The Robin Trower Album-by-Album Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Grant, Aug 18, 2008.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. FUZZBUTT34

    FUZZBUTT34 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston TX USA
    My favorite ALBUM not a bad song on this one .
     
  2. Oliver

    Oliver Bourbon Infused

    Of course he is influenced by Hendrix (as most guitarists of that time were-and still are) but to call him a "Hendrix Clone" is just plain lazy.

    Even though he uses some of the same effects his sound is not very similiar.

    His overall sound is HUGE but not necessarily because of distortion or overdubs.
     
  3. The Panda

    The Panda Forum Mutant

    Location:
    Marple, PA, USA
    I walked into a house party during high school--the living room was awash in Cig and pot smoke, lights were low, curtains were drawn, and at almost the same time, the title track began to play. I was smacked on the head, sound-wise--omg, what IS that record? It hadn't been out long, and for some reason the party's host (notoriously non-hip) had the record.
    It has been my favorite and only RT album ever since.
    About to Begin is one of those perfect songs for late at night on a steamy summer night when you're too hot (or too stoned) to move. Or, as someone at college insisted, it's for the few minutes before you and a partner do the horizotal bop.
     
  4. maxnix

    maxnix Forum Resident

    A true classic, and personally my first and favorite "stoner" album back in the day :shh:

    Not sure of the date, but saw him play at the old Academy of Music in NYC sandwiched in a bill with Grin and Black Oak Arkansas . . never heard of Trower and was getting up to take a break when he started playing . . talk about a WTF moment! Shook the roof. I can still hear that tone in my head.
     
  5. Well, since this is a true Trower Love Fest, I can highly recommend his most recent live DVD. Its was shot in Germany a few years ago, and is very well done. Davey Pattison, while not Jimmy Dewar, does a pretty solid job catpturing Jimmy's vibe.

    And its not one of those stupid, fast cut, MTV Video style productions. You can watch it w/o nausea

    Brian
     
  6. dwmann

    dwmann Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Houston TX
    LOVE Bridge of Sighs. My buddy had a car with an 8 track, and BOS was one of his few tapes. We must have listened to the tape 1000s of times.

    Saw Trower on tour for this LP:

    June 5, 1974
    Hofheinz Pavillion, Houston TX
    Ten Years After With King Crimson and Robin Trower
     
  7. soundQman

    soundQman Senior Member

    Location:
    Arlington, VA, USA
    Wow, I'm impressed with that quote. That says it all, IMO. And as you know, Robert Fripp does not hand out praise easily.
     
  8. rburly

    rburly Sitting comfortably with Item 9

    Location:
    Orlando
    I'll correct myself. I think I wrote that I saw them in 1974. I looked it up and it was:

    Robin Trower - 04-30-75
    At the University of Cincinnati Field House (no longer standing)
    A great venue, not too big, not too small. I still remember almost the whole concert in my auditory memory!
     
  9. Rapid Fire

    Rapid Fire Hyperactive!

    Location:
    Mansfield, TX, USA
    Bridge of Sighs is a masterpiece and essential for all music fans.
     
  10. A brilliant release and the first Trower record I ever heard.
    From the get go, within a few seconds of "Day Of The Eagle" you just know that these guys mean business and are gonna rock your socks off.

    IMO, the intensity level and general tempo are, for the most part, turned up several notches from TWFY.
    Nothing anywhere close to a bad banana in the bunch and 'currently' my second favorite Robin Trower record.

    "Day Of The Eagle", "Bridge Of Sighs", "Too Rolling Stoned" and "Little Bit Of Sympathy" are my favorite four from BOS.

    A stellar example of rock and blues and highly recommended! :edthumbs:
     
  11. monewe

    monewe Forum Resident

    Location:
    SCOTLAND
    Totally agree with you.
     
  12. timw

    timw Senior Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
    I first heard this album at a local stereo store(Must have been around the time of it's release). They had it BLASTING in their soundroom. No one else was in the room but me. I stood there in awe and couldn't believe what I was hearing! Needless to say I walked over to the TTable to see what album it was. I bought a copy on the spot and it has been one of my personal top 5 ever since!!!
    Seeing Trower live at Madison Square Garden in '76 was incredible!!! As another poster here mentioned...Too bad they didn't film some of those early concerts!!!
     
  13. Cymbaline

    Cymbaline Shiny Dog

    Location:
    Buda, TX
    Wow, I'm jealous. Ten Years After, King Crimson and Robin Trower. That must have been a hell of a show! '73-'74 Crimson is one of my favorites.
     
  14. Attached Files:

  15. soundQman

    soundQman Senior Member

    Location:
    Arlington, VA, USA
    I wonder if this bridge in Venice served as an inspiration for Robin's song at all. It has such melancholy and evocative lyrics...

    From the Wikipedia entry: "The Bridge of Sighs (Italian: Ponte dei Sospiri) is one of many bridges in Venice. The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone and has windows with stone bars. It passes over the Rio di Palazzo and connects the old prisons to the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace. It was designed by Antoni Contino (whose uncle Antonio da Ponte had designed the Rialto Bridge), and built between 1600 and 1603.

    The view from the Bridge of Sighs was the last view of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. The bridge name, given by Lord Byron in the 19th century, comes from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice out the window before being taken down to their cells."
     
  16. Tone

    Tone Senior Member

    Thanks for the live show list.

    I saw Trower in San Diego in 1974.
    5/27/74 Golden Hall, San Diego, CA (with Poco and Golden Earring).

    Incredible Power Trio. Trower not only sounded great, but James Dewar's vocals Live shook the rafters!

    The other two bands weren't bad either. Those were the days, of amazing triple bills. For well under 10 bucks. :cool:
     
  17. A surprisingly strange review from Rolling Stone from June 6th, 1974 after their excellent TRFY review in '73. What were they thinking with lines like this. :sigh:
    Bridge Of Sighs
    Robin Trower
    Chrysalis 1057
    Released: March 1974
    Chart Peak: #7
    Weeks Charted: 31
    Certified Gold: 9/10/74

    Guitarist Robin Trower admits to drawing his inspiration from Jimi Hendrix, and has the arsenal of licks, tricks and tunes to prove it.
    He has also assembled a balanced band to accompany his solo flights:
    Bassist James Dewar is a proficient soul-styled singer capable of admirably filling vocal chores without detracting from the guitarist's show.
    Trower's own tone is meaty, his hand sure: In coherence and flash, his solos bear comparison with his mentor's.
    But while his present group plays with commendable restraint, and despite Trower's instrumental prowess, Bridge Of Sighs, like its predecessor,
    Twice Removed from Yesterday, lacks that creative spark which separates derivative finesse from more personal stylistic elaboration.
    The very polished assurance of Trower's lines misses the pathos animating Hendrix's last recordings.
    Evidently Trower will have to cast off Hendrix's ghost before he finds his own voice. In the meantime, his current band plays with a concise potency that fills a contemporary void.

    - Jim Miller, Rolling Stone, 6-6-74.
     
  18. fathom

    fathom Senior Member

    Location:
    Florida
    Total masterpiece of an album. Every song is great. I love how "Bridge Of Sighs" melts right into "In This Place". "Fool And Me" is a really fun song. "Lady Love", "Little Bit of Sympathy", and "Day Of The Eagle" all have an unmistakable authority. A flawless album.
     
  19. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me! Thread Starter

    Looks like just about all that's been said about BoS has been said, so on to:

    "From Earth Below" - 1975

    1. "Shame the Devil"
    2. "It's Only Money"
    3. "Confessin' Midnight"
    4. "Fine Day" (James Dewar, Trower)
    5. "Alethea"
    6. "A Tale Untold"
    7. "Gonna Be More Suspicious" (James Dewar, Trower)
    8. "For Earth Below"


    This is the second album where Trower keeps with the formula by placing a stong, radio-friendly single at the front. I would think this is an obvious attempt at top 40 singles/radio success, except that they never issued a single for "Shame The Devil". In fact, Robin Trower singles were sporadic, and were mostly bad choices. But, they were a album band. And, again, it is followed by a brooding heavy number, and more second-tier material.

    I though it has some strong material, it is generally a weak album, IMO. I tend to lose interest in it fast. The cover isn't even that interesting.
     

    Attached Files:

  20. Jymn

    Jymn Formerly skysaxon

    Location:
    Vancouver
    Is it just me or is Dewar mixed too high compared to Trower's guitar in the first two albums?
     
  21. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me! Thread Starter

    What, his vocal or his bass?
     
  22. Jymn

    Jymn Formerly skysaxon

    Location:
    Vancouver
    C'mon. The bass is fine. The vocals so loud Trower is barely there. I love Trower and miss him on these solo releases so drowned out by 70's FM friendly vocals is he. Oh, I miss Gary Brooker at these times. (And BJ, too).
     
  23. Cymbaline

    Cymbaline Shiny Dog

    Location:
    Buda, TX
    This one of my favorites among Trower's classic period. I find I enjoy it even more than Twice Removed From Yesterday. Both are great, I just get into this one a little more.

    The highlights from this album for me are Shame The Devil, It's Only Money (I LOVE that clean Uni-Vibe'd tone, it's so spacy, and the lead guitar rules), Fine Day, and A Tale Untold. The Title track is great too, very dreamy sounding

    Confessin' Midnight and Gonna Be More Suspicious are weaker to me, and the Wah-Wah is a little much on these.
     
  24. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me! Thread Starter

    I see, you're a Procol Harum fan!:D I understand most of them don't like Trower solo stuff! Jess kiddin"!

    Anyway, as time moved on, I really think Trower was looking for more mass acceptance, and maybe thought he would back off h guitar sound a bit, as you can tell in his 80s albums. And, perhaps It was an effort to showcase Dewar's lyrics a bit more. Trower, according to a recent interview I read, says he was always trying new things and got bored fast.
     
  25. Cymbaline

    Cymbaline Shiny Dog

    Location:
    Buda, TX
    I don't get that impression on these albums, especially For Earth Below. The guitar is loud and clear on that one. It's a lot more up-front than the Procol songs I've heard (haven't heard 'em all, I admit), since there's so much less instrumentation in his stripped-down power trio format. There's guitar-in-your-face, bass, vocals and drums, that's it.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine