Robin Trower - Living Out Of Time (Live!) (2006)

REVIEW
(by Lindsay Planer)

Guitarist extraordinaire Robin Trower has reassembled the core of his late-'80s band, once again joining forces with Dave Bronze (bass), Davey Pattison (vocals), and Pete Thompson (drums). On 2004's Living Out of Time, they equal (if not best) their work on 1987's Passion and 1988's Take What You Need with 11 sides that reconfirm Trower's breathtaking instrumental capacity, as well as his knack for writing heavy rockers that don't come off as trite or excessive. Selections such as the soulful "Please Tell Me" and the straight-ahead title track, "Living Out of Time," reiterate the decades of comparison between Trower and Jimi Hendrix, especially in the case of the former track, which oozes with the same primordial urgency that drove Trower's earliest solo affairs. The bluesy and languid "I Want to Take You With Me," the introspective "One Less Victory," and the power balladry of "Another Time, Another Place" allow his expressions to contrast directly with the ballsy and exceedingly heavier driving riffs on "You Still Come Back" and the pulsating opener, "What's Your Name." Pattison is in good voice throughout, yet lacks the aggression that informed his earlier collaborations with Trower. In fact, there are several spots — primarily "The Past Untied" — where Pattison seems somewhat uncertain as to the tack he should take with the song. Conversely, "You Still Came Back" and the slightly sinister "Ain't Gonna Wait" sound custom-built for him. Granted, Trower may never regain the power and majesty of 1973's Twice Removed from Yesterday or the following year'sBridge of Sighs; however, this is a solid outing, more so than much of the fodder that his contemporaries (Jimmy Page, anyone?) have lent their names to for years. Enthusiasts are encouraged to give the platter a spin, as Trower Power is definitely the rule, rather than the exception, on Living Out of Time.

CREDITS
Dave Bronze / Bass
Davey Pattison / Vocals
Pete Thompson / Drums
Robin Trower / Guitar

TRACKS
1 What's Your Name (Trower) 2:59
2 Step into the Sun (Trower, Watts) 4:24
3 Another Time, Another Place (Trower) 4:38
4 Sweet Angel (Trower) 3:35
5 Please Tell Me (Trower) 4:04
6 One Less Victory (Trower) 5:32
7 Ain't Gonna Wait (Trower) 4:42
8 Living Out of Time (Trower, Watts) 3:24
9 The Past Untied (Trower, Watts) 3:24
10 You Still Came Back (Trower) 3:42
11 I Want to Take You With Me (Trower) 10:39

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Robin Trower - Someday Blues (1997)

BIOGRAPHY
(by Greg Prato)

Throughout his long and winding solo career, guitarist Robin Trower has had to endure countless comparisons to Jimi Hendrix, due to his uncanny ability to channel Hendrix's bluesy/psychedelic, Fender Strat-fueled playing style. Born on March 9, 1945, in Catford, England, Trower spent the early '60s playing guitar in various London based outfits; the most successful one being the R&B group the Paramounts, who specialized mostly in covers, but managed to issue several singles between 1963 and 1965. It wasn't until 1967 that Trower received his big break however, when he joined Procol Harum. The group had just scored a worldwide smash hit with "A Whiter Shade of Pale," but the only problem was that the band's leader, singer/pianist Gary Brooker, didn't have a proper band to back him. Brooker was previously a bandmate of Trower's in the Paramounts, and offered the guitar slot in his new fast-rising project to his old friend. As a result, Trower appeared on such Procol Harum classics as 1967's Procol Harum, 1968's Shine on Brightly, 1969's A Salty Dog, 1970's Home (which spawned the popular Trower tune "Whiskey Train"), and 1971's Broken Barricades.
While Procol Harum helped launch Trower's career, the guitarist realized there was limited space for his guitar work, and eventually left for a solo career. Enlisting singer/bassist James Dewar and drummer Reg Isidore (who was soon replaced by Bill Lordan) as a backing band, Trower issued his solo debut, Twice Removed From Yesterday, in 1973. The album barely left a dent in the U.S. charts, but that would change soon enough with his next release, 1974's Bridge of Sighs. With rock fans still reeling from Hendrix's death a few years earlier, the album sounded eerily similar to the late guitarist's work with the Jimi Hendrix Experience (especially his 1968 release, Electric Ladyland), and as a result, the album sky rocketed into the U.S. Top Ten, peaking at number seven.
Although Bridge of Sighs was to be his most popular solo release, Trower's stock continued to rise throughout the mid-'70s, as he became an arena headliner on the strength of such hit albums as 1975's For Earth Below, 1976's Robin Trower Live!, and Long Misty Days, plus 1977's In City Dreams. Further releases followed, yet by the dawn of the '80s, it became quite obvious that Trower's star was rapidly fading, as each album sold less than its predecessor. A brief union with ex-Cream bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce spawned a pair of releases, 1981's B.L.T. and 1982's Truce, before Trower returned back to his solo career.
The '80s saw Trower try and expand his audience with several releases that attempted to update his blues-rock style (such as 1987's slick produced Passion), but none returned the guitarist back to the top of the charts. During the early '90s, Trower returned back to Procol Harum for a brief reunion (1991's Prodigal Stranger), before backing ex-Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry on a few releases (1993's Taxi and 1994's Mamouna, the latter of which Trower earned a co-producer credit for). Trower continued to issue solo albums in the 21st century (2000's Go My Way), while a steady stream of live sets and compilations appeared. Trower returned to work with Ferry once more on 2002's Frantic, again earning a production credit. Reassembling most of his late-'80s band, Trower released Living Out of Time in 2004 and returned with Another Days Blues in late 2005.

REVIEW
(by Greg Prato)

Robin Trower's peak commercial period occurred during the mid-'70s, when the bluesy guitarist specialized in a style that relied heavily on the power of the almighty riff (as evidenced by just about any selection from his best known release, 1974's Bridge of Sighs). But on his 1997 offering, Someday Blues, Trower tries a different approach, as he cuts back on the Jimi Hendrix-esque riffing, and focuses more on Albert King-style licks, and letting Hammond organ fill in much of the open spaces. This approach is best sampled on "Feels So Bad" (which features some great vocalizing by Trower — who handles all singing on the album as well) and the slow-burning title track. And for fans of a classic, searing Fender Strat tone, the album-closing "Sweet Little Angel" is a must-hear. While there's nothing here that matches the six-string pyrotechnics of, say, "Day of the Eagle," Trower still proves to be a major blues-rock force on Someday Blues. It's just that now Trower puts an added emphasis on the "blues" rather than the "rock."

CREDITS
Nicky Brown / Organ (Hammond)
Reg Isadore / Drums
Paul Page / Bass
Robin Trower / Guitar, Vocals

TRACKS
1 Next in Line (Trower) 3:31
2 Feel So Bad (Willis) 3:24
3 Someday Blues (Trower) 4:38
4 Crossroads (Johnson) 3:28
5 I Want You to Love Me (Trower) 4:44
6 Inside Out (Trower) 2:53
7 Shining Through Trower 4:45
8 Looking for a True Love (Trower) 3:00
9 Extermination Blues (Trower) 4:04
10 Sweet Little Angel (King, Taub) 4:45

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