As the September 6 release date approaches for David Gilmour’s latest solo effort, Luck and Strange, the longtime Pink Floyd singer/guitarist has debuted a short documentary delving into the making of the album.
The video, which you can watch at Gilmour’s YouTube channel, features brief profiles of each of the album’s nine songs, including his cover of dream-pop duo The Montgolfier Brothers’ 1999 tune “Between Two Points.” The track features Gilmour’s daughter, Romany, on lead vocals.
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In the segment focusing on “Between Two Points,” Gilmour and his wife and longtime lyricist, Polly Samson, talked about how they’d always loved the song, so David decided to do his own version for Luck and Strange.
After he made a backing track for the tune, though, he “realized the lyrics weren’t something that I would naturally sing about.”
[RELATED: David Gilmour Now Says He’ll Play Classic 1970s Pink Floyd Tunes on Solo Tour; Doesn’t Rule Out Another One-Off Floyd Project]
Samson then noted, “It’s a very vulnerable lyric, and somehow there’s something invulnerable about David.” Meanwhile, Romany, who had been contributing backing vocals and harp to various tracks on Luck and Strange, was at their house at the time, and Gilmur felt her voice might be perfect for the song.
“I said, ‘Romany, just come and sing this song. She didn’t know it at all. I just gave her a piece of paper, said, ‘Sing this,’” David recalled. “[And she said,] ‘OK, but I’ve got a train.’ So she just sang it once through, and 90 percent of what’s on there is the grumpy, diffident girl.”
Gilmour then praised his daughter’s singing ability, which he said had been apparent from a very early age.
“Since she was tiny, she’s always been able to put on a pair of headphones, stand in front of a mic, and just knock it out like a pro,” he maintained, “but this was quite extraordinary.”
Other Gilmour Family Members’ Contributions
Luck and Strange’s final song, “Scattered,” was co-written by Gilmour, Samson, and their son Charlie. In the video, Gilmour notes that he approached his son “to see if he wanted to have a go at writing some lyrics.’
David noted, “Those lines about holding back the tide and the disobedience of the tide [are] brilliant.” As Gilmour points out, the words were inspired by an anecdote that involved the 11th century English and Scandinavian king, Canute.
Meanwhile, Gilmour and Samson’s son Joe is featured on the Luck and Strange song “Sings,” included in a unique fashion. David explained in the documentary that he incorporated a recording of his son when he was a toddler into the track.
“The chorus part of [‘Sings’] is actually 25 years old,” Gilmour shared. “And when Joe was two, I made it up one day and I was sort of la-la-ing along to it with a guitar, and he was in the room. … And he’s just talking and saying, ‘Sing, daddy. Sing, daddy.’ I recorded that on a mini-disc player.”
He continued, “There’s a sort of moment in the song, where it’s kind of left itself fairly blank. [I thought,] ‘Let’s just put that demo on there, from 25 years ago.’ And it’s magical, isn’t it? It just sounds amazing.”
More About the Making-Of Video
The video presentation also features Gilmour discussing his collaboration with his co-producer, Charlie Andrew, and the various musicians who played on the album. In addition, it includes a look at the string and choral arrangements added to some tracks, Gilmour’s collaborative relationship with Samson, and more.
Gilmour’s 2024 Tour Plans
As previously reported, Gilmour will launch a 2024 tour in support of Luck and Strange in September. The trek kicks off with a six-date engagement in Rome that runs from September 27 through October 3. David then will play six shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London, spanning from October 9 to October 15.
After that, Gilmour will head to the U.S. He’ll play an October 25 show at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, followed by October 29, 30, and 31 concerts at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. David’s confirmed 2024 itinerary wraps up with five shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City scheduled from November 4 to November 10.
Tickets for Gilmour’s concerts can be purchased now via a variety of outlets, including StubHub.
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