Essential Robin Trower-- Guitar As Filtered Through the Tao of Jimi
Written: Aug 02 '04 (Updated Sep 06 '06)
Product Rating:
Pros: Great riffs by Robin Trower, James Dewar's bluesy growl
Cons: Power trio has its limitations
The Bottom Line: Essential works as a solid introduction to Trower's work for the casual fan and as a representative greatest hits from his extensive, although highly inconsistent catalog.
MiDoyle's Full Review: Essential Robin Trower by Robin Trower
Some critics have been dismissive of the guitar gifts and musicianship of Robin Trower [born 1945-] because his influences [Jimi Hendrix] are so upfront. This criticism ignores the fact that Trower was a contemporary of Hendrix and was bound to be influenced by him, as was every other guitarist of the time.
In the liner notes for his Essential collection, Trower is upfront about the influence, quoted (as taken from a Guitar Player review):
“Hendrix rewrote the language of the electric guitar. I felt, right or wrong, that there was no way you could move forward without absorbing at least part of what he created. If you wanted to progress, then first of all you had to deal with it. The same thing happened when I first heard B.B. King—I had to absorb that.”
However one feels about “borrowing from other musicians,” Essential gives a solid representation of Trower’s considerable facility with a Fender Stratocaster. Culled from his Chrysalis catalog, Essential quotes from eight albums worth of material, released during Trower’s peak years of 1973-1983.
Trower's most successful trio lineup of James Dewar [1942-2002] on bass and vocals, with Bill Lordon on drums is well represented here. The majority of tracks feature this lineup. Lordon is a propulsive drummer of considerable skill and Dewar’s vocal and songwriting abilities, if not his bass playing, was an integral aspect of the successful Trower sound. (Also appearing with Trower during this timeframe were drummer Reg Isidore, and bassist Rusty Allen.)
Tracks (Albums)
Too Rolling Stoned (Bridge of Sighs)
Lady Love (Bridge of Sighs)
Bridge of Sighs (Bridge of Sighs)
Daydream (Twice Removed From Yesterday)
Shame the Devil (For Earth Below)
Hannah (Twice Removed From Yesterday)
Messin’ the Blues (Long Misty Days)
Pride (Long Misty Days)
Alethea (Live)
Confessin’ Midnight (For Earth Below)
Victims of the Fury (Victims of the Fury)
Gonna be More Suspicious (For Earth Below)
Sweet Wine of Love (In City Dreams)
I Can’t Wait Much Longer (Twice Removed From Yesterday)
Into Money (B.L.T.)
Bluebird (In City Dreams)
Total: 71.28
Trower’s Hendrix influence should be acknowledged, but also his grounding in R&B grooves and blues riffs that are at once workmanlike and psychedelic exploratory divergences into how to bend a string to a guitarist’s will. Trower’s guitar-work consistently rises above the material, and the power trio lineup allows him the flexibility to take the guitar on explosive jaunts through his influences as filtered through Marshall Amps and some well worn effects pedals.
Some will find the material a tad repetitive (and dated due its 1970s feel) which is the one disadvantage of not employing a keyboardist or rhythm player to round out the sound more, but the power trio lineup lends an emotional resonance to the songs of passion, pain, loneliness, and love won and lost that cannot be overstated. Simply put, Robin Trower rocks. ( four stars )
Essential works as a solid introduction to Trower’s work for the casual fan and as a representative greatest hits from his extensive, although highly inconsistent catalog. The song selection does ignore some older gems but the focus on Trower’s guitar and the strong trio he had with Dewar and Lordon makes sense. Arguably, Bridge of Sighs remains the one Trower album every guitar fan should have.
Quibbles
The instrumental Caravan to Midnight and the hit Won’t Let You Down from BLT were left off.
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