High on any list of ’70s guitar-rock albums is Robin Trower’s six-string masterpiece, Bridge of Sighs. 2024 marks 50 years since its arrival.

Rising to prominence as a member of Procol Harum (though he did not play on “Whiter Shade of Pale”), by 1973, the British guitarist was directing a trio with singer/bassist James Dewar and drummer Reg Isidore. They introduced themselves to the world with Twice Removed from Yesterday, a promising debut that blended blues-tinged hard rock propelled by Trower’s guitar and Dewar’s soulful vocals.

Before the album was recorded, the band had yet to play a live show together. But that wasn’t the case when writing began for Bridge of Sighs, which reflects how touring made them a much tighter unit.

“Bridge was all written to riffs – the whole album is based around guitar ideas and guitar parts,” Trower recalled for VG. “We played ‘Bridge of Sighs’ live before we even had two verses; Jimmy used to sing the one verse twice (laughs). Eventually, the lyrics came together, and a few songs had been played live before we went into the studio. That had quite a bearing on the way it all turned out.”

With producer Matthew Fisher at the board, sessions took place in ’73 and ’74 at two London studios – Olympic and AIR. “Two tracks were recorded at Olympic, but the most-important were done at AIR, and we were very, very lucky to have Geoff Emerick record it. He created a sound that hadn’t been done before. I think that was part of why it was so potent – the sound of the tracks – because of his concept of recording guitar. He and Matthew made a good combination.”

Trower remembers the process being smooth and efficient.

“We didn’t do many takes – two or three most of the time. The three of us laid it down then Jimmy would overdub vocals and I’d overdub solos. There’s some stuff that has live soloing that went down with the bass and drums – ‘Little Bit of Sympathy’ was live, and so was ‘Too Rolling Stoned.’”

Trower played a new Strat and two 100-watt Marshall heads paired to two 4×10 slant cabinets.

“I also had a Univibe, which is the ‘Bridge of Sighs sound,’ a volume-boost pedal that a friend built for me, and a Dunlop Cry Baby wah.”

Dewar’s setup was a Precision Bass running into an Ampeg.

Though unquestionably Trower’s strongest, most-consistent album, 50 years have pushed a few songs to “favorite” status.

“Obviously, ‘Bridge of Sighs’ is the most-potent track I’ve ever made. I also like ‘In This Place,’ which follows it. I think it’s beautiful, how the songs flow together. ‘Little Bit of Sympathy’ is another one I like because of the guitar playing.”

The album’s best-known composition remains the opener, the Hendrix-like “Day of the Eagle.”

“That came from the guitar riff, and I came up with the guitar arrangements and lyrics within a couple of hours. It came together very quickly and very easily in the studio, as well, because we had played it live by the time we took it to the studio. The section that joins ‘Day of the Eagle’ to ‘Bridge of Sighs’ – where it goes into the half-time thing – was a jam that happened that day. It wasn’t rehearsed.”

And while Trower’s guitar work remains the album’s focal point, he has always been adamant about recognizing his band, especially Dewar’s vocals.

“The [performance] I find most moving is ‘In This Place.’ James’ vocal on there is world-class. He had a beautiful instrument and he was a wonderful musician. Magical.”

Isidore, he added, had a feel he’d never experienced with another drummer.

“Reg was a natural and everything he did came naturally to him. His feel was magical, wonderful.”

Dewar passed away in 2002, Isidore in ’09. Both were 59.

Released April 20, 1974, the album’s title was supposedly nicked by the guitarist from the name of a racehorse, though that phrase was also the name of a bridge in Venice. The classic cover art was supplied by “Funky” Paul Olsen, who created psychedelic posters in the ’60s and was later involved with feature films. The album became a surprise hit in the U.S., peaking at #7 on the Billboard album chart and has since earned gold certification.

Did its success surprise Trower?

“It did and it didn’t. We knew it was a very strong album and had a great potency that we thought might do well. And the fact that we were out supporting Jethro Tull and Ten Years After when it was released made a huge difference by introducing us to a huge audience. That was a big part of the success.”

As soon as the album hit, rock-music publications began comparing Trower’s style to Jimi Hendrix, which became a constant throughout his career. To this day, he doesn’t mind.
“I always admitted he was an influence, and to be mentioned in the same breath with a genius is really wonderful. The only problem I had was that while people were noticing, I think they were missing what I was bringing – my own thing. But, fair enough.”

More importantly, as Trower reflects on Bridge today, he remains pleased.

“I think it stands up very well. But I’m not the one to judge, because it’s music I love. I’m certainly not embarrassed by it 50 years later.”

This article originally appeared in VG’s July 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.