Rock Icon David Gilmour Says He Was “Bullied” Into Making Final Pink Floyd Album

Forming in London in 1965, Pink Floyd changed the trajectory of progressive rock. With hits like “Time” and “Wish You Were Here,” they went on to sell more than 250 million records across the globe. Ten years ago, Pink Floyd released their 15th and final studio album, The Endless River. And recently, guitarist David Gilmour revealed how he made the entire record against his will.

David Gilmour: “Hope You Like This Album Better Than ‘Endless River’”

In an interview published by the Los Angeles Times Tuesday (Nov. 5), David Gilmour revealed his hopes for Luck and Strange, his first solo album since 2015’s Rattle That Lock.

“Hope you like this album better than The Endless River,” the 78-year-old guitar legend told pop music critic Mikael Wood.

Watch the full animated video for David's latest single, Dark and Velvet Nights – some of which is seen on the big screens during the Luck and Strange shows – at https://t.co/2yGuruuSYL pic.twitter.com/VBJDGG9HM4

— David Gilmour (@davidgilmour) October 15, 2024

That’s fair. Wood’s review — published Nov. 11, 2024 — begins, “Is it still possible, in the age of free digital streaming, for a band to rip off its audience? The new Pink Floyd album — or, more precisely, the ‘new’ ‘Pink Floyd’ ‘album’ – makes you think so.”

The Endless River mostly consists of instrumental and ambient music taken from material recorded during sessions for Pink Floyd’s previous album, 1994’s The Division Bell. “A lot of fans wanted this stuff that we’d done in that time, and we thought we’d give it to them,” Gilmour said.

He continued, “My mistake, I suppose, was in being bullied by the record company to have it out as a properly paid-for Pink Floyd record. It should have been clear what it was — it was never intended to be the follow-up to ‘The Division Bell.’ But, you know, it’s never too late to get caught in one of these traps again.”

[RELATED: David Gilmour Makes Bold Statement About Whether He Would Work With Roger Waters Again]

Does This Mean He Regrets Selling the Catalog?

Recently, Pink Floyd sold its entire musical catalog for a cool $400 million. And David Gilmour has zero regrets about that. In fact, he told the Los Angeles Times that it was “lovely to say good-bye” to the band’s life’s work.

“This stuff is for future generations. I’m an old person,” Gilmour said. “I’ve spent the last 40-odd years trying to fight the good fight against the forces of indolence and greed to do the best with our stuff that you can do. And I’ve given that fight up now.”

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