To think that David Gilmour waited 22 years to record his third solo album is a pretty solid indicator that he's not the kind of bloke to merely cash in on his name.
After all, he's the guy who sold his house for four million English pounds and gave the money to charity.
Perhaps now that the Pink Floyd reunion happened and he and Roger Waters are at least civil to one another, the Floyd enigma can finally find its way into the annals of history and rock legend.
This catches listeners up to On an Island.
Those desiring something edgy and dramatic will have to wait.
Gilmour wrote six of these ten tunes with his wife, Polly Samson, who also plays a bit of piano and sings.
Musically, On An Island is mostly a laid-back, utterly elegant English record.
It has the feel of taking place between twilight and dawn.
There are a few rumblers to upset the overall balance of tranquility and stillness, like flashes of heat lightning across the dark skies; they add dimension and a quiet power to these proceedings.
Produced by Gilmour, Phil Manzanera (who appears on keyboards), and Chris Thomas, the album features guest spots from the likes of Richard Wright, Robert Wyatt, B.J.
Cole, Floyd/Sly Stone drummer Andy Newmark, Georgie Fame, David Crosby and Graham Nash, Jools Holland, Willie Wilson, and many others.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Castellorizon | David Gilmour | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 17 MB |
| 2 | On an Island | David Gilmour | Play | 06:47 | 15 MB | 41 MB |
| 3 | The Blue | David Gilmour | Play | 05:26 | 12 MB | 31 MB |
| 4 | Take a Breath | David Gilmour | Play | 05:45 | 13 MB | 37 MB |
| 5 | Red Sky at Night | David Gilmour | Play | 02:51 | 6 MB | 15 MB |
| 6 | This Heaven | David Gilmour | Play | 04:24 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 7 | Then I Close My Eyes | David Gilmour | Play | 05:27 | 12 MB | 29 MB |
| 8 | Smile | David Gilmour | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 9 | A Pocketful of Stones | David Gilmour | Play | 06:18 | 14 MB | 30 MB |
| 10 | Where We Start | David Gilmour | Play | 06:46 | 15 MB | 36 MB |
| 51 mins | 118 MB | |||||
| 51 mins | 292 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blade | Artwork, Design |
| 2 | Harry Borden | Photography |
| 3 | Crosby & Nash | Vocals |
| 4 | David Crosby | Main Personnel |
| 5 | Caroline Dale | Cello |
| 6 | Ilan Eshkeri | Programming |
| 7 | Georgie Fame | Organ (Hammond) |
| 8 | David Gilmour | Audio Engineer, Audio Production, Bass, Bass Harmonica, Cumbus, Engineer, Guitar, Main Personnel, Organ (Hammond), Percussion, Photography, Piano, Piano (Electric), Primary Artist, Producer, Saxophone, Vocals |
| 9 | James Guthrie | Mastering |
| 10 | Jools Holland | Main Personnel, Piano |
| 11 | Damon Iddins | Assistant Engineer, Audio Engineer |
| 12 | Andy Jackson | Audio Engineer, Engineer |
| 13 | Jack D. Johnson | Drum Samples |
| 14 | Jamie Johnson | Assistant Engineer, Audio Engineer |
| 15 | David Juritz | Orchestra Leader |
| 16 | Sandra Kamen | Photography |
| 17 | Rado Klose | Guitar |
| 18 | Chris Laurence | Double Bass |
| 19 | Paul Loasby | Management |
| 20 | Ged Lynch | Drums |
| 21 | Alasdair Malloy | Harmonica (Glass) |
| 22 | Phil Manzanera | Audio Production, Keyboards, Main Personnel, Piano, Producer |
| 23 | Leszek Możdżer | Piano |
| 24 | Graham Nash | Main Personnel, Vocals |
| 25 | Andy Newmark | Drums, Main Personnel, Percussion |
| 26 | Guy Pratt | Bass |
| 27 | Zbigniew Preisner | Orchestral Arrangements |
| 28 | Simon Rhodes | Engineer |
| 29 | Polly Samson | Piano, Vocals |
| 30 | Doug Sax | Mastering |
| 31 | Hilary Skewes | String Contractor |
| 32 | Chris Stainton | Organ (Hammond) |
| 33 | Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor | Technical Support |
| 34 | Chris E. Thomas | Keyboards, Producer |
| 35 | Adam Topol | Drum Samples |
| 36 | Lucy Wakeford | Harp |
| 37 | Willie Wilson & The Tunemasters | Drums |
| 38 | Devin Workman | Assistant Engineer, Audio Engineer |
| 39 | Richard Wright | Organ (Hammond), Vocals |
| 40 | Robert Wyatt | Cornet, Main Personnel, Percussion, Voices |
| 41 | Jeremy Young | Photography |
| 42 | Robert Ziegler | Conductor |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |