Well the negative bits have been pretty well covered but there are of course good things too.

I always think the best things in life are created by a good-old compromise. Whenever you play with anyone other than yourself, you have to do this. The results are going to be different to anything created on your own and usually better. When you listen to those records, were one person, either plays all the instruments or has complete control over the way the finished product sounds, it usually sounds less than the same persons work with others.

The Beatles solo work, whilst producing a few memorable things, Never matched the overall quality of the stuff they made together. With the advice, musical and recording expertise of the 'fifth Beatle', George Martin. No one seemed to have the courage to say "Paul, that is too 'slushy' for words" or "John, that is just boring".

It's not much fun having 'musical differences' with yourself, and there is nothing like a good row.

No matter how talented you are, as a solo performer, there is a limit to how long you can retain an audience's attention. There are exceptions to this rule of course and those few individuals that can do this, do tend to make it look easy, but it is not.

With others, you have less freedom, yes. On your own, you can say to yourself "that chorus went well, I'll do it again", if you try do that with others, the results can be messy. But I have found that experience gained from playing with a group does make me a better, more disciplined solo performer as well.

There are more instrumental combinations possible, with others. The sound is fuller, with more texture and it adds more interest. Even if there is just one other person up there on stage with you (and they may not be doing very much), it does give an audience something else to look at.

Tuning can be a problem, but I tend to subscribe to the idea that perfect tuning is an impossibility and thus not worth spending too much effort to achieve. Slight variations in tuning also add to the texture. On TV here tonight there was a concert featuring 7 year olds playing a classical violin piece, with some rather more accomplished, slightly older (young) players. The notes that the young ones were making were not always exactly the ones that they should have been playing, but the overall effect was quite beautiful.

The most important thing is, when you screw-up, you can blame everybody else and when the gig goes well, you can share the feeling with the others.

Always remembering (silently inside), that, all eyes were on you really and that you were the star, after all.