In March, Robin Trower joined the rarefied group of rockers still going in their 80s.
The London-born guitarist began his music career in a group called the Paramounts, then followed bandmate Gary Brooker into Procol Harum and its iconic 1967 hit “A Whiter Shade of Pale.” Trower played on the troupe’s first five albums — writing its hit “Whisky Train” — before going solo in 1971.
Since then Trower has released nearly 30 solo albums, including this year’s “Come and Find Me,” and another two with the “supergroup” B.L.T. (himself, bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Bill Lordan). Trower also worked with Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry on four of his solo albums.
He’s not left the road, either, and is in fact on the second leg of another extensive U.S. run with his current band, which features vocalist Richard Watts…
* Trower says what keeps him going is “just the love of playing guitar. I pick up the guitar every day and play for my own enjoyment; that’s really where it all starts. That’s sort of the engine that drives the whole thing — the studio, the writing, playing live. I’m in good enough shape to still deliver the standard I demand of myself.” After canceling tour dates last year for health concerns, Trower says he’s now “tip-top, better than I thought I’d be for 80 years old.”
* After all these years of recording, Trower says he’s learned to trust his instincts when it’s time to create new material. “I don’t really have much of a thought process or control over the ideas I come up with. I’ll have an initial idea on the guitar — it might be only a riff — and then it’s a natural progression to expand on it and try to turn it into a song. It always starts off with a guitar thing. A lot of the songs are just jammed out, basically; I’ve got a round idea of what I want to do with it, but I just sort of go for it a lot of the time. I like to have that, ’cause I think you get a sense of the freedom of the playing, which connects on a more emotional level.”
* “Come and Find Me’s” first single, “A Little Bit of Freedom,” finds Trower’s lyrics venturing into topical, political territory. “I watch a lot of news, read a lot of news. I just felt like the rules and regulations are staring to bear down on us a little bit; I’m sort of worried about the fact that there’s not enough space for freedom of thought, really. It’s not sort of what I call political lyrics; it’s just what I’m thinking about at the time, really.”
* Trower adds that he’s also “just finished the next album, so really I had almost two albums’ worth of material last year, and I’ve come up with a couple of new songs since then. I do count myself to be very blessed with that little touch of creativity which keeps things flowing.
“I think part of it is that I’m never really happy with what I’ve done; you finished an album but you’re always thinking, ‘I can do better.’ So I keep pushing forward.”
* In addition to “Come and Find Me,” Trower is also celebrating the 50th anniversary of his third solo album, “For Earth Below,” and recently released an expanded edition of the set. He remembers that, “It was quite a difficult album to make. We recorded it in L.A. to get those great drum sounds at the Record Plant, but I think that sort of put too much of a strain on the whole thing.
“I wasn’t really relaxed. We had to move there, live there for a few weeks while we were doing it. I don’t think it was as relaxed as (1974’s) ‘Bridge of Sighs,’ for instance; we were all living locally and coming in from home every day.” “For Earth Below” nevertheless gave Trower his highest chart showing in the U.S. or England (No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart) and was certified gold. “Listening to it more recently, there’s some really strong stuff on there,” he says. “The new mixes really enhance it a lot, I think.”
Robin Trower performs Tuesday, July 8 at the Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St. Doors at 7 p.m. 248-399-2980 or royaloakmusictheatre.com.
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