It’s hard to imagine the world of progressive music without David Gilmour’s distinctive and accomplished playing. His soaring solos and sweeping soundscapes helped elevate Pink Floyd’s music, and led him to become one of the most instantly recognisable guitarists of the modern age. To celebrate the upcoming release of his fifth solo album, we asked 30 fellow musicians and collaborators to name their favourite Gilmour performances. Prepare to be surprised!

Written and compiled by: David West Portrait: Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images

David Gilmour, a musician admired by multitudes.

“I think I’m quite lucky that –like ’em or not –my voice and my guitar playing are distinctive. They’re me and recognisably so, and that ties everything together,” observed David Gilmour in conversation with Prog in 2016. That somewhat modest assessment might be something of an understatement. While it may be wilfully provocative, and sure to irritate a certain irascible bass player, there’s a strong case to be made that David Gilmour’s guitar is the defining ingredient in the sound of Pink Floyd, an instantly identifiable signature that sets them apart from their peers. In terms of contributions, that’s not bad going for a musician who originally joined the band in the capacity of support guitarist to the ailing Syd Barrett.

“Every note that man plays says some thing and every solo will speak to generations to come.”

Andy Glass (Solstice)

Gilmour’s influence on Floyd’s development is undeniable, helping to steer them away from their early, pop-psychedelic influences into a more expansive progressive direction. He brought lucidity and passion to the music and somehow made the pedal steel and slide guitar part of the prog rock lexicon.

“Pink Floyd created a space of their own and lived in it –they didn’t try to do anything else,” says The Police’s Andy Summers. “David Gilmour took over from Syd Barrett and was the perfect guitarist for Floyd. His slashing bluesy solos –always with a great guitar tone –were a razor slicing through their spacey music. Great tone, great phrasing. David was the perfect spice for Pink Floyd.”

Gilmour’s contributions began with 1968’s A Saucerful Of Secrets, although perhaps 1971’s Meddle marks the moment when the guitarist truly came into his own as a writer and vocalist.

“My favourite album is Meddle, where I think the psychedelic and progressive elements are perfectly balanced,” says Norwegian guitarist and songwriter Jacob Holm-Lupo.

Where his contemporaries, such as Robert Fripp and Steve Howe, draw upon jazz, avant-garde or classical in approaching their instrument, Gilmour is justly celebrated for the incredible feel and emotional depth of his playing.

“When every other guitarist on Earth is trying to play faster, cramming every note within a single bar, he seems to pull everything back and choose each note with great artistic care,” says EBB’s Erin Bennett. “And I believe that is why he is one of the most celebrated guitarists.”

His sound and style are uniquely his own, but Gilmour’s influence extends across generations of artists and players, from neo-prog torchbearers like Marillion’s Steve Rothery to modern prog metal practitioners Acle Kahney from TesseracT and Haken’s Charlie Griffiths and Rich Henshall. Gilmour remains the giant upon whose shoulders everyone else can stand.

His accomplishments with Pink Floyd scarcely need detailing here, not least among them the record-breaking sales and popular longevity of The Dark Side Of The Moon.

“Perhaps the closest I will get to immortality will be through The Dark Side Of The Moon,” Gilmour told the Sunday Telegraph in 2006.