David Gilmour might not have always been one of the most technically proficient players in the game, but his impact made him one of the best.
When developing his style, it was never about becoming the next Jimi Hendrix or even someone known for their guitar playing skills on a more basic level—it was about studying names like Hank Marvin to become more distinctive, more familiar with audiences in a way that stood out. As he once reflected, “The fingers aren’t very fast, but I think I am instantly recognisable. […] The way I play is that style of guitar playing where people can recognise a melody with some beef to it.”
This was the mindset that ended up shaping not only Pink Floyd but the entire structure of modern rock ‘n’ roll. Joining the band after Syd Barrett’s departure, Gilmour helped them craft a sound that was both minimal and expansive, with guitar progressions and solos that hit that sweet spot between emotional and conceptual. Like on Animals, with songs like ‘Dogs’ and ‘Pigs’, which saw Gilmour tackling subjects like capitalism and censorship with notes that felt like both being trapped and free.
But sometimes, his genius comes through in more simple ways, like on ‘Yes, I Have Ghosts’, which he created off the back of an audiobook about the lives of people living on a fictional Greek island. The fingerpicking in the song, like the hazy, laidback feel of the book itself, is reserved but delicate and intentional, almost reflecting each thought and feeling of the characters from a singular point of view. That, when you think of it, is the true power of Gilmour: the duality that’s hard to put your finger on, yet somehow feels important every time.
Although different in many ways, this is also the primary reason Gilmour became drawn to Fleetwood Mac. He seems to especially enjoy the Peter Green era, and how his guitar playing told stories by blending folk with other elements like blues in a way that was completely different. Like ‘Albatross’, which was apparently originally based on a collection of Eric Clapton notes played slower to give it that ambient feel.
And Gilmour, ever one with an eye for guitar-playing brilliance, wishes he’d written it himself. “There are so many [songs], that’s very hard to answer,” he explained during a live Q&A in 2007, “I think for me, about the perfect pop song is ‘Waterloo Sunset’ by The Kinks. I’d love to have written that. Absolutely great. Guitar-wise, maybe ‘Albatross’ by Fleetwood Mac.”
While there were some obvious crossovers between Floyd and the Mac (Mick Fleetwood once said they had a “very similar backdrop as Fleetwood Mac with all the drama”), Gilmour still found it difficult to replicate Green’s magic when it came to paying tribute after his death in 2020. Fleetwood picked up on this, too, but the difference was that Fleetwood already knew Gilmour could do it. Gilmour took some convincing, saying that his initial thought was, “Maybe I can’t do that”.
To his credit, though, it’s not easy to replicate a song like ‘Albatross’ with Green’s original flair. But in the end, he let his closeness to the musician translate to a heartfelt ode onstage, benching his anxiety in a way that breathed new life into the track without distracting from the original. And it paid off enough for him to get a glowing review from Fleetwood himself.
“He had so much reverence for Peter Green’s playing and who Peter was and the songs [that] he initially got cold feet,” he said, adding, “He did beautiful work on the re-work of ‘Albatross’ with Rick Vito. I was overjoyed.”
