Music Highlight: Robbie Robertson

Sep 04, 2023 |

1987 saw the release of Canadian rock musician Robbie Robertson's solo debut album, Robbie Robertson. This was Robertson's first official solo album, despite the fact that he has been a working musician since the late 1950s, most famously as the founder and lead songwriter of The Band. There were no Juno Awards in 1988, but in 1989 Robbie Robertson received the "Album of the Year" Juno and producers Daniel Lanois and Robertson won the "Producer of the Year" Juno.

Contributions to the album come from U2, Peter Gabriel, Rick Danko, and Garth Hudson of The Band, all of whom had previously collaborated with Lanois. While Gabriel had recorded So the year before, U2 was working on The Joshua Tree at the same time as the early phases of this album. U2's contributions may be heard in the songs "Testimony," which again features U2 backing, and "Sweet Fire of Love," which is a sort of duet between Robertson and U2 lead singer Bono. The songs "Fallen Angel," which was dedicated to Robertson's old bandmate Richard Manuel, and "Broken Arrow," which echoes with Gabriel's trademark Yamaha CP-80 electric piano, both feature Gabriel's contributions. Also included significantly on this record are Tony Levin and Manu Katché, who were recording alongside Gabriel.

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