The true measure of an artist’s power concerns how successfully they navigate the passing of time and the continual metamorphosis of the zeitgeist. While we can all name many so-called ‘greats’, it’s only those who manage to maintain lasting influence decades after their heyday that are really worthy of the tag. We all know the ones: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana.
This is also the reason why so many acts who were huge in their day, are now widely overlooked by those who were not there at the time, as music that stands the test of time is the only defining aspect of a truly legendary artist. We can all name numerous acts that were all the rage once upon a time, but now, their music sounds incredibly dated.
An artist who embodies the ideal of a legendary musician is David Gilmour. Not only did he breathe new life into Pink Floyd and provide them with the missing part of the jigsaw after the exit of Syd Barrett, which led to classics such as The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here, but he’s also maintained his relevance as a solo artist.
He resoundingly demonstrated this in 2024 with Luck and Strange, his first solo effort since 2015’s Rattle That Lock. Produced by the Pink Floyd man alongside Charlie Andrew, the production whizz behind Alt-J’s albums, it pushed the rock hero into completely new creative spaces, due to Andrew not wanting to replicate what had come before in Gilmour’s oeuvre. It was a case of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, the new intersecting with the old, and boy, did the sparks fly.
This bold spirit and dedication to doing something fresh was a tremendous success. Accordingly, it is by far the most compelling solo effort Gilmour has released to date. It shows that even in his late 70s, he still has it. Not many of his generation, if any, can make such a claim.
Given its scope and creative triumph, when speaking to Classic Rock in 2025, Gilmour compared Luck and Strange to the finest Pink Floyd effort, The Dark Side of the Moon. His latest solo record excites him in that rare way that the 1973 album does.
The ever objective musician explained: “The album feels like a solid body of cohesive work that is a reflection of some of those things that I’ve tried to describe to you. It’s the cohesiveness of the whole thing – the writing, the work, the thrill it still gives me to listen to it all the way through as an album. We’re not talking concept album here, but there’s a consistency of thought and of feeling that runs through it that excites me in a way that makes me make those sort of comparisons.”
Editors’ Picks
- 1970s Rock
- Charlie Andrew
- Classic Rock
- David Gilmour
- Luck and Strange
- Pink Floyd
- Prog Rock
- Rattle That Lock
