David Gilmour's voice and guitar added the final perfect component to The Wall, and those songs and melodies have become a part of rock history. In 1984, he quietly and effortlessly released the only album I have ever heard quite matching The Wall's melodic space-blues, and it remains an enigma. You can call it "too commercial" because "Blue Light" has the horns and was not the best choice for lead single. You can wander in its aural landscape and say Dave was wise to largely abandon any sci-fi meandering, and produce an overall sound blending raw rock and non-boring adult-contemporary wistfulness. I have always just considered this set of songs a gift from on high. If only Dave could have made money without restarting Pink Floyd with co-writers. In fact, a Pink Floyd from a "pure Dave" perspective as seen on About Face would have been much better than the Floyd of Momentary Lapse/Division Bell era. You wonder if the man really feels he's done the music he's wanted to. We're about to find out what he would have followed up AF with, in "On an Island" in March. Hear this album and you will agree, 22 years is not such a long wait when this baby never gets old. Let's get metaphysical!

Pink Floyd's David Gilmour released his second solo album About Face in March of 1984.
The album was co-produced by Gilmour and Bob Ezrin(whom David worked with last on Pink Floyd's The Wall).
The album was recorded throughout 1983 in France.
In addition to Dave on vocals and guitar, he is joined by Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro, bass player Pino Palladino and keyboardist Ian Kewley(both from Paul Young's band).
David wrote eight of the ten songs himself on this album including the pulsating opener Until We Sleep, which is a great song. Murder is next and is the best track on the album with Dave pulling out all the stops on electric and acoustic guitars. Love on the Air is next and Dave wrote the music while Pete Townshend penned the lyrics to this song as well as the second half opening rocker All Lovers Are Deranged. The single Blue Light follows and is a good funky track. Steve Winwood plays Hammond Organ on this track as he did on Love on the Air. The ballad Out of the Blue ends the first half on a poignant note with the late Michael Kamen's superb orchestrations.
All Lovers Are Deranged kicked off the second half and a great rocker. The anti-Roger Waters rocker You Know I'm Right follows and showed David was still angered and upset about Waters' ill-treatment to him during the torturous Final Cut sessions. Next is Cruise, which is apparently an ode to an MX nuclear-tipped cruise missile. The classical meets grand guitar instrumental Let's Get Metaphysical follows and beautifully blends Michael's orchestrations with some killer guitar work from Gilmour on his trust Fender Stratocaster. The ironically titled Near the End ends this album on a bittersweet note and the ending Strat solo is one of Gilmour's finest.
I first got About Face on cassette when I was 12 and it is better on CD.
The album hit a modest #32 in the US and went Gold as a result.
I highly recommend this album to any Floyd fan!

I was a late comer to Pink Floyd, in that I never bought an Cassette or CD until the late 80s. But the first I bought was Gilmours' first solo album. And I discovered that I liked the music better when he stood apart from the rest of the group. As a matter of fact all of the members solo efforts were better than the group, artistically. I like all Floyd, well not Relics, which I considered lame, and Obscured by Clouds. But About Face was David exploring the possibilties of a career after Floyd, and I liked the CD. It was a prelude to the next two albums by the re-formed Floyd, sans Waters. I felt Waters was holding back the other members....after all, David showed what he had on Comfortably Numb, and also was impressive on Run Like Hell.
I look forward to his rumoured next album... Hopefully Mr. Waters can put aside his differences, as well as David, and bring out a album that will stand the test of time that Dark Side of the Moon, and The Wall have.