Gilmour influenced by Country?

[cool09]

Read Gilmour's influences somewhere recently (or VH1 Classic Album Dark Side Documentary) and "Country" was one of them? Is this true? What exactly was he interested in? Think he's a fan of any current Country music? Just listening to old Howard Stern interview and Kid Rock played his remake of "Feel like making love" (Bad Company) and sounds like something Gilmour would be into if Country was his thing. That would be interesting if he was into someone like Kid Rock.

[Flying pig437]

I remember reading once somone say Time was 'country tinged'. Can sorta see it. David obviously likes steel guitar so...

[Peter Harold]

I don't think it is any new interest by Mr. Gilmour. Remember the song "Crumbling Land" in the soundtrack of "Zabriskie Point". I can't hardly say that song was any work of heart, but still it is a country and western pastish and luckily enough never done again by Pink Floyd in this style.

Myself, I always see Gilmour fancy jazz. But he is very fond of what Neil Young recorded, so he may perhaps be in touch with his lust for country music.

Best regards,
Peter

[snifferdog]

Oddly enough, I was watching some of that Making of Wish You Were Here documentary earlier and Gilmour referred to the title track as being somewhat country tinged. I'd need to check back to see exactly what he said

[danielcaux]

Was he influenced by Country? Seriously? Of course! He wasn't nicknamed "Country Boy" for nothing in that Winter Tour programme! It's also well known that he was a big Eagles and CSN&Y fan. I think in a way Country was like some interesting "world music" for the 60s-70s non american rock musicians. Kinda like what african music was for the 80s modern and hip rock artistes.

I hear a lot of Country in Gilmour's lead guitar sound from 69-72, and then in some tracks like Time, WYWH. Not the hillbilly oriented traditional style but the more pop oriented modern Country from the early 70s:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zuhxfrXocw

[my breakfast.]

I don't think they mean "country" as in Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings as much as the breezy and free-wheeling CSNY sort of sound.

[snifferdog]

Yeah, that's what I'd have thought. Though to be honest, I struggle to hear much of a country influence at all. Perhaps tinges in Zabriskie Point but very little beyond that. Unless you consider pedal steel to be a country thing. I don't consider his use of it to be countryish though. Thank heavens

[my breakfast.]

Some of Gilmour's guitar licks are countryesque but, as you say, the Z-point stuff is the most country material I can think of.

This track always reminds me of Breathe and visa versa. The drums and bass lines are quite similar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoA5cqDSasM

[J Ed]

Unless you consider pedal steel to be a country thing. I don't consider his use of it to be countryish though.

I do, its the dominant instrument on those old Hank Williams records
I have a friend who actually played pedal steel in a Hank Williams tribute show, and he declares Gilmours use of the instrument to be very unusual

[Enish]

Some of Gilmour's material does have a bit of a country influence to them (like "Cruise" and "Loss for Words"), but I think his playing style is more based in blues and occasionally folk.