When it comes to virtuoso players, the power trio can be one of the most effective formats to let each member shine. From the envelope-pushing exploits of Cream — a band Clapton was inspired to form after seeing Buddy Guy’s trio play — to Motörhead, Rush and ZZ Top, the guitar-bass-and-drums lineup has proved to be a potent recipe for success.
Robin Trower is no stranger to successful power trios. He led his own Robin Trower Band trio in the 1970s and worked with bass guitarist Jack Bruce in that format for a pair of albums in the 1980s. He's continued to work in power trios and believes there's one thing every band of this format requires to make it work.
“The thing is, with just the three of you, you've got to make up for the instrument that's missing,” the former Procol Harum guitarist tells Rick Beato in a new interview. “So it needs to be a little bit more intense from everybody.
“I think that's what gives it its power — its potency. Plus, from my point of view, it's a great challenge to fill that space, especially when you go from backing the vocals to the lead. You really have to fill that space then.”
It helps that his guitar-playing style — Trower cites B.B. King, Albert King and Jimi Hendrix as his influences — is so rich in sustain and ferocity, even as he reaches the age of 80.
Procol Harum, who blended psychedelic rock and proto-prog tropes with baroque, blues and soul flavors, found their strength in numbers. During Trower's initial spell in the group, he was one of five or six members. But when he formed the eponymous Robin Trower Band in 1973, three was the magic number.
In the '80s, Trower linked up with former Cream bass player Jack Bruce and two former Robin Trower Band drummers, Reg Isidore and Bill Lordan, to form two new lineups. It's safe to say that he's learned where the balance between success and failure lies.
One of the key things here, he says, is “coming in prepared” for studio sessions. In trios, there’s nowhere to hide.
For Eric Clapton, who famously performed in Cream, widely considered the greatest rock power trio, there was a sense of danger and freedom that called to him, and ultimately prompted him to leave John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.
When recalling his decision in 2005, he explained, “What it said to me was 'this was possible.’ If you were a good enough guitar player, you could do it as a trio. It seemed to be so free, you could go anywhere.”
Drawing inspiration from Clapton's short-lived supergroup, Leslie West would later tap up Cream producer Felix Pappalardi and drummer Corky Laing for a threesome of his own. But, as Trower says, it required him to up his game.
“I had to work a lot harder with the trio,” he confessed.
More recently, Andy McKee, Calum Graham and Trevor Gordon Hall have formed a rather different-looking trio, with the guitarist's fingerstyle chemistry at its heart.
Meanwhile, Trower has revealed which prog-rock icon turned him onto the majesty of the Fender Stratocaster, having started his Procol days armed with a Gretsch solidbody electric guitar. He later pivoted to the Gibson SG before he found his forever axe in the Strat.
At 80, he's proving as creatively restless as ever, despite health issues scuppering his 2024 US tour plans. It's no wonder Beato calls him “one of the most distinctive guitarists in rock history.”
