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Robin Trower – Twice Removed From Yesterday

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What does it sound like?:

The 50th anniversary of Robin Trower’s solo debut after quitting Procol Harum inevitably these days is marked by a deluxe reissue, albeit in a fairly modest two cd set. The original album has of course been remastered for the occasion, while the second cd has unreleased alternate early versions of three of the album tracks, four songs from Peel sessions plus a non album B side from the Man of the World single. Trower’s swirling melodic bluesy guitar licks combine very effectively with the soulful vocals of bassist James Dewar, who was to become a permanent and indeed key member of Trower’s band over the following years. Not all the songs have aged that well to be fair, but others like the title track, Sinner’s Song and Man of the World still hold their own. Trower’s Hendrix style playing isn’t to everyone’s taste these days for sure, but as a debut set this is a very creditable effort, although their best work still lay ahead of them with Bridge of Sighs and For Earth Below. Many years have passed since the last tine I listened to this album and although it is a bit up and down at times, there are certainly a number of neglected gems to be found that make this release well worth investigating..

What does it all *mean*?

Power trios were all the rage back in the late sixties, and although this album dates from 1973, it still takes the template created by Cream and Hendrix, the latter of course being a huge and obvious influence on Trower’s playing style.

Goes well with…

Trower’s other albums, seventies blues rock.

Release Date:

18 August

Might suit people who like…

Trower, Clapton. Hendrix, air guitar.

4

Comments

  1. I really like Robin Trower, “Bridge of sighs” is a classic and his live album is superb. Plus he does great guitar face and is a lovely bloke based on a few interviews.

  3. It was Trower’s live album that got me hooked, and I pretty much wore my first copy out. I saw him whilst Jimmy Dewar was still his vocalist but had swapped his bass for some bongo drums; it wasn’t an approach that lasted long. “Bridge” is his best album but “Twice” is something I’ll play regularly.

    I think I have every album he’s released – over the years the quality gets more uneven but the mid-1980s albums “Passion” and “Take What You Need” recorded with Davey Pattison (who was in Gamma with Ronnie Montrose) and Dave Bronze (former Feelgood, bunch of albums with Clapton and briefly a Hamster) are also very good.

    I saw him in 2019 promoting his “Coming Closer To The Day”, his 24th studio album (there have since been 2 more). He alternated new songs (which he sang) with the “hits” where bass player Richard Watts sang. The new material was greeted politely, Robin’s vocals lacking the depth and I suppose the familiarity of songs sung by Watts, which welcomed with much more enthusiasm. It’s possible his touring days are now over; he’s now a majestic 78 years of age. The clip below is from the 2019 tour, showing he still had it all.

  4. They were a fantastic live band and I will never tire of this video. Reg Isidore’s face as he waits for Robin’s signal to slam back into the beat, is a treat. He looks like the dog in my childhood comic, about to come steaming out of the butcher’s shop, with a string of sausages in his mouth.

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