Bridge of Sighs | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 20 April 1974 | |||
Recorded | 1973–1974 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | Blues rock [1] | |||
Length | 37:22 | |||
Label | Chrysalis/Capitol | |||
Producer | Matthew Fisher | |||
Robin Trower chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Bridge of Sighs is the second solo album by the English guitarist and songwriter Robin Trower. Released in 1974, it was his second album after leaving Procol Harum, and was a commercial breakthrough for Trower. Songs such as "Bridge of Sighs", "Too Rolling Stoned", "Day of the Eagle" and "Little Bit of Sympathy" became live concert staples.
The album was produced by organist Matthew Fisher, formerly Trower's bandmate in Procol Harum. Acclaimed Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick was this album's sound engineer.
In an interview with Guitar World , [3] Trower explained how the album got its title. Robin said that he had had the first line of the song for years and one day saw some sport pages which listed a racehorse called Bridge of Sighs, which he thought would be a great title. The horse likely got its name from the famous Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy, built in the 1600s.
Bridge of Sighs was the second Trower release to feature cover art by "Funky" Paul Olsen.
Bridge of Sighs (Chrysalis 1057) reached #7 in the United States during a chart stay of 31 weeks. It was certified Gold on 10 September 1974. Early printings of the original album cover had the front image upside-down and were more greenish in colour.
The title track was covered by Opeth for the special edition of their 2008 album, Watershed . Steve Lukather covered it for his 2021 album, I Found the Sun Again . A segment of it also appears as a hidden track on Metallica's 1998 cover album Garage Inc .
"Day of the Eagle" was covered by Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens on his third solo album Memory Crash (2008). Tesla also covered the song on their 2007 Real to Reel album as did Armored Saint on their Nod to the Old School record.
"Too Rolling Stoned" was covered by Drivin N Cryin with Warren Haynes for the 1995 Hempilation benefit compilation album. In 2017, UFO included the song on their covers album, The Salentino Cuts.
A four-CD expanded version was released in 2024. [4]
All tracks composed by Robin Trower; except where indicated
The album was remastered and remixed in 1999 with five bonus tracks recorded for KMET radio at The Record Plant in Los Angeles, California :
The album was remastered once again and released in 2007 with eight bonus tracks from BBC Radio 1's "John Peel Sessions":
Chart (1974) | Peak position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report) [5] | 41 |
United States (Billboard 200) | 7 |
Procol Harum were an English rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, in 1967. Their best-known recording is the 1967 hit single "A Whiter Shade of Pale", one of the few singles to have sold more than 10 million copies. Although noted for their baroque and classical influence, Procol Harum's music is described as psychedelic rock and proto-prog with hints of the blues, R&B, and soul.
Robin Leonard Trower is an English rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum throughout 1967–1971, and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio known as the Robin Trower Band.
James Dewar was a Scottish musician best known as the bassist and vocalist for Robin Trower and Stone the Crows, the latter having its beginnings as the resident band at Burns Howff in Glasgow.
Procol Harum is the debut studio album by English rock band Procol Harum. It was released in September 1967 by record label Deram in the US, following their breakthrough and immensely popular single "A Whiter Shade of Pale". The track does not appear on the UK version of the album, but was included on the US issue. The UK version of the album was released in December 1967 by record label Regal Zonophone.
The Prodigal Stranger is the tenth studio album by Procol Harum, released in 1991. Recorded after a 14-year break, it met with an underwhelming response from listeners but served to kick off a largely successful reunion for the band.
Shine On Brightly is the second studio album by English rock band Procol Harum, released in 1968 by record labels Regal Zonophone and A&M.
Home is Procol Harum's fourth album, released in 1970. With the departure of organist Matthew Fisher and bassist David Knights, and the addition of bassist/organist Chris Copping to the remaining core roster of players, Procol Harum became, to all intents and purposes, the Paramounts again in all but name. The purpose of bringing in Copping was to return some of the R&B sound to the band that they had had with their previous incarnation.
A Salty Dog is the third studio album by English rock band Procol Harum, released in 1969 by record labels Regal Zonophone and A&M.
Broken Barricades is the fifth studio album by English rock band Procol Harum, released the same week they began their U.S. tour, on 3 April 1971. The UK release was on 11 June 1971. It was guitarist Robin Trower's last recording with the group until The Prodigal Stranger (1991).
Grand Hotel is the sixth studio album by Procol Harum. Released in 1973, it signalled a change of direction for the band. Guitarist Dave Ball, who had joined the band for their live album the previous year, left shortly after the photo shoot for the proposed album's cover, to be replaced by Mick Grabham. Grabham's head was superimposed on the front and back cover of the album on Ball's body. Although the band had gone through significant personnel changes in previous years, the band would enter its most stable phase with this lineup.
Exotic Birds and Fruit is the seventh studio album by British progressive rock band Procol Harum. It was released in 1974. The cover artwork for the album is by Jakob Bogdani, a noted Hungarian artist whose paintings centered on exotic birds and fruit.
The Long Goodbye is an orchestral album of Procol Harum music that was released in 1995. The album was produced by longtime Procol Harum vocalist/pianist/songwriter Gary Brooker, and among the various musicians who contributed to the album are Procol Harum members Robin Trower and Matthew Fisher. The main performers on the album are the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, with one track performed by Sinfonia of London.
Matthew Charles Fisher is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his longtime association with the rock band Procol Harum, which included playing the Hammond organ on the 1967 single "A Whiter Shade of Pale", for which he subsequently won a songwriting credit. In his later life he became a computer programmer, having qualified from Cambridge University.
Ain't Nothin' to Get Excited About is an album of rock and roll songs recorded in 1970 by the members of Procol Harum under the name Liquorice John Death. It was not released until 1997.
Victims of the Fury is a studio album by the English guitarist and songwriter Robin Trower, released in 1980. This was the last album to feature the classic Robin Trower, James Dewar and Bill Lordan lineup. It also saw Trower writing again with his former Procol Harum colleague, lyricist Keith Reid nine years after they had last collaborated.
The Paramounts were an English beat group based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. They had one hit single with their cover version of "Poison Ivy", which reached No. 35 on the UK Singles Chart in 1964, but are primarily known as the forerunner to Procol Harum.
Robin Trower Live is a live album by Robin Trower. Recorded at the Stockholm Concert Hall in Sweden on 3 February 1975 for the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation, it was released on vinyl in 1976, and re-released on CD in 1990, 2000, and 2004. The album peaked at #10 the US Billboard 200. In an interview with Guitar Player in May 2006, Trower explained that the band was not aware the show was being taped, thinking they were playing for a radio broadcast only. Hence, he says, "We were loose and uninhibited, and we played one of our best shows."
Caravan to Midnight is the sixth studio album by the English musician Robin Trower, released in 1978. The album cover art is by Hipgnosis. It was reissued in 1997 as a 2-on-1 CD along with his next 1980 album Victims of the Fury.
B.L.T. is a 1981 long-playing [LP] vinyl music album by Jack Bruce, Robin Trower and Bill Lordan. This is the first Robin Trower album to feature Jack Bruce on bass and vocals and the last to feature Bill Lordan on drums. It reached number 37 on the Billboard 200 in May 1981.
Live at the Union Chapel is the second live album by Procol Harum, released in 2004.