“I used to call him Old Gilmour’s Almanac”

Guy Pratt looks back on four decades of working together

“IT’S getting on for 40 years since I first worked with David in Pink Floyd. My first bonding moment with him was in a hotel room in Philadelphia, when we sat on a bed and played ‘I Can’t Breathe Anymore’ from his first solo album. Getting to know ‘The Piper’s Call’ on this new album made me realise how much we’ve both changed. He had to go from being a respected musician to suddenly becoming a rock star at the age of 41. And he was not comfortable with it.

“It’s been fascinating to witness the shift in perspective that started with ‘High Hopes’, which is the first Pink Floyd song that seems to be saying, ‘Hang on! For a minute there, it was all OK!’ David’s solo albums from On An Island onwards have continued that trajectory. The title track of On An Island is about this night David had on a holiday with three of his greatest friends – two of whom [Pink Floyd’s agent and tour manager Tony Howard and long-time Floyd arranger Michael Kamen] are dead now. The idea was that your friends live on in the stories you tell. That continues with Rick being on the new album’s title track.

“I also think Polly deserves huge credit for the way this record has turned out. Getting Charlie Andrew to produce was just what it needed. This is the first time I’ve ever been in the studio with David where the recording wasn’t about getting the absolutely most deluxe sound on everything. The sessions brought out the best in everyone. And David was great company. His warmth and generosity define him. I still go to him for his wisdom on all things, because you get such considered responses. I used to call him Old Gilmour’s Almanac, because you can ask him anything, from, ‘I’ve got a shoulder of lamb, how do I cook it?’ to ‘What’s the growing season of this root vegetable?’ He somehow appears to have all the answers.”