The Narrow Way

The Narrow Way

At the beginning of 1968, David Gilmour integrates Pink Floyd to compensate for increasingly failing Barrett. Less than two years, assimilated well later by the group, it is risked with its first great composition. This one, " The Narrow Way" , is a success which, with many regards, announces the future sound floydien.

Foutue modesty… but true talent

Until now, Gilmour composed for Pink Floyd only one short pseudo-flamenco, " In Spanish Piece" (" A piece espagnol"), moreover rather sympathetic, for the BO of the film " More" , and he collaborated in several other parts, of which a good part of the material of the same BO and " In Saucerful Off Secrets". But in 1969, a a little absurd, but interesting idea of itself or Richard Wright, led to the original design of an album in two parts, one as a public, the other entrusted for a quarter to each member of the group. This album will be the famous " Ummagumma" , left in November 1969, and of which the part in public was, in our opinion, realized too precociously. The part in studio, with its four opposite but indissociable directions like the four cardinal points, will appear, as for it, a mine of tracks to be explored thereafter, with very good surprise. " The Narrow Way" (" The way étroite") in is undoubtedly the best. However, its author will describe it later like " a pretentious loss of temps". We do not approve this severe self-criticism and, on the contrary, let us see in " Narrow Way" a rich and original part. Gilmour shows a great talent of type-setter there, even if, of his own consent, it tests some difficulties of writing a text which holds the road. Its perfectionism generates at his place an excess of modesty which has something of enough aggravating…

a premonitory triptych

" Narrow Way" , by its construction, " recalls; In Saucerful Off Secrets" in the sense that it is a triptych to the three appreciably equal parts, of which the last is a kind of coded sung. The guitar, that is hardly astonishing, dominates " Narrow Way" , that she acoustic as in the first shutter, low in the second, and is played in lapstyle in the third. This triptych opens on an acoustic sequence of guitar arpégée at the sharp rate/rhythm, on which come to be posed the air notes of another guitar played in lapstyle, sonority floydienne if it is. It is a basic front round good which supports the second movement, on which Gilmour tries out new sounds with the keyboards: it is known that the guitarist does not scorn to tease ebony and the ivory on the occasion, and undoubtedly Richard Wright it showed him some tricks and funny effects that one can draw from these electronic machines, all news at the time, with so much is little of inventiveness. The third and last shutter are sung. Three verses as a minor alternate with a refrain into major, on a slow rate/rhythm, posed, serene. That is difficult to encircle, and to express even more, but this third part of " Narrow Way" seem to contain already germinates about it much of the future sound of Pink Floyd. The guitar in particular, very air, seems as suspended in space and, like the melody as a minor of the verses, very worked, announces musical climates which will dominate " Echoes" and especially " The Dark Side Off The Moon".

Misadventures

" The Narrow Way" will never be played completely on scene. Only the third part will be built-in the continuation " The Journey" (" the voyage"), in third position. It will even arrive that Gilmour, badly at ease in its own composition, or in small vocal form these days, sings it… false! As for the first movement with the acoustic guitar, it seems to result from a part, " Baby Blue Shuffle In D Minor" (" Shuffle with pauv' me love in D mineur" , the reader will forgive us this impossible translation…), which will not have an other true continuation, while an alternative, under the title " Rain In The Country" (" Rain on the campagne"), will be proposed in 1970 in Michelangelo Antonioni, which will not retain it, for the BO of its film " Zabriskie Point". These two alternatives evoke rather successful exercises of style which make it possible Gilmour to develop the air style so particular that it is inventing.

Discography

In the official discography of Pink Floyd, " The Narrow Way" be reproduced only on " Ummagumma" (part in studio), left in November 1969.

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