Mr. Big singer Eric Martin recalled the feeling of “being thrown against a wall” as the band were given less than two weeks to make their last album, Defying Gravity, in 2017.

They’ve been on hiatus as a result of drummer Pat Torpey’s death the following year, but Martin expressed hope that he’d work with guitarist Paul Gilbert and bassist Billy Sheehan again in the future.

“I didn't really care for the record that much,” Martin told Music Mania (via Blabbermouth). “I liked a couple of the songs. The best part of it was hanging together, 'cause we hadn't [done] anything for about six months or a year. So the hang was great. We did a little surprise birthday party for Billy, and that was a good moment. There was good moments, and just the hang.”

He continued: “I feel like a whiner here, but I don't have the same experience as Billy and Paul. They enjoyed the pressure [of being] thrown against the wall to hurry up and do this, but I didn't care for the process… We only had, like, six to 10 days to write, record and mix it.” He added that he didn’t know why the deadline had been so tight, but that perhaps “some of the guys had some tours that they had to go on, or the producer had some other projects.”

Mr. Big - '1992'

Martin said he’d been delighted with several songs on the album, but cited the example of “1992,” which he only had the chance to sing once before it was tracked. “And it was really low for me a little bit, but when I got on the road and I sang with the guys, we perfected it,” he explained. “Three months into being on the road together, singing all that Defying Gravity record stuff, I was like, ‘Okay, now I’m ready to go in the studio.’ But it was already done.” He reflected: “But our best fans, our biggest fans, they go, ‘Oh, man. I love that record.’ So who am I to shoot myself in the foot? I just felt a little pressured.”

On the subject of returning to action, Martin said: “Mr. Big is on a permanent hiatus at the moment. Billy says ‘never say never.’ I say ‘yes’ to every freakin’ phone call that comes in. So whatever the other two guys wanna do. … I’d rather do Mr. Big than pretty much anything. But since there is no Mr. Big at the moment, I have tons of irons in the fire.”

Eric Martin Interview

More From Ultimate Classic Rock