Luck and Strange is the fifth studio album by the English guitarist and songwriterDavid Gilmour, released on 6 September 2024 bySony Music. It was produced by Gilmour andCharlie Andrew. Gilmour said Andrew challenged him musically and was not intimidated by his past work withPink Floyd.
Gilmour's wife, novelistPolly Samson, wrote most of the lyrics, which she said addressed mortality and aging. Their children contributed additional vocals, lyrics and instrumentation. The song "Luck and Strange" features keyboards recorded in 2007 by the Pink Floyd keyboardist,Richard Wright, who died in 2008. The album also features a cover of the 1999 song "Between Two Points", originally by the British bandthe Montgolfier Brothers.
Luck and Strange became Gilmour's third number-one album on theUK Albums Chart. "The Piper's Call", "Between Two Points", "Dark and Velvet Nights" and "Luck and Strange" were released as singles. Gilmourtoured in support of the album in late 2024.
During theCOVID-19 lockdowns, Gilmour and his family performed music onlivestreams. Gilmour, the guitarist ofPink Floyd, said this inspired him to "discard some of the past that I'd felt bound to" and explore new musical ideas.[7] He recordedLuck and Strange over five months at hisMedina Studio inHove and atMark Knopfler'sBritish Grove Studios in London, with the producerCharlie Andrew.[8] Gilmour said Andrew challenged his habits and made him approach his songs in new ways.[9] He said: "He has a wonderful lack of knowledge or respect for this past of mine. He's very direct and not in any way overawed, and I love that. That is just so good for me because the last thing you want is people just deferring to you."[7] Andrew said he was not "trying to regurgitate another Pink Floyd album, or one of [Gilmour's] solo albums".[9]
The album features musicians includingGuy Pratt and Tom Herbert on bass,Adam Betts,Steve Gadd andSteve DiStanislao on drums, and Rob Gentry andRoger Eno on keyboards.[7] The strings and choir were arranged by Will Gardner and recorded inEly Cathedral, Cambridgeshire.[7][9] Gilmour's wife, the writerPolly Samson, wrote the majority of the lyrics, which she said reflected themes of mortality and ageing.[7] She adapted the lyrics for "Dark and Velvet Nights" from a poem she composed for their wedding anniversary.[10] Their son Gabriel contributed backing vocals, and their son Charlie contributed lyrics to "Scattered".[7]
"Luck and Strange" features keyboards recorded by the Pink Floyd keyboardist,Richard Wright, during a jam in Gilmour's barn in 2007. Wright died in 2008.[7] Gilmour built on the recording to create the final song, saying it "started developing a depth that I'd forgotten about. The playing on it is unmistakably Richard."[11] The original 14-minute jam was included as a bonus track on the digital versions of the album.[12] "The Piper's Call" was likened to early Pink Floyd.[13]
Luck and Strange features a cover of the 1999 song "Between Two Points", originally by the British bandthe Montgolfier Brothers.[14] Gilmour said he had been a fan of the song since its release and was surprised that it had not been a hit.[14] His daughter, Romany, performed harp and vocals.[7]Mark Tranmer of the Montgolfier Brothers said he enjoyed Gilmour's version, saying "it diverges from the original but keeps the spirit".[14] Gilmour feltLuck and Strange was his best work since the 1973 Pink Floyd albumThe Dark Side of the Moon.[15]
Gilmour announcedLuck and Strange on 24 April 2024.[7] It was released on 6 September,[3] and became Gilmour's third album to reach number one on theUK Albums Chart.[16] The first single, "The Piper's Call", was released on 25 April.[7] "Between Two Points", was released on 17 June.[14] "Dark and Velvet Nights" was released on 9 August.[10] The album cover was photographed and designed byAnton Corbijn.[17] The day before the album was released, Gilmour published lyrics in local newspapers, such as theCambridge News, and encouraged fans to find them.[18] The digital edition of the album includes the song "Yes, I Have Ghosts", featuring Romany Gilmour; it was originally recorded for the audiobook edition of Samson's 2020 novelA Theatre For Dreamers.[19]
Gilmour began a tour forLuck and Strange on 27 September 2024, with performances in Rome, London, Los Angeles and New York City.[20] Gilmour also performed two rehearsal concerts atBrighton Centre in Brighton.[21] His touring band includes Pratt on bass, Gentry andGreg Phillinganes on keyboards,Adam Betts on drums, Ben Worsley on guitar, and backing vocals from Louise Marshall, Charley Webb, and Hattie Webb, and vocals from Romany Gilmour, who sang "Between Two Points".[20][22] Gilmour said he planned to record another album with the band soon after completing the tour.[15]
^"Czech Albums – Top 100".ČNS IFPI.Note: On the chart page, select37.Týden 2024 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
