About Face is not your average run of the mill piece of work from David Gilmour, but that was the intended purpose, as he said when he released it. The idea was to get together with some of the most talented friends, and it was quite a large group of a who's who variety. Placed evenly behind Gilmour is a solid backing band in Pino Palladino on bass, along with Ian Kewley on Hammond organ and piano, and Jeff Porcaro on drums, there is a long list of guests. Teaming up with Bob Ezrin playing, producing and arranging, Gilmour invited everyone from Jon Lord and Roy Harper, to Steve Winwood and both Vickie and Sam Brown, to name just a few. There is a lot of eighties style experimentation going on, not that different in some of its opposition to Pink Floyd than what Roger Waters did on his solo work around the same time. Although this is much different than that, both did accomplish something not of the norm, so to speak. This rattled fans of Pink Floyd, but at the same time satisfied plenty as well. The album still elicits the same reaction now as it did then. One could list every musician per song to help explain the super eclectic vibe of the disc but it isn't as important as the outcome of the tracks, as they're all very well blended and constituted for such a mixed bunch of players adding their artistic contributions.

This is an excellent disc that has always flown beneath the radar since it was released. One must remember this was mid-decade and most veterans of the heavier rock scene were doing all they could to make currently inclined music in a changing landscape, some even going to great lengths to try and fit in, but Gilmour and his recruits proverbially marched through it with the best of them.  At the time these were very modern progressive rock cuts. They have gone on to mature quite gracefully. It suffers from being rendered primarily an eighties drenched release, but the eighties didn't often produce the quality of material found here. So this remains a throwback sleeper in its own right.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2011  Volume 3 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Opening things right away with a funky keyboard intro that maintains throughout with a matching percussive pace, Gilmour's ever familiar vocal carries a soothing melody across the ebbing back beat like an eagle soaring gently above water. The guitar parts flow in and out with ease as he equally provides his vocal and string talents with beautiful runs and fills into a groovy solo and then rides it out to the end with more of those tremendously relaxing melodic touches for which he is well known. This tends to sound like some of his later work with Floyd but it proved to be a seed well worth planting, as this is a great way to establish the vibe of the whole disc with a superb start.