The work of Brian Robertson

GodShifter · December 14, 2011, 11:02:59 AM

Alumnus of Thin Lizzy, Motörhead, Statetrooper, Frankie Miller, Wild Horses, and, apparently, The Average White Band.

Well, his new album Diamonds and Dirt hit the streets a few months back, and it's pretty darn good. The band he is using is pretty much unknown except for Ian Haugland (who was (is?) the drummer for Europe) plus he uses vocalist Rob Lamothe on one track. The tracks seems solid but I haven't listened to enough of it to give it a decent review (nor do I want to).

I've been listening to this album for a bit and it's made me throw on some old TL, the Another Perfect Day album (A LOT!), and some Wild Horses stuff and, I swear, I just love the dude's playing. He is just such a tasteful guy with his riffs and has such an amazing ear for melody and writing great harmony guitar parts (go figure). I have to conclude that he had to be a fairly instrumental person in the harmonies that Lizzy was so famous for. I mean, before he joined the band, TL had always been just a one guitar outfit, so he had to have been influential on the idea of doing those twin leads (unless Gorham had had always had the idea but it went unrealized due to not having a partner guitarist in the band - I doubt this). Obviously, TL is not the first band to do guitar harmonies (I believe that was probably Wishbone Ash or, perhaps, better said: the first to use them prominently), but is there any argument that TL did them the best? (shut up, Iron Maiden fans)

Can it be argued that his work in TL represents the apex of their career? I think it can.

Anyway, I just thought I'd bring up the guy since I've been listening to his playing so much and see what others think about his career and his style of playing. I think his career is, basically, kind of a "what could of been" kind of thing. He was booted from TL due to his drinking and inability to keep himself solid for gigs (and, rumor has it, didn't get along well with Phil), booted from Motörhead due to refusing to play concert standards such as "Ace of Spades" and his curious penchant for weird stage attire (he once wore a tutu and ballet slippers on stage at a motorcycle rally that Motörhead was playing and almost got himself killed). Lemmy has subsequently called him a "cunt" when asked about his tenure in the band and, most recently, he was asked to join the reformed line-up of TL with Downey, Gorham, Wharton, and Ricky Warwick but turned it down due to being "too busy" huh??

Definitely a dude that marches to the beat of his own drummer. Never the less, a great, great talent.

The Shocker · December 14, 2011, 03:31:28 PM

Interesting that Jason Everman looks a lot like him...

I'm reading that Popoff Lizzy book right now - I'm still in the 3 piece years, I'll let you know what is said about Robertson when I get there.

grimniggzy · December 14, 2011, 04:06:49 PM

In the Bad Reputation Documentary Gorham talks about how Robbo had already joined the band (barely) when he auditioned. There's also a part where they talk about stumbling onto guitar harmony parts by accident in the studio. Don't know if this shit is correct but thats what Gorham says in it...DRUGS.

GodShifter · December 14, 2011, 04:11:07 PM

Robertson joined the band before Gorham

I was always under the impression that Gorham replaced Eric Bell and then Brian Robertson was added a bit later.

grimniggzy · December 14, 2011, 04:17:26 PM

They were both brought into the band around the same time through auditions held in England (if I remember correctly.) Phil wanted 2 guitarists from then on out in case one decided to split again. But by the time Gorham was auditioning Robbo was already in the band (according to Gorham in the Doc.) He tells a pretty funny story about how he had to sell his Strat b/c he didn't have any money so he auditioned with a Japanese Les Paul copy. He said Robbo & Downey thought he was a scrub but Phil was cool about it.

grimniggzy · December 14, 2011, 04:22:55 PM

they start talking about it at like 1:30 on part 2

PS-Seems that it was only a week after they found Robbo that they auditioned Gorham.

GodShifter · December 14, 2011, 04:37:19 PM

Very interesting. Thanks, grimzy!

GodShifter · December 14, 2011, 05:03:31 PM

That's a cool documentary there, grimzy. I watched the first 3 parts of it. Boy, I have to say Brian Robertson looks pretty rough these days. Yikes.

grimniggzy · December 14, 2011, 07:05:08 PM

yeah, it goes pretty in depth. and yeah, he's lived pretty rough and he definitely looks it, haha.

The Shocker · December 19, 2011, 10:05:30 AM

So I got to the point in Popoff's book where Eric Bell left. He was replaced by Gary Moore for a little while and then left. At that point Andy Gee and John Du Cann (!) joined for a tour of Germany. Apparently Du Cann was a diva and didn't gel with Gee or the other guys. When they got back from Germany Brian Downey wanted to quit and the band almost broke up. Then they got Robertson and a week or two later got Gorham. Robertson said they picked Gorham because of his rhythm playing and his looks/hair!

Woody · December 19, 2011, 10:20:24 AM

Great review, been wanting to check out Brian's new tape. I had no idea he played with the Average White Band!

Looking forward to watching the Thin Lizzy documentary during lunch today. Mint!

Metal and Beer · December 19, 2011, 04:00:23 PM

Oakland ! (I think that's Scott Gorham though, right?)

grimniggzy · December 19, 2011, 04:06:35 PM

haha, yeah.

GodShifter · December 19, 2011, 04:06:48 PM

Yessir. Great picture, though!

The Shocker · December 19, 2011, 04:12:39 PM

Gorham was from California, not sure exactly. He left California to get away from drugs, LOL.

Woody · December 19, 2011, 07:32:33 PM

That documentary is excellent. It came out this year, right?

GodShifter · December 19, 2011, 10:07:09 PM

Yeah, I believe it did. The footage is from 2010, so I'd assume it was released in late '10 or '11.

Woody · December 20, 2011, 09:36:40 AM

I love how Scott Gorham speaks like Tom Brokaw these days.

tossom · December 21, 2011, 07:06:15 PM

I am sure I said this on the old board, but my folks were/are big TL fans and saw them a few times with the Gorham/Robertson lineup. My Dad says that Brian Robertson is hands down the most drunk he has ever seen anyone on a stage. He said he saw a gig at the playhouse (he thinks) in Edinburgh and counted Robbo to drink 16 cans of lager during the gig and that he was drunk to the point it looked like the guitar was somehow holding him up!

The point of my above rambling is, as Godshifter has already noted, it looks like he has continued to live that life sadly...

As a scotsman, he is one of few guitar heroes we have in this country - love his style of playing.

grimniggzy · December 22, 2011, 02:16:57 PM

Yeah, in the documentary they talk about how after Phil could no longer party hard b/c he got sick so Robbo took up the torch and would get absolutely bombed all the time.

The Shocker · December 22, 2011, 02:41:36 PM

Quote from: tossom on December 21, 2011, 07:06:15 PM
I am sure I said this on the old board, but my folks were/are big TL fans and saw them a few times with the Gorham/Robertson lineup. My Dad says that Brian Robertson is hands down the most drunk he has ever seen anyone on a stage. He said he saw a gig at the playhouse (he thinks) in Edinburgh and counted Robbo to drink 16 cans of lager during the gig and that he was drunk to the point it looked like the guitar was somehow holding him up!

The point of my above rambling is, as Godshifter has already noted, it looks like he has continued to live that life sadly...

As a scotsman, he is one of few guitar heroes we have in this country - love his style of playing.

Did your dad say if he could still play despite being that drunk?

GodShifter · December 22, 2011, 02:54:01 PM

He's a Scotsman! Don't all Scots do everything bombed? The drunker they are, the better they do it, amirite?

Woody · December 22, 2011, 06:21:50 PM

I love how nothing is ever Robbo's fault, according to Robbo. Drunk guys never make mistakes.

RacerX · December 25, 2011, 11:06:26 AM

Quote from: Woody on December 22, 2011, 06:21:50 PM
I love how nothing is ever Robbo's fault, according to Robbo. Drunk guys never make mistakes.

Now now, Woody, he did admit to being a git at one point.

libertycaps · December 25, 2011, 02:40:13 PM

There are no alcoholics in Scotland. They're just Scottish!