Robin Trower - Bridge of Sighs Audio CD

Bridge of Sighs album A surprise best-seller when it was first released, this mostly improvised pairing of singer/keyboardist/producer Al Kooper with two major guitar heroes of the day sounds fascinating all these years later precisely because of the distance of time--nobody makes records like this any more. The material runs the gamut from folk pop (covers of Donovan and Dylan), to blues ("Albert's Shuffle," "You Don't Love Me"), to heady jams ("His Holy Modal Majesty"), to big-band jazz ("Harvey's Tune"). All the tunes make effective templates for the kind off-the-cuff music-making that in less capable hands might have resulted in simple noodling. In fact, although Bloomfield and Stills don't play together on any of the cuts (Bloomfield played on one side of the original LP, Stills on the other), all three principals get off lots of good licks and producer Kooper has some interesting tricks up his sleeve, as in the over-the-top phasing he lavishes on "You Don't Love Me." The only real disappointment here is that Stills, a far better singer than Kooper, never opens his mouth. Those familiar with the Live Adventures album these two recorded at the ...

Bridge of Sighs songs Today the most recognition the Animals get is "House of the Rising Sun" being played on oldies radio, but in the mid-1960s they were a powerful part of the British Invasion, often reckoned on a par with the Beatles, the Stones, and the Who. Like those bands, the Animals had strong roots in blues and R&B, but, in their original incarnation, they stayed closer to those roots than their peers did. This definitive compilation, masterfully assembled by the ABKCO think tank of Teri Landi and Jody Klein, shows the tough, uncompromising use to which the Animals put their American influences. John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" is recast as a raw garage rocker glazed with Alan Price's sinister organ riffs, and the aforementioned "House of the Rising Sun" is transformed from a traditional folk lament to an urgent, ominous piece of churning tumult. Of course, the group skillfully expanded those roots (with the help of some great writers), and turned out some classic working-class-rebel anthems ("We Gotta Get Out of This Place," "It's My Life"). By '67, the original lineup disbanded, and Eric Burdon led a new batch ...

Bridge of Sighs CD music Recorded in 1971, shortly before guitarist Peter Frampton left the band, ROCKIN' presents Humble Pie live at New York City's Fillmore East. The British blues-rock group charges through a sweaty, high-octane set (originally released as a double LP) that includes the blistering stompers "Four Day Creep," "Stone Cold Fever," and "I Don't Need No Doctor." Although the entire ensemble is in top form on this seven-song disc, the record is a showcase for the astoundingly powerful vocals of former Small Faces frontman Steve Marriott (who, in his hard-rock mode, prefigures AC/DC's Bon Scott) and the heavy-blues riffage of Frampton (surprisingly enough, the guy could wield an axe), who would, of course, go on to record his own wildly successful concert album later in the decade. Originally released on LP as a double album. Recorded live at The Fillmore East, New York. Personnel: Steve Marriott (vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards); Peter Frampton (vocals, guitar); Jerry Shirley (drums). Audio Remixer: Eddie Kramer. Photographers: Joel Brodsky; Randy Alpert; Shepard Sherbell. Arranger: Humble Pie.

Bridge of Sighs music CDs One of the high-water marks of progressive rock (and thus of 1970s rock in general), CLOSE TO THE EDGE found British prog godfathers Yes firing on all cylinders. Throughout their history, they've undergone numerous lineup changes, but this album featured the "classic" formation responsible for their absolute finest achievements. Here Rick Wakeman is at his Moog-goes-Baroque best behind the keyboards, Steve Howe sounds like a blues guitarist from Mars, Chris Squire delivers confoundingly contrapuntal bass lines, and Bill Bruford seemingly solves complex mathematical equations from his drum stool. The lion's share of the album is occupied by the title track, a complex piece that moves through numerous modes and moods. In latter decades, the extended song-suite has been denigrated as indicative of the worst rock pretensions, but, on CLOSE TO THE EDGE, it was a fascinating new concept, and Yes made it work more convincingly than anyone else before or since. 2003 remastered, reissue of 1972 album with redesigned booklet (digipak/slipcase), restored LP art, archival photos and new liner notes. Includes 4 bonus tracks 'America' (single version), 'Total Mass Retain' (single version), 'And You And I' (alternate ...

Bridge of Sighs songs Jack Bruce must have enjoyed his 2005 get-together with Cream so much that, when Clapton and Baker were unwilling to continue the collaboration, he rang up Robin Trower to renew the brief power trio fling they had in the mid-'80s. The Trower-Bruce pairing had released only two albums, B.L.T. and Truce, and was dormant since 1982, so this 2007 reunion was somewhat of a continuation of the project, albeit one separated by a quarter century. The results impressively continue where Truce left off, as Bruce brings his distinctive croon/moan to bluesy, riff-oriented tunes dominated by Trower's silvery guitar runs. Gary Husband fills the drum slot adequately if ...

Bridge of Sighs album Robin Trower's debut solo album was the first evidence that the Fender Stratocaster sound of Jimi Hendrix could be effectively replicated and even refabricated. And like Hendrix, Trower had paid his dues as a more-or-less backup musician, his former band Procol Harum having emphasized stately organ and piano rather than guitar. After leaving his old group, Trower experimented with different musicians and ideas for several years, which paid off when he finally released Twice Removed From Yesterday, a record that displayed the characteristics that would make him a guitar hero and stadium attraction of the mid-'70s. He de-emphasized the Hendrix fuzz, feedback, and distortion, and let the reverb from his Strat become his dominant tonal device. He wasn't as flamboyant as Hendrix, as earthy as Eric Clapton, or as unpredictable as Jeff Beck, but he played cleanly, emphasizing singular, effective notes, and he brought a melodicism and creativity to the electric blues. His style is best suited for the slow, somber blues of songs like "Daydream" and "I Can't Wait Much Longer," where his solos are both carefully structured and melodic. The most intriguing tune on the album is the title track, a nugget of '70s-style psychedelic rock that showed Trower to be a pretty good songwriter. The best aspects of Twice Removed would come to full flowering on his next album, Bridge of Sighs, but this debut showed Trower to be an effective interpreter of the Hendrix sound, and not just what numerous others who came in his wake would prove to be: mere imitators. ~ Peter Kurtz Liner Note Author: Stanley Whitaker. Photographers: Jim Summaria; Al Semok. Personnel: Robin Trower (guitar), James Dewar (vocals, bass), Reg Isidore (drums). Personnel: Robin Trower (guitar); James Dewar (vocals); Reg Isidore (drums).