Billy Bremner

A Good Week's Work

(Gadfly 243)

Bremner, known to most for his work in ROCKPILE (with Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, and Terry Williams), 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. With "A Good Week's Work," he steps back out front for 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.

Recorded in early 1998 in northern Sweden (close to the Arctic Circle!), "A Good Week's Work" was literally recorded and mixed in seven days -- a tribute to Bremner's abilities as a guitar whiz and his strong rhythm section. All 13 tracks are Bremner originals (many co-written with producer-writer Don Morrell) that showcase what he does best: no-bull guitar-driven rock delivered with heart and finesse.

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: the now-legendary "Seconds of Pleasure" (CBS, 1980), which featured Bremner on lead vocals on two cuts. After the group's demise, Bremner recorded one release of his own, which barely saw the light of day, then continued working as a much-in-demand sideman.

Billy spent nine years in Los Angeles before relocating 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 has been fronting The Refreshments, a popular rock outfit that has recorded two CDs for BMG Sweden.

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