At 80, David Gilmour Finally Named 6 Albums He Calls Untouchable

Why David Gilmour named the six albums he calls untouchable — and how records by Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Dire Straits and The Shadows shaped the guitarist behind Pink Floyd’s most famous solos. What begins as a simple list quickly becomes a journey through the records that taught him melody, tone and the blues. From Cambridge in the early sixties to the Isle of Wight in 1970. As Pink Floyd’s guitarist and singer, David Gilmour turned a handful of perfectly placed notes into some of the most recognisable sounds in rock. Yet long before “Comfortably Numb”, he was a teenager learning from Hank Marvin’s Stratocaster, Clapton’s Beano album and a young Jimi Hendrix playing a small London club. In this video, we go through the six albums Gilmour has praised over the years — from The Shadows’ Greatest Hits and the Dire Straits debut to Blues Breakers, Blow by Blow and Electric Ladyland — and the Pink Floyd record he calls his most satisfying. More than just personal favourites, these albums explain the sound of one of rock’s most melodic guitarists.