About Face (album)

Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox album About Face is the second solo studio album by the English singer and musician David Gilmour, released on 5 March 1984 by Harvest in the UK and Columbia in the United States, a day before Gilmour's 38th birthday.<ref name="Mabbett-1" /> Co-produced by Bob Ezrin and Gilmour, the album was recorded in 1983 at Pathé Marconi Studio, in Boulogne-Billancourt, France.<ref name="Mabbett-1" /> The lyrics of two tracks, "All Lovers Are Deranged" and "Love on the Air", were written by Pete Townshend of The Who.<ref name="Mabbett-1" /> Townshend's version of "All Lovers Are Deranged" appears on his solo compilation album Scoop 3 (2001).

The album received positive reviews and peaked at number 21 on UK Albums Chart and number 32 on the US Billboard Top 200 Albums chart.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Two singles were released: "Blue Light" peaked at number 62 in the United States, while "Love on the Air" failed to chart. Like Gilmour's eponymous debut solo studio album, About Face was certified gold by the RIAA.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A remastered reissued CD was released in 2006 on EMI in Europe and Columbia for the rest of the world.

Recording

The album was recorded with engineer Andy Jackson at a time when Pink Floyd's future was uncertain.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was mixed by James Guthrie at Mayfair Studios in London, England.

Gilmour said he wanted to take his time and make "a really good album" and "get the best musicians in the world that I could get hold of to play with me".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Musicians on the album include drummer Jeff Porcaro, bassist Pino Palladino, Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord, backing vocalists Roy Harper and Sam Brown, orchestral arranger Michael Kamen (who had also worked on The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking, The Final Cut, and The Wall), and keyboardist Steve Winwood.<ref name="Mabbett-1" />

Another piece of music written for the album went unused by Gilmour.<ref name="Mabbett-3">Template:Cite book</ref> 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 13th studio album, Whatever Happened to Jugula? (1985).<ref name="Mabbett-3" /> Townshend used it with his lyrics as "White City Fighting", which has a markedly faster tempo, on his fourth solo studio album White City: A Novel (1985), on which Gilmour plays.<ref name="Mabbett-3" />

Music and lyrics

I think Pete [Townshend] feels some restrictions on what he would like to do with the Who, as I guess we all feel restrictions within everything we attempt [to do], just because of the types of personalities and role you've created for yourself. I know he's felt uncomfortable about certain things— things he could express in solo stuff. For me, the restriction was the scale of what Pink Floyd had become more than anything. It's nice to get out and do something on a slightly different scale; go out and do theatres, which is not really a possibility with Pink Floyd until we get a lot less popular. {{#if:|

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Gilmour was later interviewed by Dallas-based disc jockey (DJ) Doug "Redbeard" Hill, on the radio program In the Studio with Redbeard, during which the focus was his 2006 third solo studio album On an Island. He commented on About Face saying that "looking back on it, it has some great moments on there but the whole flavor of it is too '80s for my current tastes".

"Murder" was an outcry by Gilmour about the murder of John Lennon,<ref name="Mabbett-1">Template:Cite book</ref> a longtime musical peer and inspiration to him. Gilmour embellished the song with a solo fretless bassline (played by Pino Palladino), 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. Gilmour collaborated with Townshend on the songs "Love on the Air" and "All Lovers Are Deranged", as Gilmour recalled: "I sent him three songs and he sent back three sets of lyrics. Two of them suited me well. One didn't. He did the two on About Face and he did the other one ['White City Fighting'] on his White City album."<ref name="GM" /> The lyrics for "Love on the Air" were written in a day, after Gilmour had asked for Townshend's help.<ref name="GM" /> "You Know I'm Right" was written in a similar vein to Lennon's "How Do You Sleep?" and was a dig towards Waters.<ref name="GM" /> "Cruise" was about Ronald Reagan having cruise missiles stationed in Britain at the time.<ref name="GM">Template:Cite book</ref>

Release

The album featured the single "Love on the Air", with lyrics by Townshend, and the disco-style single "Blue Light", later remixed by François Kevorkian;<ref name="Mabbett-1" /> "Blue Light" was released, backed with "Cruise", on 13 February 1984, while "Love on the Air", backed with "Let's Get Metaphysical" on 24 April.<ref name="Official site">Template:Cite web</ref> The album was released on 5 March in the UK, and on 6 March in the United States (coincidentally on Gilmour's 38th birthday).<ref name="Official site" /> "All Lovers Are Deranged" and "Murder" were released as singles for North American rock radio; the former reaching #10 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart.

Critical reception

Template:Album ratings Writing for AllMusic, critic Tom Demalon wrote of the album: "The songs on About FaceTemplate:' show a pop sensibility that Pink Floyd rarely was concerned with achieving", adding that "About Face is a well-honed rock album that is riveting from beginning to end."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personnel

Main personnel

• David Gilmour – lead vocals, guitar, bass, production
• Jeff Porcaro – drums, percussion
• Pino Palladino – bass
• Ian Kewley – Hammond organ, piano

Additional personnel

• Steve Winwood – Hammond organ on "Blue Light", piano on "Love on the Air"
• Anne Dudley – synthesisers
• Jon Lord – synthesisers
• Bob Ezrin – keyboards, orchestral arrangement, production
• Steve Rance – Fairlight CMI programming
• Kick Horns – brass
• Luís Jardim – percussion
• Ray Cooper – percussion
• Roy Harper – backing vocals
• Sam Brown – backing vocals
• Vicki Brown – backing vocals
• Mickey Feat – backing vocals
• The National Philharmonic Orchestra
• Michael Kamen – orchestral arrangement

Technical personnel

• Andy Jackson – engineer
• Kit Woolven – engineer
• James Guthrie – mix engineer; remastering
• Eric Tomlinson – orchestration recorder
• Doug Sax – mastering engineer
• Mike Reese – mastering engineer
• Storm Thorgerson (credited as STd (Storm Thorgerson Design)) – cover design

Charts

Chart (1984)	Position
Germany Media Control Charts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	24
Norway VG-lista<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	10
Sweden Sverigetopplistan<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	13
Switzerland Swiss Hitparade<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	15
US Billboard Top 200 Albums<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	32

External links

• Template:Discogs master