Top 10 Robin Trower Songs
Robin Trower was born on March 9, 1945, in Calford, England, and began playing guitar professionally when he was a teenager. The first time that I became aware of Trower was in spring 1971 when I purchased “Procol Harum’s” 5th album Broken Barricades. It became one of my favorite albums at the time and I especially enjoyed “Poor Mohammed” and “Simple Sister” because of the stellar guitar playing. It was the last album that Trower played on before he left and joined a band called “Jude” but nothing came of it until he launched his solo career with the release of Twice Removed From Yesterday in 1973. In 1974 he released Bridge of Sighs and it went “Gold” to become the first of four consecutive “Gold Records.” Trower confessed that his guitar playing was forever transformed after he witnessed a Jimi Hendrix performance. He developed a style of playing the guitar that was obviously influenced by Hendrix’s ethereal sound but he made it uniquely his own. The press even gave him the nickname “The White Hendrix.” His six decade career has produced 24 solo studio albums and another forty recordings that include compilations and live recordings, along with Procol Harum, Jack Bruce, and Bryan Ferry collaboration albums.
This top 10 list only scratches the surface to wet your taste and augment your appetite to hear more of his catalogue.
10. “Man of the World”
“Man of the World” appeared on Twice Removed From Yesterday Robin Trower’s 1st solo album released in 1973. The band was a power trio consisting of Robin Trower on guitar, Greg Isadore on drums along with bass player and vocalist James Dewar. Dewar’s deep soulful voice is one of the most famous and recognizable but least credited from that period of rock & roll. The song begins with a tribal rhythmic drum beat with Dewar howling “I want to be a man of the world and Trower doing a short sparse solo at the song’s midpoint.
9. “Lady Love”
“Lady Love” is from 1974’s classic Bridge of Sighs Gold album opening with a cowbell and guitar intro that only the 1970s could have effectively produced. The song is showcased by Trower’s succinct guitar solos taking off from Dewar’s high notes singing about “Dreams of love, passing by like the seasons.”
8. “Shame the Devil”
For Earth Below was released in 1975 and was the first album that Greg Isidore was replaced by Bill Lordan on drums. It became Trower’s second gold album and “Shame the Devil” got extensive airplay on “album-oriented” FM radio during the 1970s. The wah wah pedal Hendrix styled guitar playing dominated the entire cut accompanying Dewar’s singing “come on, let loose, Shame the devil.”
7. “Poor Mohammed”
“Poor Mohammed” was written and sung by Robin Trower and appears on Broken Barricades his last album with “Procol Harum” in 1971 just before he left the band. That album was the first “Procol Harum” album that I purchased and I was impressed by the guitar playing on the entire album but especially “Poor Mohammed” and “Simple Sister. Trower’s wild slide guitar is incorporated into the style that he developed during his solo career with his own band.
6. “Day of the Eagle”
Once again Bridge of Sighs produced another great song that can’t be ignored. “Day of the Eagle,” according to Robin Trower’s interview with Greg Prato, “was a love song of longing, really.” At the same time as a British citizen “Day of the Eagle” had a historical significance as a code name for a critical airstrike by the Nazis in the “Battle of Britain” on August 13, 1940. That battle turned the tide of WWII for England. Trower’s frantic guitar playing slows with the beat 3/5 of the way through allowing the next 2 minutes for a guitar solo until the song fades out.
5. “Just Another Day”
In 2007 Robin Trower and bass player Jack Bruce collaborated on their third studio album together called Seven Moons. “Just Another Day” is a gem that allows Trower to interweave his guitar with Bruce’s vocals. Gary Husband plays drums to complete the power trio that is reminiscent of Bruce’s 1960s supergroup “Cream,” but replacing Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker. Trower’s guitar playing is ethereal and haunting as it plays off Bruce’s vocals and explores the sonic limits radiating from the melody and lyrical delivery.
4. “20th Century Blues”
When the 20th Century Blues album was released in 1994 it was a change of pace for Trower. He just spent the past three years reuniting with “Procol Harum” for an album and tour as well as collaborating with Peter Gabriel on two albums. The album returns to the power trio format with Livingstone Brown on bass, vocals, and keyboards and Clive Mayuyu on drums. Trower fully stepped back into the blues rock genre as he once again pulls out all the stops with incendiary guitar riffs interwoven with raspy and soulful vocals.
3. “Long Misty Days”
Long Misty Days was the title of Robin Trower’s fourth solo album and third Gold record that was released in 1976. It was also the title song and was propelled by a slow blues groove that accompanied Dewar as he sang “Long Misty Days, told me they, would change their ways.” Dewar’s throbbing bass is accompanied by Bill Lordan’s measured drumbeat as Trower delicately picks out sustained notes on his droning guitar.
2. “Too Rolling Stoned”
“Too Rolling Stoned” comes from Robin Trower’s second solo album Bridge of Sighs. After the album shot up into “Billboard’s” top 10 and became his first Gold record it became one of those albums that didn’t have a bad track. Back in the days of vinyl the record grooves would become widened from overplaying and you would have to tape a quarter to the needle arm to keep it from skipping. From the opening drum and bass groove to Trower’s blistering mid song solo, the song is a classic.
1. “Bridge of Sighs”
The “Bridge of Sighs” is an enclosed limestone bridge that was built in Venice Italy in 1600. It connected the prison to the inquisitor’s room in the main palace. In the 19th century, Lord Byron named the bridge by telling the story of how prisoners sighed as they were led to their execution. According to Trower, the album title was actually inspired by the name of a favored racehorse listed in the newspaper. The song itself is a beautiful ethereal repetitive riff amid the howling wind.
Anything of the first 3 classic solo albums could fit on this list but from the rest I’d recommend “Blues For Soul”, “Extermination Blues”, “Someday Blues”, “Next In Line”, “Shining Through” and “The Turning”.
Dear Bob,
I enjoyed this article very much.
Robin Trower is my favorite guitarist of all time since I first heard his music on the radio in 1975 when I was 13. I have seen him live about 2 dozen times at various venues in the San Francisco Bay Area over the years starting in 1980.
My inclusions for songs would have included Daydream, Bluebird, and Where You Are Going To.
Just to make a correction: The artist That Robin worked with in the early 90’s was Bryan Ferry, not Peter Gabriel.
In closing John Lee Hooker lived in various locations in the bay area, and lived a block away from my wife and I during the early 90’s before moving about 10 miles south just past Stanford University in the heart of Silicon Valley before his death.
P.S. I love lots of music, Motown, Blues, Grand Funk, Soul, Progressive, Punk, Folk, southern rock etc….
Regards,
Roland Kurz
Regards, Roland Kurz
Trower has been on my faves list since I started one.As a player myself his influence has been immeasurable. TY Robin….Chris
TY Robin….Chris
One song I remember from Robin’s PH days was the hard-driving Whiskey Train. It has Robin at his best.
Good it was sent …. I have one hell of a story to tell you ( Robin ) and all of your fans ! In 74 I was 14 and did not know about you. Jimi was my favorite . He died to young . I Remember complaining about that fact to a good friend of mine . He told me don’t worry about that because someone else would come along . And Robin , you sure did ! The first time
Heard about you is when you were on your sighs tour when you opened up for king crimson . I did not go to the show . The next day day at school , all day , people were talking about how good your show was . They said that you stole the show !