Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Guitar Amps
  • Plugin Week 25
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Artist news
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • Drums
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Plugin Week A-Z
  • You Oughta Know
  • Fake AI band
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Wrecking Crew
Recommended reading
Misha Mansoor digs in on his signature Jackson Juggernaut as he play live with Periphery. The stage is lit in purple and white.
Artists Periphery’s Misha Mansoor on wild baritone tunings, high-gain theory and why he needs guitar lessons
Yngwie Malmsteen works his hamstrings as he takes a high kick onstage. He plays his signature Fender Stratocaster and the stage is lit up in green.
Artists Yngwie Malmsteen on classical epiphanies, modern art, and why you should embrace the cliff edge
Michael Thompson
Guitarists “Then it’s how you smack it, or zing it or strum it”: Guitar legend Michael Thompson talks clean tone
Brent Mason performs at Guitar Town at Copper Mountain, Colorado on 29 July, 2007
Artists “I said, ‘Damn, I wish I'd cut that song faster!’”: How a master guitarist made a cult classic instrumental album
Joe Bonamassa plays a vintage Gibson Les Paul SG equipped with a Maestro Vibrola. He wears a gray patterned suit and sunglasses.
Artists Joe Bonamassa announces new album, Breakthrough – listen to the title-track now
Brent Smith [left] performs in a blazer and white T-shirt as flames from pyro light the stage behind him. On the right, Rick Beato is photographed in a denim overshirt at NAMM 2022.
Artists Shinedown frontman Brent Smith on what makes Rick Beato a great producer
Jackson Pro Plus Pure Metal Series: the new limited range strips the Soloist, Rhoads and Kelly down with a single Fishman bridge humbucker, Floyd Rose and black finishes as standard
Guitars Jackson unveils stripped down single-pickup shred classics in ltd edition Pro Plus Pure Metal range
  1. Artists
  2. Guitarists

Paul Gilbert: my 6 career-defining records

News
By Joe Bosso published 6 April 2010

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Paul Gilbert chooses his six best

Paul Gilbert chooses his six best

Guitarist Paul Gilbert has always been hard to pin down. From his early days as the young gun shred monster in LA's speed-metal band Racer X to big-time radio success with Mr Big and onto an eclectic and successful solo career, he's a musician who refuses to be pigeonholed.

Here the guitar virtuoso - a readers' poll favorite, he earned a spot on Guitar World's 50 Fastest Guitarists Of All Time list - chooses the six records which have most defined his career. From No. 1 hits to cult favorites, he tells MusicRadar why they matter.

First up: "ridiculously fast and athletic guitar playing right out of the box"

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7
Street Lethal (1986)

Street Lethal (1986)

Fast as a hammer-on, Gilbert ascended from student to instructor at LA's Guitar Institute Of Technology (GIT). In what little spare time he had, he recorded this groundbreaking release for Mike Varney's Shrapnel Records label.

Paul Gilbert says:

"I had just turned 19 when I recorded this album. I had been rehearsing with bassist John Alderete and drummer Harry Gschoesser for a year, so we were very prepared.

"We finished making the record in one week, and hardly did a second take on anything. I wish I had that much time to rehearse now! The first track on the album is a guitar solo called Frenzy, which is some of my most ridiculously fast and athletic guitar playing right out of the box. And deep at the core of all this metal are some nice chord changes.

"I was already mixing chords from Todd Rundgren and Cheap Trick songs together with my metal influences like Loudness, Accept, Yngwie Malmsteen, Gary Moore and Van Halen. Besides singing, Jeff Martin also played drums on Hotter Than Fire, and I played the drum crashes on the intro of Loud And Clear."

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7
Lean Into It (1991)

Lean Into It (1991)

Having established himself as a late '80s guitar hero, Gilbert formed the 'supergroup' Mr Big with bass whiz Billy Sheehan, drummer Pat Torpey and singer Eric Martin. Their first album did so-so. However, things were about to change...

Paul Gilbert says:

"Mr Big had just finished a long tour as the support band for Rush, and we were all inspired to write our next album. The tunes were finished quickly, rehearsals sounded great and soon we were packing up for the studio.

"I love the songs on this record: Green Tinted Sixties Mind, Just Take My Heart, Alive And Kicking, Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy and To Be With You…the hits kept on coming!

"I had a big old Ford Thunderbird that looked like the Batmobile, and I remember driving it to the studio every day and just being so happy and excited about the music. It was Los Angeles. The weather was perfect. And I was in a killer rock band. Life was good! I couldn’t wait to play the album for everyone. And after To Be With You became a No. 1 hit, I think a lot of people probably did hear it."

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7
Technical Difficulties (1999)

Technical Difficulties (1999)

By the mid-'90s, those ol' 'creative differences' upended Mr. Big. Responding to overwhelming fan demand, Gilbert reassembled Racer X - this lineup featured original bassist John Alderete and drummer Scott Travis. The resulting LP went gold in Japan, where Gilbert was a major celebrity.

Paul Gilbert says:

“This was Racer X’s first ‘reunion’ album. I was excited to play some pure metal again, and I especially wanted to record a song called Fire Of Rock that we had played in the ‘80s but had never been recorded.

“I had a studio in my house in Las Vegas, and all the band members flew out to write, rehearse and record. It was the first time that we weren’t rushed in and out of the studio, so we were finally able to spend time getting the sounds and performances exactly how we wanted them.

“I had been making some solo albums with a lot of pop influences, and playing with Racer X again really lit a fire under me to start exploring intense guitar again. I did one short instrumental called B.R.O. (which stands for ‘Bach Rip Off‘). This is some of most ferocious guitar playing I’ve ever done; in fact, the whole band sounds huge. It was great to play with my friends from my teenage heavy metal band again.”

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7
Burning Organ (2002)

Burning Organ (2002)

For years, Gilbert had straddled the fence between gonzo shred and lighthearted, melodic pop. On his sixth solo release, he put it all together.

Paul Gilbert says:

“I had been living in Japan on and off, and I couldn’t make much noise (or music) there because it would bother the neighbors. I was starving for rock, so when I got back to America I went right in the studio and cranked out this album.

“I think it’s my best combination of lead guitar playing, lead singing and pop-influenced, heavy music. I played all 100 guitars in my collection on a song called I Like Rock, and I’m proud that I could play one of Bach’s Goldberg Variations on acoustic guitar.

“I co-produced the record with my friend Linus of Hollywood, who helped me put thick vocal harmonies everywhere. Marco Minnemann played killer drums. Mike Szuter contributed fantastic bass parts. And I even invented a new way of counting off a song on a tune called I Am Satan: 1-2-3-4-5-6-6-6! (Appropriate, huh?)”

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7
Get Out Of My Yard (2006)

Get Out Of My Yard (2006)

Twenty years after he helped put GIT on the map, Gilbert finally issued what axe enthusiasts the world over had been clamoring for: a record on which the guitar did all the heavy lifting.

Paul Gilbert says:

“This was my long-awaited, first all-instrumental album. I could take all the time that I normally spend writing lyrics and painstaking recording my vocals and put everything into my guitar playing.

“I wanted the first track to be as face-melting as possible, so I did something interesting: I used a double-neck guitar that featured six-strings on one neck while the other had only three strings in a special tuning. This allowed me to play the most intense arpeggios I had ever accomplished.

“My biggest challenge was writing instrumental songs that kept me (a vocal music fan) interested enough to enjoy the music. I especially like the songs Hurry Up and The Curse Of Castle Dragon, and I often include them in my live show. I enjoyed this album so much that I decided to do another…”

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7
Silence Followed By A Deafening Roar (2008)

Silence Followed By A Deafening Roar (2008)

Gilbert's second full-length instrumental album saw him reach new levels of guitar overkill. Still, there were some delicious left turns, such as a sweet and impassioned take on the Burt Bacharach/Elvis Costello tune I Still Have That Other Girl.

Paul Gilbert Says:

“I think there is more concentrated guitar power on this album than any other I have done. I covered a classical flute piece called Suite Modale. I love this melody, and it had been my dream for years to record it.

“One of my own songs, Eudaimonia Overture combines punk-rock rhythms, tons of crazy arpeggios and a Bach piano piece (played all with guitars). Paul Vs. Godzilla has some really wild guitar sounds along with some of the most naturally composed melodies I’ve ever written for guitar. (While demoing, I sang them all before I even picked up my guitar.)

“I wrote most of this album very early in the morning so I wouldn’t be distracted by the plumbers who were clanking away every day in my house. (Finally, the pipes don’t leak, and I’ve got some enjoyable guitar music to play.) Oh, and don’t forget Norwegian Cowbell…more crazy arpeggios, one of my best rock riffs and, of course, lots of cowbell!"

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
Categories
Guitars
Joe Bosso
Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar World, Guitar Player, MusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.

Read more
Misha Mansoor digs in on his signature Jackson Juggernaut as he play live with Periphery. The stage is lit in purple and white.
Periphery’s Misha Mansoor on wild baritone tunings, high-gain theory and why he needs guitar lessons
Yngwie Malmsteen works his hamstrings as he takes a high kick onstage. He plays his signature Fender Stratocaster and the stage is lit up in green.
Yngwie Malmsteen on classical epiphanies, modern art, and why you should embrace the cliff edge
Michael Thompson
“Then it’s how you smack it, or zing it or strum it”: Guitar legend Michael Thompson talks clean tone
Brent Mason performs at Guitar Town at Copper Mountain, Colorado on 29 July, 2007
“I said, ‘Damn, I wish I'd cut that song faster!’”: How a master guitarist made a cult classic instrumental album
Joe Bonamassa plays a vintage Gibson Les Paul SG equipped with a Maestro Vibrola. He wears a gray patterned suit and sunglasses.
Joe Bonamassa announces new album, Breakthrough – listen to the title-track now
Brent Smith [left] performs in a blazer and white T-shirt as flames from pyro light the stage behind him. On the right, Rick Beato is photographed in a denim overshirt at NAMM 2022.
Shinedown frontman Brent Smith on what makes Rick Beato a great producer
Latest in Guitarists
Phil Collins and Daryl Stuermer
“It was confusing to me": Guitarist Daryl Stuermer on recording Phil Collins' In The Air Tonight
Laney Black Country Customs Tony Iommi TI100: Long-time Laney user Tony Iommi is pictured with his new signature amp, which is limited to 50 units worldwide to mark Black Sabbath's final show at Villa Park.
Laney celebrates Black Sabbath's final show with a limited edition reissue of Tony Iommi's TI100 amp
Whitesnake in 1990
“We needed the right person to join the family”: How Steve Vai put the sizzle into the last big hair metal album
Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher of Mastodon perform at Riot Fest 2024
“I won’t miss being in a sh** band with horrible humans”: Mastodon guitarist slams his ex-bandmates
Mick Ralphs in 1971
“Bowie gave them the song but Mick wrote the intro — the lick of all licks”: Joe Elliott's tribute to Mick Ralphs
Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Plini Edition Mirage
Strandberg launches limited edition Plini Boden Standard with glow-in-the-dark Mirage graphic finish
Latest in News
Close up of a person holding an acoustic guitar bathed sunlight
Ignite your inner guitar god for just 27 cents a day with TrueFire’s July 4th sale - save 60% on online lessons
caelum audio
"If your singing sounds like a dying cat, this finally kills the cat": This hilariously bad mic modelling plugin is free for International Joke Day
Freddie Mercury and Brian May at Live Aid
“We thought it was going to be a disaster”: Brian May reveals Queen had serious doubts about doing Live Aid
Phil Collins and Daryl Stuermer
“It was confusing to me": Guitarist Daryl Stuermer on recording Phil Collins' In The Air Tonight
Crazy Tube Circuits Mirage: the dual reverb features two independent DSP engines each equipped with 16 reverb modes – and there are flexible routing options.
With dual reverb engines, 16 algorithms, Crazy Tube Circuits’ Mirage is one serious reverb pedal
Liam and Noel Gallagher, back in 1997
“THEY’RE IN THERE!!! And they are LOUD”: Recordings of Oasis soundcheck are now online

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...