David Gilmour Recorded Classic ‘Comfortably Numb’ Solo in One Take
David Gilmour is one of rock’s most iconic guitarists of all time for multiple reasons, but perhaps one of those could be related to his classic solos on Pink Floyd’s…
David Gilmour is one of rock's most iconic guitarists of all time for multiple reasons, but perhaps one of those could be related to his classic solos on Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" from the band's landmark album The Wall.
Bob Ezrin, who produced The Wall, shared in a new interview with Total Guitar that Gilmour's magical second solo on "Comfortably Numb" was captured on the first take.
"It was so powerful when I heard it and saw him play it, it literally brought tears to my eyes – and it has many times since then," recalls Ezrin. "Even though this is a record that I participated in, and by all rights by now should be fairly dry for me, that moment is still, for me, one of the most emotional moments in all of music."
While Gilmour would go on to record multiple takes of that solo, Ezrin said, "It never got better. It was always that first moment of inspiration that produced the magic...I've had the privilege of working with some truly great guitar players in my career, but I have to say that David Gilmour is my favorite of all of them, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that."
The Wall remains one of the biggest selling records of all time moving a whopping 23 million units in the United States alone.
A number of bands have one diamond-certified title, and even fewer have more than one. However, there is an elite group of rock bands with multiple diamond-certified studio albums.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has given out a number of diamond certifications to various albums that have sold at least 10 million units. Several of those albums happen to be greatest hits/best-of compilations. Thanks to these releases, this has led to a variety of bands have more than one diamond-certified title.
Believe it or not, there are only five rock bands to have more than one diamond-certified studio albums. That's right, only five.
So, who are they? Scroll through the gallery below to find out and to see which of their studio albums have moved 10 million units or more.
Def Leppard
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images'Pyromania' (10 million); 'Hysteria' (12 million.)
Van Halen
Ethan Miller/Getty Images'Van Halen' (10 million); '1984' (10 million.)
Pink Floyd
MJ Kim/Getty Images'Dark Side Of The Moon' (15 million); 'The Wall' (23 million.)
The Beatles
John Pratt/Keystone/Getty Images'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' (11 million); 'Abbey Road' (12 million); 'The Beatles' (24 million.)
Led Zeppelin
Evening Standard/Getty Images'Led Zeppelin I' (10 million); 'Houses of the Holy' (11 million); 'Led Zeppelin II' (12 million); 'Physical Graffiti' (16 million); 'Led Zeppelin IV' (23 million.)
