David Gilmour has called the recording of one Pink Floyd song an act of “desperation”.
The recording of Ummagumma left each band member with a piece of music to make independent of other members. The contributions were then pieced together on the album, though it does not seem as though Gilmour is fond of his work there. The legendary guitarist confirmed it has been some time since he listened to the album, and he has rarely spoken favourably of it in recent years. In an interview from 1983, Gilmour made note of his dislike for the album, something which he has been keen to highlight in future interviews. He once described Ummagumma as “horrible” and that he “bullshitted” his way through his contribution.
An interview saw Gilmour highlight his inspiration for The Narrow Way, which marked Gilmour’s first major Pink Floyd contribution. It was described as “desperation” by the songwriter, and it has been “years” since he last listened to it.
He said: “Well, we’d decided to make the damn album, and each of us to do a piece of music on our own…it was just desperation really, trying to think of something to do, to write by myself. I’d never written anything before, I just went into a studio and started waffling about, tacking bits and pieces together. I haven’t heard it in years. I’ve no idea what it’s like.”
Despite the distaste for The Narrow Way, it marks one of the earliest Pink Floyd recordings that has Gilmour playing acoustic guitar. He explained the switch, and the additions he made to his instruments, later in the interview.
Gilmour said: “At the beginning we used Levins, which were quite good guitars, a bit like Martins, made in Sweden or somewhere, then we moved onto Martin D-35s and things like that, and now we tend to use Ovations mostly for recording and things. I also use a Gibson Everly Brothers I’ve got and various others.
“I just keep trying things out on it. The neck’s changed about three times on it, pick-ups have changed a few times – but basically it’s pretty standard. The guitar is fitted with an extra switch which allows him to add either of the outside pick-ups in any combination with the other pick-ups, giving him a complete range of any combination over all three pick-ups.
“The guitar also has a very sensitive tremolo arm, the use of which is a fully integral part of his playing style. There is a clamping device for ‘locking’ the strings between the nut and the machine heads, but he usually leaves it off. Considering the big swoops and bends that the tremolo arm can deliver, the tuning stays remarkably accurate. The Fender is undoubtedly his favourite guitar.”
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