For Earth Below followed hot on the heels of its impressive predecessor Bridge Of Sighs, which had wowed audiences and critics upon its release in 1974. Trower was at the very top of his game as he entered the studio to make For Earth Below and with this album came a key personnel change. Following the exit of Reg Isadore, Trower recruited drummer Bill Lordan who in Trower’s own words “brought a new dimension” to proceedings. Lordan was schooled in R&B and funk, and he came to Trower after spending a year with Sly Stone appearing on the album Small Talk. When listening to For Earth Below, Lordan’s particularly fine work on tracks such as "Fine Day" and "A Tale Untold" completely accentuate the album, providing the perfect platform for Trower’s stunning guitar virtuosity adorned by the unmistakable vocals and bass of James Dewar.
Reflecting on For Earth Below, Trower observed, “You make albums hoping that somebody’s going to think it’s great. And I do think there’s some great tracks on it: ‘Gonna Be More Suspicious,' ‘Shame The Devil’ and the track ‘For Earth Below’ I really love. It’s a song that I did live for many years that I used to love playing.”
Bill Lordan adds: “Robin, James and I had a magical chemistry instantly. It was like we had always played together and the music just flowed naturally. I always wanted to play with a blues-rock three-piece band. It gave me the opportunity to play more like a rock drummer than my previous career with R&B and soul bands. I got to play all the drum licks that I would have played with Jimi Hendrix [laughs].”
With its distinctive & iconic cover art by ‘Funky’ Paul Olsen and production duties courtesy once again by ex Procol Harum Matthew Fisher, For Earth Below is another hugely impressive canon in Trower’s recorded legacy. From the album opener "Shame The Devil" to the title track, which closes proceedings, this is a commanding blues rock album that now sounds even greater thanks to this stunning reissue package.
Catch Robin Trower on tour this summer. See dates and venues below.
June 11 - The National, Richmond, VA
June 13 - Penn’s Peak, Jim Thorpe, PA
June 14 - Music Box at the Borgata, Atlantic City, NJ
June 15 - Keswick Theatre, Glendside, PA
June 17 - Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre at Count Basie Center for the Arts, Red Bank, NJ
June 18: - The Welmont Theater, Montclair, NJ
June 20 - The Paramount, Huntington, NY
June 21 - BARDAVON, Poughkeepsie, NY
June 24 - Tupelo Music Hall, Derry, NH
June 25 - The Wilbur, Boston, MA
June 27 - Aura, Portland, ME
June 28 - Blue Ocean Music Hall, Salisbury, MA
July 1 - Center for the Arts of Homer, Homer, NY
July 2 - Babeville, Buffalo, NY
July 3 - Palace Theatre Greensburg PA, Olmsted Falls, OH
July 5 - MGM Northfield Park Center Stage, Northfield, OH
July 6 - Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, OH
July 8 - Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak, MI
July 10 - Brown County Music Center, Nashville, TN
July 11 - Copernicus Center, Chicago, IL
July 12 - Pabst Theater, Milwaukee, WI
July 14 - Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines, IA
July 16 - Uptown Theater, Kansas City, MO
July 17 - Gillioz Theatre, Springfield, MO
July 19 - The Factory, Chesterfield, MO
For tickets, visit robintrower.com/live/.
No comments:
Post a Comment