MusicRadar

Paul Gilbert wails on his Ibanez Fireman throughout Mr Big's What If... © James Chiang

Were somebody to have told guitarist Paul Gilbert in 1997, who had just quit the multi-platinum band Mr Big, that 14 years later he would be preparing to tour with the group, behind a new album no less, he jokes that he "would have said something unprintable" in response.

Just as quickly, he adds: "Then I would have thought that my joining or not joining Mr Big was less significant than the fact that somebody could look into the future 14 years. What about the stock market? Real estate prices? Had aliens visited the earth yet?

"The reality about 1997 was, I was very much in the mood to do my own thing," he continues. "Now I'm in the mood to do lots of things. And it feels good to be friends with the Mr Big guys again. We had some amazing experiences during our first eight years together, and it's nice to hang out and remember those good times."

That spirit of harmony comes through loud and clear on What If..., Mr Big's immensely satisfying new album. It's the first record of all-new material since the reunion of the four original members - Gilbert, bassist Billy Sheehan, singer Eric Martin and drummer Pat Torpey - back in early 2009. Produced by the hotter-than-hot Kevin Shirley (Rush, Iron Maiden, Joe Bonamassa), What If... is chock full of blazing rockers, big-time ballads and, as one might expect, mind-melting musicianship.

MusicRadar checked in with Paul Gilbert recently to speak about what has become one of the most pleasantly surprising reunions of late. Easygoing, witty and candid, the guitarist held forth on Mr Big and a variety of other topics: his gear, practice schedule, songwriting, Racer X, tinnitus and, perhaps most importantly, his thoughts on that dreaded term "hair metal."

When we last spoke, Mr Big were preparing to tour Japan. At the time, you were excited, but you weren't 100 percent sure if the group would record. I guess things worked well.

"Our reunion tour went great, but any rock 'n' roll tour has its Spinal Tap moments, and ours was no exception. The shows were all great, but things like travel, backstages, hotels and rental gear can all lead to stressful situations. Thankfully, we survived and were able to laugh off the daily craziness. In the end, I thought, If we can survive this, we can survive anything!"

Your career over the past decade has been largely a solo one, with instrumental albums being the prime focus. Have you had to make adjustments in your playing to being in a vocal-oriented band again?

"A rock band with vocals is what I always wanted to be a part of; in fact, it feels very natural for me. The instrumental stuff is a good challenge, and it keeps my fingers athletically tuned, but I'm totally happy to bang away on some chords, sing some harmonies and play some wailing blues solos after the second chorus."

Can you describe the changes in the individual members? How have they grown? Also, how is the Paul Gilbert in Mr Big today different from the Paul Gilbert in Mr Big circa 1995?

"In general, I think we're all easier to get along with. In the old days, we put all of our time and energy into the band, which is a good thing. But it got to the point where we needed some rest, sleep and time for ourselves. Maybe I should only speak for myself - that's what I needed. Anyway, there is no manic drive to make the band the biggest thing in the world now. We're truly fortunate to have some hits and have an audience that will still come to see us play. And we're just enjoying that.

"As a player, I think I've grown a lot, mainly in my ability to improvise with a blues-rock style. It's taken me about 30 years to recover from hearing Eruption, but I'm finally getting back to where I was going before Eddie Van Halen came along and made everyone want to follow him."

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