Robin Trower and 2 VMs!!!!!!!!!!!!

[spidey]

Hey guys, check this out



Trower with 2 VMs playing a little bit of sympathy. He's on fire! He's obvioulsy very inspired and just ripping it up. V Cool!!!

[surfnorthwest]

One of the better videos I have seen of Trower, the guy just just kills me. I know some guitar players say BFD but if you see him live you will get it and walk out with your tail between your legs. He seems to have his mojo with the two 2466s, this is really good.

[frank9310]

Nobody, but nobody knows tone like Trower. Thing is, it doesn;t matter if he;s using 2 JCM 900s like he did on his Living Out of Time DVD or Plexi + JCM 800 or his Signature Cornell amps, he sounds the same! I'm wondering if he does some little mod to his amps or if those well broken in Vintgage 30 speakers he uses makes them all the sound the same?

[SteveD]

It matters to Robin.

[Spotted Dog]

It matters to Robin.

Good point

[gtrman]

Never heard that much about this guitarist... but this sounds pretty good.
Definitely need to check him out !

[frank9310]

Ah, no don't get me wrong SteveD. I know the amp must sound killer if he's using it. I just mean he seems to be able to conjure up his exact signature tone out of whatever amp he uses and it's something that is very different than any tone I've been able to conjure up using the same exact gear he says he's using. That's what makes me wonder if part of it is in his Fawn colored 4x12 cabs loaded with V30s (maybe being extremely well broken in-special flavor) he uses for whatever head he has because no amp or guitarist I've ever heard can get his signature tone spot on. Maybe on his earlier stuff I've heard people come close but for the last 5 years, he has some new and unique tone that is not duplicatable no matter what amp head he's using.

[frank9310]

Never heard that much about this guitarist... but this sounds pretty good.
Definitely need to check him out !

And you're from which planet?

[gtrman]

Never heard that much about this guitarist... but this sounds pretty good.
Definitely need to check him out !

And you're from which planet?

Of course I've heard of him and probably heard some tunes here & there but never went down that particular route. Hey, there is a lot of players out there
My top favorites guitarists would be Zappa, Vai, SRV, Prince, Holdsworth amongst several others ....
I don't think Mr Trower is quite ready to join those ranks imho but I enjoy players who have their own signature sounds & personality.
It's not all about chops ....and Trower seems to have a nice vibe about his playing.
AND he is using a VM ... he must be doing something right !

[frank9310]

I don't think Mr Trower is quite ready to join those ranks imho!

HAHAHA! None of those guys could hold a candle to Trower and most weren't even a glimmer in their daddy's eye while Trower was as famous as the Rolling Stones in his heyday. Vai sounds like a buzzing mosquito next to just one of Robin's soulful notes.

In fact, his 1974 release of "Bridge of Sighs" album sky rocketed into the U.S. Top Ten, peaking at number seven. Any of those guys you mention ever do that?! I don't think so...Tee Hee...

(well maybe Prince but he's more a perfomer than a guitar player though he is good on guitar, he's no Trower) IMO

[gtrman]

I don't think Mr Trower is quite ready to join those ranks imho!

HAHAHA! None of those guys could hold a candle to Trower and most weren't even a glimmer in their daddy's eye while Trower was as famous as the Rolling Stones in his heyday. Vai sounds like a buzzing mosquito next to just one of Robin's soulful notes.

In fact, his 1974 release of "Bridge of Sighs" album sky rocketed into the U.S. Top Ten, peaking at number seven. Any of those guys you mention ever do that?! I don't think so...Tee Hee...

(well maybe Prince but he's more a perfomer than a guitar player though he is good on guitar, he's no Trower) IMO

:draw
We could argue until we're black and blue here ... favorite guitarists is all subjective. I was not saying that my favorites were in any way BETTER players than Trower.
All I was saying was that he's not cracking my top 5 ... yet anyway
As far as Vai in concerned I agree that there is a lot of showcasing and technical flash but he does have his own "style" and personality.
I guess I may be a little colored by the fact I was jamming and trading licks with him some 25 years ago...
My absolutely favorite out of all guitar players ever .. is Frank Zappa. Not very technical or not well know for his tone (he did use Marshalls a lot during his career) BUT his solo's is just out of this world.
He played solos - NEVER licks or chops. Every solo a new adventure ... he actually "composed" music when soloing. Several melody lines in solos often became songs later on ...

But this Jimi guy is not half bad as well ...

[frank9310]

Ah yeah Zappa was a real badass on guitar and one of the all time best. I saw him a few times and once when he toured with Jean-Luc Ponty on violin. That was incredible. Don't eat the yellow snow!

I have a friend who Vai took on his last Europe tour with him to open up, Zack Wiessinger whose a new kind of Zappa in his own right. He blew Vai away and there's a pic of Vai sitting at Zack's feet with his jaw droped open watching him. http://www.guitarzack.com/video-page/ This kid is offthe hook. THere's some videos on his site. He came in 3rd place 2 years ago atthe Guitar Center competition but should have been first but he was too advanced for the blues purists. He didn't care because he was already set to tour with Vai.

[surfnorthwest]

Zappa, Vai, SRV, Prince, Holdsworth amongst several others .... I don't think Mr Trower is quite ready to join those ranks

Outright BLASPHEMY,

Trower spans over 25 CDs since the late 60s he became a solo artist in the very early 70s. Some of his CDs are very good others you can tell producers and record companies had their hand in the cookie jar. Once he went with his own label he started recording some unbelievable music again.

I have been fotunate enough to actually have lunch with the man by chance back in 1997, very humble and he loves his fans. At the age of 62 he is still going stong. What you will find at a Trower concert are a bunch of good guitar players, that is his audience. He is not mainsteam and never will be, he atracts players like myself.

Of your top five guitar players I will comment;

Zappa...can't think of a single song other then "titties and beer" he did I liked, never thought of him as remotly good although his son Dwezil is a very good player. I mean I very strange music and never thought much talent at all in his work.

Vai, SRV, Vai is damm good but a he is a one trick pony, SRV is a legend.

Prince, actually seen him in Mankato Minnesota back in about 1981 at the collage, the show was pretty strange as it was the first time I had seen music mixed with porn live...yes porn his early shows were pretty over the top. He can play but unless he has gotten much better since then (sure he has) he wasn't anything special.

Holdsworth - Very special player and talent.

[frank9310]

Funny stuff! I think Trower's 65 now though. Robin Leonard Trower (born 9 March 1945,. How old would that make him? Bad with math here. LOL

[spidey]

Taste is so subjective. At various times over the years I have been a big fan of all if these guys. However it makes them even more difficult to compare when you are looking at different types of players. My favourite here is Trower and he is a feel based blues rocker with a soulful approach. Vai for example on the other hand comes from a very technical place where technique is very important. Chalk and cheese really IMO.