Blue Light

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/PFArchives/blulight.htm

David Gimour released a new album! in 1983 the Pink Floyd released an album titled "The Final Cut" which for all Pink Floyd's fans was outstanding. In the article "Is a Blue Light the Next Shade of Pink?" the author Vernon Fitch writes about the new Gilmour's solo album "About Face." This article was published in the Amazing Pudding Magazine, issue #12, in 1985. Vernon Says that nobody expected Gilmour to come up with a new LP, because the Pink Floyd had just released "The Final Cut."

After Rick Wright left the Pink Floyd, there were some rumors that possibly Eric Clapton would join the band, of course for many people, this was too good to be true. I personally think that David Gilmour is much better guitarist than Clapton, but it is only my personal opinion. Besides, it is how the author says: "David Gilmour was as much responsible for Pink Floyd's sound as anyone." He was indeed, a great contributor to the band's song's lyrics. And Vernon is definitely right, there could be no Pink Floyd without David Gilmour.

David is a very hard worker person, and he just couldn't wait to come up with a new album. The author says that he couldn't wait either to go and buy it for himself. So he got an extended mix pre-release sampler from the album. And for his surprise he didn't like it, at all! But it wasn't the guitar work, because we all know that Gilmour wouldn't mess out with his incredible guitar playing; what he didn't like was its style. But it was all because the record company picked the most commercial song on the album.

So this album came out the following week, with the announcement of a tour to back the album. No-one could wait to see a David Gilmour tour. Vernon says that even if the best thing Gilmour had to offer was Blue Light, he wouldn't miss too see him live. Come on, who would? For the author's opinion, he thinks that Blue Light was the weakest song on the entire album, and that the rest of the album was worth the wait. This album proved that Roger Waters wasn't the only lyricist on the Pink Floyd.

Gilmour had to organize his own band, it consisted of Milk Ralphs on guitar, Mickey Feat on Bass, Chris Slade on drums, Raff Ravenscroft on sax, Jodi Linscott on percussion, and Greg dechart on keyboards. For this tour he incorporated only songs from his two solo albums. His tour officially began in Ireland, on March 31st 1984. From Ireland he went to Holland, Belgium and France. Then from Paris they went to Switzerland, Germany, Sweden and then to London, his hometown, where he also included songs from the Pink Floyd's repertoire, in which Nick Mason showed up to play drums on Comfortably Numb.

From London, they took over to North America for dates in the United States and Canada. In this last country, Canada, two shows had to be cancelled, due to lack of ticket sales. "The folks in the great white north didn't realize what they were missing." The first appearance in the U.S. took place in New York, on May 16, 1984. The author says that Gilmour's performances were incredibly great. The band took turns doing improvisations, everyone was enjoying themselves immensely. The audience felt like if they were part of the event, not witnesses to the event. They were controlled by the music, which has always been Pink Floyd's style.

The tour concluded at New York, on July 16, 1984; and it was considered a big success by everyone involved. There's even a video of it for us who missed it, as for me I wasn't born yet, and I think that if Gilmour isn't too tired (because of his age), he should do another tour again so I could see him live. The author's conclusion in this article is that Blue Light wasn't the next shade of Pink, but that was the only song, because the rest of the album was a bomb. He also gives thanks to Dave "for having satisfied the hunger of the thousands of Pink Floyd fans worldwide who neede to see their heroes in person."