Robin Trower
Living Out of Time
Ruf
Damn. Robin Trower is 61. His landmark Bridge of Sighs was the first album I bought with my own money, a staggering $5.11 at 1812 Overture near Northridge back in 1972. But the good news is Trower is alive, well, and sounding at least as good as he did in my wasted youth. This stunning live album dates from a 2005 German gig recorded for CD and DVD release. The label only sent us the CD, but it’s one of the finest live rock albums in the genre of old guy rock.
Never mind that flawless-sounding live albums are a bit suspect. I’ve heard “real” live albums, and the sound ranges from awful to inaudible. But that’s not the case here. Either live recording technology got better, or they did a fair bit of post production. The results are amazing, and this a definitive disk for the older fans, as well as a great introduction to one of the Gods of prog rock guitar. Trower covers his four biggest hits – “Bridge of Sighs,” “Too Rolling Stoned,” “Day of the Eagle,” and “Little Bit of Sympathy.” Between these pillars of sound are some lesser older works, as well as some modern stuff.
According to the press notes, Trower is on disk 25, and while I missed maybe 20 of those, the end points of this guitarist’s oeuvre are must-haves. Maybe they’ll send me the DVD – I never got to see Trower live.
Ruf Records: http://www.rufrecords.de
