Customer Reviews

Passion

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I just sort of stumbled accross this obscure Trower album. Some other reviewers are [mad] its not the 70s Trower self indulgent long psychelic solo stuff. Its not. The guitar solos are woven in 4 minute vocal song format, mostly. They are bluesy, haunting and beautiful especially on "Night" which is one of those songs you want to play over & over again. This is the r&b end of pop rock. If you think you're too good for pop rock, then go back in whatever bag you like. In the planning of Passion I can see Trower's agent/ record company pleading or demanding something commercial to get him back on the charts. Robin Trower's strong suit has always been his melancholic, sweetly lyrical side--with an ability to give it a blistering rock edge. Its here in spades. If Dylan could make Nashville Skyline, why can't Trower do this cool record?

This L.P. never got any airplay when it came out but like most of RT's work. He's done great stuff since bridge of sighs L.P. (which is a Top notch classic to be sure) but there's so much more to this artist, and this is a great slice of him from a more modern time in his career. It is both as polished as it is Lyrical and strong. I absolutly love this L.P. It Rocks hard and yet is still very soulful as well. Not that anyone who listens to trower dose'nt know he has always had a knack for that as well as the knack for always finding great english vocalist that seem to have the same strong passionate sound to them. I find The vocals on all his albums stand up to match his great guitar vituoso.

Seems to be some confusion about the vocalist, Davey Pattison.

Background :Ronnie Montrose was looking for a singer for his new band called Gamma.
His first choice was the late, great James Dewar, who fronted Robin Trower's band for years.
James turned him down, but..he did know of an unknown, quality singer, for Ronnie Montrose.
That's right...it was Davey Pattison that James Dewar recommended for Gamma.
He told Ronnie, "You'll like him . He sounds like me".

As for Passion... It's a modern Trower versus vintage Trower argument.

About as effective an argument of; new guitars versus old guitars , OR apples & oranges.

What about Clapton ? There's something to talk about. HA!

It does contain some worthwhile songs.

No Time is in the best tradition of Trower blues.
Secret Doors is a great, Trower style rocker.
Passion is good song.
If Forever & Night are good, slower numbers.

It may not be his best record, but it's good overall.

It's good that people enjoy the older material.
That is music that I love.

Musicians do evolve and change over the years.
How boring if all he ever played was the same thing, over & over & over...

This CD does contain some excellent guitar playing from Robin.

By the way, I saw this tour and the band sounded GREAT !

Don't get stuck on Too Rolling Stoned :)

Robin Trower is irriplaceable. Trower has been touring consistantly and he has kept in tune. Maybe to some people he was more spacey, funky in the SEVENTIES, but life moves on. Robin Trower on "PASSION" re-invents himself. He might have added some keyboards but it only added a taste more of the blues. "PASSION" might have aimed towards pop music but it was done with a trimmed down overdub effect. This is a more stipped down almost live sound that the band uses. Trower does the same in "SOMEDAY BLUES" another excellent album which features TROWER on Vocals. I am much older now than in my youthful "SEVENTIES", and I do not find as much time on my hands to listen to music for extended periods of time, but I have to listen to this CD entirely. Soulful singing, Monster guitar riffs, meticulous rythym section.

Many critics over the years have written off Trower as a Hendrix clone but closer inspection reveals that Trower, like Jeff Beck were contemporaries of Hendrix, not mere imitators. Beck has not suffered the Hendrix comparisons, but Trower has suffered unjustly over the years. His playing is heavy on the chorus effect and that's about the only thread critics use to disparage him.
"Passion" is a slick synthesizer heavy album but Trower doesn't allow that to bully him out of the mix. Far from it. In fact, the melody quotient on this CD which apparently has just been re-released is very high, creating a piece of work that is very mature in its construction. In another world, it could have easily fit in with any number of Clapton adult contemporary albums, but instead it's too often written off as wimpy.
Tracks like "If Forever", which showcase fine vocals by Davey Pattison and a lilting lush background, gives us a view of a guitarist who is not afraid to add pristine solos over real melodies. It is refreshing, not "lazy" or "wimpy", as some suggest.
The title cut and "Night Time" are other stand out tracks. "Passion" goes down real smooth and easy - and we all need a trim around the edges now and again.

I disagree strongly with most of the previous reviewers who evidently have no taste for melodic, well-produced, blues/rock. I imagine that if I was Robin trower that, after about 10 years of playing songs featuring long guitar solos night after night, that i might be ready for a little change in style and tone in my music. And that is what this is....and it's very good. The best thing about this CD is that this singer is by far the closest sounding to James Dewar, Robin's original singer, who, in my opinion, was the best blues/rock singer of my lifetime. Robin returned to this line-up for his brand new 2005 release "Living Out of Time," so that alone ought to tell you something.

I almost fell out of my seat the first time I heard this Trower release. James Dewar was such a great singer; I never thought RT would find someone as good. I already knew Davey Pattison from his work with Ronnie Montrose in Gamma, but never imagined I would one day hear him singing with another of my favorite guitarists. He and Robin Trower teamed up to make some music that kicks. Secret Doors, If Forever, No Time are some favorites. Good music!

Very few guitarists ever achieve the ability to get past the mechanical and technical hangups and barriers of playing to allow the human soul to freely pour in to their music. Robin Trower IS one of those few.

Has a jazzy feel to it, mixed with some late 80's pop. The guitar work is smooth & the instrumental at the end wraps the record up nicely.

What should be known about Passion is that Robin, at age 42; having defined post-Hendrix, pre-Van-Halen electric guitar; and having been dropped by Chrysalis, his label of more than 15 years, found Davey Bronze as a songwriting collaborator, Neil Norman as a producer ([...]), and reinvented himself.

I was in the New Haven Coliseum in October of 1977 for the show that was recorded (with ex-Sly-Stoner, Rustee Allen, on bass) on this disc: King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: Robin Trower In Concert. I saw Robin twice during his tour to promote Passion. And I've seen him numerous times in the 20-plus years since. He's not the guy who recorded Bridge of Sighs. He's not supposed to be. He's 63 this year. And he's still growing. We can only the hope the same will be true of us at such an age.

While we're hoping, turn up "No Time" and try to imagine anyone else playing a solo so pleadingly angry -- over such jazzily cascading chords -- in any decade.