The Robin Trower Album-by-Album Thread

LOVE your enthusiasm Most of Trowers old fans hopped off his bandwagon a few albums back. I lost interest right after Back it Up, then years later thought I would try him again. If you think of THIS Robin as a different group I think he holds up VERY well. If you try to compare it to the
"Dewer era" Trower I feel it falls short. This release is outstanding IMO, I'm listening to it right now. I'm betting this thread dies soon, but I hope we can finish his discography, a HIGHLY under-rated artist

 

I am just discovering this release "Living out of Time", and there are several very good tracks on it (I especially enjoy: Sweet Angel, One Less Victory, Ain't Gonna Wait, The Past Untied). I had a few free download coupons and downloaded some of the songs while I am awaiting the arrival of the CD which I had ordered via Amazon Marketplace.

I think there are two mixes available for this album, at least that is what I have read and also heard by listening to some sound samples on Amazon. The release pictured above with the photo of Robin is the newer remix, which is noticeably louder. I haven't done any critical listening comparisons, but it seems I prefer the earlier version.

 

Living Out Of Time: Live

Ruf Records 2005
DVD or CD

"This fascinating 13-song performance was recorded by the famous WDR Rockpalast on Robin Trower's 60th birthday, March 9th 2005 at the Crossroads Festival in Germany."

"One thing I've always loved and respected about Robin Trower is his amazing ability to stay true to himself and his classic sound, even thirty years later.
He consistently releases new CDs as well, without the all too common trait of mellowing out while entering the final stages of musical maturity, like others whose names we need not mention.
Living Out Of Time stays true to that form. He feels as though his playing is at his best right now, and I'm certain fans will agree.
His signature Strat tone and blues-rock showmanship are highlighted throughout, alongside the superb vocals of Davey Pattison, his off and on vocalist since Passion.
Pattison's soulful voice is very reminiscent of former, beloved Trower vocalist, James Dewar.
The superb rhythm section is bassist Dave Bronze and drummer Pete Thomson, both longtime Trower band members as well.

Following a warm introduction, the band breaks into an exuberant `Too Rolling Stoned'.
The opening chord segues into a wailing lead that ensues until the pause, where the recognizable riff gets it all pumping strong.
That distorted wah-wah technique that Trower has always been known for is the tone of the moment.
Davey Pattison belts out, "Oh, a stitch in time just about saved me, from going through the same old moves."
You're in classic rock heaven now, and primed for the 13-song set, full of those wonderful blues-rock jams and wailing guitar solos.

All this time, you may be looking at the screen and at the birthday boy, healthy and strong, yet sixty all the same.
Not only are his chops and technique still in place, but the music is just as it was thirty years ago, maybe even better in certain areas.
And as I had mentioned earlier, Pattison's voice fits like a glove. He takes a break for the song `Breathless', where Trower takes to the mic.
He does a fairly decent job at it, too. There's a mixture of new and old material in the set, making things very interesting.

The DVD and the CD are identical in content; though, from a staunch Trower fans point of view, it's great to have one for the car and another to watch in the living room.
The difference is that he's more personable with the audience on the DVD, because most of the chatter was left off the CD.
The DVD starts with the audience singing 'Happy Birthday' while holding up lit sparklers, representing celebrative candles.
Robin then thanks them, adding, "Just give me a few minutes to make sure I'm not in tune."
It made me think, because other than being humorous, that statement could mean a few different things to guitarists.
There's a picture gallery and an interesting interview on the DVD as well.

All in all, it's great to finally get a Robin Trower DVD, viewable in 16:9 picture format and recorded in quality Dolby Digital 5.1/2.0 PCM Stereo sound."

Track listing:
01. Too Rolling Stoned
02. Sweet Angel
03. What's Your Name
04. Rise Up Like The Sun
05. Daydream
06. Living Out Of Time
07. Breathless
08. Day Of The Eagle
09. Bridge Of Sighs
10. Close Every Door
11. I Want You To Love Me
12. Please Tell Me
13. Little Bit Of Sympathy

Personnel:
Robin Trower: guitar
Davey Pattison: vocals
Dave Bronze: bass
Pete Thomson: drums

Director: Peter Sommer
Producer: Reinhard Wulf and Peter Sommer
Executive Producer: Thomas Ruf

http://www.amazon.com/Robin-Trower-Living-Time-Live/dp/B000BPK2MA
http://www.modernguitars.com/holland/archives/001631.html
http://blogcritics.org/music/article/dvd-review-robin-trower-living-out/

 

Thanks for keeping this thread alive.

Has anyone compared the sonics of the CD version vs. the LPCM 2.0 of the DVD?

I haven't heard this release yet but might pick it up someday.

 

Great Thread

Been a big Trower Since My Dad Saw Bridge Of Sighs In a 2 dollar Bin at a now closed Record Store about 6 Years ago Been hooked ever since

 

Thanks for your post yesterday which re-reminded me about this other RT thread!

FWIW - A correction from my post #303. It's Pete Thompson on drums, not Pete Thomson.

 

http://guitarinternational.com/wpmu/2010/11/17/robin-trower-the-living-out-of-time-interview/

 

Jack Bruce & Robin Trower

Seven Moons

2007 CD V-12/Big Daddy 50111
2008 CD Evangeline (UK) 4116

"Jack Bruce must have enjoyed his 2005 get-together with Cream so much that, when Clapton and Baker were unwilling to continue the collaboration,
he rang up Robin Trower to renew the brief power trio fling they had in the mid-'80s.
The Trower-Bruce pairing had released only two albums, B.L.T. and Truce, and was dormant since 1982,
so this 2007 reunion was somewhat of a continuation of the project, albeit one separated by a quarter century.

The results impressively continue where Truce left off, as Bruce brings his distinctive croon/moan to bluesy, riff-oriented tunes dominated by Trower's silvery guitar runs.
Gary Husband fills the drum slot adequately if inconspicuously, but his contributions are mixed so far under Bruce's vocals and Trower's guitar that they are secondary.
The previous two releases called in Trower's old Procol Harum lyricist Keith Reid and Bruce collaborator Peter Brown to write the words,
but Bruce and Trower pen these 11 songs without outside assistance.
Most tunes such as "Lives of Clay," a barely concealed rewrite of Cream's "Politician" lick, revisit familiar territory, and clearly these guys are not out to expand any boundaries.
Bruce, who has had serious medical problems since they last recorded, sounds terrific -- strong and vibrant,
even if a few tunes such as the minor-key ballad "I'm Home" seem somewhat clunky.

This disc's "So Far to Yesterday" recalls Trower's "Twice Removed from Yesterday" both in its title and general mood.
The yin/yang pairing keeps Bruce's more oblique jazz influences in check and does the same for Trower's space rock instincts,
yielding a throwback that fans of both artists' previous work should enjoy.
Trower's patented Hendrix-styled guitar adds a psychedelic edge to songs that generally stick to a midtempo lope and never blast out with Cream's insistent power,
which can be somewhat frustrating to anyone who would like to hear these guys let loose.
Still, there are enough strong moments on Seven Moons to recommend it, especially to those who enjoyed the duo's previous work 25 years ago." Hal Horowitz

Track listing:
01. Seven Moons 4:40
02. Lives of Clay 5:02
03. Distant Places of the Heart 5:23
04. She's Not the One 2:54
05. So Far to Yesterday 3:33
06. Just Another Day 5:29
07. Perfect Place 3:46
08. The Last Door 5:08
09. Bad Case of Celebrity 4:04
10. Come to Me 4:43
11. I'm Home 3:11

Personnel:
Jack Bruce: vocals, bass
Robin Trower: guitar, vocals
Gary Husband: drums

All songs written by Jack Bruce and Robin Trower except Just Another Day by Bruce, Trower, Watts
Published by JBM Publishing/Secret Doors Music.
Tracks recorded at Intimate Studios, Engineered by Paul Madden
Mixed by Marc Desisto at Lukesroom Studio
Mastered by James Hadley at Mastering Lab, Hollywood


http://www.allmusic.com/album/seven-moons-r1315443
http://www.jackbruce.com/2008/Music/Albums/seven_moons.htm
http://www.robintrower.com/discography.html

 

Just received, and am listening to Daydream live from the Classic 1976 Robin Trower Live...the original first US CD, bought here in the classyfrieds. Used to drive very slowly in 1976 w/the 8 track in my '73 Gran Torino Sport, and play the original vinyl at home (still do).

This album is ageless !!!!

 

A few interviews around the time of and in the year or two after the initial release of Seven Moons.

http://www.vintagerock.com/rtrower_interview.aspx
http://www.getreadytorock.com/rock_stars/jack_bruce.htm
http://www.premierguitar.com/magazine/issue/2009/jan/robin_trower_seven_moons_tone.aspx

 

I received my Amazon Marketplace CD of the album "Living out of Time" today. It is the version with the colored squares on the front.

This is really a great album, and also well recorded, very warm and analogue sounding. There are some acoustic rhythm guitar parts on quite a few of the tracks, which gives a nice feel. The recording is also quite dynamic, without much compression added (but only the version with the guitar on the front cover, that version is remixed and much louder).

The last track (which wasn't avaialable as a download) is totally awesome and over 10 minutes long.

Highly recommended!!!

 

Huge Trower fan i have seen him live at least 20 times!

 

Have been listening to "Living out of Time" now three times in a row. Can't believe how good that album is. Beautiful sound, dynamic and natural sounding. And some totally outstanding songs: "One Less Victory", "Sweet Angel" (reminds me a lot of "Spanish Castle Magic", but in a very good way), "Ain't Gonna Wait". And the last track "I Want to Take You with Me" runs over 10 minutes and is just awesome.

I love this album, like it even better than the new one (The Playful Heart), which is also very good.

The acoustic rhythm guitar on several tracks on this album creates a very special feel, totally cool.

If you don't know this album, please try to find it, you won't regret it. Get the version with the white cover for best sound quality.

 

I just bought this CD, and I have the UK Demon release with catalog number FIENDCD 753, but there is no bonus live track on it.

Where have you seen the release with the extra live track?

 

Good question.

The extra track live track is listed on the Billboard and wiki sites but is not on my V12 CD.

Because they have often added an extra bonus track or two for many of their reissues in the past, I must have assumed in error, that it was on the Demon release.

 

I like Twice Removed From Yesterday & Bridge of Sighs best.

Parts of Caravan to Midnight.

Not much outside of those.

 

Has anyone heard the 2007 re-master of Bridge of Sighs?

I'm wondering if it's worth upgrading from the original cd?

 

Today I received the 2011 re-release of "Another Days Blues" on Repertoire.

The sticker on the front of the digipack says - among other things: "Expertly remastered."

I hope they didn't make it even louder than the original 2005 release on V12 Records. Does anybody have the original version of that album on CD from 2005? Could you please be so nice to post Dynamic Range values for the individual tracks (I would assume that the peak levels are probably not so helpful, probably all the same like 100% or slightly lower)?

Also, was the original release also in a digipack or was it a jewel case release?

Thanks a lot!

 

The dynamic range of this CD is a total disgrace...

Code:

foobar2000 1.1.10 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2012-09-18 22:18:06

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Robin Trower / Another Days Blues
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR         Peak         RMS     Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR5       -0.10 dB    -6.10 dB      2:54 01-Inside Out
DR6       -0.09 dB    -7.69 dB      4:43 02-Someday Blues
DR5       -0.10 dB    -6.74 dB      4:54 03-Sweet Little Angel
DR4       -0.10 dB    -5.17 dB      4:44 04-21st Century Blues
DR5       -0.10 dB    -6.69 dB      3:37 05-Next In Line
DR5       -0.10 dB    -6.98 dB      3:39 06-Go My Way
DR7       -0.10 dB    -8.45 dB      4:50 07-Extermination Blues
DR5       -0.10 dB    -6.02 dB      3:59 08-Looking For A True Love
DR6       -0.10 dB    -8.40 dB      5:14 09-Shining Through
DR7       -0.09 dB    -7.54 dB      3:28 10-Crossroads
DR6       -0.09 dB    -7.06 dB      4:13 11-Feel So Bad
DR5       -0.09 dB    -7.02 dB      5:37 12-This Blue Love
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks:  12
Official DR value: DR5

Samplerate:        44100 Hz
Channels:          2
Bits per sample:   16
Bitrate:           1411 kbps
Codec:             CDDA
================================================================================