About Face
	Produced by Bob Ezrin & David Gilmour
	Released on February 1984
	UK CHART POSITION #21 . . . US CHART POSITION #32 . . . GOLD RECORD (4/19/95)
	Find it at GEMM
FC 39296 cover [high resolution photo]

T he Final Cut was made, the battle was over, but a new war was brewing: Pink vs. Floyd. Waters’ Hitchhiking had more cons than pros, all of the acerbic intellect of Cut but none of its musical charm. In a grab for the same brass ring Pink was last seen holding, Gilmour enlisted an epic storyteller (Pete Townshend) and their epic producer (Bob Ezrin), beating Waters to market with About Face. More ambitious than his first solo album, this was the great grab for solo credibility, enlisting a wide cast of players (Michael Kamen, Steve Winwood, Jon Lord) and even The National Philharmonic Orchestra (Ezrin never did anything by halves). The result is closer to the Pink Floyd lite that fans could reasonably expect (e.g., “Near The End,” the instrumental “Let’s Get Metaphysical”) and in fact received when Gilmour won the right to re-form the band. With the emphasis on songs rather than instrumentals, Face yields more memorable moments than its predecessor: “Love On The Air,” “Cruise,” “Murder.” Nothing on here will change your world, and despite the presence of Ezrin it’s not a concept album, but it’s nice to see Gilmour step out of the shadows and get the star treatment he deserves. Yes, the tart guitar licks are still there, but the guitarist is more interested in establishing himself as a singer and songwriter on About Face since, if there was to be life after Pink, a solo career of endless soloing wouldn’t cut it. Fortunately, we’ll never know if Gilmour could have sustained a solo career. Fans went to Waters first for inspiration, but Hitchhiking was a momentary lapse of judgment and, by the time radio stations warmed to KAOS, A Momentary Lapse of Reason had re-captured the imagination of Pink Floyd fans. Thus About Face serves as a sign of what might have been, and truth be told it wasn’t as interesting as the convoluted Waters or the reconstituted Floyd. If the space between The Final Cut and Reason represents a void in your life, About Face and Radio KAOS should fill the gap nicely. Otherwise, embrace the space and use the opportunity to discover a new band, like Porcupine Tree or Mostly Autumn.

FC 39296 back cover	FC 39296 lyric sleeve

TRACK LISTING

1. UNTIL WE SLEEP    5:58
2. MURDER    4:58
3. LOVE ON THE AIR    (Pete Townshend/David Gilmour)    4:18
4. BLUE LIGHT    4:35
5. OUT OF THE BLUE    3:36
6. ALL LOVERS ARE DERANGED    (Pete Townshend/David Gilmour)    3:14
7. YOU KNOW I'M RIGHT    5:04
8. CRUISE    4:39
9. LET'S GET METAPHYSICAL    4:09
10. NEAR THE END    5:43
    
    All songs written by David Gilmour unless noted

CREDITS

DAVID GILMOUR -- guitar & vocals
IAN KEWLEY -- Hammond organ & piano
PINO PALLADINO -- bass guitar
JEFF PORCARO -- drums & percussion
Sam Brown -- vocals
Vicki Brown -- vocals
Ray Cooper -- percussion
Anne Dudley -- synthesizer
Bob Ezrin -- keyboards, orchestral arrangement
Mickey Feat -- vocals
Roy Harper -- vocals
Louis Jardine -- percussion
Michael Kamen -- orchestral arrangement
The Kick Horns:
  Simon Clerk
  Roddy Lorimer
  Tim Sanders
  Barbara Snow
Nick Laird-Clowes -- special thanks
Jon Lord -- synthesizer
National Philharmonic Orchestra -- orchestra
Steve Rance -- Fairlight programming
Pete Townshend -- special thanks
Steve Winwood -- piano & organ
Andrew Jackson -- engineer
Kit Woolven -- engineer
Eric Tomlinson -- engineer
James Guthrie -- mixing
Davies/Starr, Jill Furmanovsky -- photography
STd -- design and production

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