Customer Reviews

For Earth Below/Live

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Good to see Trower finally emerging from the confining 'Hendrix-clone' tag that dogged him throughout the 70s & 80s. True, the influence permeates all of his 70s work, but here's two news-flashes: 1), there's a difference between an honest, heartfelt homage and a crass, note for note ripoff; and 2) Hendrix strongly influenced EVERYONE in the early-to-mid 1970s. (Maybe the bigger insult to Trower was the way he was continually associated with Frank Marino's Mahogany Rush - we'll know the reissue boom is totally out of gas when HIS annotated box set comes out.) Vintage Robin Trower lps provided not just scads of soulful, distortion-heavy guitar but the supernatural blues vocals of bassist Jimmy Dewar, who's maybe my favorite singer of this era. He never imposes himself or overstays his welcome in a song, and he knew how to modulate that husky low tenor like an instrument. (I was shocked & saddened to learn of his debilitating stroke in the late 80s. This truly is a musician whose recorded work needs to be reappraised up to its true value). Brit label BGO has been quietly doing the fan a favor by reissuing the remastered back catalog on twofer CDs at an affordable price...I recommend starting here, as this one features Trower's best studio album along with a brilliant live-in-Stockholm set from '76. FOR EARTH BELOW captures the band honing the spacy blues-rock of their first two records to a diamond-tipped point, resulting in ferocious jams like 'Confessin Midnight' and the shimmering icy perfection of the title cut....after 20+ years, I still get chills hearing this song. And the live tracks are KILLER. 'Daydream' is not only enduringly gorgeous but as deeply-felt a tribute to the shade of Jimi Hendrix as you'll ever encounter....he's not mimicking a technique here, he's summoning, and capturing, a moment in time from out of thin air. Incredible version of this song! In fact, Trower himself - always a modest, unassuming, almost ascetic personality - seemed a little out of his element even by 1976, as if was '66 when he'd gone to sleep the night before. When he eventually teamed up with Jack Bruce at decade's end, it felt almost inevitable.

The critical album on this release is "Live." Anyone curious to hear how good an electric guitar can possibly sound should purchase this CD. Trower deals in both overdriven and clean sounds with his Fender Strat, and his use of effects like the wah-wah pedal and the Uni-Vibe, while sometimes drawing unfair and shallow comparisons to Hendrix, is unparallelled in grace and style.

When Trower unleashes a sustained feedback note (i.e. near the end of "Daydream"), I want it to last thirty minutes. But he's also capable of dramatic bursts and flurries of notes, punctuated by bends and whammy bar workouts ... as Robert Fripp himself noted, Robin Trower has mastered the "bends and wobbles."

During the last solo of "Lady Love," Trower plays a pinch harmonic that is THE sweetest single note I ever heard, anywhere.

Jimmy Dewar lays down a great bass groove throughout - and his voice is quite powerful. He has a rich, soulful vibrato that compliments the music nicely.

Bill Lordan is a good, jazzy drummer, although occasionally his cymbals do clutter the sound, especially on the live album. But let's face it, the reason we are all listening to this is to hear what Robin is gonna play next :)

I could write pages about how great this CD is - do not wait a minute longer. Order it!

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 concerts, 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 homewards. 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. 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, James, 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 in front of an audience. It is my favorite of his 70's records. To hear the amazing track: "Daydream" in this majestic form, will leave you gasping, It is a wonder to hear Robin live,and what he plays here is haunting and beautiful, and this material 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 live 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!
Four Stars!!!

I'll confine my comments to the Live album. Robin Trower Live is a gem, and has always been one of my very favorite recordings. This was a very special band. James Dewar is a great singer, with a deep, smoky, melancholy delivery that is the perfect complement to the music. The drummer, Bill Lordan, is one of the most criminally underrated drummers in rock. His playing here is fast, explosive, heavy , funky and hard, with beautiful cymbal work and thrilling fills ( and a short, absolutely kick-ass solo ). Trower, of course, is astonishing. He can play blindingly fast or he can wring bucketfuls of soul out of one heartbreaking note. He demonstrates an unerring and tasteful mastery of the use of feedback, but mainly he just blows your mind again and again with his ability to play the damn guitar. There are so many guitarists who are celebrated who don't have a tenth of Trower's talent. If you like heavy, bluesy rock guitar, you should probably own this album. By the way, I've seen Trower three times in concert, and he is wicked on stage. He blows away his audiences with his guitar, and charms them with his friendliness and his obvious joy in playing the guitar.

This is actually two albums of course, and each has its own personality. Both are excellent in their own ways. The live album is more upbeat and aggressive, while the studio album is laid back and 'trippier', a delight for the chemically challenged among us.

The knock on Trower has always been that he was a Hendrix clone. I have never subscribed to that theory, though he was of course influenced by Hendrix, who wasn't? But I have never listened to a Trower album and thought "Gee that sounds just like Hendrix". I really don't see that much similarity. Trower is a great guitarist in his own right, just listen to "Too Rolling Stoned" once and I'm sure you'll agree.

Face it folks, guitar gods are a dime a dozen. You can find many guitarists who are as good or better than Robin Trower technically. You won't find more than a handful who bring the complete package that you'll find on this album. Listen carefully... the singer can actually sing! The songs have melodies! Too many guitar wizards do nothing more than blister their way through scales and chord progressions so fast that it may as well be coming out of a computer program. Music is about emotion and soul. Pete Townshend said in a song "It's the singer, not the song.. that makes the music move along". That's why this album is BETTER than Hendrix, Better than Satriani, Better than Vai etc. etc. It's music beyond mere technique. It has soul, it has something to say. Listen to it.

I have owned these two albums as LPs for more than a quarter of a century, and the combined CD for around a year. And yet I have learned much from reading the other reviews here, which are a joy to read.

There is nothing more that I can add to their comments. For once, there is nothing that you need to know about the artist's background, in order to fully appreciate his music. To mention his five albums with Procol Harum merely puts the prospective buyer off the scent. He is much, more more like Hendrix, but more disciplined and without the excess.

These ARE his best two albums. Buy the CD before it gets deleted.

ROBIN TROWER!! I can see where the influences can be (use of the Univibe, Fuzzface,etc) but he stands alone in his "quality of sound".And great tunes also! He always has a great sound, plays with great style, and gives 100% on everything he plays (Isn't that the three ingredients of any great musical artist?) I wore out my LP version of "Live" when I was a kid and still get the same hair raising feeling when I hear it today. The track order of this disc should be tracks 9-15 first then tracks 1-8. "Live" should have been first so if you buy this, listen to it in that order. He is a true virtuoso of the instrument with a unique vibrato. Any electric guitarist that uses effects will learn something from this recording. Check out also James Dewar's bass playing and vocals,(especially the last chorus of "I Can't Wait Much Longer"...Whew!) and Bill Lordan's drumming.(Solo at the end of "Alethea"!!!)
Check it out!
Also recommend: Robin Trower/ "Bridge Of Sighs"

There is not much more to be said than, "buy it now". If you have never heard this collection, you are really missing out. I remember having to special order these a few years back, and they were very much worth the extra money and wait. They are still my favorite RT albums. The song "For Earth Below" is worth the price alone. This is a great place to start if you have never heard Robin Trower before. And if you only have "Bridge of Sighs"...then what are you waiting for..this is better!

When I was barely a teen pup, I went to my first concert in upstate New York, and it was Robin Trower. (Starz and Starcastle opened for him!) It was a simple, straightforward power trio...with Dewar to the left, Bill Lordan and his green kit in the center, and Trower off to the right. Boy, did these guys HOLD the stage. It was 1976, and Trower was in the tower of his creative power, and I suspect the muse was hovering the closest to him during this period ('75-76). For anyone who never saw him live during this period, this two disc set will be your ticket to his extraordinary grace and now legendary live performances. Was there ever a better vocalist for his style than James Dewar? Hear for yourself. Listen to the bear weep on "Daydream', after the plowing and reckless "ballet" of "Too Rolling Stoned". You'll leave it all wanting more. Easily, one of the best two disc sets you could purchase in all of the rock canon. The era of players like Trower is all of over, but you can relish the past with this token of vindication.

Any rock fan knows that "Bridge Of Sighs" is one of the best rock albums of all time.
But if you love "Bridge" you must have these 2 albums. "Bridge" is an A+ but these are both A's. "For Earth Below" is an incredible follow up to "Bridge". It keeps the same feel but the song writing is even tighter. "Trower Live" is one of the best live rock records ever made. The feedback ferocity and finesse on "Daydream" is worth the price alone. If you like Trower, these are must have LP's.