Our Robin Trower Bridge Of Sighs Album Review takes a look at one of the all-time classic rock and roll albums of the 1970s. Rock fans first became aware of Robin Trower from his work with the band Procol Harum. A group well known for their classic hit “Whiter Shade Of Pale.” Robin Trower would release five albums with the band Procol Harum before quitting the band. After leaving the band Robin Trower would hit the concert scene on his own soon to become a favorite of fans who loved genuine blues-based rock guitar playing. Robin Trower released his first album in 1973 entitled Twice Removed From Yesterday. However, he would not really break huge until his second album, the legendary Bridge Of Sighs in 1974.
There was something special working when Bridge Of Sighs delighted guitar fans who wanted somebody with licks galore but had a distinct cosmic feel as well. Comparisons were made to Hendrix because Robin Trower simply had no other peers to be compared with, except for Jeff Beck or Frank Zappa at the time. It’s simple to differentiate any of these mythical players just by close comparison listening, and then Robin Trower is easily included in the best of the best guitar world on his own terms. This is a man who gave lessons to Robert Fripp, so his credentials are solid.
Bridge of Sighs was a release valve in a way, as Vietnam wound down to its humiliating close. While English musicians like Robin Trower Jeff Beck, The Beatles, and Rolling Stones were all painfully aware of the sacrifices tens of thousands of their American fans were suffering, after the protest era cooled down, some escapism was necessary. Not that rock and roll and heavy rock that would be known as metal were going to disappear, but Robin had a unique guitar sound, and I am not sure to this day what gave him his huge mid-range overdriven tone that he still uses today – chorus, fuzz, whatever. But it added emotion on a level that others were not employing maybe except for David Gilmour and Jeff Beck. Plus, he avoided lyrically the hot button topics of the time and that was ultimately a wise decision because no matter how pertinent some protest albums and songs were, it was still painful for many, and remains so. So listening to some music that avoided the political topics possibly was more helpful in recovering.
The opening track “Day Of The Eagle” is probably one of the most significant opening guitar salvos ever. Trower hits mighty chords that morph into a trippy R & B style hook that makes the listener or guitar player involuntarily start playing air guitar, totally beyond control to stop the gyrating. But after this monster groove, the gears are suddenly shifted into blues, and a nice dose of psychedelia to boot. It’s the perfect set up for the title track and maybe his best-known song, although I have never heard either by themselves – it’s always been at least all of the first original album side.
“Bridge Of Sighs” with its signature trill opening, bells gently undulating in the cosmic atmosphere, and singer James Dewar’s expressive but perfectly balanced vocals indeed make this song special. Dewar is a superb bassist/vocalist, and drummer Reg Isidore boasts great blues and jazz licks on the drums and always knows when to keep the beat and not goof around.
Trying to describe this album sonically is nearly impossible. But the slow pace keeps up on “In This Place”, which is more a traditional blues song before “The Fool And Me” gets the joint rockin’ for real, with a devastating hook. Now, with CDs, the sequencing doesn’t have quite the same impact. “Too Rolling Stoned” keeps the groove going mightily, and Robin plays some of the greatest licks he ever produced. But this song too is turned into a very straight blues jam, where Trower shows us all his biggest influence, the blues, and you dig it. It’s done the way blues are supposed to be done, and we get a real opportunity to visit that territory.
The album moves along with more mid-paced tunes, and ends with the great “Little Bit Of Sympathy.” Bridge Of Sighs is an album that could be better if it were longer, perhaps, but on the other hand, the best albums and players always leave us wanting more. This album is a must-have for any guitarist, but I want to bring to the reader’s attention that Chrysalis Records, Trower’s home label for his most successful era, has released a ten CD remastered set of his work from 1973 through 1983, with the exception of his live album, but I don’t know why. It’s all amazing work, and we get the additional treat of Robin Trower, Jack Bruce and Bill Lordan on BLT.
While his star has not burned quite so brightly as he reaches close to 80, Robin Trower has been consistent in releasing blues albums of astonishing excellence, after a period in the ’80s where he tried with the help of singer Davey Pattison to capture the MTV guitar hero crowd. The albums are actually very good, and Pattison is a fine singer. But he (Trower) professes blues as his first love and there are so many to choose from, with Robin himself on vocals!
But if you are only able to get one album at a time, Bridge Of Sighs is beautiful, timeless and never grows old.
Feature Photo: Carl Lender, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons – Background behind photo Shutterstock
Robin Trower Bridge Of Sighs: Album Review article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022
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