These are exciting times in the world of Mr. Big. The band, which was formed almost 30 years ago in Los Angeles, will release their ninth studio album, Defying Gravity, next month (July 7). They just launched a world tour, and they've already released a taste of the new disc, a rocking track called "1992."
Today, we've teamed up with the band—Eric Martin (vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitars), Billy Sheehan (bass), Pat Torpey (drums) and Matt Starr (drums)—to bring you an exclusive clip dedicated to "1992."
In the video, which you can watch below, the band members discuss the new tune and its inspiration—their experiences in the early Nineties after "To Be with You" became a massive hit.
"That was one of my songs that started out as a title," Gilbert told us last month. "I had that phrase and was obviously thinking of the time in our history when we had the number-1 single with 'To Be with You' and took off internationally. It was an amazing time, and the song grew out of that seed of the title.
"For the music, I realized that on the last tour I did, my sound check song was a Humble Pie song called 'Stone Cold Fever.' The riff starts with an E chord over and over, and whenever I checked my amp, that was my riff. Philosophically, I think riffs that start with E repeating itself are almost guaranteed to be great [laughs]. I have two riffs that are different but have the general philosophy of let’s just do a lot of E before we go anywhere else. '1992' is one of those; 'Open Your Eyes' is another one."
Defying Gravity was produced by Kevin Elson, who worked with the band on their classic Eighties and Nineties albums. Most of Gilbert’s guitar solos were tracked live with the band.
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Below (in order), check out the "1992: behind-the-scenes" clip, the official audio of "1992," the "making of Defying Gravity" video and, of course, the "To Be with You" music video, which was incredibly difficult to miss in 1992.
"1992" is available on iTunes now, and the entire album is available for preorder.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
