There have been two album releases from Robin Trower this year: one is a 50th anniversary reissue of the 1975 album For Earth Below, while the other is a brand-new studio album, Come And Find Me.
With the former – originally the follow-up to 1974’s hugely successful Bridge Of Sighs – some might think there would have been added pressure to satisfy fan expectations. “I don’t think any of us were thinking about that particularly,” Robin tells us. “The full concentration was on trying to make as good an album as possible with the material that we had.”
Fast-forward half a century and the new album was conceived and recorded under somewhat different circumstances. Gone are the immense studio costs, analogue tape and the running-time constrictions that came with vinyl; these days album-making marches to a completely different beat…
There must be a wealth of contrasts between recording processes for For Earth Below and Come And Find Me?
“Well, I think the main difference between now and then is that, fundamentally, the main guitar, bass and drums would go down live. And then you would fill in the gaps and do the solos and the vocals afterwards, which is completely different to how I work now.
“These days I put down the guitar part or arrangement to machine drums and then build it up from there. So it’s really different. But I like the modern way I work now because I can get every note, every part, exactly how I want it.”
Can you remember what gear you were using in the studio back then?
“Well, I’m pretty sure it would have probably been two 4x12s, each with 100-watt Marshall head on, and I think at that time I was using a special overdrive pedal, which a friend of mine made for me – it was really just a volume booster, just to drive the amps a bit more.”
Moving on to Come And Find Me, what is the writing process like for you now – do you have a particular way of doing things?
“Well, I like to pick up the guitar every day because it’s fun to play. If I come up with a guitar part that I think has a groove or vibe about it, then I pursue it and turn it into a song. So everything begins with the guitar and that’s really what it’s all about.
“Generally, you get the germ of an idea and if it tickles my fancy then I work on it until it’s a complete guitar arrangement. And probably at the same time, I’m thinking about the vocal line. Once I’ve got that, then I go into the lyrics. And that is the thing that takes the most time.
“I’m coming up with songs all the time. I mean, I’ve just finished another album that’s in the can. So that’ll give you some idea of how much material I’ve got. That’s how I’ve been turning it out. I think because I try to play every day, there are ideas coming along all the time.”
How do you get your ideas down? Do you have recording gear at home?
“For the past two or three years, I’ve just been putting ideas on my phone. And then, when I go in the studio, I’ve got a complete song with a complete arrangement, either on the phone or in my head. And that’s when I start to build it up, like I say, from there.”
There’s a lyrical centre to the new album about all the red tape and hurdles we have to cross in society these days. Is that something you feel particularly passionate about?
“Well, I do think there’s more red tape, more rules, more laws. And like the song says [A Little Bit Of Freedom from Come and Find Me] ‘I don’t need no-one to think for me, telling me what’s on my mind…’ I think we’re getting clamped down more and more on what we can think, which is not good.”
On the track Take This Hurt Away you’ve said your inspiration was what you would come up with if you were ever asked to write a Bond theme. We even detected the familiar four-note guitar part…
“Yeah, that’s right. I started to think, ‘Could I come up with something that would be a fit for a James Bond movie?’ And I came up with a musical idea that was in the ballpark.
“But then, obviously, once I started to think about it as a song for myself, it sort of went off in a different direction, but the initial vibe of the piece was definitely inspired by the idea of it being for a James Bond film.”
Are you still using your signature Stratocasters?
I like to have the bigger headstock because I think a bit more wood might add a bit more resonance. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it’s just an idea I have
“Yeah. The signature models are built for me by [Fender Master Builder] Todd Krause and they’ve got my specific idea of the perfect Strat. I like to have the bigger headstock because I think a bit more wood might add a bit more resonance. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it’s just an idea I have.
“I use three different reissue pickups: the ’50s on the neck and the ’60s in the middle, and a Texas Special in the bridge. And the bridge is a vintage bridge. It has locking tuners, larger frets and a five-way switch. I think that’s about it.”
What about guitar amps? Have you switched to smaller cabs?
“I’m using 50-watt Marshalls. I think they’re called the 1987, and Marshall made me some open-back 2x12 [cabs]. So, you know, one 2x12 on each 50-watt. That’s the basic amp setup. Because I use the neck pickup on my Strat, a 4x12 I found was just too much bottom-end. So an open-back 2x12 I find is right for what I need.”
What pedals are you using these days?
“They’re all Fulltone pedals, made by Mike Fuller in California. He actually doesn’t make pedals any more, but all the ones I have are his, like the Deja Vibe and the Clyde wah.
It’s more difficult in the studio because you can’t get that ‘circle of sound’ going so much. But live, it’s very important that the guitar pickups are seeing the speakers
“At the moment, I’m using an OCD overdrive, but I tend to switch between them. I have a pedal that [Mike Fuller] made for me personally, which is called a WahFull – instead of a foot sweep wah, it’s on a tone-control thing that you can preset at one position.”
How much do you think volume plays in your guitar sound? Vintage Marshalls only give you that signature sound if you use them wound up – are you still of that school as a player?
“Yeah. I mean, it’s more difficult in the studio because you can’t get that ‘circle of sound’ going so much. But live, it’s very important that the guitar pickups are seeing the speakers, as it were. And you get that singing thing going between the two. I love it. Yeah, I love playing live.”
- Come and Find Me is out now via Provogue.
- This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.
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