Above The Rest
By 1975 after the Success of his first two Albums, Robin Trower was either Loved or Dissed. If you were Lucky enough to attend one of his Shows, there is no way you could admit that anyone on the Planet was going to play with more emotion and fire than this Man with the bangs, that always dressed in white. If you were Thick, you would write-off the Amazing Talents of this Artist as an: "Hendrix Clone".
I was in attendence in San Francisco at the Winterland Arena when Bill Graham made a Blunder. He placed Robin Trower, second on the Bill to Fifties Parody Rockers: Sha Na Na. Robin's Set lasted well over an hour, and almost all of the contents of: "Twice Removed From Yesterday" and "Bridge Of Sighs" were Performed. With Jaws dropped and still Gasping, over half the Audience left and headed Home. It was the Greatest Guitar playing, I have ever witnessed on any Stage, nobody had a Right to Headline over Robin Trower in 1974...Nobody.
How do you Top, "Bridge Of Sighs"? Only Robin, himself could answer that Question. He simply continued writing Music and Playing Guitar, and in 1975, He released his Third Album: "For Earth Below". It is a worthy successor to the Greatness of his First Two Recordings. Except for the addition of a New Drummer; Bill Lordan, this is what we were all expecting from Robin, more Great Songs and more of his Incredible Playing.
"Shame The Devil" sets the tone as a solid Rock/Funk Opener. "It's Only Money", is slow and spacey, and Robin uses his Effect Pedals to fly over you to find Notes that exist only out in those Galaxies that he is able to soar to. James Dewar with that gruff Voice is a counterpoint to Robin's Guitar, he has never been given his Due as a Great Vocalist, he gives each Number on: "For Earth Below", 150 Per Cent of his Talents. And the New Man; Bill Lordan, does an execellent Job as well with his Solid Playing and accents to everything featured here.
Faster Numbers: "Gonna Be Suspicous" and "Alethea" melt together with the Slower Tunes: "Fine Day" and the dreamlike Title Track to make this a Well-Rounded Record. "For Earth Below" does not Top: "Bridge Of Sighs", but it is that Record's Equal, in every way.
"Live" was brought out in 1976 and DOES show what Robin's music becomes when he Plays Live. It is my Favorite of his 70's Records. To hear "Daydream" alone will leave you Gasping, It is a Wonder to hear Robin and what he plays here is Haunting, and it is so full of Fury at the same time. When he held that One Note, {For Days} everybody at the Concert, I attended, was right there with him for the Journey and we could not believe this was happening. "Too Rolling Stoned" goes so much beyond it's Studio Cousin, as does "I Can't Wait Much Longer", that had Grown Wings since it's first appearance in 1973. The Studio Recordings are Fine, but they only HINT at what Robin plays in Concert. "Live" is a Must-Own, for anyone who likes Rock and Rock Guitar. And when you think about what is not included, it is indeed a Shame that the Full Concert has never been brought forth.
This BGO Two-Fer Disc, is a Bargain. This is One, not to be Missed!
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Collectible Trower
Reissued double set with post Bridge of Sighs studio album For Earth Below and unforgettable Robin Trower Live, now out of print with the exception of this double set. The CD format is not standard for the USA and would not play in my car's CD player. The set can be duped with Windows Media Player and you can burn a custom CD with only the songs you want to hear, which has become my preferred method for music on the go.
The showstopper here is "Rock Me Baby" on the Live album. As good as Trowers original songs are, it's always a treat to hear the blues played full force with inspiring tone and authority. Having heard most if not all of Robin's material, including the concert clips from Youtube, this ranks as my all time favorite Trower cut. It's a rare event when a performance like this is captured on tape. It was one of those nights when everything came together in spectacular fashion.
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