B.L.T.

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It wasn't until the 1980 Victims of the Fury album, seven years into his solo career, that Robin Trower would employ former Procul Harum bandmate Keith Reid to provide lyrics (with Reid probably the only lyricist in history to get band status). Though this is officially a Robin Trower release entitled B.L.T., the marquee giving Jack Bruce and Bill Lordan equal heading above the double-sized name of Robin Trower, the project is shouldered by all talents involved and inhibited by a dreadful cover photo of a white bread sandwich: bacon, lettuce and tomato with -- if you look closely -- raw bacon. All concerned would have been better off titling this a Jack Bruce/Robin Trower project with drummer Bill Lordan. The vocals are all the work of Bruce with the production by Trower, and a moment like "Won't Let You Down" is among the best for both the vocalist of Cream and the guitar player from Procol Harum. "Won't Let You Down" is subtle, stunning, and beautiful. It oozes out of the speakers with double-tracked Trower guitar work that sounds like he was listening to Hendrix's Cry of Love album again. And there's nothing wrong with that. "Into Money," "What It Is" (another song about money), and "No Island Lost" are interesting because they take the West, Bruce & Laing concept further into the realm of progressive rock, a place where all parties concerned feel very comfortable. For the Trower fans who couldn't get enough of him sounding like Hendrix, take the "Voodoo Chile" riffs of "No Island Lost" and add the highly commercial voice of Jack Bruce. The combination is appealing while the artists lift the melody of "Voodoo Chile" as well the guitar, making for some amazing and magnetic stuff. With the exception of "End Game" and "Won't Let You Down," the songs are all in the three-minute range for this artistic experiment which works so well. Where Peter Brown is to Jack Bruce what Dewer and Reid are to Trower (a rare Brown/Bruce/Trower composition would show up on the following disc, Truce), this is only the second album where Keith Reid gets to collaborate with his former bandmate in the eight years between Trower's solo debut and B.L.T.. There would be more. The Trower/Reid combo makes perfect sense, especially since the lyricist is probably the only one in history who got band billing. The music these fellows weave is tremendous and becomes a distinctive work in the Jack Bruce catalog, combining his talents with colleagues who share his vision. The fluid sounds which make "Life on Earth" such an appealing opener for side two show that even on a title written solely by Bruce,the only one on the disc, it blends in perfectly with the material, mostly written by Trower and Reid. "Carmen" is absolutely haunting, and this is one of those beautiful discs that true fans have to seek out. Couple the terrible album cover of B.L.T. with the equally absurd marketing of West, Bruce & Laing's Whatever Turns You On and one gets the feeling that numerous record labels were trying their hardest to keep Jack Bruce's music as underground as possible. He deserves better, and B.L.T. is an experiment that, musically, is very successful and holds many revelations. A more compelling package is in order for the magic that's in these grooves.
© Joe Viglione /TiVo