Ranking The Albums: David Gilmour

Written: September 2026

My introduction to David Gilmour came, inevitably, through Pink Floyd. Shortly after my sixteenth birthday, I bought my first Floyd album, Delicate Sound of Thunder, during the week of its release. It was quite an introduction to the band and sent me back through their catalogue, where Gilmour's guitar playing quickly became one of the defining aspects of what drew me to Pink Floyd. A few years later, I discovered his solo work, when there were only two studio albums to explore.

Hearing Gilmour outside the context of Pink Floyd was fascinating, particularly because I already had such a huge appreciation for what he brought to the band. Three further solo albums have followed since, giving us a relatively small but remarkably rewarding catalogue. This has been one of the trickiest rankings I have put together because I genuinely enjoy all five records. There is no album here that I dislike, and each contains music that I consider excellent. The challenge lies in weighing the number of songs I regard as genuinely great against the overall consistency of each release. With a catalogue this strong, those distinctions are surprisingly difficult to make.

 As always, I am sure there will be plenty here to disagree with, so feel free to add your own rankings and comments at the end!

5. About Face (1984)

About Face occupies the lowest position here but that should not be mistaken for a lack of affection for the album. Released in 1984, it arrived just a year after Pink Floyd’s The Final Cut, placing Gilmour’s second solo album firmly within a period when the future of the band was increasingly uncertain. Bob Ezrin co-produced the record with Gilmour, and the polished sound gives it a distinctly eighties character that separates it from the looser feel of his debut. I still sometimes think when Until We Sleep begins that an Eliminator era ZZ Top track is about to begin. There is some impressive playing throughout, with Jeff Porcaro providing a formidable rhythmic foundation and Pino Palladino’s bass adding further weight to the arrangements. Gilmour’s guitar remains the defining voice throughout, however, and his melodic instincts are never in doubt. There is plenty of quality here but I simply find a greater concentration of exceptional material elsewhere in his solo catalogue.

Three favourite tracks: Murder, Out of the Blue, Let’s Get Metaphysical

4. Luck and Strange (2024)

Luck and Strange is an album that has grown considerably on me over the last two years. My initial reaction was that it felt perhaps a little safe. There is so much extraordinary music in his past that anything which does not immediately announce itself can initially seem underwhelming. Repeated listening has changed that. The songwriting has revealed considerably more depth than I first appreciated and the arrangements are carefully constructed without becoming overworked. There are songs here that I now rate very highly and the album has become considerably more rewarding than my first impression suggested. It is also an album that reveals its strengths gradually rather than through immediate impact, something that I have come to appreciate more with each return. Its position here has as much to do with familiarity as quality. The three albums above it have been part of my musical life for years, even decades, and although Luck and Strange pushed hard for third place, something about its relative newness means I cannot quite put it there yet.

Three favourite tracks: The Piper’s Call, A Single Spark, Scattered

3. On an Island (2006)

Twenty-two years separated About Face from On An Island. Gilmour returned with a record that makes no attempt to compensate for that absence through excess. Instead, it is patient, spacious and beautifully controlled. His guitar playing is frequently restrained, with long, expressive phrases given plenty of room within the arrangements rather than being pushed to the forefront at every opportunity. That approach suits the material perfectly and gives the album a calm, reflective quality that becomes more apparent with repeated listening. The musicianship is fascinating throughout, with Gilmour handling much of the instrumental work himself while a number of familiar collaborators add their own distinctive touches. I saw Gilmour on the On an Island tour and hearing these songs live gave me an even greater appreciation of the detail beneath their understated surfaces. There are several songs here that I regard as genuinely outstanding and the album has continued to grow in stature for me. It is a beautiful piece of work and one that works best as a complete, immersive experience.

Three favourite tracks: Castellorizon, Take A Breath, A Pocketful of Stones

2. David Gilmour (1978)

My introduction to Gilmour’s solo work came in the early nineties through a landlord who was a huge prog-rock fan. This self-titled debut became a regular presence in my London flat during my university years and it remains an album I often turn to, particularly late at night. That personal history gives it an obvious significance but the music has more than justified its longevity. Gilmour handles the guitars, keyboards and vocals, and the performances have a looseness that suits the material beautifully. There are also fascinating links to his later work, with the guitar motif from Raise My Rent subsequently resurfacing in a reworked form in Pink Floyd’s What Do You Want From Me? on The Division Bell. The emphasis on melody, atmosphere and guitar gives the record an identity of its own rather than making it sound like a collection of leftover Pink Floyd ideas and the strength of the songwriting ensures that quality rarely dips from start to finish.

Three favourite tracks: There’s No Way Out Of Here, Short and Sweet, I Can’t Breathe Anymore

1. Rattle That Lock (2015)

I am well aware that Rattle That Lock would not top many fans' rankings, and I do not expect everyone to agree with me putting it at number one; some would place it near the bottom of David Gilmour's solo catalogue. What I particularly love about it is the variety it offers, perhaps more than any of his other solo albums in terms of style and atmosphere. For some listeners, however, that eclecticism works against the album, with tracks such as The Girl in the Yellow Dress and its jazz-infused arrangement feeling out of place within Gilmour's catalogue. More importantly, it is the album on which he sounds most comfortable simply being himself. Gilmour's playing is superb, with 5 A.M. a particular favourite and a wonderful example of how much character he can create through tone, phrasing and restraint rather than technical excess. A Boat Lies Waiting is a deeply affecting moment, written as a tribute to Rick Wright and made even more poignant by the inclusion of a brief recording of Wright himself. Given their long history together in Pink Floyd, hearing Rick's voice on the album adds a deeply personal dimension to the song and makes it one of the most moving moments in Gilmour's solo catalogue. There is no attempt to recreate past glories and no sense of obligation to meet expectations, only a songwriter and musician following his instincts wherever they happen to lead. That freedom is what makes Rattle That Lock the solo album I return to most often.

Three favourite tracks: 5A.M., A Boat Lies Waiting, In Any Tongue

Listen to my David Gilmour Through the Years playlist featuring my three favourite songs from each album in chronological order.