Brian Robertson solo album coming soon...

Former Thin Lizzy and Motorhead guitarist Brian Robertson is in Sweden recording a solo album. Joining him on the album is: Ian Haugland (drums, Europe), Nalle Påhlsson (bass, Treat) and Leif Sundin (vocals, former MSG)

Former THIN LIZZY, MOTÖRHEAD Guitar Legend Brian Robertson


Cooking Up Long-Awaited Solo Album


Posted on Friday, February 20, 2009 at 13:47:15

Special report by Martin Popoff

“Well, for starters, it’s not a return,” laughs Brian “Robbo” Robertson, classic rock guitarist for the ages, he of THIN LIZZY and MOTÖRHEAD fame (and not a small bit of infamy). “I haven’t stopped working the whole time. I don’t know if Soren (Lindberg – partner in many ventures) filled you in on anything, but Soren and me are like well, family, really. We have a lot of businesses together as well, and we just have our new record company, Catapult Music Group (catapult-music.com), which we started about six months ago, back in Stockholm. So I’ve been doing plenty of things, working with different people. So it’s not a return, basically, it’s just that we decided to put out a solo album. So that’s what we’re up to at the moment.”

Well, one could excuse the faux-pas, ‘cos in rock consciousness, man, we haven’t heard much from Robbo since Motörhead’s incendiary Another Perfect Day, a record pretty much decided upon here at the BW&BK offices as the best that band’s ever done – and the only one featuring Robbo!

But Brian’s new work is far from the hard-charging days of yore… “Well, it’s more like blues rock, with… there are a couple of songs by Frankie Miller, old stuff. I find all these old tapes, and I give them to Soren, and I didn’t even listen to them. But he kept phoning up and saying, ‘Oh man, these are great; these are great songs!’ And that’s what made me sort of go, oh well, let’s re-record them properly. They’re all just like demos with drum machines and stuff like that. But there is so much material there, so we decided to go ahead and do it in Stockholm. So basically what we’re doing is, doing it in small sessions, and I keep the same musicians because I like the guys I’ve got right now, just to keep some continuity, you know? So we’re doing it at Polar Studios, which is Abba’s old place, and of course, it’s a brilliant studio and the guys who work there are really cool. And we do three or four days at a time, put down three or four backing tracks a day, and then do some overdubs, whatever, so we’re up to nine tracks at the moment, and just waiting to go back up there and do some more. Well actually, I’m going back on Sunday because we’ve got an American guy coming over who we just signed up, and we’ve got to put a little band together for him to do a showcase for Sony and whatnot. So… busy, busy (laughs).”

So what do you think we’re hearing from you guitar style-wise here? I mean, we don’t even know your roots, because you basically joined Thin Lizzy as a teenager!

“Yes, I was a teenager (laughs), about 17 1/2. It was a long, long time ago. I just had my 53rd birthday (laughs), but I still feel like I’m 17, apart from the aches and pains, obviously. I’m obviously playing slightly differently because… well, certain injuries to my hand or whatever when I was younger. But I prefer the way I’m playing now versus the way I played in the past, to be honest. It’s more measured. Well, sometimes it’s more measured, and sometimes it’s more off-the-wall (laughs). It’s really what comes into my head.”

“Oh, that’s a nasty question, isn’t it?” laughs Robbo, asked, then, to compare his style of playing versus Thin Lizzy mate Scott Gorham’s. “We’re two totally different players. I’m classically trained on several instruments, and I approach things totally differently, and of course I was into the blues from a very young age, as my father was a jazz musician. So I grew up with GLENN MILLER and MUGSY SPANIEL’s jazz and BENNY GOODMAN, that sort of stuff. I don’t honestly think that’s what Californians grew up with at that time (laughs). So I mean, my favourite artists were like FLEETWOOD MAC; Peter Green was my favourite guitar player.”

Was there enough blues, then, in Thin Lizzy for you? Did you wish it was more of a bluesy band?

“No, Lizzy was Lizzy. It was what it was – there were influences from all over. I mean you only have to listen to the first three Lizzy albums with Eric Bell on them, and then listen to what we were doing when we had the four-piece together. It was a totally different band. In actual fact, Phil didn’t even want to call it Thin Lizzy when we got together. He wanted to call it a different name, and the management said no, you’ve got to keep the name. So it was still called Thin Lizzy.”

No website at this point, and more importantly, no finished record. But stay tuned – Bravewords.com will certainly keep you apprised of the situation concerning all things Brian Robertson.

I for sure will be getting this pre-ordered.

I'd like to pick this up.

I have the Gary Moore - Phil Lynott tribute show in which Brian makes a guest appearance, and he didn't appear to have kept up his chops over the years, unlike Scott Gorham, Eric Bell and Moore.

It sounds like it would be a cool album, my only problem is the vocalist, this guy was one of Michael Schenker's worst vocalist.

I`m not familiar with the Schenker albums he`s on.
I will buy this album, but my hopes aren`t sky high.
Don`t know much about Robbo as a songwriter.

Finally!
Preordered mine today.

Damn, he stayed sober long enough to record an album! That by itself is impressive.