By Ray Shasho
-Interviewed on
September 9th 2014
Guitar gallantry …
innovative songwriting … soulful vocal styling’s … hard rock & blues
tenacity … legendary artistry … these are just a few words that can describe
the amazing musical genius of …ROBIN
TROWER.
This year marks the
40th anniversary of one of the greatest rock albums in music history. ‘Bridge of Sighs’ (1974)
was only the second studio album released by the Robin Trower power-trio of Robin Trower (guitar
and vocals), James
Dewar (lead vocals and bass) and Reg Isidore on
drums. It was this simplistic framework that musically overpowered many of
their peers and lofted the band into superstardom. ‘Bridge of Sighs’ was recorded on the
Chrysalis/Capitol label and reached #7 in the U.S. while staying on the charts
for 31 weeks. That same year the album was certified gold.
BRIDGE
OF SIGHS: composed a
mesmerizing and overwhelming sound mix of Psychedelic Rock, R&B & Funk
melodies combined with lucid mind-numbing lyrical content. Most of the tracks
were written by Robin Trower and James Dewar. The
success of the album motivated many listeners to go back and retrieve Trower’s
debut album ‘Twice Removed from Yesterday’ (1973)
which also became a certified gold album. Both albums were produced by Matthew Fisher (Procol Harum) and also engineered by Geoff Emerick (The Beatles audio engineer).
From the very
beginning, Robin Trower developed a very
unique style of his own. Trower’s ingredients include a heavy dose of hypnotic
rock with Progressive, Blues, Acid Rock and R&B overtones. The metaphysical
lyrical content was delivered by the commanding voice of James Dewar. The mesmerizing musical qualities of
Trower and Dewar instantly transported the listener’s mind musically into other
worlds and dimensions. Vocalist/bassist/songwriter James Dewar (1942-2002) was a rare musical gem and
extremely crucial to the success of ‘Bridge of Sighs’ as well as all his
recordings with the band and their live performances.
The title of the album
was believed to be inspired by a bridge located in Venice, Italy. The view from
the Bridge of Sighs was
the last view of Venice that convicts saw before
their imprisonment. In my recent interview with Robin, I learned that the
name of the album and monumental track came from an entirely different source.
ROBIN
TROWER TODAY: is back on the road
again with a rather lengthy tour which kicks off on October
4th in St. Louis, Missouri. The
Trower power-trio lands in St. Petersburg, Florida on November
12th at Jannus Live. For a
full listing of Robin Trower concert dates click [HERE] or go to www.trowerpower.com for
further information. To purchase tickets for the Jannus Live concert in St. Pete,
Florida click [HERE] or
visit http://jannuslive.com/ for
more information.
The Robin Trower
travelling power-trio is …Robin Trower (vocals,
guitar), Richard Watts (bass and vocals), and Chris Taggart (drums). Trower’s most recent album
entitled ‘Roots and Branches’ (2013)
will be supported on the tour.
Robin Trower also has
a brand new album coming out sometime
at the beginning of 2015. The album will follow in the footsteps of ‘Root and Branches’ but
all the tracks will be originals and written by Robin.
I had the great
pleasure of chatting with Robin Trower recently
about… The new album …The tour… ‘Bridge of Sighs’ turning 40 … James Brown …
And much more!
Here’s my interview
with legendary guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, with … The Paramounts/ Procol Harum/
Robin Trower / and collaborations with Jack Bruce …ROBIN TROWER
Ray
Shasho: Hello Robin, good to hear from you again … beautiful weather here
in Florida as always while we anticipate your arrival to Jannus Live in St.
Petersburg for a live show on Wednesday, November 12th.
Robin
Trower: “Hello Ray, we’re looking forward to coming
back to St. Pete.”
Ray
Shasho: The tour kicks off October 4th in St. Louis Missouri, who are the
musicians that will be touring with you?
Robin
Trower: “Richard Watts
on bass and vocals who has also performed on ‘Roots and Branches’ and Chris
Taggart the same drummer on the album.”
Ray
Shasho: How’s Davie Pattison these days … any chance of working with him
again?
Robin
Trower: “I haven’t spoken with
him for awhile but I think he’s doing okay. Because I’ve been doing more
singing myself, I think I’m going more down that road. I’ve discovered that I
enjoy singing what I’ve written and feel the vocals are more connected to the
original idea when I do it. Of course when you’re writing you are singing it to
yourself, so it’s a natural thing when you actually go in to record it and
you’re singing it yourself, it sounds right to you. Obviously Davie is a
great-great singer, but I think the material is a bit more personal and
especially this new album where the lyrics are more personal to me.”
Ray
Shasho: Let’s talk about the new CD, when can we expect it to be released?
Robin
Trower: “I think just in the new year. All the songs
will be originals and I must say it turned out really well; I’m also very
pleased with the guitar on it. The album is rolling on from ‘Roots and
Branches’ only having written the material myself instead of doing a few
covers. I think what I’ve learned to do with the guitar when I did ‘Roots and
Branches’ has fed into this new album and that’s the way I’d put it.”
Ray
Shasho: Besides rock and roll & the blues, I know you’re a big fan of
R&B/Funk/Soul music. In our last interview you stated that James Brown was
one of your heroes … would you consider recording an entire R&B/Soul album
some day?
Robin
Trower: “I think
of myself as fundamentally rock and roll and obviously very rhythm and blues
influence. Doing the stuff I do with electric guitar, I don’t think I could
make that shift. I’m thinking music from the 60’s and 70’s with dance beats
going on … either that or heavy soul ballads, and you need to be that kind of
singer to start.”
Ray
Shasho: Your vocals on one of my favorite albums ‘Go My Way’ (2000) was
strikingly soulful … especially tracks like “Into Dust,” I think you could
definitely pull it off with amazing success.
Robin
Trower: “I feel very comfortable doing blues …
blues influence and rock and roll, that’s really where I’m coming from. My
favorite artist as you know is James Brown, Howlin’ Wolf, Son House, and the
people like that had a great influence on my writing, so I’m very comfortable
singing those kinds of tunes.”
Ray
Shasho: I was very saddened to hear about the loss of your wife Andrea
earlier this year.
Robin
Trower: “It’s very
tough to lose the missus. I’ve been very fortunate to have something to work
on. I had the material already and was able to get in the studio and get
working, and now I’ve got the tour coming up so that will help to clear my head
a little bit.”
Ray
Shasho: Robin, I can’t believe it’s the fortieth
anniversary of ‘Bridge of Sighs.’ It seems like yesterday when I bought the
album right after its release in 1974.
Robin
Trower: I know …I don’t
want to even think about it. (All laughing)
Ray
Shasho: The album’s title and legendary track “Bridge
of Sighs” has been speculated for years to be named after a bridge in Venice
Italy. Apparently the view from the ‘Bridge of Sighs’ was the last view of
Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. It’s also
the name of a famous poem of 1844 by Thomas Hood concerning the
suicide of a homeless young woman who threw herself from Waterloo
Bridge in London. Was the title inspired by either of these
circumstances?
Robin
Trower: “I actually had the piece of music and the
verse for several months and one day I opened the sports pages of the newspaper
and there was a horse running that day called ‘Bridge of Sighs.’ I just
thought, oh, what a great title, I wonder if I could make it work with the song
that I’m working on … and it worked! When I saw the name of the horse called
‘Bridge of Sighs’ I immediately thought about the story of the bridge in
Venice, so it is connected to that. The horse wouldn’t have been called that if
it wasn’t for the bridge in Venice.”
“When I was writing
material for the new album coming out, I was reading an article about an
author, and they mentioned a friend of his who is a lady author named Jean
Rhys, and they mentioned the title of her famous book ‘Good Morning, Midnight’
and I thought, oh, I’ve got to have that, and I’ve written a song coming from
that title. You stumble across these things and they spark something off in
your mind.”
Ray
Shasho: In my opinion, track per track,
the “Bridge of Sighs” album is among the Top- 10 albums in rock history.
Robin
Trower: “Thank you
very much … well a lot of that is due to the fantastic singing of James Dewar.
I always thought his vocals are what made it commercial, so it would be played
on the radio. He had a beautiful voice and was very soulful.”
Ray
Shasho: James Dewar was my favorite vocalist; he was mesmerizing and just
incredible to listen to.
“Bridge
of Sighs” has to be one of your favorites to perform in concert.
Robin
Trower: “No doubt about
it! It has a real power to it and once you start it, it takes on a life of its
own.”
Ray
Shasho: There are also a lot of funkier rock riffs on
the album like …“Day of the Eagle,” “The Fool and Me,” “Lady Love,” and
“Little Bit of Sympathy.”
Robin
Trower: ““The Fool and Me” was definitely inspired by
James Brown. “Too Rolling Stoned” I think is also James Brown influenced, in
fact there are some changes on that when it goes to the turnaround, I actually
lifted those changes from a James Brown song called “Down And Out In New York
City.” If there was anyone you could call genius it was James Brown, he just
had the most incredible voice and it would tear the heart right out of you…
just wonderful! He and Dinah Washington are my favorite singers. I was
fortunate to see James Brown perform at his peak; he came over to London in
1965.”
Ray
Shasho: I chatted with Randy Bachman (BTO) recently
and he told me that he’s always heard music in his head. He was quite surprised
that so many people didn’t share the same experience that he had since he was a
young boy. Do you agree that musicians have that special gift?
Robin
Trower: “You are born with a gift and I do
believe that. Here’s my take on it, I think anybody and everybody can learn to
play music up to their efficiency, but to be a creative person, that’s the gift
you have to have to take it somewhere.”
Ray
Shasho: Robin thank you so much for
being on the call today … we’re all looking forward to the brand new CD
sometime at the beginning of 2015, and the tour which kicks off October 4th in
St. Louis, Missouri. I’ll be there in St. Pete, Florida to review the show.
Robin
Trower: “Hopefully you
can stop by and we’ll have a chat, thanks Ray
… cheers for now!
Purchase Robin Trower’s latest CD ‘Roots and Branches’ on
amazon.com and
watch for his brand new release in the beginning of 2015.
‘Roots and Branches
‘Track listings: 1) Hound Dog 2) The Thrill is Gone 3)When I Heard Your Name 4) Little Red Rooster 5) I Believe To My Soul 6) Shape Of Things to Come 7) That’s Alright Mama 8) Save Your Love 9) Born
Under a Bad Sign 10) Sheltered Moon 11) See My Life
Very
special thanks to the legendary ‘Derek Sutton’ and David
Maida
COMING
UP NEXT … Country
music’s shining new star -19 year old Mary Sarah…
Don
Wilson guitarist,
pioneer, and co-founder of ‘The Ventures’… Folk/Rock singer &
songwriter Jonathan Edwards (“Sunshine”)
Contact music journalist Ray Shasho at
rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com
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