The Utter Senselessness of Taste
“Well, it’s rather difficult to define. Perhaps I’m just projecting my own concern about it. I know I’ve never completely freed myself from the suspicion that there are some extremely odd things about this mission. I’m sure you agree there’s some truth in what I say.”- HAL 9000; 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968 AD)
Personal taste is a magnificent thing. It is part of what makes us humans such a beautiful kaleidoscope of individuality and wonder.
Maddeningly however, personal taste can also give rise to infuriating, illogical rejections of self-evident fact.
How this post – and more specifically the song it illuminates – can fail to immediately go viral is an irreconcilable mystery. Simple logic would suggest that, were just one person to become enlightened here, the resulting spontaneous, reflexive ‘sharing’ would initiate a logarithmically-expanding chain of subsequent shares that would end only at global saturation.
From the warm, swaddling delivery of meme-ready words by vocalist extraordinaire Davey Pattison, to Robin Trower’s soul-enriching extended guitar poem, which begins at the 4:25 mark, this is profound, eternal truth made palpable. This exists now! How can all humankind not already be swept up in a universal embrace of mutual love and understanding? That we aren’t is just so damn hell enraging.
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” – The son of God; Mark 4:19, King James Bible (28 AD)
Robin Trower: I Want to Take You With Me (from album Living Out of Time, 2003)
Look Dave, I can see you’re really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over. – HAL 9000; 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968 AD)
Victim of the Fury 
Great quotes!
You’re right, I fail to see how anyone cannot be blown away by this song.
Now that’s what I am talking about!
My word! That there is on my playlist now… incredible… and the solos were perfect!
Now that’s (also) what I am talking about! Just looking for a Patient Zero to kick off the global contagion event…
I ended up listening to the album and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Well, that makes my day, J. Thanks!
I have 33 Trower albums, including 6 live collections, and there are but two I would worry about as entry points. He was my first concert when I was 16 – I got a late start — back in 1980. He’s worked with several amazing vocalists over the years, to include three albums with the late Jack Bruce, although he’s been doing the singing himself over the more recent records. All of this to say I really like it when people like Robin Trower…
No – thank you! I’m genuinely digging this. I’ve got his most recent one lined up (Coming Closer to the Day) and it sounds pretty good. You got an opinion on that one?
I really like Coming Closer to the Day although I feel I need to spend more time with it. I saw him earlier this year on the tour for that one and the new songs/band were fantastic live too. Trower always sounds like Trower, and I think he gets a little grief for that. He definitely has a style and tone that carry through his extensive output, but I find ‘new’ in all of it.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that when it’s as good as what I’m hearing. But then, I admit I’m in the early stages of enthusiasm for the man… but I’m wanting to hear more of this sound!
Would love to see your personal Trower Top Ten LPs, Vic.
Superb stuff. Not someone I know at all … Yet.
It feels a little like putting a beloved family-member pup out there in the arena to be judged by canine connoisseurs. I want to share what an amazing pooch he is, but cringe at the idea that the cognoscente might not see it. Thanks for seeing it, Joe!
Would love to see your personal Top Ten Trower LPs, Vic.
I’ve set them aside for your perusal. When will you stop by then?
Flights are in short supply at present, but such an offer will not deter me. Virginia, right? Washington end, I presume?
Turn left (way left) at the White House…
If wishes were fishes.
Thanks for the Robin nudge. Man does this sound good.
28 November. What was I doing that day, that I missed this super lil’ post? The diary says that I did the school run, am and pm, had a two hour supervision meeting, did a pre-op urine test and went to a short music performance at the school. I remember now, the day involved eight trips to the school. It was a strange birthday.
Listening to this lovely piece a third time, I’m moving beyond the very pleasant “Little Wing” parallels. What would Jimi have done in middle age? Ask Robin I guess. The slow burn guitar solo is something few can manage convincingly. Do you know Mick Taylor’s contribution to Mayall’s “Fly Tomorrow”? Wrote about it centuries ago, I think. Superb. Add this to the list.
November last. Going viral. A logarithmically expanding chain of… universal love. Still working, then.
Listening to ‘Fly Tomorrow’ now. Wow! Will look for your ancient text.
Happy much belated birthday, young man! Funny that we all now probably pine for the return of days overloaded with multiple school visits and matter-of-fact live performances, eh?
After 4.5 decades of hardcore fandom, I will admit with love that the “Trower-as-Hendrix-spawn” description has lived beyond its usefulness for me. Robin admits his affinity for and some influence from Jimi, but 25+ studio albums later, I find it hard to accept the idea that there is little of Robin’s own proprietary sauce in his musical casserole. I guess my best bet is to just keep shilling for his cooking and hoping it stirs up enough business to ensure his continued ability to nourish me.
I hope I didn’t seem to be roasting that ol’ chestnut yet again, Vic. It was more that the beginning really did remind me of that gentle yet potent Hendrix device, also heard in Castles Made of Sand. I agree–RT is deserving of his own sauce brand by dint of both his sustained creativity and indeed, continuing mortality.
Bottom line: a superb track that deserved the ‘repeat’ run it received downunder.
Ha, no VC, all good. Robin pays me to push back on any found placements of himself and Jimi in contiguous sentences…
And on a related but separate aside, I note for fun that Trower wrote “Song for a Dreamer” — found on Procol Harum’s 1971 album Broken Barricades — as a bespoke tribute to the then recently-gone Hendrix.
Ah, now if memory serves, you have mentioned Broken Barricades in a previous confabulation, probably some years past. I recall (I think) erroneously believing I had the LP as I could picture the four vignettes on the cover. Alas I was wrong. But rejoice! A copy now resides in the VC shelves and has been extracted for a spin at the earliest opportunity.
I am excited for your Broken Barricades voyage. I leave it to you whether you opt to share reaction such as, say, any unmitigated praise maybe…
As evidence of my delight, and to make it easy on you. I looked up my past BB mention — a long, convoluted yarn rife with run-ons — and selected out a few bits for your reference:
The last Procol Harum record on which guitarist Robin Trower played before going solo, Broken Barricades is the relatively least progressive and most traditionally hard rock outing by the band to that point in their history … the tracks on Broken Barricades go easy on the organ, emphasizing instead the pairing of Trower’s searing guitar with Gary Brooker’s evocative piano … In no way dismissing the contributions by Brooker and the rest of the band, Broken Barricades is very much Trower’s shining moment within the Procol Harum catalogue. One can almost sense him chomping at the bit to move beyond the confines of the band.
Appetite duly whetted.