement.

Of course, do feel free to have your say on this story here. We know that many of you will be disappointed, not least because we have received a great many questions with regards to a possible reunion since David's site was launched. But David is very much looking forward to his own sell-out tour, and we hope that, for now, you can remain focused on that instead of worrying about the future of Pink Floyd.

Thank you.

Posted by Features Editor at 12:38 PM | Comments (207)

January 28, 2006

David and Richard... again

As you seemed so pleased to see David photographed with Richard Wright, here’s another shot of the two of them.

It has generated much discussion amongst fans since the tour was announced, so we’re glad to now be able to put all the rumours to bed by confirming David's touring party for his forthcoming shows in Europe and North America.

Judging by your frenzied comments, we trust that most of you have already seen the story over on the News page. However, if you missed it, Pink Floyd's Richard Wright will be the band's keyboardist and organist. Phil Manzanera, who has also co-produced 'On An Island', will be playing guitar. Stevie Di Stanislao has been given the drumming duties, as was widely rumoured. Guy Pratt and Jon Carin, who have thrice toured the world with Pink Floyd, will play bass and keyboards respectively.

There will be no support act and the tour (as you will know, because many of you are already counting down the days) begins in Dortmund on 10 March.

We have very much enjoyed your reaction to hearing who will be in David's band, but please feel free to comment further here if you so wish.

From now on, there will be a new blog entry every other day. This is to give you more time to comment on the day's topic. Bearing in mind the different time zones around the world, we think this makes sense.

So, as this is all you're getting until Monday, make the most of it!

Thanks again for your involvement. It's always welcome.

Posted by Features Editor at 12:02 AM | Comments (127)

January 27, 2006

Clyde Auditorium

Glasgow's futuristic Clyde Auditorium is a new building and part of the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC), Scotland's national venue for public events and also the UK's largest integrated exhibition/conference centre.

As you can see, it looks rather like an armadillo from the outside.

Designed with acoustics in mind, it holds 3,000 people on three levels and promises to be a terrific place for David to play his first show in Scotland since 1974.

The stage is 18m wide and 12m deep. The theatre itself is kitted out in dark blue and black velour - very nice indeed.

If you’re lucky enough to have a ticket for the 27 May show, then we hope you have a splendid time.

Do let us know what your thoughts are. If you’ve been to the Clyde Auditorium before, do feel free to let other fans know what they can expect from this fabulous-looking venue. We'd love to hear from you.

Posted by Features Editor at 12:06 AM | Comments (85)

January 26, 2006

The Production Team

Thank you all for the intriguing suggestions yesterday.

It seems there are slightly mixed views on adding an orchestra to what you consider to be predominantly ‘rock’ songs. Bear in mind that no one has said that David intends to play Pink Floyd’s classics on tour, never mind that he plans to play them with an orchestra behind him. This is all wild conjecture purely for fun‘s sake.

Indeed, we haven’t said that he won’t play Pink Floyd’s classics on tour, but you have to confess that it would be very odd to tour with a new album out and yet omit the new songs - and you haven’t heard what ‘On An Island’ sounds like yet.

Don't forget that these photographs are of album recording sessions, not rehearsals for the live shows.

Who said anything about taking an orchestra on the road, anyway? Maybe there will be an orchestra. Maybe there won't be. You'll just have to wait for the official announcement when all will be revealed.

Have faith.

As for waiting to hear what ‘On An Island’ sounds like, then you won’t have to wait too much longer, so be patient.

We’ve got another of Polly’s pictures for you, and here we see David photographed with the rest of the ‘On An Island’ production team. From left to right: Andy Jackson, Chris Thomas, Phil Manzanera and, of course, David.

Chris Thomas has worked with Pink Floyd since January 1973, when he was asked to assist with the production of ‘The Dark Side of the Moon‘. He has also worked with some of the most influential artists in music, including The Beatles, The Who, Procol Harum, Roxy Music, The Pretenders, The Sex Pistols, Elton John and many others.

If you are not already aware of the fact, then these fantastic pictures can also be viewed at the Gallery if you’d like to see them in a larger size.

Posted by Features Editor at 12:15 AM | Comments (71)

January 25, 2006

The orchestra

We’ve got more of Polly’s fine photographs to share, so here‘s one of David with the orchestra at Abbey Road.

The orchestra was recorded by Simon Rhodes, led by David Juritz and conducted by Robert Ziegler.

Robert Ziegler has conducted most of the major British orchestras and is considered one of Britain’s most innovative musicians. He has worked with the likes of Lionel Richie, Debbie Harry and Ute Lemper. He was Musical Director on 2004’s ‘Just One of Those Things‘, a film about Cole Porter's life and music. He also recorded the film music of Zbigniew Preisner for ‘The Last September‘.

Yesterday you told us which songs sound great with the inclusion of saxophone. So how about naming some David Gilmour/Pink Floyd songs which you feel are very much enhanced by the orchestra's contribution? Think particularly of those songs which do not currently feature any significant orchestral arrangements, but might sound interesting were an orchestra added.

Thanks for all your comments so far.

More examples of Polly’s camera work coming shortly.

Posted by Features Editor at 10:35 AM | Comments (78)

January 24, 2006

David on saxophone

We’ve received many questions with regards to David playing the saxophone on his new album and perhaps also on tour, so here’s a picture of him recording his part on ‘Red Sky At Night’.

There was a tremendous response to your hearing of Richard Wright’s involvement in 'On An Island' and the recent photograph of David with his Floyd bandmate. Thanks for that.

We will soon be revealing those musicians who will form David’s band, so stay tuned for news on whether or not Richard will also be going on tour.

Until then, it’s been a while since we had some fanciful silliness, so how about throwing in some good songs featuring some good sax-playing that you would like to hear David trying out (in a dream, obviously, not on the forthcoming tour).

Perhaps the most famous sax riff of all-time is Gerry Rafferty’s epic ‘Baker Street’. Of course, that was played by Raf Ravenscroft who toured with David the last time he did a solo tour in 1984.

Then again, Dick Parry has for so long done an excellent job as saxophonist both with Pink Floyd and David‘s most recent solo concerts, so who’s to say that David’s old Cambridge friend won’t be touring?

Anyway, let us know what you think of David branching out and playing the saxophone (as well as many other instruments on the new album - have you seen what he‘s playing in total?), the great sax riffs that could be added to the never-ending list of fantasy cover versions that you have already suggested, and who could play sax if David requires a saxophonist on tour.

That is, if David isn’t going to assume saxophone duties himself, of course.

And if anyone else is thinking of Homer Simpson bellowing “Saxomophone!” repeatedly, then now‘s the time to confess.

Posted by Features Editor at 12:03 AM | Comments (91)

January 23, 2006

Teatro Arcimboldi

Today we’re taking a look at Milan’s ultra-modern Arcimboldi Theatre.

The Arcimboldi theatre is a modern, comfortable venue with cutting-edge technology and excellent reception facilities. Created out of precious wood, metal and glass, it seats 2,400 people.

Situated in northern Milan, it was built in a record 27 months to be the temporary home of Milan's most famous opera house, Teatro alla Scala, and was officially inaugurated in January 2002.

It has movable glass panels that flank the auditorium's walls, which are designed to improve acoustics. It also features a proscenium measuring 12m x 16m.

David will be performing here on 24 and 25 March. If you’re lucky enough to have a ticket for either of these shows, then we hope you will have a splendid time. Do let us know if you'll be there and how excited you are feeling.

Posted by Features Editor at 10:29 AM | Comments (33)

January 22, 2006

David and Richard Wright

DG and RW_blog.jpg

There have been many calls for a picture of David with his fellow-Floyd, Richard Wright, so we are happy to oblige.

This one was taken by Polly and there are more of her fantastic photographs coming up.

For those who don't know, Richard is a founder member of Pink Floyd and, famously, has played at every Floyd gig since the band‘s inception. He also has a solo career, his last release being 1996’s 'Broken China'. More recently, Richard was a special guest at David’s 2002 shows in London and Paris, performing his song, 'Breakthrough'.

Richard plays Hammond organ on the title track of 'On An Island' and provides vocals on 'The Blue'.

Some good guesses as to who designed the cover art. It was actually a chap called Steve Knee. You can view examples of his work at www.bladeweb.co.uk.

Posted by Features Editor at 11:00 AM | Comments (71)

January 21, 2006

Album artwork

We hope you all like the 'On An Island' album cover and are excited by the information that was revealed yesterday.

Who do you think is responsible for the artwork? Let us know. You’ll never guess.

We trust you speculated on what the songs might be about from the titles alone, pondered on how far David has come with his saxophone lessons (seeing as he is indeed playing - on 'Red Sky At Night') and eagerly discovered what a cumbus is.

If you didn't, then it's a Turkish stringed instrument, rather like a banjo, but without any frets. It's widely heard in Middle Eastern popular music.

More goodies are coming shortly, including... Well, you'll just have to wait and see. But don’t worry, you won't have to wait too long, and we are sure you'll like what's planned.

Thanks for the latest round of comments. Keep them coming.

Have a perfect weekend, everyone.

Posted by Features Editor at 09:57 AM | Comments (127)

January 20, 2006

Crisis

A serious blog for today.

Can you imagine what it must be like to be homeless?

As you know from the recent ‘Island Jam‘ video, which was made available in return for a voluntary donation of any amount to Crisis, David cares passionately for the homeless. Indeed, in 2003, David became vice president of Crisis, the London-based homelessness charity whose motto is ‘Fighting for hope for homeless people‘.

We’re not asking for anything here. Just please think about this for a moment or two.

Apparently, around 25 per cent of Britain’s homeless people are aged 18 to 25. One third have attempted suicide. Two thirds will leave school with no qualifications.

That said, a Crisis survey of 150 homeless people across Britain revealed that 15 per cent have degrees and 13 per cent have professional qualifications, proving that anyone can end up sleeping rough.

Six per cent of Britain’s homeless people are over 60. About one in ten sleeping rough are women.

Compared to the general public, homeless people are 35 times more likely to commit suicide, 13 times more likely to have experienced violence, 40 times more likely to not be registered with a GP and eight times more likely to have mental health problems.

81 per cent are addicted to either, or both, drugs and alcohol. Dependency means they are twice as likely to be banned from homeless services as those who are not.

The average life expectancy of a homeless person is just 42. For the rest of us, the average is 74 for men and 79 for women.

Added to this are the ‘hidden homeless‘ - those who are infrequently staying in hostels, squatting, sleeping on a sofa somewhere and of no fixed abode. Apparently there are some 380,000 people who fit this category in Britain.

However, there are no official figures. Crisis is currently urging all concerned people to contact their local MPs to call for a Hidden Homeless Census. If you’re interested in lending your voice to this campaign, then please visit www.crisis.org.uk and click the little red button down in the right-hand corner of your screen. It only takes a moment and your support will be vastly appreciated.

Maybe you have experience of this issue or know people who have. Feel free to write whatever you feel.

January is by far the coldest month of the year here in the UK, and it’s uncomfortable knowing that, right now, there are people sleeping rough on our streets when most of us are warm and safe, worrying about such trivial matters as our hair getting wet on the way to the bus stop tomorrow morning.

If you came looking for news or to see another of Polly’s photographs, then we apologise for disappointing you. But please spend the time you would have spent generally looking forward to David’s new album and tour to think about these cold, harsh facts. It puts all the petty stuff in its place. Besides, awareness of the issue is perhaps of equal importance to putting your hand in your pocket and making a contribution.

You have already helped by making that contribution. From everyone involved at Crisis and www.davidgilmour.com, thank you very much.

Posted by Features Editor at 12:11 AM | Comments (55)

January 19, 2006

Poet's Corner

Your criticism is always good to read, but thanks very much for the support yesterday. It's nice to see that so many fans are content with what David is giving instead of asking for more.

The truth is, even after all that's been said, there were still at least a dozen requests for David to play in Brazil, to do an extra show in Canada, to spend a whole week in each US location instead of a day or two, to hurry up with the 'PULSE' DVD (and to release a handful of other things on DVD, too)... This is after all the explanations and all the polite acknowledgements on our behalf.

That doesn't include what comes in via the FAQs page, either. If you could see the requests for everything ranging from free tickets to free guitars, then perhaps some of you would understand how tiresome it gets knowing that many of you clearly don't pay any attention to what we are trying to do here.

Which is to keep you informed about David's new album and tour.

No offence guys, but if you keep sending in the same old tired requests, even after being told numerous times that it's a waste of your time, because such comments will not be posted anymore, then we will keep asking you not to waste our time.

With so many interesting, moving and genuinely useful messages (I'm thinking particularly of the fan response to our 'Theatre of the Day' features), I'm sure that the majority of fans who read the daily blog would prefer not to see "DAVE! COME TO BRAZIL!" all the time. After all, these comments contribute nothing.

And if we simply said "Sorry, don't know" in response to your questions, then I'm sure some of you would say that that's not good enough!

Anyway, the comments are still a joy to read. Please keep them coming in. We don't mind criticism. In fact, we like it and post examples of it often. I could get the sack just for posting the one about how David's management should have their wages docked for messing up the ticket sales. (Honest boss, that was his opinion, not mine...)

But in return, you have to be prepared for the tedious repetition on our part, because it's clearly necessary.

We are hopeful that by declaring that

a) we don't know when 'PULSE' is coming out on DVD (David's management and Pink Floyd's management are two different companies) and

b) we don't wish for any more boring, pleading messages (the answer is almost always a curt "No")

the message will sink in one of these days. We don't want to have to cut you into little pieces, after all.

To all those who have commented on the price of tickets and questioned the value-for-money aspect of the tour (quite fairly, you'll notice that we haven't deleted any of these posts)...

We don't wish to reveal too much about the concerts at this point in time. We will say, however, that there is going to be no support act. The show will consist of David and his band only and will be in two halves. Hope that's of interest to you.

Now, how about making us laugh? After all the fuss over tickets, we could do with a laugh and I'm sure you could, too.

So how about writing a short poem (which doesn’t have to rhyme, by the way) that mentions the phrase 'On An Island'? What does that phrase make you think of? This is just to see what images enter your head upon thinking of that simple sentence.

Go on, let your creative juices flow.

You've asked us what David's new album is about, who's on it and if it's a concept album or not. Well, we'd like to know what that title conjures up in your heads. So give us imagery, give us metaphors, give us similes and all the other stuff you were taught about in English lessons. But above all, give us laugh. Please?

Keep your messages of disapproval and defence coming in. We love them really.

P.S. For your information, the Features Editor is not Polly, but I thank you for the fine compliment!

Posted by Features Editor at 07:22 AM | Comments (131)

January 18, 2006

Radio City Music Hall

Yes, it’s ‘Theatre of the Day’ time again, and on this occasion we’d like to introduce you to New York’s Radio City Music Hall.

This is where David will kick off the North American leg of his tour, with two shows in early April.

Built in 1932, this vast hall was originally used for movie and stage shows. These days it is used for various concerts, as well as film premieres. It is also home to the precision dance team, the Radio City Rockettes.

Radio City Music Hall is the world's largest indoor theatre and can seat around 6,000. The length of the auditorium (from its back wall to the stage) measures just short of 49m and, as you might expect from the picture, it has an incredibly high ceiling that reaches a height of some 25m.

The stage is framed by a huge proscenium arch which measures approximately 18m high and 30m wide. The stage itself is 20m deep and an impressive 44m wide.

Radio City was completely restored in 1999, costing an estimated $70 million. With no columns or pillars to obstruct your view, you can rest assured that, if you have a ticket for this show, then you are guaranteed a good seat.

Let us know if you’ll be going to see David here and how you feel about the concert. If you’ve been to this theatre before, please share your memories with us and other fans who might be visiting for the first time. Go on, help push their excitement levels up to the 'danger' mark. They won't mind.

Two quick points to finish on. We hope they will go some small way towards addressing the questions we are asked repeatedly.

First, the 'PULSE' DVD...

This is not a David Gilmour release, so unfortunately we are not the people to give you a definitive answer on when it will be in the shops. What we do know is that the date Amazon has on its site as a release date is not a release date at all. It’s merely a date they use when they don’t have an official date to declare, so don’t be alarmed by that.

If we knew any more, then we would tell you. (We would like to see it on DVD, too!) But we don’t know when it will be available to buy, so please could you stop asking us for information on 'PULSE'? We don't have any. We are focused solely on David's new album and tour. This interests us much more.

We do understand your concern, but we honestly can’t help on this one.

Secondly, regarding David’s tour...

There are no more dates to be announced. The tour has been planned. If there were more dates, then we’d tell you immediately, both here and at www.davidgilmour.com. All the requests in the world (with or without using obscene language, thank you very much) will not change that fact.

You probably don’t want to hear it, but we really do understand your disappointment. We know that many fans have missed out on the chance to see David for a variety of reasons and we know that you want to complain about it to someone. But, as we have stated elsewhere, this is not the place for it.

With the greatest respect, the locations have been chosen and, to be frank, that's the end of the matter. David is certainly not going to spend a year of his life travelling the world with his family in tow, playing in all the cities you would like him to visit. It’s just not practical, and it’s not fair that some fans complain the way in which many of you have done since the last of the North American tickets were sold at the weekend.

We have taken all your criticism into consideration and we assure you, it has been discussed in depth - particularly your experience of purchasing tickets.

This message is aimed at the minority, and we apologise to those who have expressed nothing but appreciation that there is to be a new album and tour at all. It is unfortunate that it needs to be repeated so regularly, but please, have a bit more respect. David is visiting eight countries and 15 cities over a period of three months. Give him a break.

Thank you.

Posted by Features Editor at 12:13 AM | Comments (106)

January 17, 2006

David with Georgie Fame

Another of Polly’s fine photographs and another exclusive for you.

Georgie Fame is the singer, pianist and organist who is perhaps best known for Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, one of the most popular (and most jazz-influenced) R&B bands on the London club circuit in the early 1960s. They had three number one singles: 'Yeh Yeh' in 1965, 'Getaway' in 1966 and 'The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde' in 1967, which was also a Top Ten hit in America in 1968.

Mod icon Fame played organ on all of Van Morrison's albums between 1989 and 1997, even serving as his musical director. A founder member of Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, he has also worked with the likes of Count Basie, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, Joan Armatrading and The Verve.

He also has a successful solo career, with 1991's 'Cool Cat Blues', 1995's 'Three Line Whip', 1996's 'The Blues and Me' and 2000's 'Poet in New York' helping to establish Fame as a remarkable, much sought-after jazz artiste.

So there's another surprise contributor to ‘On An Island’ for you. What do you make of that, then?

Really, some of you ought to be ashamed of yourselves for being so unoriginal and unadventurous with your guesses...

Seen here aboard the Astoria, David is playing a Baby Taylor acoustic: an accurately-scaled three-quarter sized acoustic guitar which, I'm told, is the perfect companion for travelling.

Once more, we’ll leave you with another instalment in the 'Five favourites' chart. (Yes, we’re finished with this one now, don’t worry…) Do let us know what you think. Silly suggestions? Anything missing?

080. Crumbling Land
081. Grantchester Meadows *
081. The Gunner’s Dream *
081. Ibiza Bar *
081. The Nile Song *
081. Take It Back *
086. Not Now John *
086. Point Me At The Sky *
086. San Tropez *
086. Stay *
086. When You’re In *
091. Another Brick in the Wall (Part Two) *
091. Bike *
091. Brain Damage *
091. Cirrus Minor *
091. Eclipse *
091. Flaming *
091. Free Four *
098. The Happiest Days Of Our Lives *
098. It’s Deafinitely *
098. Lucifer Sam *
098. Let There Be More Light *
098. Seamus *
098. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun *
098. A Spanish Piece *
098. Speak To Me *
098. Summer ’68 *
098. What Shall We Do Now? *

* Equal number of votes polled. Alphabetical order, not preference, dictates a song’s order in the chart.

Posted by Features Editor at 12:37 AM | Comments (40)

January 16, 2006

Wrongly credited comments

We’d like to clear up some confusion regarding the way your comments are displayed on the blog.

We have received many messages informing us that your messages have being incorrectly credited. Please note that this is not the case. Your name appears after your comment. You'll notice that the first entry shows the daily blog, which is underlined, with the name (in this case, Features Editor) appearing afterwards. This trend continues for all your comments.

We apologise for any confusion that this may have caused you and are happy to clarify this matter.

There were some very interesting comments yesterday with regards to eBay, with a mixture of views expressed.

It seems that many of you support the sale of tickets on eBay and raised several valid points to support your stance.

Thanks to everyone who stated their point of view on this controversial topic. We appreciate both sides of the argument and enjoyed reading your opinions.

We will also be considering your points about the sale of tickets to see David in concert. Thank you for letting us know how you found this experience. This is important to us.

One of Polly’s photographs will be here tomorrow and we will also be revealing another surprise contributor to ‘On An Island’, so don’t miss that. Feel free to hazard wild guesses if you want to. They might make us laugh.

We’ll leave you with another instalment in the seemingly never-ending 'Five favourites' chart.

061. Sheep
062. What Do You Want From Me
063. More Blues
064. Cry From The Street *
064. The Dogs of War *
066. Obscured By Clouds *
066. Welcome To The Machine *
068. A Great Day For Freedom
069. Smile
070. Atom Heart Mother
071. The Gold, It’s In The… *
071. The Great Gig In The Sky *
071. Is There Anybody Out There? *
071. See Emily Play *
071. Terminal Frost *
076. Signs of Life *
077. Arnold Layne *
077. Embryo *
077. Interstellar Overdrive *

* Equal number of votes polled. Alphabetical order, not preference, dictates a song’s order in the chart.

It’s good to see ‘Smile’ listed so highly as a new song among so many established tracks. 'Smile' will be on David’s new album, although it sounds quite different to how you'll remember it from 2001's Meltdown and the 2002 shows in London and Paris. If you saw David’s appearance on ‘Three Men in a Boat’ recently, then you got to hear a brief snippet of it.

There are lots of instrumentals in this chart, you surely will have noticed. 'Atom Heart Mother' is an intriguing prospect, as is 'Interstellar Overdrive'.

Do let us know what you think of the list so far. Is there anything missing?

Posted by Features Editor at 12:14 AM | Comments (70)

January 15, 2006

North American tickets

Well, it seems that the remaining tickets to the New York, Toronto and Chicago shows sold out in record time.

From your comments, it seems that many of you were left disappointed, not least to see many of these tickets being sold on eBay moments later.

For what it's worth, we share your irritation. We are annoyed by the fact that this is allowed to happen, and your views on this issue are important to us.

It is doubtful that eBay could be forced to alter their policies on the sale of tickets unless there was a great enough response to it. In the case of London's Live 8 concert of July 2005, these tickets had been won through a text contest and so, technically, were free.

The uproar was that, as Sir Bob Geldof put it, "the weakest people on our planet" were being exploited, as the show was, of course, designed to raise awareness of global issues and to put pressure on the G8 leaders to do something to help the world's poorest nations.

We still feel that selling any tickets on eBay to make personal profit is, as Sir Bob put it, "sick profiteering" and we encourage you to have your say. Judging by those of you who have passed comment on eBay so far, it seems that you despise the idea of anyone making money off the back of David's popularity and the desperation of his fans - who have been unable to acquire tickets by regular means - to see him in concert.

What's left of the Oakland and Los Angeles tickets will be going on sale shortly (the Oakland box office opens at 10 AM and the Los Angeles box office at 12 Noon). Good luck. Let us know what it's like trying to snap up the remaining tickets. We hope you will be successful.

Meanwhile, here is the next section of the 'Five favourites' results chart:

042. Yet Another Movie
043. Love On The Air *
043. Pigs *
043. Young Lust *
046. Astronomy Domine *
046. Let’s Get Metaphysical *
048. Raise My Rent
049. All Lovers Are Deranged *
049. Blue Light *
049. Cruise *
049. I Can’t Breathe Anymore *
049. Mudmen *
049. One Slip *
055. Mother
056. A Saucerful of Secrets *
056. You Know I’m Right *
058. Money
059. Burning Bridges *
059. Careful With That Axe, Eugene *

* Equal number of votes polled. Alphabetical order, not preference, dictates a song’s order in the chart.

Interesting?

Please note that, for obvious reasons, we cannot include new votes in this chart. The results have now been counted and, short of completely altering the chart every other day and posting it in its entirety, we cannot include your latest suggestions.

Yet still feel free to have your say in the 'Five favourites' blog (29 December). There has been great debate over this and we hope that similar polls can generate such a positive response.

Thanks again to everyone for chipping in and helping to create a really interesting list of songs.

Posted by Features Editor at 11:18 AM | Comments (103)

January 14, 2006

Alte Oper

Another theatre for you, and how about what will be David's view of Frankfurt’s historic and majestic Alte Oper?

Officially inaugurated in October 1880, Frankfurt's Opernhaus was badly damaged by fire In March 1944. It was officially reopened in August 1981 and renamed Alte Oper, since Frankfurt had welcome a new opera house to their city in 1951.

The rebuilt exterior and lobby stayed faithful to the original. However, the interior is now a modern multi-purpose complex, making it the ideal venue for symphony, chamber concert, musical, recital, light entertainment, cabaret, dance and classical and contemporary concerts alike.

The building has several halls, including the Grosse Saal (Great Hall) with a seating capacity of some 2,500.

Famed for its excellent acoustics, David will be visiting the mahogany-panelled Grosse Saal on Saturday 18 March. If you will be joining him, then we hope you have a wonderful time.

Let us know if you're going to this concert and what your feelings are about it.

Don't forget that the last of the New York, Toronto and Chicago tickets will be going on sale shortly. Good luck to everyone who wants to get their hands on a couple. Let us know how you fare.

Lastly, there have been some good suggestions for future acoustic renditions of David Gilmour and Pink Floyd songs, and it's also been nice to see which you think are the best you’ve heard to date. Keep them coming in.

Posted by Features Editor at 11:44 AM | Comments (38)

January 13, 2006

Acoustic numbers

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: MANCHESTER AND GLASGOW TICKETS SOLD OUT

Just to let you know that the remaining tickets for the Manchester and Glasgow gigs have now completely sold out - and did so within an hour of going on sale this morning.

Congratulations to everyone who managed to snap up the last of the tickets and commiserations to those who missed out.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: BOX OFFICE DETAILS FOR AMERICAN AND CANADIAN FANS

There has been some confusion regarding the remaining tickets that are going on sale this weekend, with Ticketmaster giving slightly different dates to those we announced at www.davidgilmour.com.

Box offices in each city will be opening at different times, with the Los Angeles box office opening on Sunday instead of Saturday.

We are happy to confirm that these are the dates and apologise for any confusion or inconvenience caused:

Radio City Music Hall, New York (Tuesday 4th April and Wednesday 5th April)
Box office opens: Saturday 14th January, 12 Noon

Massey Hall, Toronto (Sunday 9th April and Monday 10th April)
Box office opens: Saturday 14th January, 12 Noon

Rosemount Theatre, Chicago (Wednesday 12th April and Thursday 13th April)
Box office opens: Saturday 14th January, 11:00 AM

Oakland Paramount Theatre, Oakland (Sunday 16th April and Monday 17th April)
Box office opens: Sunday 15th January, 10:00 AM

Kodak Theatre, Los Angeles (Wednesday 19th April)
Box office opens: Sunday 15th January, 12 Noon

Gibson Theatre, Los Angeles (Thursday 20th April)
Box office opens: Sunday 15th January, 12 Noon

We wish you the very best of luck with snapping up what’s left of the tickets.

We’ve discussed electric guitars (well, sort of), so here’s a snap of David with an acoustic.

Let us know which are the best acoustic renditions that you’ve heard from David and Pink Floyd only (no fantasy cover versions this time, not unless they've already been done by David) and also where you heard them. Which David Gilmour and/or Pink Floyd songs do you think would sound great stripped down to the basics?

There have been many more great messages from you, which we’re all enjoying. Keep them coming.

As promised, here is the next section of the 'Five favourites' results chart.

021. Green is the Colour
022. Poles Apart *
022. Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Part 6-9) *
024. Cluster One
025. Mihalis
026. Out of the Blue *
026. A Pillow of Winds *
028. Learning to Fly
029. Breathe
030. One of These Days *
030. Wearing the Inside Out *
032. Hey You
033. Have a Cigar *
033. Keep Talking *
033. Run Like Hell *
036. So Far Away *
036. No Way *
036. Us and Them *
039. Lost for Words *
039. Short and Sweet *
039. Until We Sleep *

* Equal number of votes polled. Alphabetical order, not preference, dictates a song’s order in the chart.

As you can see, lots of songs are tied for a specific chart slot, with barely one or two votes separating the others.

More coming soon. There are 107 in total.

This blog has been fun, but please don't take it too seriously. First of all, obviously everyone has a different opinion on which songs are “best“. The whole point of this blog, however, was to give fans a chance to put forward five of their favourites. How many times have you seen the most ridiculous song/artist/movie topping similar polls and shook your head in disbelief? Yet, if it’s someone’s favourite, then there’s not much you can do about it.

Secondly, it wasn't a fair poll to begin with, because so many people picked more than five (which I did say was fine as long as you stuck to five suggestions per post, but some of you didn't do that and just listed everything you wanted to hear willy-nilly, often repeating the same song five times over...). This clearly isn't a fair representation of every fan who passed comment, and the results are somewhat skewed as a consequence. All suggestions posted to date have been taken into consideration, but without more controlled conditions, this chart was always going to be slightly dodgy.

Thirdly, many of you took this as a chance to make requests. That was never the idea. Many fans openly named songs that they perhaps didn’t and don't really expect to hear David performing in his forthcoming live shows, but would hope to hear, assuming that enough people would mention the 'Comfortably Numb's and 'Shine On..'s to be able to use their five choices more wisely. So you could point to this as a reason for, say, 'See Emily Play' vacating a higher position in the chart than 'Another Brick in the Wall (Part Two)'.

But before you bite my head off, I appreciate that choosing a mere five songs out of more than 100 is not easy... which is why I didn't play.

Anyway, the results are offered just to give you an indication of what other fans like best. Feel free to scoff at the high positioning of 'Learning to Fly' or to bemoan the lowly placing of 'Brain Damage' if you wish... but remember that your fellow fans picked them, so make sure you blame them!

One final thing. To all those who have written to ask if David prefers 'Dave' or 'David', then the answer is definitely 'David'. He doesn't like being called 'Dave'.

We now look forward to seeing if that makes any difference to the way you address him in your comments...

Posted by Features Editor at 09:49 AM | Comments (71)

January 12, 2006

‘Five favourites’ update

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: SOME GLASGOW TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE.

We've just been informed that there are some tickets left for the Glasgow show. If you received an e-mail offering you the chance to purchase advance tickets, and if you haven't yet responded to it, then be quick. As you know, we operate on a first come, first served basis. Your tickets will be offered to someone else if you don't snap them up quickly. This is what happened with the third London show, where fans who thought they had missed out were surprised with the offer of tickets. So, if you're one of the lucky ones to have been offered a pair of priority tickets to Clyde Auditorium, then get a move on before you miss out.

It’s been three weeks since the 'Five favourites' blog was added, and we have been overwhelmed, flattered and, yes, often pretty flummoxed by the response. After tallying up your suggestions - which took forever, I must say - the 20 most popular tracks as chosen by you are currently, in numerical order (add your own drum roll here):

001. Comfortably Numb
002. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-5)
003. Echoes
004. Dogs
005. High Hopes
006. Marooned
007. Fat Old Sun
008. On The Turning Away
009. Murder *
009. There’s No Way Out Of Here *
011. Wish You Were Here
012. Sorrow
013. Childhood’s End
014. Cymbaline *
014. Fearless *
016. Coming Back To Life
017. Near The End
018. Time
019. The Narrow Way *
019. Wot’s… Uh The Deal *

* Equal number of votes polled. Alphabetical order, not preference, dictates a song’s order in the chart.

So what do you think of that, then? ‘Fat Old Sun’ is an interesting choice because, had David not performed it in 2001/2, then I wonder just how many of you would have thought to mention it in 2005/6. I’m sure that many of the real aficionados would have done so, but perhaps not in such high numbers to have given it such a high position in the chart.

The success of David’s recent semi-acoustic shows has undoubtedly played a big part in fan selection. This has been the case with Richard Thompson’s ‘Dimming of the Day‘, Bizet‘s ‘Je Crois Entendre Encore’ and Syd Barrett‘s ‘Terrapin‘ - all of which have been suggested by you in considerable numbers (they actually received more mentions than some so-called Floyd favourites).

Which also, of course, gives hope to some of the less well-known songs that many people perhaps wouldn’t even think of including in such a list, possibly expecting them to be swamped by repeat calls for The Hits. If David decides to give one of those tracks a dusting down, then who is to say that fans won’t think of that when next asked to list their favourites?

With the range of talented musicians who could possibly be touring with David, anything’s possible. (We will reveal in due course who these musicians will be, but think of those you know to have contributed to ’On An Island’, as some of them may also be joining David on tour.) Who knows what rare gems David might chose to unearth? Who expected Syd Barrett's 'Dominoes' or 'Hushabye Mountain’ from the cult children’s film, ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'? Both of these were mentioned, which is a credit to David‘s versatility and imagination, not to mention your passion for good music played well and deep respect for David’s bravery and judgement.

In spite of being best known, naturally, for his part in Pink Floyd, the general consensus is that fans would like to hear David’s solo material - both the new material that we await with baited breath and that from his previous solo albums, 1978’s ‘David Gilmour’ and 1984’s ‘About Face’. For David’s songs to feature so highly in a list of what is, in essence, a ‘Top Pink Floyd Songs… Ever!’ list, is very pleasing indeed.

There is, undoubtedly, an impressive back catalogue at David's disposal should he wish to consider it. You have suggested a staggering 107 songs in total, and that doesn't include any cover versions or album medleys, music from soundtracks (such as ‘La Carrera Panamericana‘), instrumental pieces that David has performed live (such as ‘Song For My Sara‘, which he performed on Saturday Night Live back in 1987) or unreleased recordings (such as 'Rain in the Country', one of the widely-bootlegged 'Zabriskie Point' rejects). That only includes recognised tracks from solo, and Pink Floyd, albums.

Of course, let’s not forget that - most importantly of all - by the time David kicks off his tour in Dortmund, an album of new tracks will be yearning to be performed live.

David is especially pleased to read of your tremendous excitement at the prospect of hearing his new material in concert, and that many of you anticipate 'On An Island' far more than hearing new renditions of Pink Floyd’s most well-known classics. This is very important. As David has explained several times, his stripped-down shows have given him the freedom to be himself and to try new things that interest him. Indeed, they lessen the burden of expectation that he has as part of a hugely successful rock band, and this allows him greater scope to experiment.

But, before you jump the gun, that doesn’t necessarily mean that David won’t play some Floyd tunes. You’re going to have to wait until the time is right before we let you know what’s on the agenda, I'm afraid.

Let us know if you‘d like a full run-down of all the songs you have suggested. We could compile the data into all sorts of fascinating, geeky lists if you care for that sort of thing.

Please note that if you posted your favourites in a blog other than ‘Five favourites‘, they didn’t count here. We have moved many comments to the correct blogs, but with so many needing to be moved, it hasn’t been possible to move them all yet. Please try to make sure that your comments go where you want them so that people can respond to them etc. Thank you.

Thanks again for all your suggestions, and our congratulations to all who got tickets for Manchester and Glasgow.

One of Polly’s photographs will be here tomorrow, honest. We know you've missed them. No prizes for noticing that today's snap is another of Nick Mason’s... and a fine one it is, too.

Posted by Features Editor at 01:23 AM | Comments (74)

January 11, 2006

Manchester/Glasgow tickets

Just to let you know that the Advance Ticket option for the Manchester and Glasgow shows has now closed, as our allocation of tickets has sold out. As soon as the link went live, we quickly received 1,000+ applications. Remember that we had 250 pairs of tickets for each Manchester and Glasgow. The first 250 people to express their interest in purchasing a pair of tickets to their chosen show will have now had a chance to obtain priority tickets on a first come, first served basis.

We have e-mailed those lucky ones and are pleased to see that you have eagerly snapped up your tickets in record time. But we must stress that, just because you received an e-mail with a web link and a code/draw number, this does not guarantee you the chance to get your hands on any tickets. As we operate on a first come, first served basis, the first 500 to take up the offer of tickets have taken the alloted tickets... and they were quick to do so, too.

Indeed, it will be the first time that David has played in Manchester and Glasgow since 1988 and 1971 respectively.

Anyway, if you haven't been lucky this time, the remaining tickets go on sale this Friday. Good luck.

It has also been brought to our attention that some fans who purchased tickets for the Milan shows from outside Italy have not yet received their tickets. Don’t worry about this yet. Although we are not responsible for the distribution of tickets, and therefore cannot be completely sure of individual promoter's policies, we know that often in these cases promoters send out tickets closer to the time of the concert. If you still have any concerns, then you need to contact the promoter. If we have anymore news on this story, we will let you know. Thanks to Bran for bringing the matter up.

If you purchased tickets for the Milan shows from outside Italy, then do let us know if you've received your tickets.

To everyone who has written regarding the sale of tickets on eBay, then all we can do is reiterate that we do not approve of this unfair form of profiteering and strongly suggest that you ignore these unscrupulous sales. Many listings have been removed by eBay because fans have reported (to eBay, not us) sellers who purport to have tickets for sale before it is even physically possible to have the tickets in the first place. We believe that fans have even sabotaged auctions by placing extremely high bids so that the sale is declared null and void. Again, we stress that we cannot encourage or promote anything that would damage eBay's trading. If you feel strongly about the issue, then you can contact the sellers directly and question them on their reasons for selling tickets that they have only just purchased. Our thanks to Piers for informing us of one recent situation in Spain.

If you've got tickets to see David in Manchester or Glasgow, then feel free to use this blog to squeal and shout your delight. We'd love to hear from you.

Posted by Features Editor at 10:08 AM | Comments (74)

January 10, 2006

Zbigniew Preisner

We've had several messages from Polish fans regarding Zbigniew Preisner’s recent interview with Rzeczpospolita, one of Poland’s main newspapers. In it, he mentions how he first came to meet David, explains his contribution in the studio, describes the sound of ‘On An Island’ and reveals how, apparently, David wants to play a gig somewhere in Poland to promote his new album.

We would like to make a few things clear to those who are curious about his claims.

Our thanks to respected Floyd fansite Brain Damage and Marek Grzesiak, who supplied them with the translated article.

Rzeczpospolita, 4 January 2006

David came to Poland in 2004 to my own studio in Niepolomice. Last year, after the break for Live 8, and the summer holidays, he called me and said that he has finished the work. I went to England, where he gave me the demo. It was the basis for my orchestration. David gave me a free hand; I could change harmonies, extend compositions, write in new introductions. We recorded orchestration for 9 songs. I invited a musician, who played the glass harmonica (i.e. glasses filled with water), soloists played the harp and the cello. [Fellow Pole] Leszek Mozdzer played the piano on a few songs. The work in Abbey Road Studios and on Astoria was filmed, probably for DVD purposes.

[Some of the sessions were indeed filmed, including Preisner's orchestral sessions, but there are no plans for any DVDs at the moment. Again, we will let you know if this changes. - Ed.]

What are the distinctive features of the new songs?

The climate of the songs is like on 'The Division Bell'. There are some great, monumental parts, but most of the songs are ballads similiar to 'On The Turning Away'. The nostalgic lyrics written by David and his wife Polly are very beautiful. The songs are the sort of diary, the lyrics comprise their reflection on real value and family. For example, there's a story about a man, who was going to drown, because he couldn't bear his life. And there's a description of David's wonderful, 120-hectare farm with its 500 year old house, where he lives with Polly, his four children and his horses.

What's he like in private?

When I stayed at his house, and when I recorded with him, I felt free, as though I was with an old mate. When the recording was finished, he was very happy. He didn't expect that the orchestration would change his album so much. He mentioned that he didn't feel like doing anything [such as concerts], but now he's got an appetite for playing. Once again it demonstrates that it doesn't matter where you live, or what kind of school you graduate from. All that really matters is if you've got something to say or not. For me personally it was an incredible experience, though I'm too old now to be excited.

When did you met for the first time?

I received an award from The Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards for the 'People's Century' series produced by the BBC. The director Charles Sturridge told me that the Gilmour's had invited me for supper. He knew that I liked Pink Floyd. Then, for a long time, nothing happened. Then suddenly David called me. I think the album could be the beginning of a great acquaintance. David wants to play a gig in Poland in some unusual place to promote his album.

[There are no plans for a concert in Poland. Ideas were thrown around about 'one-off' gigs at various locations, but they were impractical and the suggestions came to nought. The scheduled gigs that you see on the Live dates pages are all that's planned for now and, if circumstances change, we will be the first to let you know. - Ed.]

There are still echoes of Live 8, where Pink Floyd played together for the first time since so long. But Gilmour and Waters's meeting is still shrouded in mystery. Did you talk with him about it?

It was a few months ago and there's no point in mixing those two things up. David told me, when I was in London just after the Live 8, that he gave emotion to the band, and Waters was a mastermind, so it produced an extraordinary musical effect. I've encouraged them to play together again, but they've made no attempt to hide the differences between them. David even mentioned something about one, big, last, farewell show. I suggested that they play it in Poland, in Nowa Huta near Krakow. But that was a few months ago. Now the most important thing for David is his solo album and his tour.

[There are no plans whatsoever for David to embark on any Pink Floyd project. He is completely committed to ensuring that the ‘On An Island’ album and tour will be as successful and enjoyable as possible. - Ed.]

So we hope that clears a few things up. Sorry to be party-poopers and all that, but we have to tell it like it is.

Zbigniew Preisner is Poland's multi-award winning composer. Entirely self-taught, he has written music for many movies, including soundtracks for Louis Malle, Agnieszka Holland and Antoni Krauze. His scores for the films of Krzysztof Kieslowski (The 'Three Colours' series) have brought him international acclaim. His soundtrack albums have also achieved considerable worldwide sales. He is Poland’s leading film music composer and is widely considered to be one of the most outstanding composers of his generation. David is delighted with his contribution to 'On An Island' - and we are sure that you will be, too.

Visit www.preisner.com to find out more.

Posted by Features Editor at 01:42 AM | Comments (36)

January 09, 2006

The Kodak Theater

It’s ‘Theatre of the Day’ time again and today it’s the turn of the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles.

The home of the Academy Awards, the Kodak Theater is the world's only live broadcast theatre, custom-designed for Oscar Night. The stage measures a massive 36.5m wide and is 23m deep. It has a seating capacity for up to 3,400 people. Patterned after the grand opera houses of Europe, it is decorated with elegant deep plum upholstery, making it a grand setting for concert, musical, symphony and opera alike.

David will be performing here on 19 April. To all those who will be in attendance, we hope you have a fantastic time.

We’ll cover as many of the venues that David has chosen for his European and North American tours. We hope it will prove interesting and exciting to those who will be attending one of his concerts.

That’s all for today, but do keep your suggestions coming in. We enjoy reading them, and the songs you imagined David doing cover versions of in his live shows made for very entertaining reading.

The ‘best bass lines’ poll was also interesting. It’s unfortunate, however, that some people used it as an excuse to stir up the famous Floyd feud. (Zzzzz...)

Please, we could do with less of that. For the record, the blog was about Guy Pratt‘s contribution to ‘On An Island‘. It is a fact that David played bass on many Pink Floyd songs and that should not be an open invitation to anyone who wishes to start a squabble. We aren’t interested in the old ‘Which One’s Pink?’ debate. We don’t care who wrote the song or who played bass on it first. All we are interested in are the songs with a good bass line.

We want to hear your opinions and post as many of your comments as possible, but trouble-makers will not be tolerated. Stick to the point from now on, please.

Thank you.

Posted by Features Editor at 12:31 AM | Comments (60)

January 08, 2006

Robert Wyatt

Thanks for another fine response to yesterday’s blog about the greatest David Gilmour/Pink Floyd bass lines. No matter who played them, or who is the better bassist, your comments made for interesting reading.

We’ve had even more fantastic ideas for David's forthcoming live shows, such as starting and ending the show with ‘Echoes‘ (as in the Pompeii film), re-inventing tracks from ‘Obscured By Clouds’, an acoustic ‘Sorrow’ (so suggests Tim Taylor) and cover versions of all varieties.

Which brings us quite nicely to today’s teaser, in fact.

Let us know which tracks you think David could work his magic on. Any artist, any song. We‘ve already seen ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps‘ (thanks to Gem) and ‘Tangled Up in Blue’ (thanks for that, Stephen) as well as numerous tracks that David has made a contribution to as a guest artist, such as Michael Kamen’s beautiful ‘Sacha’ (good thinking, Nick) and Supertramp’s ‘Brother Where You Bound‘ (a fine idea, Yoni).

Several of you seem curious to hear a Dire Straits cover, with James Q suggesting ‘So Far Away’, to give just one example. We’ve even had a couple of Scissor Sisters tracks thrown in for good measure, courtesy of Brendon Doran... although I personally think they’re getting a better deal by being allowed to cover Pink Floyd songs, to be honest with you!

Remember, this is just for fun. These are suggestions, not requests. David is not guaranteed to see any of them, never mind take a fancy to them and fit them into his live set.

But then again, he might see them all.

Five suggestions only, please. Not everyone kept to five the last time we asked a similar question, which is perfectly understandable bearing in mind just how many excellent songs there have been, but it made tallying up harder. Have a heart, OK? No more than five per post. You can, of course, post as many times as you like.

Today’s photograph is of Robert Wyatt. Robert was a founder member of Soft Machine and also formed Matching Mole before embarking on a solo career. In 2001, he was curator of the annual Meltdown music festival held at London’s Royal Festival Hall, which paved the way for David’s own semi-acoustic shows in 2002. His latest album, ‘Cuckooland‘, was released in 2003 and included a contribution from David.

More of Polly's photographs to come.

Thanks again to everyone who has had involvement in the blog to date. Keep it up.

Posted by Features Editor at 01:30 AM | Comments (145)

January 07, 2006

Guy Pratt at Abbey Road

Another picture of Guy Pratt for you, seen here hard at work at Abbey Road’s legendary studios.

As every fan worth his or her salt knows, Guy has been Pink Floyd’s bass player since 1987, when he toured the world with the band to great acclaim. He was also involved in the studio on ‘The Division Bell’ and toured again with Pink Floyd in 1994.

A fantastic bassist, he has worked with many of the world’s finest musicians. Have a look at his website to see just how much he’s done outside of Pink Floyd.

Today we want to know which David Gilmour/Pink Floyd songs you think feature the best bass lines. Bear in mind that David actually played bass on many of the Floyd albums, often winning magazine polls for ‘best bassist’ for Roger Waters!

We’re delighted to echo that there are more tickets available to David’s North American fans. Just to remind you that tickets go on sale on Saturday 14th January at 12 noon local time. Needless to say, they will sell like hot cakes, so be quick.

Remember that the only way you can get tickets is by visiting Ticketmaster and purchasing tickets through them.

In spite of what Ticketmaster originally announced in North America, there is no David Gilmour fan club. We don’t have any promotional codes that will allow you to get your hands on tickets early. The best of luck to everyone who hopes to be lucky.

We are especially delighted to announce David’s UK shows in Manchester (on Friday 26th May) and Glasgow (on Saturday 27th May). Even though Friday 13th January is probably not the most promising of dates for the superstitious among you, you could be lucky enough to ‘win’ the chance to snap up a pair of tickets to these shows on this day. 250 of you will be lucky, anyway. An ‘Advance Ticket Booking’ link will be clearly displayed over at www.davidgilmour.com and you will need to follow it to register your interest in one of the 250 pairs of tickets available for these shows.

Once the 250 pairs have been sold, tickets will go on sale to the general public. So, if you are not one of the lucky 250, then you still have a chance of purchasing tickets. We’ll put all the details on the News page and echo it here.

Again, we must stress that there are no plans to add further shows in any countries. There will be no additional stops on this tour. David will be visiting Dortmund, Hamburg, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Milan, Rome, New York, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Manchester, Glasgow and London. That’s it... and not bad going, if I may say so!

We know that many fans will be unable to see David on this tour, and we know that many of you have convincingly made your case for a visit to your own hometown, but we once again urge you to be reasonable and to consider David‘s responsibilities to those other than his fans.

We look forward to hearing from all you bassists. There was a great response to yesterday's blog. Thanks, it means a lot. We do hope you played some of Syd's songs yesterday to remind yourself of his undeniable genius.

One quick and final point: If you notice that your questions are missing from your posts, then please don’t be alarmed. Any good ones are snapped up... and David might just answer them. Questions and answers are posted regularly on the FAQs page, so keep checking it to see if your question has been answered.

You’re more than welcome to use the blog for questions as well as, or instead of, sending them to the e-mail address on the FAQs page. However, please don’t e-mail messages that are intended for the blog to that address. There have been quite a lot of 'Five favourites' going there as of late, so please, from now on, only use the blog for blog-related comments. We receive many questions each day, so that address is, as you can imagine, absolutely inundated with messages. Thank you.

Posted by Features Editor at 02:21 AM | Comments (70)

January 06, 2006

Happy 60th Birthday, Syd

The fallen genius who turned Pink Floyd into the leading psychedelic band of the day, and amazed everyone (even The Beatles!) with ‘The Piper at the Gates of Dawn‘, is 60 today.

David would like to take this opportunity to send his warmest wishes to his friend, Roger Keith Barrett, who will always be affectionately known to those who knew and loved him - not to mention the many who have been touched and inspired by his music - simply as 'Syd'.

As well as his vital contribution to Pink Floyd’s second album ’A Saucerful of Secrets’, Syd has made two solo albums, 'The Madcap Laughs' and 'Barrett'. There is also the 'Opel' compilation of studio outtakes. If you haven’t heard them, then do give them a try.

David has always championed Syd’s music and produced almost all of Syd's studio sessions from July 1969. He fought to include as many of Syd’s songs on Pink Floyd’s ‘Echoes’ compilation, as well as performing several of Syd’s songs live - most notably 'Terrapin' and 'Dominoes' in 2001 and 2002.

We hope you can find time today to play some of Syd’s songs and to remember him as the creative genius who wrote such enchanting and thought-provoking lyrics, dared to be different and inspired myriad artists to follow him into the music business.

Feel free to let us know what Syd's music means to you and, of course, to send him your birthday greetings. Even though it's now been some 35 years since Syd retired from public life, his music will always live on and continue to move people. Let it move you today.

We leave you with a recent excerpt from Guitar & Bass magazine, which pertains to Syd's legacy in Pink Floyd:

He recognised Syd Barrett as a genius, even though he had to watch his friend’s stability crumble. Gilmour was invited to the recording session for the band’s second single ‘See Emily Play', and recalls even then that Syd didn’t recognise him. ‘He looked through you. He wasn’t quite there.’ Since then, he has ensured Syd has benefited from royalties generated by five songs included on the ‘Echoes’ compilation and ‘Astronomy Domine’, performed on the 1994 tour and later released as part of the album ‘Pulse’. (Diamond David, Guitar & Bass magazine, December 2005)

Posted by Features Editor at 12:45 PM | Comments (131)

January 05, 2006

Two Davids

We know you prefer Polly’s photographs, and we do too, so here’s a particularly nice one of David with David Crosby.

David Crosby is a truly enigmatic singer, songwriter and guitarist. An original member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash (later Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young), he is most noted for his trademark voice. A two-time inductee into the prestigious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he has released eight solo albums to date and is now a member of CPR with Jeff Pevar and James Raymond.

You can find out more about CPR at their website: www.crosbycpr.com

So, two Davids today, but for fun and warped curiosity, let us know who your other favourite Davids are. They can come from any field, it doesn’t have to be music-related. It could be Bowie or Beckham, Letterman or Lloyd George, Michelangelo's or Donatello's. Just be sure to tell us why you like them so much.

And if you really can't contain yourself, feel free to tell us what makes our very own David so special to you, too.

More importantly, keep your comments about the new album and tour coming in. We have been overwhelmed by the response to the ‘Five favourites’ entry (almost 300 replies!) with ‘Comfortably Numb’, ‘Fat Old Sun‘ and ‘Cymbaline’ among the most frequently-suggested tracks. It's making very interesting reading and creating plenty of debate, so our thanks to all who have contributed so far.

We'll have another of Polly's photographs to share tomorrow, and hopefully more of your comments to mull over as well.

Thanks again, everyone.

Posted by Features Editor at 01:52 AM | Comments (66)

January 04, 2006

The Royal Albert Hall

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: A FURTHER CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR A LUCKY FEW.

If you have received an e-mail this afternoon from David Gilmour, which congratulates you on being “one of the lucky few to have access to ticket sales for the David Gilmour Tour 2006” and includes a link which offers you the chance to purchase a pair of tickets for the Royal Albert Hall show on 31st May, as well as giving you a personal draw number to allow you to proceed with the sale, then please do not treat it as spam.

It is not fraudulent and you are not at any risk. It is legitimate and completely correct. Trinity Street (the facilitators of the Advance Ticket Booking system) managed to discover a very few extra tickets, so were able to send out an additional message to a choice few. So, if you are one of the lucky ones to have received this message today, then feel free to purchase your tickets following the simple instructions. Congratulations!

If you did not receive this e-mail, then I am afraid there are no tickets left for you to purchase as the concert is now, officially, a sell out.

A slight change for you today. We will be throwing in the odd ‘Theatre of the Day’ among Polly’s exclusive studio shots, so you can find out a little more about the venues that David has chosen for his tour of Europe and North America.

Many of you have questioned David’s reason for opting for theatres instead of large arenas. As this feature hopes to show you, David has chosen to perform at beautiful locations before smaller crowds instead of re-visiting those vast halls where he entertained thousands of people for so many years in his Pink Floyd days.

Today’s featured theatre is South Kensington’s finest, The Royal Albert Hall. David will be visiting this grand setting three times in May. The historic building, which was first opened to the public in 1871, is an arts venue dedicated to Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, whose reigned lasted more than sixty-three years.

With a maximum permitted capacity of 7,000, it hosts the Proms each summer and the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance in November, as well as a multitude of events raging from concerts to conferences, ballet to boxing. Built almost entirely of red brick and terracotta, the hall is oval in shape, measuring some 272 feet by 238 feet around the outside, and has a glass and iron dome roof which is 135 feet high.

If you’ll be seeing David performing here in May, then you’re in for a treat, because - as you can see from this picture - it truly is a beautiful venue. And yes, the music should be pretty good, too!

We hope you enjoyed ‘Three Men in a Boat’ last night. For those who couldn’t see it, David played a snippet from ‘Smile’, which is one of the tracks from ’On An Island’, describing it as “quiet and acoustic-y”. However, he made a point of saying that not all of the songs on his new album are like that, so make of that what you will. We also got a tour around parts of his houseboat studio, Astoria, and some history on the boat thrown in for good measure.

That’s all for today, but there’ll be one of Polly’s pictures tomorrow.

Posted by Features Editor at 11:48 AM | Comments (32)

January 03, 2006

Three Men in a Boat

We thought we ought to remind you that David's on television tonight, just in case it slipped your mind.

Be sure to tune in to BBC2 at 9pm to catch David on ‘Three Men in a Boat’. As we revealed over at www.davidgilmour.com back on 20th December, David will encounter comedians Dara O’Briain, Griff Rhys-Jones and Rory McGrath as they journey up the Thames in a rowing boat, recreating the journey immortalised by Jerome K Jerome in his 1889 comedy classic of the same name. Unannounced, they decide to visit David…

That’s BBC2, tonight, at 9pm. Don’t miss it - and let us know what you think of it.

As you've seen from past blog entries and Polly‘s photos, David has a fine group of musicians working with him on his new album, many of whom will also be touring with him... and there are more surprises to be revealed shortly.

You’ll recognise Caroline Dale, who played cello so beautifully at David's 2002 shows in London and Paris. She also founded Ghostland, who acted as the support for those shows. She has appeared with leading orchestras all over the world, including the London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Calgary Philharmonic, Halle, English Chamber, London Chamber and London Metropolitan Orchestras.

David contributed to her 2002 debut, 'Such Sweet Thunder', on the track 'Babbie’s Daughter', which he co-composed. On this album, Caroline plays various classical pieces, including Handel's 'Sarabande', Pablo Casals' arrangement of 'Song Of The Birds' (Traditional), Vivaldi's 'Concerto in G Minor for Two Cellos', and 'Largo from Vivaldi's Cello Sonata in E Minor', as well as her own compositions.

You can visit Caroline’s website to find out more at www.carolinedale.com

Another exclusive picture coming tomorrow. Enjoy ‘Three Men in a Boat’ tonight, all those who can receive it, and do keep your comments coming in. There have been some terrific ones lately, for which we all thank you.

Posted by Features Editor at 10:10 AM | Comments (34)

January 02, 2006

Guitars galore

One for the guitar boffs today.

There’s always great debate over which electric guitars David will use, with many fans gasping in disbelief whenever they see him playing anything other than a trusty red Fender Stratocaster. Recording engineer and technician, Phil Taylor, David’s right-hand man since 1974, revealed that David has used a Les Paul on several tracks on the new album, as well as various Fender Strats, a Gretsch Duo-Jet, plus several acoustics and lap steel guitars.

Many fans have written to www.davidgilmour.com expressing their concern for the 1957-reissue Fender Strat that they fondly associate with David (he has, of course, been using a Gretsch Duo-Jet rather a lot in live shows over the past few years instead of the familiar Strat). Phil also caused concern among purists by revealing that David is currently favouring a Goldtop Gibson Les Paul. But that‘s not to say that he’s given up on Strats - and here‘s the proof!

The word is that David will also be playing saxophone on 'On An Island', which the real die-hards will know he has been learning to play with one of his sons.

Thanks, as always, for the messages you've added. There have been some lovely ones, so thanks very much for letting us know just how much David's timeless music means to you. We'd never disagree with those sentiments.

Another of Polly's photographs tomorrow and don't forget that 'Three Men in a Boat' is on tomorrow night at 9pm. If you suspect that anyone may suggest something today that might cause you to miss it, then you should start thinking of good excuses now. More on that tomorrow.

Posted by Features Editor at 01:52 PM | Comments (45)

January 01, 2006

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone! We trust that the effects of last night's celebrations haven't lingered too much, and are pleased that you've found time to visit us for your daily Gilmour fix. (Why do people insist on letting off fireworks until 3am?)

Recognise this face, anyone? Today’s photograph is of Rado Klose, better known to Floyd aficionados as Bob Klose, who was in the band in its earliest days. He was a fellow student at the Regent Street Polytechnic with Pink Floyd’s founding members and played guitar for Pink Floyd alongside Syd Barrett, but left before they found success with their debut album, 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn', having always had more interest in jazz and blues than psychedelic pop. After leaving Pink Floyd, he became a successful photographer. And now here he is, caught in the studio, guitar in hand, by Polly's camera. Another musician for you to add the ever-increasing list!

How might Rado's contribution shape the sound on David's album? How does his involvement impact upon your Five Favourites lists? Let us know what you think.

And here's another musician for that list... maybe.

Rumour has it that drummer Stevie Di Stanislao will be touring with David. He is the drummer for David Crosby's band, CPR. David Crosby, of course, sings on the title track from David's new album, 'On An Island' with Graham Nash. Stevie has also worked with guitarists Joe Walsh of The Eagles and Carl Verheyen of Supertramp, so some strong connections there. We'll confirm or deny this rumour soon, but it's something for you to think about, particularly all you Ged Lynch fans.

Thanks for sharing your hopes and wishes for the New Year. May they all come true in 2006.

Keep the positive and upbeat comments coming. We welcome them warmly and have enjoyed reading them. It means an awful lot to David that people of all ages, all over the world, are interested in his new material and look forward to hearing it performed live.

Enjoy New Year's Day, everyone, whatever you do. Another of Polly's pictures coming tomorrow - it's one to get guitarists talking, believe me - and maybe we'll even throw in some more rumours, too...

Posted by Features Editor at 12:20 PM | Comments (45)