Album Notes

Gadfly Records is proud to announce the long-awaited re-issue of "Bash!" the lone 1980s solo release from rock guitar legend BILLY BREMNER.

*****In addition to the original 11 LP tracks, Gadfly's "Bash!" reissue features 5 bonus single tracks, including the much-heralded "Laughter Turns To Tears."*****

One of rock's most distinctive guitarists, BREMNER originally released "Bash!" in 1984 (on Arista UK) after recording several solo singles and following the now-legendary "Seconds of Pleasure" LP (1980) released with his ROCKPILE bandmates Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, and Terry Williams. Produced by Will Birch (The Records), the tracks on "Bash!" were co-written by Bremner and Birch, except for Elvis Costello's "Shatterproof" and Difford/Tilbrook's "When Love Goes To Sleep."

Born and raised in Scotland, Bremner was noticed quickly for his guitar prowess as the British pub-rock scene exploded in the '70s. His relationship with Edmunds and Lowe resulted in a number of musical and songwriting contributions to their solo albums but only the one "official" Rockpile album: "Seconds of Pleasure" (CBS, 1980), which featured Bremner on lead vocals on two cuts. After the group's demise, Bremner recorded and released "Bash!" but the album inexplicably escaped notice.

Along with his work in Rockpile, BREMNER has also made his mark as a sideman for The Pretenders (playing lead on "Back on the Chain Gang" and "My City Was Gone"), Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Johnny Cash, Little Richard, Kirsty McCall, and many others. After the breakup of Rockpile, Billy spent nine years in Los Angeles, then relocated to Nashville in the early '90s, where he focused on writing and continued providing ace musical backing to name artists. In the mid-'90s he moved to Sweden, where he produced and fronted The Refreshments, a popular rock outfit that recorded two CDs for BMG Sweden.

In 1998 he recorded and released the blazing solo album "A Good Week's Work" (Gadfly 243) -- a no-holds-barred effort featuring plenty of rock sprinkled with some power pop -- the formula that made Rockpile a late '70s/early '80s favorite.