Robin Trower - The Studio Albums 1973-1983 (2019) {10CD Box Set}

Ten-disc box set of all Robin Trower's album on the Chrysalis label from 1973-1983. For existing fans and those new to Trower, the set is a comprehensive look back over classic blues-rock albums with a psychedelic feel now and again. Robin Trower had an impressive run of albums between 1973 to 1983 for Chrysalis Records. The ex-Procol Harum guitarist released his debut solo album, Twice Removed From Yesterday, in 1973. This kicked off a string of 10 albums over the course of the next ten years including collaborations with Jack Bruce (Cream). Collected here for the first time these albums are a reminder of Robin's amazing guitar style and songwriting ability. 10CD's presented in card sleeves housed in a clamshell box.

Throughout his long and winding solo career, guitarist Robin Trower has had to endure countless comparisons to Jimi Hendrix due to his uncanny ability to channel Hendrix's bluesy/psychedelic, Fender Strat-fueled playing style. Born on March 9, 1945 in Catford, England, Trower spent the early '60s playing guitar in various London-based outfits, the most successful being the R&B group the Paramounts, who specialized mostly in covers, but managed to issue several singles between 1963 and 1965. It wasn't until 1967 that Trower received his big break, however, when he joined Procol Harum. The group had just scored a worldwide smash hit with "A Whiter Shade of Pale," but the only problem was that the band's leader, singer/pianist Gary Brooker, didn't have a proper band to back him. Brooker was previously a bandmate of Trower's in the Paramounts, and offered the guitar slot in his new fast-rising project to his old friend. As a result, Trower appeared on such Procol Harum classics as 1967's Procol Harum, 1968's Shine on Brightly, 1969's A Salty Dog, 1970's Home (which spawned the popular Trower tune "Whiskey Train"), and 1971's Broken Barricades.

While Procol Harum helped launch Trower's career, the guitarist realized there was limited space for his guitar work and eventually left for a solo career. Enlisting singer/bassist James Dewar and drummer Reg Isidore (who was soon replaced by Bill Lordan) as a backing band, Trower issued his solo debut, Twice Removed from Yesterday, in 1973. The album barely made a dent in the U.S. charts, but that would change soon enough with his next release, 1974's Bridge of Sighs. With rock fans still reeling from Hendrix's death a few years earlier, the album sounded eerily similar to the late guitarist's work with the Jimi Hendrix Experience (especially his 1968 release, Electric Ladyland), and as a result, the album skyrocketed into the U.S. Top Ten, peaking at number seven.

Although Bridge of Sighs was to be his most popular solo release, Trower's stock continued to rise throughout the mid-'70s, as he became an arena headliner on the strength of such hit albums as 1975's For Earth Below, 1976's Robin Trower Live!, and Long Misty Days, plus 1977's In City Dreams. Further releases followed, yet by the dawn of the '80s, it became quite obvious that Trower's star was rapidly fading, as each album sold less than its predecessor. A brief union with ex-Cream bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce spawned a pair of releases, 1981's B.L.T. and 1982's Truce, before Trower returned to his solo career.

The '80s saw Trower make efforts to expand his audience with several releases that attempted to update his blues-rock style (such as 1987's slickly produced Passion), but none returned the guitarist back to the top of the charts. During the early '90s, Trower returned to Procol Harum for a brief reunion (1991's Prodigal Stranger), before backing ex-Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry on a few releases (1993's Taxi and 1994's Mamouna, the latter of which featured a Trower co-producer credit). Trower continued to issue solo albums at the dawn of the 21st century (2000's Go My Way), and a steady stream of live sets and compilations also appeared. Trower returned to work with Ferry once more on 2002's Frantic (again earning a production credit). Reassembling most of his late-'80s band, Trower released Living Out of Time in 2004 and returned with Another Days Blues in late 2005. What Lies Beneath appeared in 2009 from V-12 Records. Over the next several years, Trower recorded steadily, issuing albums every few years: The Playful Heart appeared in 2010, followed by Roots and Branches in 2013, Something's About to Change in 2015, and Where You Are Going To in 2016. Trower's prolific run continued in 2017 with Time and Emotion which debuted at number two on Billboard's blues chart, and in 2019 with Coming Closer to the Day.

~ Greg Prato, All Music

Track List CD1 - Twice Removed From Yesterday (1973):

01. I Can't Wait Much Longer [0:05:25.45]
02. Daydream [0:06:27.46]
03. Hannah [0:05:29.65]
04. Man Of The World [0:02:43.70]
05. I Can't Stand It [0:03:42.67]
06. Rock Me Baby [0:04:20.73]
07. Twice Removed From Yesterday [0:03:58.13]
08. Sinner's Song [0:05:24.47]
09. Ballerina [0:03:47.34]



Track List CD2 - Bridge Of Sighs (1974):

01. Day Of The Eagle [0:05:02.44]
02. Bridge Of Sighs [0:05:01.53]
03. In This Place [0:04:29.37]
04. The Fool And Me [0:03:55.54]
05. Too Rolling Stoned [0:07:31.67]
06. About To Begin [0:03:46.13]
07. Lady Love [0:03:20.12]
08. Little Bit Of Sympathy [0:04:18.42]



Track List CD3 - For Earth Below (1975):

01. Shame The Devil [0:03:26.50]
02. It's Only Money [0:05:30.07]
03. Confessin' Midnight [0:05:53.27]
04. Fine Day [0:03:35.56]
05. Alethea [0:03:05.45]
06. A Tale Untold [0:05:27.46]
07. Gonna Be More Suspicious [0:03:05.48]
08. For Earth Below [0:06:06.07]



Track List CD4 - Long Misty Days (1976):

01. Same Rain Falls [0:03:14.47]
02. Long Misty Days [0:04:45.28]
03. Hold Me [0:03:35.56]
04. Caledonia [0:03:41.32]
05. Pride [0:03:09.72]
06. Sailing [0:03:45.19]
07. S.M.O. [0:03:44.23]
08. I Can't Live Without You [0:04:25.22]
09. Messin' The Blues [0:03:57.45]



Track List CD5 - In City Dreams (1977):

01. Somebody Calling [0:04:58.35]
02. Sweet Wine of Love [0:02:57.04]
03. Bluebird [0:05:32.17]
04. Falling Star [0:02:47.47]
05. Farther On Up The Road [0:02:35.17]
06. Smile [0:04:49.10]
07. Little Girl [0:04:53.58]
08. Love's Gonna Bring You Round [0:04:41.00]
09. In City Dreams [0:05:14.24]



Track List CD6 - Caravan To Midnight (1978):

01. My Love (Burning Love) [0:03:17.43]
02. Caravan To Midnight [0:05:00.60]
03. I'm Out to Get You [0:05:25.55]
04. Lost In Love [0:04:29.28]
05. Fool [0:03:46.20]
06. It's For You [0:04:37.61]
07. Birthday Boy [0:03:50.11]
08. King of The Dance [0:03:10.35]
09. Sail On [0:04:00.67]



Track List CD7 - Victims of The Fury (1980):

01. Jack And Jill [0:02:45.48]
02. Roads To Freedom [0:03:54.38]
03. Victims of The Fury [0:03:47.26]
04. The Ring [0:03:14.38]
05. Only Time [0:03:58.64]
06. Into The Flame [0:03:27.40]
07. The Shout [0:02:34.60]
08. Mad House [0:02:48.72]
09. Ready For The Taking [0:03:03.39]
10. Fly Low [0:03:06.17]



Track List CD8 - Robin Trower, Jack Bruce, Bill Lordan - B.L.T (1981):

01. Into Money [0:02:55.46]
02. What It Is [0:03:24.39]
03. Won't Let You Down [0:04:24.18]
04. No Island Lost [0:03:51.46]
05. It's Too Late [0:03:40.15]
06. Life On Earth [0:03:41.36]
07. Once The Bird Has Flown [0:03:59.40]
08. Carmen [0:03:39.25]
09. Feel The Heat [0:02:50.34]
10. End Game [0:05:10.57]



Track List CD9 - Robin Trower and Jack Bruce - Truce (1981):

01. Gonna Shut You Down [0:03:04.36]
02. Gone Too Far [0:03:49.51]
03. Thin Ice [0:03:41.27]
04. Last Train To The Stars [0:03:22.57]
05. Take Good Care of Yourself [0:04:47.66]
06. Fall In Love [0:02:41.21]
07. Fat Gut [0:03:22.70]
08. Shadows Touching [0:04:30.19]
09. Little Boy Lost [0:03:34.52]



Track List CD10 - Back It Up (1983):

01. Back It Up [0:03:55.07]
02. River [0:03:50.67]
03. Black To Red [0:02:56.63]
04. Benny Dancer [0:08:51.40]
05. Time Is Short [0:03:41.37]
06. Islands [0:04:07.74]
07. None But The Brave [0:02:37.49]
08. Captain Midnight [0:03:09.49]
09. Setting The Score [0:05:18.59]