Robbie Robertson – Robbie Robertson

Robbie Robertson is Robbie Robertson's first non-soundtrack solo album. It won Juno awards in 1989 for Album of the Year and Producer of the Year (for Robertson and Lanois). It placed 5th in the Mar*Star's 1992 poll, 59th in Chart's 1996 poll, and 61st in Bob Mersereau's The Top 100 Canadian Albums.

Robbie Robertson charted in the US, the UK and Canada, where it reached double platinum sales. The critical response, though generally favourable, was mixed:

• AllMusic gave it 4 stars out of 5, calling it "a clear break from his past, and an ambitious attempt to take his fascination with American culture and music in a new and contemporary direction"
• Robert Christgau graded it only a C+, writing "once established as an icon of quality, he always took himself too seriously, and age has neither mellowed him nor wised him up"
• Rolling Stone Album Guide gave it 4 stars out of 5, calling it "a very personal masterpiece"

Robbie Robertson combined a bunch of my musical faves: I had long been a fan of The Band (originally stemming from my Bob Dylan fixation), I appreciated Daniel Lanois's production work (with Martha and the Muffins and beyond), and actively followed U2 (because of their roots in British punk). I remember making a cassette of all the non-album tracks from The Joshua Tree singles and the two U2 songs from this album and arguing that I had created one of the best albums of 1987.

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Track Listing

1. "Fallen Angel" (Robbie Robertson, Martin Page) – 5:52

2. "Showdown at Big Sky" (Robbie Robertson) – 4:43

3. "Broken Arrow" (Robbie Robertson) – 5:17

4. "Sweet Fire of Love" (Robbie Robertson, U2) – 5:08

5. "American Roulette" (Robbie Robertson) – 4:46

6. "Somewhere Down the Crazy River" (Robbie Robertson, Martin Page) – 4:44

7. "Hell's Half Acre" (Robbie Robertson) – 3:45

8. "Sonny Got Caught in the Moonlight" (Robbie Robertson) – 3:45

9. "Testimony" (Robbie Robertson) – 4:45

Personnel

• Robbie Robertson – vocal, background vocals, guitars, keyboards (on 5, 8, 9)
• Bill Dillon – guitars (except on 3, 4), background vocal (on 2)
• Manu Katché – drums (on 1, 2, 6, 7, 8), percussion (on 1, 7, 8)
• Daniel Lanois – percussion (on 2, 3, 4, 8, 9), background vocal (on 2, 3, 4), Omnichord (on 6), guitar (on 6, 8), bass (on 9)
• Tinker Barfield – bass (on 1, 5)
• Garth Hudson – keyboards (on 1, 5)
• Peter Gabriel – keyboards (on 1, 3), vocal (on 1), drum program (on 3)
• Martin Page – drum program (on 1)
• Larry Klein – bass (on 2)
• BoDeans:
  • Sam Llanas – background vocals (on 2, 5, 6)
  • Kurt Neumann – background vocals (on 2, 5)
• Terry Bozzio – drums (on 3, 5)
• Abraham Laboriel – bass (on 3)
• U2:
  • Larry Mullen, Jr. – drums (on 4, 9)
  • Adam Clayton – bass (on 4, 9)
  • The Edge – guitar (on 4, 9)
  • Bono – vocals (on 4), bass (on 4), background vocal (on 9), guitar (on 9)
• Tony Levin – stick bass (on 5, 7), bass (on 6, 8)
• Hans Christian – bass (on 5)
• Maria McKee – background vocals (on 5)
• Cary Butler – drum program (on 8)
• Rick Danko – background vocal (on 8)
• Ivan Neville – background vocal (on 9)
• Gil Evans Horn Section – horns (on 9)