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THE TRUTH ABOUT: Brian robertson | History Defined

My favourite Thin Lizzy song, by James Hetfield, Tony Iommi, Jon Bon Jovi, Suzi Quatro, Joe Elliott, Francis Rossi, Mick Box, Johnny Van Zant and more

Everyone has a favourite Thin Lizzy song, right? So we asked a load of famous folks to pick theirs and tell us why

Louder

"Underwhelming considering the talent involved." Supergroup Wild Horses pull up short on lacklustre debut studio album

Rainbow's Jimmy Bain + Thin Lizzy's Brian Robertson = Mild Horses

Louder

“I wasn’t a fan. The only thing I knew was Ace Of Spades. I knew it was going to be rough... I couldn’t distinguish one track from another”: Why Thin Lizzy’s Brian Robertson knew his stint in Motörhead was doomed

The flying Scotsman replaced Fast Eddie Clarke, and had a formidable rep as Thin Lizzy guitarist, but he soon found Motörhead were not quite his speed

Guitar World

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"I said to Phil on the side of the stage: 'What are we going to do? I can't distinguish between the songs!'" Brian Robertson played with Thin Lizzy, Motörhead and Wild Horses: Now he finally reveals all

Brian Robertson lived it live and dangerous in Thin Lizzy, lived it loud in Motörhead, rode his own band Wild Horses, and has an impressive list of credits as both session musician and producer

Louder

"To us, this was a decent album track, no more. We certainly did not think it could be a single!" Without the support of two American DJs, one of rock's classic singles might never have been released

Had Thin Lizzy's manager not had an ear for a good tune and some American DJs not picked up on it, Phil Lynott & Co. might never have released their signature song

Louder

“Scott Gorham and Phil Lynott were taken aback that I wouldn’t party with them. I stayed in my room at the hotel. I got to the studio on time. I was trying to make a point”: Brian Robertson knows what Thin Lizzy lost when he left

Half of the classic-era twin guitar attack discusses how the iconic sound was built, his relationships with his bandmates after he left, his forensic approach to modding Kirk Hammett Les Pauls to look like Peter Green’s Greeny, and why he couldn’t play the real thing

Guitar World

“They say time heals all wounds, but not completely. Even 40 years later, I often find myself thinking about him”: The electrifying life and dark times of iconic Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, by one of the people who knew him best

Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham looks remembers his late bandmate Phil Lynott

Louder

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I’ll be listening to two iconic Thin Lizzy albums to celebrate their 50th birthday – you should too

1976 was a great year for Ireland’s best rock band

What Hi-Fi?

“I took Gem Archer’s job when he joined Oasis. Brian Robertson from Thin Lizzy came in on Saturdays and we’d just play”: How a job in the “party guitar shop” gave Pretenders guitarist James Walbourne his start in the industry

Walbourne reminisces about the guitar store that started it all – and why music shops and venues are crucial for up-and-coming musicians

Guitar World

“He had definite ideas about how he wanted to do certain songs. I’m similar, so we clashed”: Brian Robertson sets the record straight on his Thin Lizzy exit

Robertson left Thin Lizzy amid conflict with Phil Lynott and a serious hand injury – but came back as a session hand on future albums and tours

Guitar World

"All of a sudden, she started biting my tongue and wouldn't let go. There was blood everywhere. Then she went for my forehead": How Thin Lizzy made the albums that saved them, only to be plunged into chaos

Thin Lizzy went from being stone broke to recording the two albums that came to define their career, but bad luck always seemed to be lurking in the shadows

Louder

‘We wouldn’t still be playing if we’d got stinking rich’: the Damned celebrate 50 years of punk, goth and holy grail hunting

An appetite for self-destruction left Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible and Rat Scabies hugely influential but financially insecure. They’re back with a big show and their first album together since 1995

The Guardian - UK

The first two albums recorded by what became their definitive line-up: Now a seven-CD countdown to Thin Lizzy's lift-off

74-75: Night Life / Fighting finds Phil Lynott, Brian Downey, Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson pointing Thin Lizzy in the right direction

Louder

"I invented Motörhead, and it’s Motörhead as long as I’m in it": At home with Lemmy - a classic interview

With a two-guitar line-up instead of the usual trio, Motörhead's Orgasmatron album signalled a decibel-driven new start

Metal Hammer

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Guitar World

“You gotta quit at the right moment, and Gary did the worst thing any band member can do. I was angry, man”: Scott Gorham on how his guitar partnership with Gary Moore came to a dramatic end – and building bridges with the late guitar hero decades later

The Belfast-born virtuoso brought blues-rock fireworks to Thin Lizzy's sound and a muscular foil for Gorham who was always trying something different

MusicRadar

“I’m going, ‘Whoa, I just quit my band, put all my eggs in thisThin Lizzybasket, and now we’re breaking up over a beard?!’”: Scott Gorham recalls the band's close shave when Phil Lynott was not tickled by Brian Robertson’s whiskers

Thin Lizzy's Live And Dangerous lineup was exactly that, and with Robertson, things could get hairy over the most trivial matter

Guitar World

“Robbo had grown a beard. Phil says, ‘I’m the only one with facial hair, man – you gotta shave that thing off’”: Scott Gorham on his partnership with Brian Robertson – a golden era for Thin Lizzy even if they nearly split up over facial hair

The years 1974 to '78 were good times for Thin Lizzy creatively, with the twin-guitar dynamite of Robertson and Gorham in the engine room. But they weren't half volatile...

Louder

"It polarises fans' opinions for certain, but isn't that what great music is supposed to do?": Motörhead ring the changes on Another Perfect Day, initial dismay now a distant memory

Joined by Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson, Motörhead's Another Perfect Day has increased in stature over the years – just don't mention the shorts

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Louder

"How many times do you say you're gonna give something up and you don't?": Aggression and anger on the road with Thin Lizzy across America and Europe

With a new guitarist in their ranks, Thin Lizzy set off on an American tour with Queen, but trouble lay ahead

Guitar World

“That’s one of the first things Phil said to me, ‘You’re in, but we gotta change that guitar’”: Scott Gorham may have passed his Thin Lizzy audition – but his budget Les Paul copy certainly didn’t

The Irish rockers finally found their man after auditioning 24 hopefuls when Gorham turned up for his turn – but Phil Lynott was left underwhelmed by his choice of instrument

Guitar World

“I had 30 days left on my visa or they’re gonna throw me out of the country. I didn’t know they’d already auditioned 24 guitarists”: Scott Gorham recalls his nerve-racking Thin Lizzy audition – and his first impressions of Brian Robertson

Back in 1974, Thin Lizzy were auditioning a second guitarist to accompany their newest recruit: the 18-year-old Les Paul-wielding Brian Robertson

The Guardian - UK

Brian James obituary

Guitarist with the punk band the Damned who wrote many of their songs, including their first single, New Rose

The Guardian - UK

Brian James, founding guitarist of the Damned, dies aged 70

James was the lead songwriter for the trailblazing British punks’ first album Damned Damned Damned and went on to collaborate with artists such as Iggy Pop

Guitar World

“The Boys Are Back in Town is at least as memorable for its guitar breaks as for its chorus”: Thin Lizzy inspired Metallica, Iron Maiden, and the Cure, practically invented twin lead guitar, and have had 15 guitarists. Here’s your guide to all of them

Thin Lizzy are tough enough for punks, heavy enough for metalheads, poetic enough for romantics – and their catchy riffs and licks have been played by some of the finest guitarists on earth

MusicRadar

“It was Gary’s idea to bring the Irishness back into Thin Lizzy": Guitar hero Gary Moore made only one album with the band - and it’s a classic

“His style of playing pushed everybody to become better,” said fellow guitarist Scott Gorham

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