The well-known producer Bob Ezrin recently appeared on the new issue of Total Guitar for an interview. Ezrin talked about Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ and why David Gilmour is such an exceptional guitar player.
During his long-term appearance on the music scene over five decades, Bob Ezrin has been fortunate to work with many prominent bands and artists, including Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, KISS, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, and Lou Reed. Ezrin’s first collaboration with Pink Floyd was on the band’s eleventh studio album, ‘The Wall,’ released on November 30, 1979.
Roger Waters wrote the vast majority of the album. The lyrics drew inspiration from his life and personal experiences. ‘The Wall’ is a concept album following the main character, Pink, through his life. After becoming a famous rock star, he finds himself in his self-imposed isolation and builds a wall to protect himself. The album attracted attention also with David Gilmour’s remarkable guitar solos. His guitar work peaked in the songs like ‘Comfortably Numb’ and ‘Run Like Hell.’
During a new interview, Bob Ezrin reflected on what makes David Gilmour one of the best guitar players. The producer explained that Gilmour has an ‘innate musicality’ inspired by the blues, making his playing incredibly melodic and soulful. Besides his remarkable tone, Gilmour has an unerring instinct that allows him to feel what will work. According to Ezrin, his unrivaled control over the instrument makes him one of the greatest guitarists in the world.
Bob Ezrin’s statements on David Gilmour’s unique guitar playing:
“He has an innate musicality that’s informed by the blues. So he’s incredibly lyrical and melodic, and all his melodic structures are built on a blues foundation. And that makes them soulful. Aside from that, he has a majesty tone, which comes from the combination of his slow vibrato and precise picking and how strongly he holds the strings so that the notes ring for a long, long time.
Add to that an amazing instinct for what’s going to work where, and you end up with one of the greatest guitar players of all time. For me, the bottom line about David Gilmour is you could give him a ukulele and a Pignose amp, and he’d still make it sound majestic, beautiful, and stirring. It’s in the fingers, ultimately, and he has an exquisite left hand.
He massages the music out of the guitar. And also his right hand, the combination of picking and the occasional use of the tremolo bar, again, it’s caressing the instrument and pulling the sound out of it. I’ve had the privilege of working with some truly great guitar players in my career, but I have to say that David Gilmour is my favorite of all of them, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that.”
As someone who has been in the music industry as a producer for years, Bob Ezrin has had a chance to work with many notable guitarists. Yet, he thinks David Gilmour is the most fantastic guitar player he has ever worked with during all these years.
