Spins: Robin Trower • For Earth Below 50th Anniversary Edition
Robin Trower
For Earth Below 50th Anniversary Edition
(Chrysalis)
Following the 1974 landmark sophomore effort, Bridge of Sighs, Procol Harum veteran Robin Trower returned in 1975 to prove his staying power as a solo act with For Earth Below. The gold-selling album was the third under Trower’s name. Like its predecessor, For Earth Below is steeped in meticulously textured tones and Trower’s trademarked, blues-based guitar heroics. The album is reissued for its 50th anniversary in a 2xLP gatefold package that includes one platter with a remastered version of the original mix and a second LP featuring a new stereo mix that enhances or reframes various details of the original tracks. A 4xCD set includes the two mixes on separate discs, a third disc of outtakes, and a fourth disc with a 1975 concert that draws from Trower’s first three solo albums, including 1973’s Twice Removed from Yesterday.
Bassist James Dewar sings soulfully alongside Trower’s flanged wah-wah guitar riffs during the cowbell-propelled opener “Shame the Devil.” “It’s Only Money” swims deliriously, reflecting the confusion and stress of the song’s protagonist. “It’s only money, and money don’t satisfy,” sings Dewar. For the new mix of these two songs, the original fadeouts are bypassed so listeners can hear the trio rocking to the end. Title track “For Earth Below” is altered for the 2025 mix with effects that enhance the contemplative song’s spectral ambience.
Trower delivers reliable blues riffs during “Confessin’ Midnight” and the lowdown groover “Gonna Be More Suspicious” that are accented by Sly and the Family Stone veteran Bill Lordan’s deft drumming. Trower balances his lyrical soloing on “Fine Day” against a lyric that belies the song’s moody sound with optimism and gratitude.
The trio’s interplay is perhaps at its tightest during “Alathea,” with echoes of other guitar-forward British Invasion groups including Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. “A Tale Untold” rides Lordan’s body-moving rhythm, augmented by Latin percussion and highlighted by Trower’s expressive leads. The song’s emphasis on funk is heard elsewhere on the album, marking one of Lordan’s fundamental contributions and one of the evolutionary elements setting For Earth Below apart from Bridge of Sighs.
The outtakes set is highlighted by a potent three-song set from BBC Live in Concert, as the trio rips through For Earth Below tracks “Fine Day,” “Alethea,” and “Gonna Be More Suspicious.” An 18-minute rehearsal jam expands the band to a four-piece with shimmering organ.
The live set was captured on March 16, 1975, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The worthy charms of the main album notwithstanding, this is the feature that will make the set essential for fans. Trower, Dewar, and Lordan play with power, soul, and well-honed intuition, whether performing the new work like “Fine Day” or an expanded arrangement of “Bridge of Sighs.” Highlights include a swaggering romp through B.B. King’s standard “Rock Me Baby” as heard on Twice Removed from Yesterday and a taut performance of Bridge of Sighs’ “Too Rolling Stoned” that fuses hard rock and R&B while stretching into improvisational nirvana.
Still a creative force at 80, Trower’s latest album is this year’s Come and Find Me. This anniversary reissue of For Earth Below helps illuminate the path that brought the restless guitarist and songwriter to where he is today.
Trower appears Friday, July 11, at the Copernicus Center with guest Nicholas Tremulis.
– Jeff Elbel
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