Grass Roots (1975) It's A Cryin' Shame

A pounding piano beat drives this Rob Grill patented bubblegum soul pop rocker, along the lies of their 60s htis Temptation Eyes, Two Divide by Love and Sooner or Later. Ably assisted by keyboardist Dennis Provisor's deep gravelly vocals similar to Bobby Whitlock's barrelling croon the two deliver a great song reminiscent of the beat group's late 60 heydey where they mixed soul's horns with bubblegum melodies and countrified lead vocals reminiscent of Bang Records artists like Neil Diamond, Andy Kim. They pretty much started the bubblegum/AM pop sound of the early 70s and did it better than anyone as shown here with their circular melodies, rolling piano and stark, joyous horns all heralding some simple pop message in a production bigger than the Super K productions of 1910 Fruitgum Company etc and closer to blue eyed soul and the Phil Spector groups.

Robin Trower (1976) Same Rain Falls

From Trower's more funkier and accessible 1976 record Long Misty Days we get this squealing stallion of a rocker, starting right from the off with Trower's preferred use of wah wah and dark, arpeggiated chord progressions. The mix of the raucous solo is excellent and the song is perfectly paced, I particularly like the bouncy riff shapes as we cap off Tune No.3 of the Robin Trower trilogy of Blog Posts.

Robin Trower (1974) In This Place

From Robin Trower's progressive hued sophomore album, Bridge of Sighs, this track dominated by a supreme sounding arpeggio sequence that resembles Funkadelic's Maggot Brain down to the fatalistic echo added. Though this is faster with nice mix of wah wah guitar licks and a downbeat vocal by bassist James Dewar and some bluesy ninth chord slides which add a contrasting upbeat bursts to the overall track creating a dark intoxicating composition. The album as whole was a top notch effort with a mix of Sabbath and Dick Wagner's style of gloomy blues with a progressive and soul attitude; check out the title track with it's crystal clear wind chimes and wind effects adding a sonic layer to this beautiful production even if it lays on the 60s styled blues and soul a bit too much for 1974.

Robin Trower (1977) Somebody's Calling

From the blues guitarists' commercial and very funky 1977 album In City Dreams, comes this track full of smooth late 70s vibes and prog level sonicicity (Note; that's not a word). The thick Isley Brothers' esque tone is doubled by a strong layer of ragged distortion like a synth before edging into some light grooves for the bluesier vocal passages. But the warped guitar track with it's THX level phasing and panning is so heavy it's hard to focus on anything else, the the bass is wonderful; classic funk style. Also check out Further on Up The Road, a straight forward blues house rave up with added crowd noises like whooping and whistling to give it a warm, slightly cheesy 70s rock effect.

Earth Wind and Fire (1974) Devotion

That Oberheimer smoothly holding a note like a horn is complemented by a chilled, very laidback EWF melody. The lead vocals overlapping with the backing voices always in a elegant and spaced out way that group was best at, their instrumental skills were just as great with their tight, relentless percussive force. Mix this with the vocal attack of Phill Bailey and you have a formidable group just starting out.

Main Ingredient (1975) Rolling Down A Mountainside

An inspirational soul song, a wah-wah inflected belter in memory of Cuba Gooding Snr. The tremelo electric piano is a great addition mixed with the great positive lyrics, deep basslines and chickenscratch guitar Ala Love Orchestra style.

Blue Magic (1974) Answer to my Prayer

A hypnotically sensual groove, like their cover of Just Don't Want to Be Lonely, it repeats the same melody over and over again emphasising their delicate, ethereal harmonies full of melancholic beauty. Ted Mills' falsetto chimes with the sparkling vibes and syrupy strings, this smooth melody is excellent at presenting the band's sound.