Robin Trower Interview (2008)

by Matt Baamonde.

Nearly all of today’s blues-rock guitarists are Hendrix influenced to some degree. Few, however, are capable of developing a destinctive, ethereal, almost 'otherworldly' tone combined with the tasteful phrasing that characterizes Robin Trower's body of work.

Once considered the heir apparent to Jimi, the ex-Procol Harum, Strat-wielding, English rocker has blazed his own distinguished path over a long career. Trower has pulled his weight as a band member and on many occasions served as a band leader to plow new territory in the blues-rock fusion genre.

Trower's sweeping and lush riffs on such masterful albums as Bridge of Sighs, Twice Removed from Yesterday, Passion and other world-wide attention-getting albums have offered him a place alongside such luminary guitarists as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and others who have inspired guitar wannabes to pick up their guitars and learn how to play. Robin's signature sound is identifiable and unmistakably his own.

Today, Robin Trower continues to play turbocharged Strat licks that draw us back to those heady days during the '60s and '70s when lead guitarists held center stage. His guitar work was always compared to Jimi Hendrix and he graciously acknowledges Jimi's place in six-string history. But, Trower earned his own stripes. His guitar contributions included both whip crackin' guitar solos, as well as soft crash landing melodic riffs that gave his own textural meaning to the varied elements of guitar expression.

"Music is impossible to describe in words. It's elusive, as is how I feel when I'm playing. It feels good, It's exciting but impossible to describe. When I'm playing, it's very spiritual, almost religious, perhaps the last of the modern religions. All I know is that I never wanted success as much as wanting to make great music." Robin Trower (Robin Trower Live - 1976)

In early 2008, Trower regrouped with his friend and legendary bassist Jack Bruce (Cream) on their Seven Moons CD. The album offers up Jack's vocals that yank us back to his days with Cream with Trower's guitar expressions that are at once emotionally dark and edgy.

Modern Guitars had already run a solid interview with Robin a while ago. And we saw him recently on his World Tour 2008 with sidekicks Davey Pattison (vocals) and Pete Thompson (drums) and Glenn Letsch (bass) when he played the Birchmere in Arlington, Virginia. I was asked to catch up with him and find out the latest Trower news.

Robin and I talked about his extensive and impressive musical journey, that included a small bit of reminiscing that goes with the territory when you've got a history of milestone albums. We also discussed his latest work with Jack Bruce. He'd just finished up the North American leg of his tour and had to cancel a show or two due to a brief fit of illness. I tried to make this interview short to give him some space. But, Robin was up for it and seemed to be having as much fun as I did talking about music and guitars.

Matt Baamonde: What was it about Stratocasters that made you decide that they would best express your music? And how did you and Fender get together and how much collaboration was there in order to come up with your Signature model?

Robin Trower: Well, the reason I started playing Strats is because it’s the guitar that has, like a voice, it's almost like a human’s quality to it’s sound.

I actually chose the parts that go into my signature model. Basically, I replaced the parts that are unique to that one. I just talked to Joe and Todd at the Custom Shop at Fender. We made the first one together and, you know, sort of together we built the first one. I was very happy with it. In fact, I started using it straight away. I’ve got a live DVD out and that’s the guitar I’m using on that. So, basically I’ve got four of them now. They’re the ones that I use.

Matt: Did you have any special pickup modifications to get the Trower sound or did you go for a late ‘60s, early ‘70s sound?

Robin: On the Signature model I have three different era’s of pickups. I’ve got the '50s vintage reissue on the neck, '60s vintage reissue on the middle, and a Texas Special or a Tex Spec that’s on the bridge.

Matt: Could you talk a little bit about your Uni-Vibe pedal, that’s part of your signature sound?

Robin: Well, what I use is all Fulltone effects pedals built for me by Mike Fuller. Usually I get to try out the first model. He's been great for about the last fifteen years. He's given me stuff that I ended up using.

It’s called the Deja Vibe. It’s that sort of Leslie kind of effect. It’s his version of the Octane Univibe. Great sounding pedals. And I use a CLYDE Wah, which is his as well. And it’s really great, because it’s got a volume control on it so you can get the balance perfect between that and the overdrive pedal. I use various ones of his. At the moment, I’m playing through the very first one or second one that he gave me about thirteen, fourteen, fifteen years ago, the Full-Drive 2.

I also use the OCD that he gave me. And at the moment, he’s working on one built specifically to my taste. I'm hoping that it's gonna come out as the Robin Trower Signature Overdrive. That would be very cool. In fact, I’m waiting today to go and try one. I’ve had one already for a bit. I’ve told him what was wrong with it, what was right with it, sort of thing. But, they sent me a new one which I’m gonna try today . So hopefully we can get it nearer the mark. It’s a great pedal and it would be really nice to have one trimmed up, believe me.

Matt: Have you found yourself working more with in-home advanced recording equipment like Macs and Pro Tools or do you still enjoy working in a full-blown studio environment?

Robin: Yeah, it’s still only studio for me. I don’t have a home setup. I’m not particularly interested. I can’t really be bothered to be honest with you. I also prefer the sound of tape. Two-inch tape, you know? I just prefer the sound of it.

Matt: Do you do most of your songwriting in the studio?

Robin: No, I write my songs usually at home or on the road, sometimes I write stuff. But, it’s mostly just sitting with a guitar and a recorder.

Matt: Your recent CD, Seven Moons with Jack Bruce captures that Cream vibe with the track “Perfect Place” and then feels much more modern with “Last Door” that has a rougher and darker sound. Kind of makes me wonder if you’ve ever thought of collaborating with some of the younger groups like Australia’s Silverchair or Snow Patrol? Seems that there are a lot of cool places for your guitar work to push some envelopes.

Robin: Well, I would certainly consider it if I was offered. If any one asked me I would consider it, yeah.

Matt: You and Hendrix have frequently been compared and it’s still evident that you and Jimi share the same blues vibe. What first attracted you to the blues and how did you find your own blues voice? How much did Hendrix really influence your own style?

Robin: Oh yeah, Hendrix was a big influence. There is guitar playing before Hendrix and there’s guitar playing after Hendrix, you know? [Laughs] He’s a giant, a genius. I think we all live in his shadow, even today. I still think he was the greatest rock 'n' roll guitar player ever. As for finding my own blues voice, obviously I was very influenced by black music, basically blues, rhythm and blues, soul music, you know?

James Brown is my number one musical idol, if you like, he’s my hero. I really started to feel more of a blues centered style. I did a blues album. I decided I was gonna play fingerstyle and it took me down a whole league in terms of phrasing. And I think that has fed into my whole overall style. A sense of phrasing. You get into a different melodic place when you’re playing with your fingers, because you’ve got to consider every note, basically.

Matt: If you were going to teach a young guitar player some blues, what milestone blues albums or older blues masters would you tell him or her to listen to or study?

Robin: Well, my sort of main album would have to be, B.B. King Live at the Regal. That was where I started. But that was before I heard Albert King. I do think Albert King beats B.B. King as my favorite blues guitar player spot. Basically, because he’s got the most incredible composition sense about what he does and, you know, obviously he’s got the fantastic tone and technique and everything.

From a compositional sense his solos are melodically beautiful. When I saw him play live, I only saw him play live once, and I thought he was the best guitar player I’ve ever seen, just for my own personal taste. He’s just so soulful.

Matt: From your whole catalog of albums and records, which tracks do you think would be especially great candidates to play acoustic for an unplugged compilation?

Robin: I can’t imagine doing an unplugged. I mean the amplified guitar, that sound is too much power for what I do. It’s very, very difficult to transfer it.

Whenever I’ve heard people doing unplugged it always sounds really ridiculous to me, let alone all the rock 'n' roll stuff. You know, rock 'n' roll should be like a tidal wave coming over you! [Laughs] Not something for the corner of a coffee house. If you think about Little Richard, you can’t turn down the volume. Obviously, there’s a lot of songs to choose from if I was to go down that route.

Matt: You’ve toured now for almost forty years. What’s the difference between an after show Robin Trower experience today compared to one the 20 year old Trower enjoyed?

Robin: Well, now you’re asking aren’t you? [Laughs] Actually, it’s not really very much different. I always got pretty drained after a show, even when I was young, especially when we were playing arenas. I found that very, very draining. Because it’s very difficult to get a decent guitar tone in there. And also you’re trying to reach out to people half a mile away. [Laughs]

You know, it’s a lot of work. That’s why I gave up touring after a few years, you know? I just stopped enjoying it. But, it’s pretty much the same now as it was then. I’m pretty drained. I go back to my room, maybe watch a bit of TV. That’s it. Yeah, it’s always been about shows, been about getting yourself ready for the next gig, making sure you can deliver the goods every night basically, you know? That’s what touring is about to me anyway.

Matt: What kind of advice do you have for young guitar players who are trying to get their name out there and form bands?

Robin: Yeah, it’s kind of difficult today, isn’t it? That’s the trouble with just starting out. There’s just not enough places to go and play and learn your craft. That’s the problem with it.

It really helped us so much when we were starting out, that we could go and start off doing covers and do our own versions. And we’d get out and play at dances, rock 'n' roll dances. And you got a lot of experience playing in front of audiences. But, it really doesn’t matter.

You know, you just got to play it for the fun of it. And I think maybe that’s missing for the young musicians today. They start off, they rehearse, they make an album, and they want to be a hit straight away.

They don’t get a chance to hold their own identities enough. Too many young players today are basing what they’re doing on somebody else. I’ve always said when anybody asked me what I would say to young guitar players starting out, I always say, "Well, what worked for me, and I was very lucky in having a sense of this, not to copy anybody else’s playing, not to sit down and work out other people’s riffs and licks or whatever they’re doing."

Obviously, you’ve got be influenced by people you really love, music, you know, you can’t avoid that. What you need to do is sit down and find stuff of your own. You can expect to find stuff on your own when you’ve just started.

I’d been playing ten years, I think, before I really started to call something my own. Just don’t be in a rush and try to find your own voice on the instrument, or any instrument really, not just guitar, it could be any instrument. When you find it, you know, it gives you kind of a thrill. That thing that’s coming from the heart. Then you can build up a sense of what your music is, you know?

It’s not easy these days because you don’t have a chance to just have fun out in front of an audience playing. It’s all about, ‘Well can we become a hit? Or make a record and be a star?"

Sometimes they get to that too soon, I think.

Matt: What can we expect from Robin Trower this year? New CD, or a new tour?

Robin: I'm hoping to get together with Jack Bruce and do some live shows. I’m working on, possibly this summer, recording my first instrumental album. I’m looking forward to doing it. I’ve got all the material ready for it. So I’m trying to put that together. It’d be fun, fun to do. We’ll actually use the guys I’ve got on bass and drums. I’m going to try and record the whole thing live so there’s no overdubbing. Live in the studio, you know, just live performances.

Matt: Guitar music and the music industry in general have changed a lot over the past few years. Where do you see the future of guitar music going?

Robin: Well, I think it’s just very different. So many different stars on electric guitar now. I don’t hear any players that I think are as good as the greats I’ve lived through today. Think of all the players I’ve talked about. They’ve all had their own voice. I don’t really hear that today, not very much anyway.

There’s interesting players [like] the guy in Radiohead, Jonny Greenwood. He’s a very, very gifted musician. But, he’s more musician than guitar player, if you know what I mean. I think he’s classically trained as well, I mean, he has some great ideas. But, in terms of the blues or rhythm and blues kind of playing, I haven’t heard a new voice. Not really.

Matt: Hopefully that’s something that will change.

Robin: Well, you never know. I think we are moving out of the era where that can happen now. We’re into something else. Anyway, onward and upward, that’s what I say!

Related Links
Robin Trower
Robin Trower Interview (2007)
Going Bananas for Robin Trower

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