About Face (album)
Encyclopedia
About Face is the second solo album by the Pink Floyd
guitarist David Gilmour
, released in March 1984. The album was co-produced by Bob Ezrin
and David Gilmour. Two songs, "All Lovers Are Deranged", and the more radio-friendly "Love on the Air" were co-written by Gilmour, who composed the music, and his longtime friend, Pete Townshend
of The Who
, who served as lyricist. The remainder of the songs are credited solely to Gilmour himself. In May of the same year, fellow Floyd counterpart Roger Waters
released his first official solo album The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking
.
at Mayfair Studios in London.
Some of the musicians working with Gilmour were Jeff Porcaro
, Pino Palladino
, Deep Purple
keyboardist Jon Lord
, Roy Harper
, Michael Kamen
(who also worked on Waters'
album, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking
), Sam Brown and Steve Winwood
.
Allegedly, some of the songs on About Face were being composed by Gilmour when Roger Waters began production of the Pink Floyd album, The Final Cut
. Waters is said to have refused Gilmour's request for more time to complete his own (Gilmour's) material, which effectively denied Gilmour any writing credits on The Final Cut. Songs that are said to be of the pre-Final Cut period are "Murder", "Out of the Blue", "Near the End", and the musical orchestration for "Love on the Air" and "All Lovers are Deranged".
single "Blue Light" (later remix
ed by François Kevorkian
and which was often voted as worst Floyd solo song according to the Floyd fanzine The Amazing Pudding
) and another single, "Love on the Air". "All Lovers Are Deranged" and "Murder" were released as singles for North American rock radio; the former reaching No. 10 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart.
"Murder", which followed (reaching No. 11), was an outcry by Gilmour about the senseless killing of John Lennon
, a longtime musical peer and inspiration to him. Pino Palladino
embellished the song with a solo fretless bassline, adding an edgy funk groove to the acoustic beginning of the song, leading to an instrumental bridge, where the song picks up in the speed of the beat with more electric instruments.
The album reached No. 21 in the UK and No. 32 in the U.S. and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
David Gilmour was later interviewed by Texas-based DJ Redbeard, on the radio programme, In the Studio with Redbeard
during which the focus was his 2006 solo effort On an Island
. He commented on About Face saying, "Looking back on it, it has some great moments on there but the whole flavour of it is too '80s for my current tastes."
About Face was re-released by EMI
in Europe as a digitally remastered CD on 14 August 2006. Legacy Recordings
/Columbia Records
released the remastered CD in the US and Canada on 12 September 2006.
He asked Roy Harper
and, separately, Pete Townshend
, to supply lyrics, but felt that those provided were not messages that he could relate to. Harper subsequently used the tune, with his lyrics, as "Hope", on his 1985 album with Jimmy Page
, Whatever Happened to Jugula?
. Townshend used it with his lyrics as "White City Fighting", which has a markedly faster tempo, on his 1985 album White City: A Novel
, on which Gilmour plays.
Tour Personnel
David Gilmour – guitar, keyboards, vocals
Gregg Dechart – keyboards
Sue Evans – percussion (July 5–16)
Mickey Feat – bass guitar
Jody Linscott – percussion (March–June)
Mick Ralphs
– guitar, vocals
Raphael Ravenscroft – saxophone, flute, keyboards
Chris Slade – drums
Roy Harper and Nick Mason joined him at his shows at the Hammersmith Odeon on April 28, 29 and 30th 1984.
In one corner are printed the words "Fleudian slip", most likely referring to what is known as a Freudian Slip
.
Singles – Billboard (North America)
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
guitarist David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
, released in March 1984. The album was co-produced by Bob Ezrin
Bob Ezrin
Robert Alan "Bob" Ezrin is a Canadian music producer and keyboardist, known for his work with artists including Alice Cooper, Kiss and Pink Floyd. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2004.-Biography:...
and David Gilmour. Two songs, "All Lovers Are Deranged", and the more radio-friendly "Love on the Air" were co-written by Gilmour, who composed the music, and his longtime friend, Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, who served as lyricist. The remainder of the songs are credited solely to Gilmour himself. In May of the same year, fellow Floyd counterpart Roger Waters
Roger Waters
George Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
released his first official solo album The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking
The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking
The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking is a 1984 concept album and the first solo album by English musician Roger Waters. The album was certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America in April 1995.-Concept history:...
.
History
The album was recorded in France with engineer Andrew Jackson at a time when Pink Floyd's future was uncertain. The album was mixed by James GuthrieJames Guthrie (record producer)
James K.A. Guthrie is a British recording engineer and record producer best known for his work with the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, having served as a producer and engineer for the band since 1978...
at Mayfair Studios in London.
Some of the musicians working with Gilmour were Jeff Porcaro
Jeff Porcaro
Jeffrey Thomas "Jeff" Porcaro was an American session drummer and a founding member of the Grammy Award winning band Toto. Porcaro was one of the most recorded drummers in history, working on hundreds of albums and thousands of sessions...
, Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino is a Welsh bass guitarist who gained fame playing primarily rock and roll, blues rock, and rhythm and blues music, although he has been lauded for his ability to play most genres of popular music, including jazz, neo soul, and funk...
, Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
keyboardist Jon Lord
Jon Lord
Jonathan Douglas "Jon" Lord is an English composer, pianist and Hammond organ player.Jon Lord, also known as 'Hammond Lord', is a classically trained piano player. He is recognised for his Hammond organ blues-rock sound and for his pioneering work in fusing rock and classical or baroque forms...
, Roy Harper
Roy Harper
Roy Harper is an English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist who has been a professional musician since the mid 1960s...
, Michael Kamen
Michael Kamen
Michael Arnold Kamen was an American composer , orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, song writer, and session musician.-Background:...
(who also worked on Waters'
Roger Waters
George Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
album, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking
The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking
The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking is a 1984 concept album and the first solo album by English musician Roger Waters. The album was certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America in April 1995.-Concept history:...
), Sam Brown and Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
.
Allegedly, some of the songs on About Face were being composed by Gilmour when Roger Waters began production of the Pink Floyd album, The Final Cut
The Final Cut (album)
The Final Cut is the twelfth studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd. It was released in March 1983 by Harvest Records in the United Kingdom, and several weeks later by Columbia Records in the United States. A concept album, The Final Cut is the last of the band's releases to...
. Waters is said to have refused Gilmour's request for more time to complete his own (Gilmour's) material, which effectively denied Gilmour any writing credits on The Final Cut. Songs that are said to be of the pre-Final Cut period are "Murder", "Out of the Blue", "Near the End", and the musical orchestration for "Love on the Air" and "All Lovers are Deranged".
The Sound
The album featured the disco-styleDisco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
single "Blue Light" (later remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed by François Kevorkian
François Kevorkian
François Kevorkian, alias François K, is a French DJ of Armenian origin, remixer, producer and record label owner. Having started his career in renowned clubs such as the Paradise Garage and Studio 54, the New York City resident is widely considered as one of the forefathers of house...
and which was often voted as worst Floyd solo song according to the Floyd fanzine The Amazing Pudding
The Amazing Pudding
The Amazing Pudding was a Pink Floyd and Roger Waters fan magazine , founded by Ivor Trueman and edited and published, variously, by him , Andy Mabbett , Bruno MacDonald and Dave Walker , for ten years .Mabbett...
) and another single, "Love on the Air". "All Lovers Are Deranged" and "Murder" were released as singles for North American rock radio; the former reaching No. 10 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart.
"Murder", which followed (reaching No. 11), was an outcry by Gilmour about the senseless killing of John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, a longtime musical peer and inspiration to him. Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino is a Welsh bass guitarist who gained fame playing primarily rock and roll, blues rock, and rhythm and blues music, although he has been lauded for his ability to play most genres of popular music, including jazz, neo soul, and funk...
embellished the song with a solo fretless bassline, adding an edgy funk groove to the acoustic beginning of the song, leading to an instrumental bridge, where the song picks up in the speed of the beat with more electric instruments.
The album reached No. 21 in the UK and No. 32 in the U.S. and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
David Gilmour was later interviewed by Texas-based DJ Redbeard, on the radio programme, In the Studio with Redbeard
In the Studio with Redbeard
In the Studio with Redbeard is a North American radio program, produced and hosted by Dallas, Texas based rock and roll disc jockey Redbeard....
during which the focus was his 2006 solo effort On an Island
On an Island
On an Island is the third solo album by David Gilmour, best known as vocalist and lead guitarist for Pink Floyd. It was released in the UK on 6 March 2006, Gilmour's 60th birthday, and in the United States the following day. It was Gilmour's first new solo album in 22 years...
. He commented on About Face saying, "Looking back on it, it has some great moments on there but the whole flavour of it is too '80s for my current tastes."
About Face was re-released by EMI
EMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
in Europe as a digitally remastered CD on 14 August 2006. Legacy Recordings
Legacy Recordings
Legacy Recordings is Sony Music Entertainment's catalog division. It was founded in 1990 by CBS Records under the leadership of Jerry Shulman, Richard Bauer, Gary Pacheco and Amy Herot to handle reissues of recordings from the vast catalogues of Columbia Records, Epic Records and associated...
/Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
released the remastered CD in the US and Canada on 12 September 2006.
Track listing
Note: the 2006 remaster has a longer fadeout for "Until We Sleep" and "Near the End" at 5:20 and 5:50 respectively.Versions of "Blue Light"
- "Blue Light" (Single Edit) – 3:52
- "Blue Light" (12" Mix from the "Blue Light" 12" Promo Single) – 6:10
- "Blue Light" (Instrumental Version, B-side of "Blue Light" 12" Promo Single) – 6:13
Unused tune
Another piece of music written for the album was not used by Gilmour.He asked Roy Harper
Roy Harper
Roy Harper is an English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist who has been a professional musician since the mid 1960s...
and, separately, Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
, to supply lyrics, but felt that those provided were not messages that he could relate to. Harper subsequently used the tune, with his lyrics, as "Hope", on his 1985 album with Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
, Whatever Happened to Jugula?
Whatever Happened to Jugula?
Whatever Happened to Jugula? is the thirteenth studio album by English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper. It was first released in 1985...
. Townshend used it with his lyrics as "White City Fighting", which has a markedly faster tempo, on his 1985 album White City: A Novel
White City: A Novel
White City: A Novel is a solo concept album by Pete Townshend of The Who, released in 1985 on Atco.The title refers to a story that accompanies the album, and which takes place in a low-income housing estate in the West London area of White City, near where Townshend grew up...
, on which Gilmour plays.
Main musicians
- David GilmourDavid GilmourDavid Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Jeff PorcaroJeff PorcaroJeffrey Thomas "Jeff" Porcaro was an American session drummer and a founding member of the Grammy Award winning band Toto. Porcaro was one of the most recorded drummers in history, working on hundreds of albums and thousands of sessions...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Pino PalladinoPino PalladinoPino Palladino is a Welsh bass guitarist who gained fame playing primarily rock and roll, blues rock, and rhythm and blues music, although he has been lauded for his ability to play most genres of popular music, including jazz, neo soul, and funk...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Ian Kewley – Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
Additional musicians
- Steve WinwoodSteve WinwoodStephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
– Hammond organ (on "Blue Light"), piano ("Love On The Air") - Anne DudleyAnne DudleyAnne Dudley is an English composer and pop musician, and was the first BBC Concert Orchestra's Composer in Association in 2001. She has worked in both the classical and pop genres. She is perhaps best known, however, as one of the core members of the synthpop band Art of Noise and also as a film...
– synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - Bob EzrinBob EzrinRobert Alan "Bob" Ezrin is a Canadian music producer and keyboardist, known for his work with artists including Alice Cooper, Kiss and Pink Floyd. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2004.-Biography:...
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, orchestral arrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents... - Louis Jardine – percussion
- Ray CooperRay CooperRay Cooper is an English musician. He is a session and road-tour percussionist, and occasional actor, who has worked with several musically diverse bands and artists including George Harrison, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, and Elton John. Cooper is commonly regarded by music fans, critics and fellow...
– percussion - Jon LordJon LordJonathan Douglas "Jon" Lord is an English composer, pianist and Hammond organ player.Jon Lord, also known as 'Hammond Lord', is a classically trained piano player. He is recognised for his Hammond organ blues-rock sound and for his pioneering work in fusing rock and classical or baroque forms...
– synthesizer - The Kick Horns – brassBrass instrumentA brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
- Vicki BrownVicki Brown (singer)Vicki Brown was an English pop, rock and contemporary classical singer. She is best known for her membership of both The Vernons Girls and The Breakaways, and as one of the UK's most enduring backing vocalists...
– background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Sam Brown – background vocals
- Mickey Feat – background vocals
- Roy HarperRoy HarperRoy Harper is an English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist who has been a professional musician since the mid 1960s...
– background vocals - Steve Rance – FairlightFairlight CMIThe Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
programming - The National Philharmonic OrchestraNational Philharmonic OrchestraThe National Philharmonic Orchestra was a British orchestra created exclusively for recording purposes. It was founded by RCA producer Charles Gerhardt and orchestra leader / contractor Sidney Sax due in part to the requirements of the Reader's Digest-History:...
- Michael KamenMichael KamenMichael Arnold Kamen was an American composer , orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, song writer, and session musician.-Background:...
– orchestral arrangement
Production
- Bob Ezrin – producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
- David Gilmour – producer
- Andrew JacksonAndrew JacksonAndrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
– engineer - Kit Woolven – engineer
- James GuthrieJames Guthrie (record producer)James K.A. Guthrie is a British recording engineer and record producer best known for his work with the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, having served as a producer and engineer for the band since 1978...
– mix engineerMix engineerA mix engineer, also referred to as "mixing engineer", is a person who, once all instruments, voices, and sounds, etc., have been recorded, creates what is called the final version of a song, hence the term "mix engineer"...
, remastering - Eric Tomlinson – orchestration recorder
- Doug Sax – mastering engineerMastering engineerA mastering engineer is one skilled in the practice of taking audio that has been previously mixed in either the analog or digital domain as mono, stereo, or multichannel formats and preparing it for use in distribution, whether by physical media such as a CD, vinyl record, or as some method of...
- Mike Reese – mastering engineer
- Storm ThorgersonStorm ThorgersonStorm Thorgerson is an English graphic designer, known for his work for rock bands such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, 10cc, Dream Theater, The Mars Volta, Muse, The Cranberries, and Biffy Clyro.-Biography:...
(under the pseudonym "STd") – coverAlbum coverAn album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
design
Tour
The supporting tour for About Face, which lasted from March to July 1984, covering Europe and North America saw David perform the following songs:- Until We Sleep
- All Lovers Are Deranged
- There's No Way Out Of Here
- Love On The Air
- Mihalis
- Cruise
- Short & Sweet
- Money
- Run Like Hell
- Out Of The Blue
- Let's Get Metaphysical
- You Know I'm Right
- Blue Light
- Murder
- Near The End
- Comfortably Numb
- I Can't Breathe Anymore
Tour Personnel
David Gilmour – guitar, keyboards, vocals
Gregg Dechart – keyboards
Sue Evans – percussion (July 5–16)
Mickey Feat – bass guitar
Jody Linscott – percussion (March–June)
Mick Ralphs
Mick Ralphs
Michael Geoffrey "Mick" Ralphs is an English guitarist and songwriter, who was a founding member of rock bands Mott the Hoople and Bad Company.-Career:...
– guitar, vocals
Raphael Ravenscroft – saxophone, flute, keyboards
Chris Slade – drums
Roy Harper and Nick Mason joined him at his shows at the Hammersmith Odeon on April 28, 29 and 30th 1984.
Cover
The inner sleeve of the LP is unusual: wider than it is tall, it does not fit into the outer sleeve if turned 90 degrees.In one corner are printed the words "Fleudian slip", most likely referring to what is known as a Freudian Slip
Freudian slip
A Freudian slip, also called parapraxis, is an error in speech, memory, or physical action that is interpreted as occurring due to the interference of some unconscious , subdued, wish, conflict, or train of thought...
.
Charts
Album – Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The Billboard 200 | 32 |
| 1984 | Norwegian Record Charts | 10 |
Singles – Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "Blue Light" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 62 |
| 1984 | "Blue Light" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 35 |
| 1984 | "All Lovers Are Deranged" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 10 |
| 1984 | "Murder" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 11 |