The one Pink Floyd song featuring only David Gilmour
The question of which Pink Floyd era is the best has been debated for decades. The conversation tends to be split between fans of the whimsical psychedelia of their first chapter when they were led by the enigmatic Syd Barrett, and those of the ensuing one, wherein the new member David Gilmour and Roger Waters would form an incredible creative partnership culminating in albums such as The Dark Side of the Moon. Regardless of which camp you might find yourself in, no one can doubt the skill of David Gilmour or what he brought to Pink Floyd.
One of the greatest guitar players of his generation, Gilmour championed weaponising emotion over technical peacocking in a manner closer to bluesmen such as BB King and Peter Green than more outwardly prog players. He fused this with a great dose of natural ability and a penchant for effects. This formula created an otherworldy sound that elevated Pink Floyd’s output and saw them tap into the cerebral brilliance they had always teased during the Barrett era.
When speaking to Uncut magazine, Gilmour explained his habit of copying his guitar heroes: “Trying to be too original when you’re too young is possibly not the best thing. But I learned copying Pete Seeger, Lead Belly, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix. All sorts of people”.
Elsewhere he’s also cited The Beatles as a significant influence on his development: “I really wish I had been in The Beatles. They taught me how to play the guitar, I learnt everything. The bass parts, the lead, the rhythm, everything. They were fantastic”.
Whilst we often think of Gilmour as primarily a guitarist and vocalist, we forget that he is not a one-trick pony and is an accomplished musician on many instruments outside of the six-string, an all-rounder, you might say. Demonstrating this scope, one track in the Pink Floyd canon was written and performed entirely by him, in one of their most fascinating junctures. The piece in question is ‘The Narrow Way’, the third suite on the second half of the band’s fourth album, 1969’s Ummagumma.
Notably, it follows another historical moment on the album; the Pink Floyd song with the longest title, ‘Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict’. On the ‘The Narrow Way’, which clocks in at 12:17, Gilmour handles the vocals, guitar, bass, piano, organ, mellotron, percussion and drums and uses multiple overdubs to capture his performances.
Listen to ‘The Narrow Way’ below.
