By the time Robin Tower’s For Earth Below was released a half-century ago, the former guitarist for Procol Harum had hit his stride creatively and commercially as a solo artist. Thus, the third album under his name began a process of refinement that, not surprisingly, involved a shift of personnel: ex-Sly Stone drummer Bill Lordan took over for Reg Isidore.
On this 50th Anniversary Edition of the album, the technical expertise of engineers Richard Whittaker and Phil Kinrade supplies spacious, well-defined sonics that mirror the precision of that musicianship. On both the remastered form of the original album, as well as an alternate version of the LP with improvisational interludes on all eight tracks (excised before the formal release five decades ago), the plush audio posits this as the work of a bona fide guitar hero aligned with some estimable accompanists.
A similarly enlightening effect emerges from the third disc of the four housed in the handsome DVD-style media book. Here, interview segments by BBC’s John Peel, coupled with excerpts from the album’s songs (plus rarities like “The Moody One”), directly highlight how Jim Dewar’s fervent vocals gain heightened prominence on “A Tale Untold.” Meanwhile, nearly a minute and a half extra on “Confessin’ Midnight” reveals how his bass work complements the intricacy of Lordan’s drumming
Depicting the backstory of the creative process behind For Earth Below, journalist David Sinclair’s essay is as enlightening in its own way as the playing. As are the handful of ‘Outtakes & Rarities,’ within which some spontaneous rehearsal jams capture the newly-configured trio testing its collective mettle: it is the aural equivalent of time-lapsed photography.
Proceeding directly from those intervals, the formal concert reaffirms the wisdom in the change in the band lineup. This particular seventy-plus minutes from Los Angeles in March of 1975—previously-unreleased in its entirety–contains four culls from the studio album released the month prior. Yet there are also noticeable distinctions in how the reconfigured trio interprets material such as “Daydream” and “Lady Love” from the first two Trower albums (also produced by Matthew Fisher)
Flush with confidence from the success of 1973’s Twice Removed From Yesterday, combined with the next year’s wider acceptance of Bridge Of Sighs, Trower’s playing sounds more purposeful than ever. And perhaps he’s even just a tad more abandoned too: the corrosive edge in the bandleader’s fretboard sound remains readily apparent on atmospheric pieces like “I Can’t Wait Much Longer,” not to mention an emphatic homage to the blues in the form of “Rock Me Baby.”
Archival efforts like For Earth Below – 50th Anniversary Edition are hardly novel, but only a precious few provide such a focused perspective on the original work. To that end, the curators here wisely made no changes to ‘Funky’ Paul Olsen’s original bright orange graphics and, by that very hands-off gesture, allowed the image at the center of its design (a speaker cone) to reflect the enhanced sound quality of the music within.
Given the still-prolific output of Robin Trower in recent years, there’s no doubt about the loyalty of his fan base. Nevertheless, For Earth Below – 50th Anniversary Edition lends validation to that devotion.
