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‘Bridge of Sighs’ Chrysalis CHR 1057

What intrigued everybody about Robin Trower’s first album ‘Twice Removed From Yesterday’ was the fact that he reminded everybody of Jimi Hendrix. The fact remained was that Trower had listened to Hendrix’s work more closely than most and also that he borrowed many of his stylistic devices.

What is readily apparent from ‘Bridge of Sighs’ is that Trower has assimilated the Hendrix influence to the point where it’s hardly worth talking about any more and he is effectively into his own area. ‘Bridge of Sighs’ oozes a quiet air of menace and impending disaster.

Trower and his sidemen Jim Dewar (bass, vocals) and Reg Isidore (drums) seem to give the evoking of an atmosphere very high priority, which means that unless you’re prepared to actually sit down and listen hard, you’re going to miss the point completely.

This evocative quality is nowhere better displayed than on the title track where the steady progression and building of the riff is opposed by an ominous muttering and rumbling from a widening British stereo. Who wins is uncertain.

The riff, having reached the stage that Trower and Co. wish it to, suddenly cuts off leaving the synthesiser to grumble to itself for a few seconds before finally admitting defeat and offing itself.

Or maybe Chaos wins after all. The mood built up by the instrumental sections is so intense that Dewar’s vocals often come as an irritating interruption, which is no slur on his singing.

Simply, Trower’s lyrics are of insufficient strength to carry the weight that his music places on them. Still ‘Bridge of Sighs’ is an interesting record, and (please God) an important one.

By pursuing a direction totally unlike that of any other three-piece guitar-led band, Trower may well be cutting himself off from a large number of potential listeners who are only interested in Stratocaster pyrotechnics of the kind that Trower is quite capable of playing if he so desires it.

However, what he’s doing here is ultimately far more valuable. Support and attention, please.

Charles Shaar Murray, New Musical Express

‘Bridge of Sighs’ Chrysalis CHR 1057

Delving into a scrapbook of chord shapes is no way to create the kind of music that Robin Trower likes to put down, and once again on this album he achieves a hell of a lot from fairly limited resources.

Not that his own style is limited, for his beautiful harmonic changes and blues chordal sequences are a joy. Sure his music is a product of the 1968-69 Hendrix legacy but it’s Trower’s soul and Trower’s power that comes across on his latest album – an album that needs to be played loud in order to savour the warmth and intensity of a live gig.

Jimmy Dewar and Reg Isidore are once again right in tune with Trower’s ideas while fans of the band will note the presence of several songs that have already proved themselves live, and Robin’s current spate of British gigs to will do a lot to promote ‘The Fool And Me’, ‘Day Of The Eagle’ and ‘Little Bit Of Sympathy’.

The desolation of ‘Bridge Of Sighs’, the brooding intensity of ‘In This Place’ and the dramatic mood change of ‘Too Rolling Stoned’ make this an album to savour.

Whether this will be the one to get him off in Britain I’d hate to predict but I’m damn sure that America will tap it up. Other points: all but two of the tracks have been written exclusively by Trower – not so much from Dewar this time for some reason.

Matthew Fisher seems to have encouraged Robin to go for a greater live effect in the studio and the result is that the Trower band emphasise their claim of being the best trio around.

They have all the old gut feeling of Free and Rory Gallagher and the panache to make it sound convincing.

J.G., Sounds, 6 April 1974

Meet the Band through Melody Maker’s timeless series ‘The File’. Click here for ‘The Robin Trower File’ as it appeared on 1 June 1974

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Published by Alan Howard. Contributions and comments welcome by email