Robin Trower on how he gets his psychedelic blues tone
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ต.ค. 2016
- Read the full interview in Guitarist 413
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He doesn't look like a guitar hero ,he doesn't talk like a guitar hero,doesnt have an ego like a guitar hero ,he just is a Guitar Hero.
Even when he just strummed that E chord when demoing his overdrive pedal sounded great!...
Living Legend ! Hero is for the new guys lol
Yes. A true guitar hero. Loved his sound since the 70's
Don't we love Robin!!
Well said. Thank you.
Absolutely love this guy, been listening to him for 50 yrs. It frustrates me to no end to read all these wonderful comments about a brilliant virtuoso performer who has yet to get a wiff of Rock Hall of Fame. Let's go people, while he is still with us and able to perform at his own induction...!!
Roger that!
Echo all over This man should have been inducted 20 years ago in my opinion.
And he’s not the only one.
Really at this point, who cares about the R&R hall of fame! Those in the Know! Robin is a Master at his Craft!
@@raywebb7501 Totally agree !
What a great guy Robin seems to be; very down to earth, no airs and graces. Thanks for posting this.
Yeah - just chatting away - no big deal..."this is what I do..and this is why and well that is about all there is to it..."
I’ve been going to see him since the 70’s, and last saw him with my late husband. After the show he sat to take photos and sign autographs. He signed my late husbands power chair. I took it off the motor and use it as my lock box. Very kind man. ☮️♥️
Hands down one of the greatest rock guitar players ever his tone his phrasing is playing is so incredibly underrated one of my personal favorite guitar players and a huge influence on me
Same here. I unashamedly need a good daily dose of Trower like I need coffee..Why he's not been inducted into the Hall of Fame is insane. So many lesser talents have been. For me he's the best. It doesn't get old. I feel every cord, pause, bend and nuance. And the lyrics..c'mon..The light is strong but man is weak and the world walks in between, so rise above on the wings of love...see and let yourself be seen. Brilliant. I see you friend. 🎸🎸🤘🙂
Absolutely one of the greatest rock guitar players ever. Period. if you were around when Bridge of Sighs hit....you understand. The solo on Too rolling stoned....took guitar playing to another level. Love this man.
I saw him in 75 or 76 ish play the bridge of sighs tour at the chicago amphitheater. Stunning, just stunning! Just walking into the amphitheater and seeing truckloads of Marshall 412 cabinets stacked and humming on stand by gave me chills. I tape recorded the concert through my buttoned up jacket and got a muffled up recording of the show,,,,,, but it proved I was really there to some of my non believing friends in high school. Good old days. Cassette tape lasted a dozen listens till it got gobbled up in the rubber wheels.
Broadfieldpoint He's a living legend. I hope he's still jamming when he's 100
Seen him live 1979.
I was born in 76. You don't need to have been there to get chills from Bridge of Sighs. One of my favourite records.
When Bridge was released, it was like Hendrix re-born.
When Hendrix died, then T-Rex (Mark Bolen) died, it left a big hole on the hearts of young guitar players back in the 70's. Robin Trower came to the rescue. When he came along WE NEEDED HIM. We needed his sound, his licks, and his variants on the diminished chord, and his use of effects for that matter. You young cats, listen up. A Master is revealing his secrets.
Bolan*
Just exactly what I was thinking when I saw this iinterview
Yes 🎉...awesome comment
In the 1980's the first CD I bought was Robin Trower Live. I recall going to the counter to pay for it & the employee was about 30 at the time. He looked at the cd, looked at me & said: "This is as good as it gets."
Saw him in the 80’s in a small almost biker bar setting in Middletown, OH. Saw again last year (2018) in Indy. At 72 he still played and sounded AT LEAST as good as he did in his “prime.” Hendrix influence is obvious but he took multiple influences and created his own sound and style. Absolute master and pioneer
People do stick him in the "Hendrix style" box, and ignore him far too much.
Other than some tonal qualities, I don't think his playing sounds anything at all like Hendrix. Trower is much more into control over a single note, bending it every which way but loose, slow playing. Not as much pure showmanship, just pure emotional playing. One of the greats
I was working construction in San Francisco in 1984 and a buddy of mine and myself walked into a pub to have a beer and burger and Robin walked in and proceeded to destroy the place for almost two hours. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. To hear him in a small place with that wall of sound was incredible. Great memory.
@@ursafan40 I agree, so much, with that. I can’t stand the players who think that musicianship is stuffing 10 lbs. of notes into a 5 lb. bag. It’s all about the architecture and the emotion that architecture elicits.
@@Gratefulman1965 Your name says it all. Homework for you...calculate the probability of that happening.
@@ursafan40 ::: It's his equipment that put's him in that same boat..
Other than that he has his own swing and smoothness..
Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush was the Hendrix alternative back then..
Bridge of Sighs is one of the top 5 guitar albums of all time - it's epic~!
briellespop helyeahh
Archie Beech nn
"for earth below" is also great.
NO DOUBT!!
Yes completely agree with that, if those of you have not seen it is a video out there 1975 Winterland San Francisco done in black and white and the audio quality is not the best but what a performer what a performance and what a time period And what a place
Robin Trower is one of the great guitar players of our time. I met him at Winterland in the 70's. He played with a high action then and bigger strings.
Bridge of Sighs is a perfect album! Every song on the entire album is a masterpiece! Listened to it today in my car (again), it's amazing!
Had it on 8 Track back in the Seventies ' My 67 LTD '' Great Days Gone Bye ''''
robin and his wife andrea and three kids lived on my road in forest row, lovely guy, humble
Oh that’s so nice !!!!
Did he ever crank up the volume and play for you
I heard his wife died a year or so ago...is that true? amazing he still tours relentlessly, such a work ethic and a big influence on me.
+pete: was he gone on the road pretty much all the time, or were there situations where you guys crossed paths and kind of got to know each other? What were the kids like?
Kenneth Donnelly: Ken, I read where Robin said his wife passed in '16. That's all that was said....I know nothing about how long they were together, what took her, etc. etc. Man....I cannot...or rather do not...want to think what my life would be like without my bride of 42 years. It would be hard as heck to go on.
I saw Procul Harum a coupla time back in -67 and -68. I was astonished by their guitarist! Been a fan of Robin's ever since.
Still killing it live at 73 years young.... and he's started singing on his new stuff..... a decent, bluesy growl to it. Another mind-blowing show at House of Blues in Dallas last week.
Robin Trower is a gem. I saw him at Summers on the Beach in Ft.Lauderdale and it was special. His trio should be held up in the same league as the other great Rock trios such as The Police, ZZTop, Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Rush and Emerson Lake and Palmer.
Robin Trower is a legitimate guitar hero. Its really cool to see him live
One of the most humble of men..
When he clicked the deja vibe i got goosebumps. Pops and i used to listen to Trower, its what started me on the blues. Thanks pop for showed me the good stuff r.i.p.
I was told to listen to this man by some old man at guitar center. Kinda surprised no one speaks about him like they speak of a lot of others.
You should also listen to Jeff Beck his old times r sick u love trower u will love Beck not Beck Jeff Beck
@@godsguitar101 Hahaha. Had that very convo when my youngest brother asked me if I ever heard of Beck. I was like, duh, since I was a teen. He was not talking about Jeff. lol
When he went solo,for some peculiar reason, he wasn't seen as 'cool'. It might be that was because he came from a band, Procol Harum, who also weren't considered cool in the 70s. Procol were, of course, in hindsight, cutting edge and very cool.
@@jimandlizhudson2501 Robin Trower's work with Procol Harum was singularly great...
You can blame Rolling Stone Mag, for consistently banning Robin from their list of 100 greatest guitar players!...He is seen by these elitist snobs as being a Hendrix copycat...they are idiots, of course. Trower will always be on my personal top 10 list...and I am a total Hendrix freak--but I know Jimi would approve of Robin's amazing guitar works.
He's such a treasure. Love Robin.
Robin, while not having hit songs, his music was quality. Very nice music to jam too.
You're correct about the hits. But from around 72 through the the late 70s,his albums were very popular and his concerts were fantastic!!!!!!
He's as pure a musical artist as can be.
At one with his instrument. So glad he's still kicking and better than ever.
Hearing him live ,relaxation overload. So mellow. Soothes the savage beast within...
Love him. He's just so non rock star. Fabulous.
Howard Forton ditto
He is amazing and kind. We warmed up for him in Hisperia Ca at the Desert Fox. He is kind. He is also tone master.
Darrin Ros he's. so underrated it's untrue. Always adored his playing.
I owe Robin for causing me to pick up the guitar, Bridge of Sighs, made me want to play, after that I became a Pagey and Jeff Beck freak, but it was the magic of Trower that spawned my lifetime of playing and love of pedals. I learned from him how to have pedals become a part of the sound and tone and not merely something you played through and it did what it did to the sound. Such feel, soul and magic that guy has.
Howard Forton So Cool and Natural but an Amazing Guitarist
He's one of my heroes, and Jimmy Dewar, Bridge of Sighs is one of my all time favourite albums.
Likewise. Trower and Dewar, a very distinctive sound. Dewar was a well spring of soul.
I wasn't born until 1970 but I have older siblings that got me into this kind of music. I've been a Trower fan forever. Seen him several times and met him once. I almost passed out watching him sign my Strat.
The first 3 Trower albums are my favorites of his. I love JImmy's voice.
My friends gimme crap because once the Trower comes out, it gets stuck in my cd player for weeks at a time and I always go back to being that High School kid struggling to get that sound and those licks!
Dewar is one of the most underrated singers ever..
Indeed... since procol harum
Check out In City Dreams.
TIL Robin Trower is still alive. Take THAT, 2016!!
YOU QUIET NOW! Don't be jinxin' it!!
Robin has not changed one bit through the years. Love him for that.
The tone is in his fingers, good luck.
tone is in his soul
Yeah I can nail his sound easy using the same pedals he uses and my Ritchie Blackmore ENGL. The idea you can’t get an electric guitar tone of your hero is a myth. Now you are right that it’s always going to sound like YOU playing HIS song that doesn’t mean you cannot sound good too. Witness Eric Johnson doing Jimi, it ain’t Jimi but it’s still really good and the tone is very similar. If you commit, you can get Clapton, Blackmore, Trower. Gilmour tone there are websites of research. The hard ones to get are the ones with unique impossible to get pedals and amps…like Jeff Beck. Helix and Fractal Audio are your best bets then.
if that was true he wouldn't have a bunch of custom pedals. you think a univibe comes out of the fingers?
Yeah.It has nothing to do with the $8,000 worth of gear he is using.
People don’t realize that most tone is in your fingers
Robin Trower is one of the Most Melodic and Rhythmic players of all times .
That is because he was trained as a child to be a classical pianist!...but he rebelled against that.
A real guitar hero...
Oh yeah! Unbeatable!
One of the best. Ever
Most definitely, often overlooked great talent.
Saw Robin 3 times first time with original singer and drummer. Twice Robin played. Bridge of sighs. Right in front of me. My eyes were zeroed in on his hands , fingers and the frets. The only live guitar lessons. To my favorite song. I didn't let my eyes wonder. I felt so honored. The last time I saw him was at the rogue theatre in grants pass Oregon. He signed my ticket stub. A use to be friend stole my ticket stub. I am a concert junkie. I've seen over 200 top bands of the 60/ 70/ 80s. Richie blackmore deep purple. Machine head tour. Tampa Stadium. With zz top blue oyster cult saviour Brown. Billy Preston didn't show up.
Listen and learn
I saw him live 5 times between 1985 to 1990 at The Cabaret in San Jose CA. Hearing him play literally 5 feet away is an Experience I will never forget! He'd sign autographs until the last person, too. Really mellow sweet guy. Freaking Master of a guitar. Peace!
Last time I saw Robin live, he was running Marshall Vintage Modern half stacks. He’s changed it up over the years, as anybody does.
Even though Hendrix's shadow glows behind every great electric guitar player including his peers but Robin Trower stands out with his unique tone and phrasing n nobody sounds like him & he is influenced by Jimi he said & they shared the same stage...he is my hero.
I think they were both great not once better than the other and the styles that they play the both Masters
I just saw him in concert this weekend and he was amazing. It is equally amazing that he is not in Billboard's Top 100 guitarists. That just goes to show what a popularity contest those things are.
@@tonys5317: well exactly - as a (sort of) guitarist myself and still plumbing the depths of playing, I've learned not to give one fig about non-players putting in their twopenny's worth because all many want to do is be tribal and argue nonsense
This is a pure guitar genius,great composer and i love him!!
Trower has IMO the best bluesy Strat tone - amazing player, great to see him here.
Age sure does catch up to you, we were so blessed to come up when music was so fantastic.
He is one of my favorite guitarist saw him and had a conversation with him at the house of blues I admire his genius guitar craft and his smooth calm attitude.
Truly one of the greats who for some reason didn't get the air time. I had the privilege of seeing him at the Capitol Center in the 70s and all I can say is that cat can wail!!!!
What a decent chap. No airs and graces. Why he has not been recognised by the powers that be amazes me as he a brilliant guitarist. 👏
This man is a legend. What a lovely guy :)
Robin is a true legend! Also, Love how he's set up his strat.
Without being exaggerative or hyperbolic, Robin Trower is one of ten greatest rock guitarists of all time, and a genuinely nice man.
Saw him live at Reading festival in the 70s and what an axeman blew my socks off
It was amazing what could be done with a phase shifter, echoplex, and wa wa pedal back then. Saw Robin Trower on the Bridge of Sighs tour and was not disappointed to say the least. Great player with great sound effects.
Yeah. I used to approximate the Bridge of Sighs sound pretty well by sticking a phase shifter before the overdrive in my signal chain... sometimes, I'd stick a compressor in between the two so I wouldn't lose any volume with the Phaser on. It's such a beautiful sound.
Total gentleman. I have had the pleasure of meeting him and knowing him, a really nice guy
Some of my guitar buddies aren't familiar with Trower. I just don't know how that is even possible. He is wonderful!
Makes it very cool to know they have much to Discover, eh
Goodness, your buddies must be in a cave .
Robin is the MASTER!!!!!
I discovered Robin Trower in 2001, when a Scottish bloke lent me his greatest hits CD. I think more North Americans haven't heard of Robin Trower because his music doesn't get radio airplay.
They probably heard him thinking it's Hendrix.
Such an INCREDILBE,MAGNIFIC, Guitar Player and Musician. So Great
When it comes to dedication, devotion and enjoyment of his craft, Trower is all in - he always has been. Just from watching this, I think of words like humble, sincere, modest, polite, yet clearly a master of his art. Straightforward facts, no secret wizard things.
Plus he has such an affable demeanor and easy laugh. I might have mentioned this elsewhere, but he and Jeff Beck (not comparing the two - I love them both, just that they're both 72 years young) are profound examples of creativity. Thank you for sharing. PROFOUND influence on how I play guitar.
"Day Of The Eagle". What an amazing riff and song!!
one of the most gifted guitar masters. still have all the tickets stubs from early 70's Madison square .Amazing person. so humble.
Saw him perform at B B King NYC several years back with Dave P. He laughed and pointed at B B King himself who sat on the front row to watch the whole set which was just superb. One great moment of a time.
Wow, Robin Trower. Saw him live in 1975 @ winterland in SF.
further_up saw him live in 1975 as well...small theater in San Diego
was that the tour with Alvin Lee, Styx, King Crimson?
Learned so much from first album till know , love Trower ..
What a awesome musician and a heck of a nice guy. He autographed my guitar....
I was lucky enough to get autograph backstage in Dallas because my girfriend at the time managed the warm up band. A humble and kind man of great talent. He was getting a standing ovation on every song. Saw again last year and it was a fantastic show. He's one of those rare players like Clapton, Beck and Frampton who still have their chops in old age.
"bit more middly" LOL love it, Bridge of Sighs was my mid 70's sound track, it was always playing at every kegger.
I almost cried wen i seen this.DAMN we got old QUICK..seems jus yesterday i was trippin to Trower
how old is this dude and I respect the hell out of them but God I can't be much younger than him and I'm doing it I'm just going to say father time that's the shovel scary no wait to start our Robin that is could God make sure you get your omega-3 is your Co q10 senior Ester-C 😁
He might well be a London born but lived much of his young life in Southend, Essex along with some of the Paramounts and then Procol Harum members. I’m still in awe of Robin and I’ve seen him at least 11 times, including Mothers club, in Erdington, Bham. I also saw him and his beautiful wife Andrea on an open bus coming back from Lands End in Cornwall U.K!! The drivers stopped to have a chat and I was looking straight at the great Robin Trower sat behind his lovely wife!! 🤩 He was playing that night at the St Ives September Festival in a small but intimate packed out hall. I went to St Ives for a few days to catch this gig and LOVED seeing the Robin Trower band as ever.
Very special to me as I had a connection with St Ives too, having worked a summer there in ‘72.
A very Happy 77th Birthday Robin Leonard Trower 9 March 1945.. Born in Catford, London...
A London boy with a thirst for electric blues... Many, many more Robin Leonard. Cheers Mate!!
Saw him in 73' when "Twice Removed" came out, got there early and got onstage to chat with his guitar tech, who was setting up and testing his gear. He explained that his two Marshall 100watt heads had been modified to put out 120watts, and each head was powering only one Marshall 4/12 speaker box, he had a custom made no-name overdrive pedal (not a fuzz), an original Univibe, Echoplex, and a Wah, from his stock Stratocaster. That's the tone your hearing on the first two albums. Lots of headroom and power. The band was 15 seconds into the opening song, when the buildings fuses blew and the place went black. After 5 minutes they got power back up and the band started again, 10 seconds later same thing, pitch black, once again 5 minutes goes by and they try again, fuses blow for a 3rd time, this time it's a15 minute break and they finally get it right, Trower and Dewar joke about the situation but finally deliver a blistering set that floored the audience.
Johngonefishin any Pictures could be worth big $$$
I wished, nobody I knew had a camera in 1973. This was one of those shows where my hearing probably got damaged, they were extremely loud and we were right in front of them with a 3 foot stage. When the building went black, lots of people lit up weed, Trower and Dewar just stood there waiting patiently for the power to come back on. When the power went off for the third time they left the stage and came back to a standing ovation when the power finally came back on. It was quite a show.
Johngonefishin Lisa Dewar has e-mailed me several times over the years ! I feel James Dewar should have been given much more credit for writing those amazing songs over the years .
Agreed, his writing and cool singing coupled with Robins guitar was the key to their success.
I wouldn't give up those live shows back in the day for anything. Remember seeing early Journey at Winterland and was right in front left speakers. That was mid 70's, remember it like it was yesterday. Never got to see Robin with James Dewar. Missed the Day on the Green unfortunately.
I first saw him open for Sha-Na-Na 1,000 years ago at Winterland in San Francisco. A very pleasant gentleman.
So underrated as both a player and writer. Also a decent guy and easy to work with I am told.
Saw him at a small venue in Santa Cruz, California. It was a dream of mine. After the show, he was in the passenger's seat of a van to the side of the venue. The window was rolled down. People, myself included, formed a line outside the van. We took our turn and got to express our appreciation, thank him for being accessible in that way and wish him the best. He stands out as unique rock guitarist.
Absolutely top bloke, fabulous guitar player. That sock and shoe combo though...
nice shoes. but those socks are just stellar.
They're bedroom slippers for a comfy interview. duh
"Hush Puppies claimed their rubber soles saved the life of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards when he accidentally touched his guitar against an ungrounded microphone at a 1965 concert in Sacramento, California. Richards was knocked unconscious, but medics believed that the crepe-soled Hush Puppies shoes he was wearing insulated him and saved his life.[2]"
"Taking a cue from fashion designer John Bartlett, newly hired designer Maggi Mercado revived 1950s-era styles such as the "Wayne" (née Duke) oxford and "Earl" slip-on, offering the waterproof suede shoes in a rainbow of new colors such as Pepto-Bismol pink and Day-Glo green. Both Bartlett and designer Anna Sui featured the shoes in their 1995 collections. Hush Puppies soon began to turn up on the famous feet of stars such as Lady Diana, Jim Carrey, Sharon Stone, David Bowie, Tom Hanks, Dennis Rodman and Sylvester Stallone. Hush Puppies also benefited from the trend toward dressing-down at work, filling the fashion gap between tennis shoes and dress shoes."
I usually wore mine with white socks back in the day but must say the yellow combo with the brown suede looks great.
Robin is a fashion icon as well as a guitar hero.....not just an old guy at home in slippers ;) also smart to wear hush puppies around valve amps based on 60s or 70s designs.
Sheet, that shoe sock combo is a stone cold killer look. He's having a hard time keeping them down...
Not turn into you guys so I know what to put on my feet
Probably the best overview by Robin of his gear to date .Some really interesting comments submitted too .
When Bridge of Sighs came out, my friends and I went down into the basement and listened to that sucker for hours. He took things to the next level.
He's so awesome and incredibly underrated. Robin will go down in Rock history as one of The GREATS.
Saw him in Nashville Tennessee in '77 or so. Big arena. Probably the best power trio I've ever seen. Well, ZZ Top too -- but I digress. Trower absolutely rocked. Constantly filling out the sound. It's not easy to be the only lead instrument on stage and have a performance that doesn't sound thin or too spaced-out. Dewar's voice is one of the best ever. Was, I guess. R.I.P.
Totally underrated! My
favorite cd, "Bridge of Sighs"
fav song, "The Ring"
Total Hendrix vibe!
Thanks. I have an old Ibanez Strat copy that's due some freshening up. Absolutely love what Robin dose. And he can still hear! Great guy, great video! Thanks.
I've been working with musicians most beloved and want to be popular for more than five decades up to current date...
At the time that we listened to instrumental samples of robins riffs.. all were incredibly pleased with what they were hearing.. thinking originally that this was someone else's infamous creations that had never been heard before,.. we thought that it had been lost material by Jimi hendrix's unheard unreleased archives, we had no idea who Robin trower was at the time.. all we were privileged to were the instrumental riffs without ever any identification as to who and when they were born..
Robin trowers catalog will be listen to with excitement come the ages forward..
His music was so fresh and grasping at the time that it was first heard..
Those of us in the industry from the very beginning knew that Robin trowers abilities were incredibly special Inwood create memories then it become so much a part of the lives of people who've experienced... Music changes people.. music creates thought in people that simply never would have be held inside their lives.. if it weren't forRobin trowers most incredible instrumental creations...
Great statement, "When you're in a 3 piece, you got to make a lot of sound."
I believe it was 1973 Robin played Winterland San Francisco. He was second on the bill with Sha NaNa. On Friday he tore it up when a Robins set was up Bill Graham got on stage and said Robin just flew in and he will be back tomorrow. The fans were yelling Robin Trower as the headliners took the stage. The next night Robin was heading the bill.
Robert Brown I remember Billy Joel opening for sha na na in the mid 70's. You really had eclectic and strange bills back in the day.
Dave Decker
The Beatles opened for Del Shannon. Less pretense over such matters back in those days, I guess.
I can relate to the slippers look 👀. What a thrill to see and listen to such a guitar 🎸 legend. Rock as long as you can bro 😎
Such a nice bloke there's no edge to him at all and one of the finest and most under represented guitarists of all time. I was 17 when he was at his peak. Utterly blown away when I first heard him late one night on a tiny transistor radio back in 1973.
Great guitarist. I remember him best from Procol Harem
his final guitar solo on In Held Twas I is pants- cream inducing.
@@stevedavis8329: I only ever heard that on live in Edmonton with Dave Ball on lead. I loved that performance but I'd better get cracking and listen to Robin's contribution on the studio album I guess
Hurts to see my old heros looking so old. Guess I'm in the same boat.
It hurt me to see yellow socks!
Ted Knecht Yeah, I hear you Ted. But I guess it beats the alternatives; at least we’re still here ... 😆
What a lovely fellow. And friendly; unassuming in person. God Bless ya, RT!
Mr Trower... You Sir are The Real Deal... I've Been Listening to You Since Procol Harum Straight Out into Your Solo Career and You Have Set The Bar for Many of Us Guitarist of The Era and Beyond.... So I/We Thank You Sir... Keep on Rockin My Most Awesome Musical Big Brother ☺☺😎👊💯💖
What a nice man.
He jams his Deja Vibe with a piece of wood to keep it in one position ... why not
dockaiser He should just use a Mini Deja Vibe where the speed is controlled by a knob rather than the pedal.
A true craftsman solution. British working class roots.
dockaiser. Yeah?
@@DasVolksbad : yep, the wood was free and laying about doing nothing AND it always works LOL
Robin...Robin...so many people like me love how you play. I've seen you 4 times. You are a "legend." No doubt about it.
Great guitarist, and one of my Greatest inspirations while playing back in the 70’s! Hendrix taught him a few licks back in the day also, another inspirational guitar God! Robin had a unique sound all his own, which made his style and technique really define him! He wasn’t into the glam scene either, which was tasteful on his part! He just got up on stage, and just WHALED the living shit out of it! Got to see him live. What a treat!
I saw Robin Trower twice in the 70s. It was the era of the virtuouso, the outstanding musician. Didn't you hate it when glam rock hit in the 80's? It's only gotten worse!
This guy is on another fucking level entirely
Loved the man and his playing from day one in the 70s. in 1989 as I was graduating from Army Signal Officer's school I won tix off the radio, small venue, around 50 people in Augusta Ga. Drove home to Tallahasse the next day, walked in my apt and plugged in the radio, "caller 10 gets 2 tickets to see Trower", I won a pair. Best week of music ever, got to see him twice in less than 4 days.
GREAT player who doesn't get the adulation that he deserves!
The thing is, "you've got to drive the amps a bit".
Yes, Robin, you do.
Space Ghost 54, most non guitar players have NEVER heard of Robin, it's the same story for Jeff Beck.
Fuzz Face I'm pretty sure every guitar player had heard of Jeff Beck, but personally I never heard of Robin trower until now. He is not very well known to most
Him and Gary Moore (R.I.P.)
The man is wildly successful. What more would you want for him?
Saw Robin a couple years ago. After the show he sat in a car outside the theater signing autographs and meeting fans. Great guitarist and nice guy.
Bless to have seen him many times over the years, yup him and SRV are my favorites.
Love Trower. How can you not with those socks and all.
One of my earliest influences,a true master
Mine too.
This guy is it!! The world needs to recognize what we have with us
The only reason he sounds similar to jimi, is he plays a strat through a marshal, after that he’s just Robin Trower.
Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Robin Trower - greatest guitarists ever!!
I go way back with Robin Trower, to his Procol Harum days. I saw the original Robin Trower band at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in 1974. It was their Bridge of Sighs tour and they had an arc of Marshall amps behind the band. To this day, it was the loudest concert that I've ever attended, and the band played flawlessly - not a single missed note or mistake throughout.
I seen Robin at Harpos in Detroit back in the 80s. He’s a Master. His band was extremely talented. Both shows were awesome.
Precious moments with the master...
I've got a Deja-Vibe 2, that worked just fine, until the day that it started making a loud, obnoxious buzz. Called Mike Fuller only to ask for advice, or to send it to him for repair, but out of the blue, he starts accusing me of not having it plugged in on the input side, and he said some other weird things too. (as if I would be so stupid not to have the input connected, but that's how he rolls, putting me down for no reason, right off the bat) I assure him, no, it's plugged in, with the Strat on the input side, amp on the output side. Then he says there's nothing wrong with it, I must be doing something wrong, yada yada. So I respond that I'm using it the same way as always, and it worked just fine until the day it didn't, and obviously something has changed inside the unit, now that it's making a big buzzing sound. Then he starts this ridiculous tough-guy shit, and gets real nasty with me! Like he is feeling thteatened, and responds all bristley in an effort to protect himself. Like he has some huge insecure chip on his shoulder about his product, and just goes berserk if you even ask him a question like "why does my Deja Vibe 2 have this new, huge buzz on the output?" It's like the issue tore him apart, and he couldn't deal with it all. I was only going to ask him about it, and have him fix it for me, for money. Maybe he thought I wanted it fixed for free, and as a premptive strike gave me a bunch of shit to make me go away, idk. Maybe he deals with a lot of flakey guitarists spilling beer on their pedals. I really don't know what's wrong with the guy, he wasn't even the slightest bit rational, nor did I give him any reason to get testy. I'm not looking for hand-holding customer service like Nordstroms, just a reasonable, logical exchange would be adequate, without Mike Fuller having a mental breakdown at the mere mention of a problem. It was the single oddest customer service nightmare I've ever had in my life. I bought a Deja Vibe because my hero Robin Trower uses one. I honestly don't know how Mike Fuller stays in business with such nasty, irrational customer service. He cops an imperious, shitty attitude, like he's God's gift to 60s analog electronics. Completely senseless response, and totally unjustified. I still have the email exchange, lest anyone doubt it. Just really bizarre.
Makes me sad, because he's a friend of Robin's evidently, and at the danger time Robin is my guitar hero, and somewhat of a life mentor too, through his powerful music and meaningful lyrics. I respect Robin so very highly, but was treated like shit by Robin's friend Mike Fuller, for absolutely no good reason.
Sadly, you're apparently not alone in experiencing this. Weird and bizarre.
Well, if you search the real tone from tower, forget fulltone. He actually says it all, when he mentioned that he is using fulltone since 90s, when he, imho, lost his tone completly. I do understand that his achivement was in most part from the strenght and ability that is only possible when you're young, but yet, what amajor difference... Imho, of course.
+primolandia
Interesting observation. Are you referring to his recorded tone or his live tone?
Recorded tone can vary due to a number of factors. But his intrinsic "live" tone should be fairly consistent.
Of course, his playing has changed over the course of 50 or so years, as tone of voice, accent and vocabulary does!
Most long term fans would say that his playing has just gotten better over time, generally.
Been in the electronics industry for well over 40 years and I don't care where [or what brand] you get your manufacturing components from, there will ALWAYS be a "walking dead" component from brand new just waiting to fail. Not Fuller's fault or yours, nature of the beast in component manufacturing.
He should know that and it's not a reflection on how much care was taken in the build process. Very strange reaction and totally uncalled for.
Wow, amazing... and yet not surprising. A few years ago I helped my best guitar buddy compose an email to Fulltone because his '70 pedal (strangely) did not come with a Fulltone serial number sticker on the bottom. He bought it new from Guitar Center so it was obviously legitimate and appeared to be factory error, which can happen. So Mike Fuller himself replied to our polite message saying "You will NOT be receiving a sticker for reasons which should be apparent to you. blah blah.." He basically accused my friend of trying to get a sticker so as to create fake Fulltone pedals with it. I could not believe the attitude of this guy, and it has left a sour taste with me since then. I am in the process of selling every Fulltone pedal I own and not getting any more. Sorry, Mike, but that is no way to treat customers.
Twice Removed from Yesterday is a fantastic album.
Saw Robin a few times at Free Trade Hall Manchester....Amazing
He was our UK Hendrix in those days.
Saw him at Snoqualmine Casino Wash 2011.
Down to earth amazing guy.
The man is a legend!
He was doing things I never saw any other guitarists do.
Thank you Robin Trower.
I got unreasonably excited when I saw that he has the same little Korg tuner that I have used for years! Seems like what the Brits call a "nice bloke." -----------and I have tripped balls to "Bridge of Sighs" so many times that it just starts playing in my mind automatically whenever I eat mushrooms...Thanks, Robin! I appreciate your humble good nature!
I saw Robin for the first time in 2012 and was in the 2nd row, and he has the finest tone other than say Gilmour, it's very 3D, just a stunning guitarist, this was in a club converted from a movie theater, maybe 300-400 ppl ...band was perfect. Bridge Of Sighs is still one of the greatest rock albums, I can throw that on and delivers every time. a true artist.
the Fulltones are the shit, the Fulltone plugins are not.
Wow....my very same top 2 favorite players....David Gilmour and Robin Trower. You hit my Exacta!
Admittedly there are guys who are faster, harder, or more accurate. There are plenty of players that may be virtuoso level....but I just do not enjoy listening to others as much as these two.
These are the guys I enjoy actually LISTENING to.
Glad you mentioned Marino, he's definitely up there with the best.
cool