Robin Trower - King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Robin Trower In Concert (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

A pleasant surprise

Rick Tharp | Plattsburg, MO United States | 12/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In Concert is a great performance by Trower's best line-up playing his best material.

His studio albums have always seemed too slick to me. This live recording adds some needed rough edges to the Trower sound. Although the late James Dewar's vocals could be a little cheesy at times, he's great on this one.

Okay, so Robin was influenced by Hendrix, tell me what guitar player from the last 30 years hasn't been? But it is not true that Trower was just a Jimi wannabe. He was a *peer* of Hendrix, one of many guitar players who explored a psychedelic twist on the blues in the 60s and 70's.

"Further on up the Road", is a Trower-ized version of the blues classic and it is THE shining jewel on this CD. This song alone is worth the price of the CD.

2004 is the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster and the 30th anniversary of Bridge of Sighs. I can't think of a better anniversary present than this album. Enjoy!"

An undiluted blues/rock concert experience

Rick Tharp | 07/30/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"James Dewar lets Rustee Allen play the bass and concentrates on the vocals, a perfect tradeoff. The band is having a great day and plays many of the greatest Robin Trower songs. All in all it's like being there with the band, esp since the whole concert is there without breaks and with many of the songs in extended versions. Nice surprises includes a very bluesy version of "Too Rolling Stoned" where the band deviates quite a bit from the studio version as well as a version of "Daydream" in a really slow tempo that allows one to hear all the nitty-gritty licks that Robin Trower plays in this tune. The album also includes possibly the best version of "Bridge Of Sighs" that Robin Trower has ever recorded. All in all this album is a true undiluted blues/rock concert experience with real musicians playing real instruments in front of a captivated audience. Even if you have all the studio versions of the songs you'll need this album to experience! the live Robin Trower sound."

Holy S*&^!!!! That's all I have to say

W. Greenwood | USA | 10/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the ultimate live album. Dewar's soulful thick voice and Robins GUITAR work is at its PEAK!!!!!!!

This is energized and raw. Just get it if your a Trower fan or just a guitar rock fan. This live album can NOT dissapoint."

Power, Emotion, Mysticism, Virtuosity...it's all here, live.

Squire Jaco | Buffalo, NY USA | 07/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the mid-70's, my younger brother and I would do our high school homework in separate rooms, listen to the radio, and yell out which station to tune into for the next great song. More often than not, it was Rochester's WSAY, a great and truly progressive rock station (on the AM dial!).

I only mention this because it was only there that you could hear in frequent rotation such classic songs as "Ice" by Crack the Sky, "Free Hand" by Gentle Giant, "Nowhere's Too Far For My Baby" by Frampton, or "Day of the Eagle" by Robin Trower. A belated "thank you" to WSAY for opening up my musical mind.

At that time, I was a folk-rock junkie beginning the transformation into a prog rock champion. I was not a fan of the blues, and I did not yet fully appreciate heavy electric guitar; but I knew there was talent and emotion in Trower's music, and I became an avid closet Trower collector and listener long after WSAY changed formats. This recording of a King Biscuit Flower Hour performance from 1977 shows Trower at his peak, and is a treasure for anyone who ever fell in love with this Englishman's unique style of electric blues/acid rock guitar.

James Dewar's vocals are great (always reminded me of David Clayton Thomas [from Blood, Sweat & Tears] doing an imitation of Jimi Hendrix!), and he gets a chance to focus on vocals-only here as bass duties are skillfully carried by Rustee Allen, while Bill Lordan plays all drums. Trower himself is flawless in his execution of these killer tunes, and you get to hear him talking and joking with an adoring crowd. He shines brightest on long slow jams, and we're treated to a couple of classics on the extended versions of "Daydreams" (12 minutes) and "Bridge of Sighs" (9 minutes).

This recording does a nice job of capturing the fun and excitement of the show. My only complaint is that the bass was mixed kind of low - to get a nice dynamic feel for this music, I suggest turning the bass way up on your stereo equalizer (especially so you get the most out of Allen's bass solo on "Messin' the Blues").

A fantastic 70-minute overview of Trower's music in the late 70's, I highly recommend this one-of-a-kind cd.

I value interesting music that is played and recorded well. This cd's rating was based on:

Music quality = 8.9/10; Performance = 8.5/10; Production = 8/10; CD length = 10/10.

Overall score weighted on my proprietary scale = 8.8 ("4-1/2 stars")

"

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