20th Century Blues [Import]

Robin Trower | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 23, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Demon Records UK
• ASIN: B000024E55
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,056,810 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. 20th Century Blues

2. Prisoner Of Love

3. Precious Gift

4. Whisper Up A Storm

5. Extermination Blues

6. Stepinto The Dark

7. Rise Up Like The Sun

8. Secret Place

9. Chase The Bone

10. Promise You The Stars

11. Dont Lose Faith In Tomorrow

12. Reconsider Baby

Editorial Reviews

Right around the time he was backing Bryan Ferry on a couple of albums, Robin recorded this 1993 solo LP. In addition to applying his electrifying guitar chops to Lowell Fulson's classic Reconsider Baby , Trower introduces his fine originals Step into the Dark; Secret Place; Precious Gift; Extermination Blues; Promise You the Stars , and more! --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Slightly Different Trower!, September 24, 2002

By 

deepbluereview "deepbluereview" (SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 20th Century Blues (Audio CD)

20th Century Blues is a hard rockin' blues CD that was produced in 1994. The power trio on this CD consists of Robin Trower on guitar, Mayuyu on drums and Livingstone Brown on bass and vocals. Those familiar with Trower know that the vocal duties have primarily belonged to James Dewar and in his brief absence, a host of others including Trower, Davey Pattison and, as in this case, Livingstone Brown. The CD itself contains all Trower originals with the sole exception of Lowell Fulson's "Reconsider Baby". The music is vintage Trower with plenty of dark tone and heavy riffs pouring from his Fender Strat. Livingstone's vocals are somewhat reminiscent of ZZ Top or Gov't Mule and seem to fit the bill rather nicely. As an alternative, check out Trowers own noticeably lighter vocals on the CD "Someday Blues". Overall, not Trower's best work, but very good nonetheless.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Must-Have" Trower Album, April 26, 2002

By 

Matthew W. Bovee "weeblackdoggie" (Baldwin City, KS United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 20th Century Blues (Audio CD)

From all the carping about the vocals on this CD you'd think that the blues should only be sung by the golden-throated. By the same token, I'd be the first to admit that if William Shatner signs up as vocalist for Trower, it's one of the signs that the music world as we know it may soon be due to end.

I liked this CD so much when I first got it that I listened to the whole thing over and over again. After a while a few of the songs emerged as 'graters' - I can't listen to them on high volume or repetitively, or my skin crawls. Yet, there are also songs on this album that have NEVER worn thin. Like so many Trower CDs, there is a range of material here from ok-good to amazingly good.

20th Century Blues lives up to it's name - don't expect it to deviate much from a gritty, amplified Stratocaster blues. In that sense the vocals fit it perfectly. And, with over 20 years of devoted listening to Trower, this is one of my favorite of his works. If you like Trower and you like blues, you've gotta add this to your collection.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very live feeling, August 29, 2000

By 

Mark LeSage (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 20th Century Blues (Audio CD)

I'm a guitar player and I was disappointed with some of Trower's stuff after Victims of the Fury, so I wasn't expecting much when I first heard this. But, I was blown away by the grooves on this CD!! Trower is right in the pocket on every tune. Almost all of the solos are a joy to listen to. I've decided the the solos on Reconsider Baby are Trowers best ever. I've been listening to this CD pretty regularily for a year now and I shake my head in disbelief of what I'm hearing everytime I listen to that tune. Truely amazing!!! It is rare to hear a person work the guitar like that. Another great thing about this CD is its live vibe. All the track were recorded live in the studio with only a few obvious overdubs. The noise and buzzing is all a natural product of the event (amps cranked) and really makes me feel like I'm right there in the studio. You can even hear the dirt in Trowers worn out wah pedal! I love it! There's no makeup covering the imperfections on this one. That's the way it should be, IMHO! You can't go wrong with this CD. The vocals are a bit annoying at first (not too bad), but after you pay attention to the guitar playing you'll forget there's any singing on the cd anyway.