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Fantastic tracks frrom one of the greatest rock and roll guitarists of all time in my humble opinion. Wonderful remaster of one of my favorite albums of all time. As a 52nd birthday present to myself, I decided to take the plunge and get this combo album. Delivery was quick, and it was in brand new factory packaging. "LIVE" has not been available in a CD format for many, many years, and the old LP I have is so scratched up it is almost unlistenable.I was not disappointed. It sounds as if it were recorded yesterday. If you are a Trower fan like myself, this CD is a must. Crank it up, and sit back.
He has an uncanny way of using Univibes, Chorus and Flangers. Do you like Robin Trower. If you answered yes to both or even the first question then chances are good you'll like these two albums if you haven't heard them yet. Robin is a very melodic guitarist. Like I said if you like Twice Removed From Yesterday and/or Bridge of Sighs then you will not be dissappointed with these two. If you have and wore out your vinyl like I did then this is a great way to get this music back into your library.For Earth Below is the Title song and it's a great one.
There's nothing bad on either album or CD or whatever the hell you want to call it. Did you like him when he was lead for Procol Harum. He gets sounds out of a Marshall that I've never heard anyone else do. Reminds me of Bridge of Sighs in a way. Same sort of brooding majesty to it. They're both excellant.
Buy 'em.
Unlike many live albums from the 70's this sounds nice neat rehearsed and even the extremely long improvised sections sound tight, crisp and well - produced. Many live albums from this era sounded sloppy and unrehearsed as if they threw together a live album just because they didn't have any new material to release. This along with Mahogany Rush Live is one of the great unheralded classic live albums from this era.
Am I wrong. Instrumentally, the band is terrific - if you listen to them when Jimmy is NOT singing, well, it's fantastic. I mean - am I. But - I don't know what it is - but he has this "voice wrapped in cotton" sound that never varies. This wrecked both of them. that gives the overall effect a great listening experience. You know - sometimes if you are a great guitar player - well, that's what you are.
Soulful singing is fine but without a melody you just have "soulful" and that's it - and that is boring. falsetto, low to high range, tenderness, agressiveness, etc. I do believe it may be the way he was recorded - close miked or something that did it. That's not progress.
Robin Trower's albums reflect two things: great band but the singer Jimmy Dewar is VERY one dimensional and this gives that SAMENESS that plagued all their records and eventually destroyed them in the end. Like Mick Taylor. Leave it at that and don't pretend you are a band leader and a songwriter. They should have both stayed where they were. Robin was at his best with Procol Harum. They both went from stadiums to--clubs. Mick Jagger, Robert Plant, Steve Tyler,Sting, Jimi Hendrix, even Eric Clapton have a singing voice that gives them added dimensions, i.e. Where did they wind up.
If you listen to their "live" album you get more variation with him but in the studio, it is a muffled soul voice that really goes nowhere and actually annoys me. VERY emotional and well placed solos. In clubs. So - there you are.
I really rate "For Earth" at 5 but "Live" disappoints me. "Bridge of Sighs" one of the great albums and "For Earth" is a continuation of a very good thing.
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