Why 'A Momentary Lapse of Reason' Was Basically a David Gilmour Solo Album

By 1987, Pink Floyd had legally dissolved as a four-man unit. After Roger Waters left, David Gilmour and Nick Mason were the only two band members. Richard Wright was brought back—but only as a salaried session player, not a partner. Gilmour wrote nearly everything, played most of the guitars and keyboards, and co-produced. He even used outside songwriters like Anthony Moore and Phil Manzanera. Mason played drums on only a few tracks; the rest were handled by session pros or drum machines.

Gilmour admitted the album was “a David Gilmour album in all but name.” That wasn’t false modesty—it was describing a creative structure where one person made all the calls. The classic Pink Floyd lineup had at least some tension and trade-offs (Syd Barrett’s vision, then Waters’ lyrics, Wright’s atmospheric keys). On A Momentary Lapse of Reason, Gilmour’s taste was the final filter. Mason later called it “a floodlit stage for David.” The result sounds slicker and more pop‑rock than anything Floyd had done before, because that