Tag Archives: Robin Trower

Day Of The Robin Trower

16 Jun

Yes, my proclivity to make horrendous musical puns is lousy, but you will need to bear with me. This post is not about my diction. I’d prefer to preview the concert I will be attending later at B.B. King’s Bar and Grill where one of rock n’ roll’s best guitarists will be gracing the stage with his custom-built Fender Strat. I want to stress some words in that last sentence. One of rock’s BEST guitarists. You can see I am slightly disgruntled with Trower’s treatment in the world of top guitarist lists.

Here is my issue. Trower does not find his way onto the Rolling Stone Top 100 Guitarists List. I know it is only one list, but it is the damn Rolling Stone’s list and most people use Rolling Stone’s selections as a “best” guitarist indicator. You may not use the list as an indicator, but for those who are not knowledgeable enough to make an independent decision on the subject, the Rolling Stone list is an organized and concise reference. And this lack of recognition derides Trower’s skill and passion. I think it is time we start recognizing one of the rock’s most unappreciated guitarists a little more. If you have any question about his talent, watch this:

Trower is not only a guitarist, but also a solid lyricist who began his songwriting with Procul Harum (even though he is overshadowed because the band was stacked with great songwriters). He had previously been in a band with high-school friend Gary Brooker called the Paramounts, but after they disbanded Brooker founded Procul Harum and Trower ended up on deck in 1967. If you are familiar with Harum’s maritime baroque rock, the last sentence features an awful pun.

Even though Procul Harum featured a lot of dominant piano-rock, Trower shines through on some pieces like on “Something Following Me” where his fuzzy guitar solo is unique and executed well.

Trower’s guitar success did not fully evolve until he left Procul Harum and started his own Robin Trower Band. This band focused on guitar-based rock and spacey soloing. Trower focuses a lot of attention to music released in 1973-1977, where he gathered five certified gold releases and truly cemented his status among some of rock’s finest guitarists. A review of the concert will be up tomorrow. Enjoy the day!

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Becoming Jimi Hendrix and a Song for the Road

18 Oct

I have probably exhausted every photo of Mr. Jimi Hendrix that Google images has to offer. But, I can’t help it. It is hard not to write about perhaps the greatest guitarist of all time. Well, in my opinion, he is the greatest. But, what’s the sense of sparking arguments. HE’S THE BEST!

But, seriously, Jimi has not been with us on the physical Earth realm (sounds like a cliche video game) for 40 years, but he still lives on as an indelible musical presence. He is a rare music immortal, a mark in the history books one could say. Well, I am saying it. I know two people agree with me.

Steve Roby and Brad Schreiber published Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London, the Untold Story of a Musical Genius in August of this year. The book is a magnificent read and it provides a well-written, entertaining look at one of music’s greatest. It is the essential inside look at Jimi Hendrix.

PopMatters was kind enough to post an excerpt from this wonderful book and I would like to share it with all of you.

One rainy night, Private Billy Cox and a friend, after seeing a John Wayne movie, waited for the downpour to ebb. Through an open win¬dow of Service Club 1, Cox heard a solo guitar played in a wildly unique manner. He later claimed it was as if Beethoven and John Lee Hooker had merged.

“It was something the human ear hadn’t heard,” Cox reported. “I said, ‘That’s incredible!’ And the guy I was with said, ‘Sounds like shit to me.’ I went in and introduced myself to him and said I played a little upright bass, and I checked out the Danelectro he was playing.”

Boy, Jimi Hendrix was awesome.

Read the rest of the article here: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/129823-becoming-jimi-hendrix-from-southern-crossroads-to-psychedelic-london/

Let me also give you all a good song for the road. I know this is a repeat, but, I am in the guitar mood. “Bridge of Sighs” by Robin Trower is an epic piece of music. A 10 minute live version is just heavenly.

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Robin Trower is Live

22 Sep

Robin Trower has made a career of flying under the radar. He put together eye-opening guitar pieces for Procol Harum when he played lead guitar for them from 1967-1971. And then he created his own power trio and went on to record one of the best rock/blues pieces of the 1970s. Seriously, “Bridge of Sighs” (1974) is as good as it gets. But, ask about Robin Trower today, and besides the classic rock intelligentsia composed of people who lived during the era and classic rock diehards like myself, most people do not know about the wonders of Robin Trower. But, tonight, I want to dig slightly deeper into Robin Trower. I want to go under his more known Bridge of Sighs and Twice Removed From Yesterday (1973) and explore the realm of one of Trower’s underrated, underrated albums. You following me? The man is underrated twice over. Go underneath the surface and find the awesome chocolate filling.

Robin Trower Live - 1976

Robing Trower’s power trio (which also consisted of drummer Bill Lordan and excellent vocalist James Dewar) performed a live set for the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation. The concert was at the Stockholm Concert Center in Sweden. It took place on Feb. 3, 1975. In an interview with Guitar Player magazine in 2006, Trower said that they were not aware the show was being taped, thinking they were playing for a radio broadcast only. “We were loose and uninhibited, and we played one of our best shows,” said Trower.

It was not one of their best shows…it was their best show. The sound that seeped from his guitar that night was magical. And, one cannot forget about the wonderful drumming by Lordan and Dewar’s croon. As for live albums, the album is not looked at as one of the better ones of the favorites, but, I am telling you tonight that it is certainly up there. The album is a must-listen and if you like good blues guitar you should start listening to Mr. Trower.

Here is “Alethea” which he also performed in Sweden. This recording is in London in 1975.

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