David Gilmour - About Face

Discussions about Pink Floyd and Solo Official Album CDs and DVDs.

Rate This Album

5 - Best
1
2%
4
15
25%
3
18
31%
2
17
29%
1- Worst
8
14%
 
Total votes: 59

ZiggyZipgun
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Re: David Gilmour - About Face

Post by ZiggyZipgun »

Pete Townsend and Roy Harper both contributed lyrics for another About Face demo, but Gilmour decided not to use either version. Both Pete and Roy ended up using the music on their next projects, with Dave playing on Pete's and Jimmy Page playing on Roy's.

https://youtu.be/IYJuuRALcWs
https://youtu.be/4iQsyf-Dhnw
Kerry King
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Re: David Gilmour - About Face

Post by Kerry King »

^ I find it all rather unexciting. The Harper album, the Townsend album, the Gilmour album. 1984/5 was a rough time for many of the musicians who were so good in the 60's and 70's. Townsend has never made what I would consider a "great" solo album. Same for Gilmour. Harper has some great ones. (Stormcock)

Murder is a great song. Townsend's lyrics bog down the almost exciting All Lovers Are Deranged. He's in his thesaurus phase.
ZiggyZipgun
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Re: David Gilmour - About Face

Post by ZiggyZipgun »

Kerry King wrote: Wed Mar 10, 2021 2:11 am ^ I find it all rather unexciting. The Harper album, the Townsend album, the Gilmour album. 1984/5 was a rough time for many of the musicians who were so good in the 60's and 70's. Townsend has never made what I would consider a "great" solo album. Same for Gilmour. Harper has some great ones. (Stormcock)
Stormcock may be the greatest solo album by anyone in the Floyd camp. Still, it's interesting to hear a riff and a tune that could easily have ended up on a Pink Floyd album, instead being played by Jimmy Page (though it's possible Roy played it himself, or just used Dave's original demo track).
ZiggyZipgun
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Re: David Gilmour - About Face

Post by ZiggyZipgun »

Fast forward a few decades, and Pete played on Roy's Man & Myth in 2013 with soon-to-be-Roger-collaborator, Jonathan Wilson.

https://youtu.be/xlowQtwtgh8
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theaussiefloydian
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Re: David Gilmour - About Face

Post by theaussiefloydian »

Judging by the vote results I might be in the minority here, but I actually quite like this LP.
Sure, it's not on the same level as some of Gilmour's other work, but I quite enjoy it. It has a couple of my favourite Gilmour tracks ("Murder", "Near the End"), and the rest of it is still pretty solid, if occasionally let down by the very 80's approach to production. I'd say the low point of the LP would be "Out of the Blue", but even that has its moments.
I'm also just kind of a fan of the album sequencing - side two kicking off with "All Lovers are Deranged" is pretty perfect in my opinion.
battra
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Re: David Gilmour - About Face

Post by battra »

Of the three Dave solo LPs on my shelf, not counting Live In Pompeii, this is the one that gets the least amount of love.

It's very much akin to Roger's KAOS where they were trying to contemporize their sound.
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Ashes andDiamonds07
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Re: David Gilmour - About Face

Post by Ashes andDiamonds07 »

It's his worst solo album. But it's still enjoyable, and there's not a single bad song on it imo. And who can forget Out Of The Blue? When it gets to that 'Over and over we call, no one hears, and further and further and further we fall' part, you can hear something reminding you of the Floyd.
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theaussiefloydian
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Re: David Gilmour - About Face

Post by theaussiefloydian »

Ashes andDiamonds07 wrote: Fri Nov 04, 2022 3:44 am It's his worst solo album.
I'd honestly argue that Rattle That Lock is slightly less good, but all the same About Face isn't his strongest work. Still love it though.
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drafsack
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Re: David Gilmour - About Face

Post by drafsack »

It is of its time and Blue Light is terrible - especially the video - but I do prefer it to On an Island and Rattle that Lock
battra
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Re: David Gilmour - About Face

Post by battra »

theaussiefloydian wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 6:31 pm
Ashes andDiamonds07 wrote: Fri Nov 04, 2022 3:44 am It's his worst solo album.
I'd honestly argue that Rattle That Lock is slightly less good, but all the same About Face isn't his strongest work. Still love it though.
About Face, as an album, is better than Rattle That Lock, but lacking a standout track like the latter. It also has the added bonus of being far cheaper to purchase on vinyl.
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theaussiefloydian
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Re: David Gilmour - About Face

Post by theaussiefloydian »

battra wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 11:54 pm lacking a standout track like the latter.
I'd argue that "Murder" is a standout track, but I can see what you mean for sure.
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Re: David Gilmour - About Face

Post by YetAnother »

His best solo album, not counting AMLOR of course. Also better than his upcoming one. Too bad he didn't play anything live from it on his recent tours.
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Ashes andDiamonds07
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Re: David Gilmour - About Face

Post by Ashes andDiamonds07 »

After another listen, I've changed my views on About Face: It's actually decent album. Rattle That Lock and On An Island were better, but it's better than his debut solo album. I quite enjoyed this recent listen to it.
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Re: David Gilmour - About Face

Post by Aqualung »

YetAnother wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 10:51 pm Also better than his upcoming one.
The upcoming one? Called “The Bottom of the Barrel”?
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theaussiefloydian
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Re: David Gilmour - About Face

Post by theaussiefloydian »

Ashes andDiamonds07 wrote: Thu Feb 02, 2023 1:24 am After another listen, I've changed my views on About Face: It's actually decent album. Rattle That Lock and On An Island were better, but it's better than his debut solo album. I quite enjoyed this recent listen to it.
I honestly believe his self titled and About Face stand on pretty even terms. The production on the self titled is a little less 80s, but the flow of About Face works better for me and it's a bit more of a rocker.