Search - Robin Trower :: Speed of Sound: The Best of

Not perfection, but a start

03/03/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Man, there are just too many tracks missing from here that I really like such as "Althea" & "It's Only Money" from "For Earth Below"; "Rock Me Baby" from "Twice Removed From Yesterday"; "Caledonia" from "Long Misty Days" etc.. I'd also prefer the studio versions of "Little Bit of Sympathy" and "Bridge of Sighs" but that's just a small quibble and a matter of my own personal taste.Some of this could have been rectified by fleshing out the playing time from 60 minutes to 74, but it still would have come up short, imo. In the meantime, the BGO double LP CDs will have to do.In other words, Chrysalis should remaster ALL of Trower's albums since that is the way I remember hearing Trower back in the 70s. Especially the first four studio LPs and the live LP, which I consider his best period. I think he started to lose stream after "Long Misty Days" with the tunes just not as catchy and memorable as when he first started to go solo. The stuff he did with Jack Bruce & BLT are competent but they certainly don't stand out (in my mind) as well as the early material he did with Dewar.All in all, a decent if incomplete start."

Perfection In Fact

Mark Straka | Sac City, IA USA | 10/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the one CD that truly encompasses the range of Robin Trower's brilliance. Buy it and listen without prejudice. These particular songs come closer to representing Robin's art and craftsmanship than any other CD compilation released so far. Certain segments of the population think it's a matter of gunslinging: who's the fastest gun in the west, who can run up and down the pentatonic scale the fastest, and the like, and they are the most vocal, too, to make matters worse. What it's about is art, and Robin is an artist, and this fact is blatantly obvious from one listening to these songs. Robin didn't play by the numbers in these times; he carefully crafted songs in his own style and fully exploited the tonal colors afforded by his use and masterful control of the electric guitar, single coil pickups, and raging tube amplifiers. He never diddled the guitar for the sake of speed or flash, but let the electric guitar speak in its own voice and sing along. I love it when the vocalist reaches a climax only to have the vocal line picked up by the sweet sustaining voice of the guitar (or overlaid guitars) that goes on singing through the extended outro! Brilliant. Robin also perfected the use of slurring/sliding diads to accompany the vocalist through his ballads (Sweet Wine of Love). There is so much more that could be said but Robin's music is fully capable of speaking for itself and this CD is a perfect assemblage of beautiful Trower songs that will someday be more widely recognized and appreciated for the gems that they are. Get it and play it loud. Blast it in the car CD player while you cruise. It will take you places. Then delve into Robin's output spanning over thirty years, all of it good and some of it great."