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Robin Trower — Bridge Of Sighs
Album: Bridge Of Sighs
Avg rating:
7.9

Your rating:
Total ratings: 3564









Released: 1974
Length: 4:55
Plays (last 30 days): 1
The sun don't shine
The moon don't move the tides,
To wash me clean

The sun don't shine
The moon don't move the tides
To wash me clean
Why so unforgiving, and why so cold
Been a long time crossing Bridge of Sighs

Cold wind blows
The Gods look down in anger,
On this poor child

Cold wind blows
And Gods look down in anger,
On this poor child

Why so unforgiving and why so cold
Been a long time crossing Bridge of Sighs
Comments (514)add comment
We used to test our stereo systems in the mid 70s with this album. Crank it up!!!
 Ihatethissong wrote:

What a sound.
So heavy.
Such desolation.
Never heard anything like this before or since.
A truly unique bluesy rock.



Yep. Heavy desolation right enough. The howling wind makes the atmosphere. 9 from the desolated Nottingham jury.
 moreisnotmore wrote:

Sounds like something from Rush, Caress of Steel, 1975.



Well maybe. It would have been great if Robin sat in with Rush and jammed though.
Love this album
 msbolton wrote:
<snip, snip>  BTW I first saw Robin Trower when he was with Procol Harum. That was a long time ago.

I last saw him at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta in 2016.  When he walked on stage, I thought he might fall over from heart failure.  He didn't; my brother and I adjusted out attitudes and Mr Trower brought the goods!
The outro ... "Cold wind blows."
I can't even.  My teenage years...  10 fucking 10.... I'll see myself out y'all.
Sounds like David Clayton-Thomas, one-time singer for BS+T.
 tm wrote:

just an fyi to people thinking vinyl sounds better - it doesn’t… digital is the best as long as your bitrate is high and your source has been mastered well.




I  Agree!  It also depends on the quality of your DAC!  Some Sigma Delta DACs can be harsh. It is depends on the quality of the filters used in conjunction with the DAC chip.  The most recent iterations of DAC chips have improved immensely! ...and combined with high quality filters ......    PS: Schiit & Topping  DACs with ESS chips can sound harsh when overdriven!  If Your DAC  hass an ESS Dac chip & it sounds harsh, turn down the volume on your computer a little bit, & it will sound sweet! 
Shades of my misspent youth.... great memories... a solid 10 for sure.
The "Bridge of Sighs" is a pedestrian bridge in Venice, Italy. It connects a courthouse to a prison. 

Now I know what Dream Theater's "Peruvian Skies" was inspired by :D
just an fyi to people thinking vinyl sounds better - it doesn’t… digital is the best as long as your bitrate is high and your source has been mastered well.
Huge echoes (excuse the pun), of where Pink Floyd were at in this era - which goes to show just how versatile the Blues are - because really, this is slow blues.

The same scales - just slowed up massively.

It makes those blues licks epic - because that's all they really are, blues licks!
 chrisnotlob wrote:


Me too - not played often but it's cranked up when it's on! 



I've got the album on vinyl too but I'm going to download it now because I listen to music (mainly RP) when I'm working and it's so much easier to play downloads from a Mac, even if the sound quality isn't as good.

BTW I first saw Robin Trower when he was with Procol Harum. That was a long time ago.
 Steely_D wrote:




I had a friend whos room looked just like that...
 jef wrote:

I've got this one on vinyl and love it....



Me too - not played often but it's cranked up when it's on! 
I've got this one on vinyl and love it....
Ha, yesterday RP played one of those Super Team songs that gives me the dry heaves, and I thought, “Jeez, there is such better music from around that time, like Robin Trower. I wish Bill would play something from Bridge of Sighs. “ Ta DA, here we are today with RT, thanks for reading my mind Bill!
Guitar sounds like a slowed down Peruvian Skies (Dream Theater). Great song!


Edit: Well actually the other way around. DT might have been inspired by this riff :o)
 ThePoose wrote:

Sounds so much like David Clayton-Thomas



vocalist sounds like David Clayton--Thomas AND plays a mean bass. 
Thats a good thing!
this artist still too much unknowed in France.... but he is one of the best guitar player i know. he plays good, amazing feeling and sound ... a gold finger
After trading Purcells and a white T-shirt for sandals and bell-bottoms the first band I saw back then was Ten Years After but it could've been Robin Trower too, no problem!
Great Cover by Opeth: 

Album: Watershed
Genre: Progressive Death Metal
Country: Sweden

Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal/rock band from Stockholm, formed in 1989.

Other great tunes on Bride of Sighs that should be played here: In this Place, The Fool and Me,  and Little Bit of Sympathy.
 Ok_Sobriquet wrote:

Get this album and Caravan to Midnight at least.

Long Misty Days....
Sounds so much like David Clayton-Thomas
 thewiseking wrote:

Bridge of Sighs? More like House of Pies



Mmmmmmmmm....Pies.
 xray38 wrote:

RP again proves to be a great learning institution. 
Today's lesson: Blues 101; Robin Trower.


Get this album and Caravan to Midnight at least.
 Segue wrote:

if this is not a 10 for you, you weren't there. ☺



Now burdened with the sadness of having left...
 Proclivities wrote:


Actually, it's not an ear, it was a sort of sculpted Mobius strip concept.  The designer - Paul Olsen (aka "Funky Paul") - did some other covers for Trower.  Nothing to do with Pink Floyd.

Fascinating  (raises one eyebrow.)

I thought a 3D Mobius was a Klein bottle - never thought of seeing it in a plane.
Sad to see that Robin has cancelled his 2022 tour due tothe ongoing issues with Covid being active. Was looking forward to seeing him after the initial delay last  year.
Perfect
RP again proves to be a great learning institution. 
Today's lesson: Blues 101; Robin Trower.
OMG... School by Supertramp followed by this... Bill and Rebecca are rocking tonight!
 tazmondpembroke wrote:

Not bad fot a guy who as a member of Procol Harem left the band feeling they were not continuing in a 'heavy' direction. His playing seems to 'out Jimmy' Hendrix and he dedicated a song, "Song for a Dreamer" off "Broken Barricades" to the man.
He took guitar lessons from Robert Fripp, who had just left King Crimson.
The cover picture depicts another take on that by Pink Floyd on "Meddle" - it's an ear !



Actually, it's not an ear, it was a sort of sculpted Mobius strip concept.  The designer - Paul Olsen (aka "Funky Paul") - did some other covers for Trower.  Nothing to do with Pink Floyd.
Very Sabbath-y. Almost Black.
Iommi should be proud
 grhorn wrote:

Could this be a song about the bridge that led from the jail to the gallows?   that's what i've heard anyway



IIRC it's about the bridge that, as prisoners walked from interrogation to imprisonment. They could see through the window their last view of freedom, and would sigh. I got a chance to walk over it a while back. Kinda cool.
it reminds me a lot of "young lust" by Pink Floyd 
 wolverine wrote:

I wonder if Joe Bonnamassa has ever covered this?




Could be, Steve Lukather has it in his last LP.
Why is this the only track you ever play from this superb LP? 
 ziggytrix wrote:


Black Sabbath's Paranoid and Soundgarden's Down on the Upside come a little close at times. And both albums are worth owning, IMO. :)



Can you imagine Chris Cornell covering this track.... sadly we will never know.
 Ihatethissong wrote:

What a sound.
So heavy.
Such desolation.
Never heard anything like this before or since.
A truly unique bluesy rock.



Black Sabbath's Paranoid and Soundgarden's Down on the Upside come a little close at times. And both albums are worth owning, IMO. :)
 Segue wrote:

if this is not a 10 for you, you weren't there. ☺



Of course and the grass was also very good!
I love this station but why do you only play this tune off of an album filled with great music? Albums do have more than one track.
Bridge of Sighs? More like House of Pies
Someone give me back my headset!! I am transported back in time. We hope to see him in New Hampshire in September - rescheduled from a Portland ME gig last September. Fingers crossed 
RP sure likes this song, they play it every day. I cannot switch it off fast enough 
Crate set. Led Zeppelin, porcupine tree, and Robin Trower. Killer!
 grhorn wrote:
Could this be a song about the bridge that led from the jail to the gallows?   that's what i've heard anyway
 
I think that this was the bridge in Venice (Italy) where the people convicted crossed from the court to jail. This was their last view of the beautiful city (sigh)
Could this be a song about the bridge that led from the jail to the gallows?   that's what i've heard anyway
 oldviolin wrote:""Guest star" in an episode of the Big Bang Theory...

Tony in NJ
W.A.S.T.E.
 

One of the higher Average Ratings I've seen in a while ....    
An instant classic the day it came out. The entire album is brilliant.
I wonder if Joe Bonnamassa has ever covered this?
Great track from Mr. Trower.
 Steely_D wrote:

Agree. It was the beanbag chair. With the lava lamp in the corner, black light on, the fluorescent posters on the wall.

That experience of sitting, "doing nothing" and just being in the music. Do kids these days ever get that?

 
 
Nope, they don't. Trust me, they can't sit still even two minutes. Poor babes gonna lose it when power grids get attacked.
Outstanding  "9" track that got a lot of airplay
on FM rock stations in the 70s..
Amazing album with high production values given when it was laid down. Good to hear it here... brings back memories.
 unclehud wrote:
When listening to this 'back in the day', I would stare at that album cover.  I quickly became convinced that the artwork was a representation of sound waves emanating from Mr. Trower's guitar.
 
Musta been some pretty clean acid!!
 Angry_Old_Man wrote:
Trower Rules!
 

Well, him and Dio!! Consider....thunder...drums......lightning strikes...RT & RJD shredding the strings!!
 moreisnotmore wrote:
Sounds like something from Rush, Caress of Steel, 1975.
 
Can't bash Rush, at all!! Loved them! Still do!! But, they don't even come CLOSE to Robin Trower!!
 jmkate wrote:
Another first..thanks, RP :)
 
If this is your 1st RT, you are missing one helluva lot of Killa tunes by him!! He's got many, many awesome tunes, with no less conviction than Bridge of Sighs....
very high  whoa! to note ratio
Not bad fot a guy who as a member of Procol Harem left the band feeling they were not continuing in a 'heavy' direction. His playing seems to 'out Jimmy' Hendrix and he dedicated a song, "Song for a Dreamer" off "Broken Barricades" to the man.
He took guitar lessons from Robert Fripp, who had just left King Crimson.
The cover picture depicts another take on that by Pink Floyd on "Meddle" - it's an ear !
Too many tourists probably. Must have had to use his elbows to get across.
When listening to this 'back in the day', I would stare at that album cover.  I quickly became convinced that the artwork was a representation of sound waves emanating from Mr. Trower's guitar.
 Steely_D wrote:

 

Oh. HELL yea!
What a sound.
So heavy.
Such desolation.
Never heard anything like this before or since.
A truly unique bluesy rock.
YEEESSS, now ur talkin my gen.
When I'm heard cold wind blows, I get stouned!
great song from a great album.
 ziggytrix wrote:
This is my favorite Soundgarden song! {#Nyah}
 
this is what i was thinking... chris cornell put out a lot of different material, so it wouldn't surprise me if i missed some.
Trower Rules!
 rblommers wrote:
Man that's gotta be one of the best licks in ROCK...miss that voice too, sad passing  James Dewar (12 October 1942 – 16 May 2002)
 

They didn't call him "Trower the Tower" for nuthin.
 moreisnotmore wrote:
Sounds like something from Rush, Caress of Steel, 1975.
 Except  this came first

DT definitely inspired by this tune. Check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr0ebtzSeWM
Sounds like something from Rush, Caress of Steel, 1975.
 cptbuz wrote:
anyone know the spoken words under the last part of the song?
 The sun don't shine
The moon don't move the tides,
To wash me clean

The sun don't shine
The moon don't move the tides
To wash me clean
Why so unforgiving, and why so cold
Been a long time crossing Bridge of Sighs

Cold wind blows
The Gods look down in anger,
On this poor child

Cold wind blows
And Gods look down in anger,
On this poor child

Why so unforgiving and why so cold
Been a long time crossing Bridge of Sighs


oh god! Why a band such as Dream Theater steal the riff from Robin? Why John Petrucci, why? You don't need that.
I have a dream that one day I shall master the ukulele and busk classic songs on the street. . . I wonder if with a modicum of electric wizardry I could do it with this track?

Probably not. . . 

Dream on. . . 
Mark me a newbie, but I thought this was Jimi Hendrix.  He died in 1970.  I think he set the standard for this beautiful homage by Robin Trower.
 Steely_D wrote:

 
Love this classic psychedelic space!! Takes me back 
Elements from Jethro Tull Thick as a Brick.  Very nice.
anyone know the spoken words under the last part of the song?
Still makes me stop in my tracks after all these years!  Yes to more Robin Trower.
Hadn't heard this tune in about 30 years, but as soon as the guitar kicked in I thought 'Is this Robin Trower?' Shows how distinctive his guitar style is.
A spooky song after you walk across the Bridge of Sighs in Venice...
1976
Hot moonless Texas night
lying in the back yard 
tripping...peaking
Trower screaming
from the quadraphonic 
the moon don't shine....
Falling stars...streaking, swirling colors 
Wash me clean...wash me clean
Cool green grass...rustling leaves 
Cold wind blows...why so unforgiving... 
in the hot still night
sun don't shine....on this poor child....
on this poor child....sun don't shine....
the moon don't move
the sun don't shine...shine...shine...
on this poor child
so unforgiving
and so cold
on this poor child
been a long time crossing...
been a long time crossing...
why so unforgiving
so cold...wash me clean...
bridge of sighs....
bridge of sighs....
bridge of sighs....
 Kaisersosay wrote:

Isn't that the back of Spencer's Gifts store,  circa 1974?

 
Sounds about right.......

Me thinks Bill is kind of partial to this tune. Frequent rotation and I don't recall ever hearing any other Trower here.
Its OK, did it back in the day. But honestly all those swirly phasey guitars are over effected and its not all that IMO. ITs a 5 or 6 for me.
Trower is a brilliant guitarist, but bass player and vocalist, Jimmy Dewar, was Trower's secret weapon, the most soulfully blues voice. Both were briefly, at one time, in a band with Frankie Miller (Jude) No recordings Alas.
All the way to 11...
Whoa, Dream Theater borrowed from this one for their 'Under Peruvian Skies' tune.

The view from the Bridge of Sighs was the last sight of Venice that convicts had before their imprisonment. 
The bridge's name
 comes from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice 
as they crossed and saw the city through the bridge portals before being taken down to their cells. 

“Many an innocent man walked the Bridge of Sighs and descended into the dungeon, 
which none entered hoping to see the sun again.”
- Mark Twain.
I sighed too when I saw the gondola prices, almost $100 for 40 mins. But the vaporetta are only $10. Sorted.

We used to 4WD up into the hills of old Kentuck when I was a teen and drink beer and pass around the bone.  Total darkness , the dense woods and stars and moon and many times just pouring rain.  This takes me there everytime, to a time when had so many less worries.

{#Meditate}
 Steely_D wrote:


 
Hey, that's Huey MacDuffy's room at Cloyne Court! Wow! I never thought I'd see it again!
spun this a lot in the day . . . 
https://movieguy247.com/iMovies/images/Movies/comedy/up-in-smoke-review.jpg
Holy guitar God! And a voice!
An outstanding song from an outstanding album!   {#Bananajam}
White boy sings the blues.
The guitar still puts a shiver up my spine.  So lucky to get my ears on this during my formative musical years...
This is my favorite Soundgarden song! {#Nyah}
{#Devil_pimp}zesty !
 Steely_D wrote:


 
Isn't that the back of Spencer's Gifts store,  circa 1974?
 Steely_D wrote:


 
I know exactly how that room smells!
among the finest Rock songs ever recorded   imho
{#Notworthy}


The view from the Bridge of Sighs was the last sight of Venice that convicts had before their imprisonment.
The bridge's name
 comes from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice
as they crossed and saw the city through the bridge portals before being taken down to their cells. 

“Many an innocent man walked the Bridge of Sighs and descended into the dungeon, 
which none entered hoping to see the sun again.”
- Mark Twain

.
.





Love the howling wind.  
Holy crap awesome! Crank it up.
¡TSSSSSSSSSS! maravilla
in '74  this was some sadass music to me, just couldn't listen to it
.
not putting it down 
The long time Beatles sound engineer Geoff Emerick worked on this album.  If you like Trower check out his new album Where are you going to" It's also very good.  The dude is 71 years old.

Good videos on youtube of him talking about his guitar , amp and pedal settup as well 
if this is not a 10 for you, you weren't there. ☺
I have listened to this for 40 years but until I saw the Bridge of Sighs I never really felt the true meaning... Crazy awesome album..
Sounds like "elephant talk" at the beginning
 Indeedhayduke2 wrote:
Trower dude, whoa!  I had a shitty Pinto man, what'd they have 4 cylinder engines about as powerful as a Singer sewing machine man?
Mine was a little white thing with holes in the floor your heel would slip into as you drove, one Saturday after a morning workout I was leaving the gym in the hard rain, you could hear the drops pounding down like you're inside a tin bucket, so I stop at a red light facing up a slight hill when I notice a brown spot growing in the center of the hood, "what the f—-?" engine sputters, smoke spews out of every crevice (many), and the little pile of a debris Ford called a Pinto lost power and rolled backwards towards a massive El Dorado YIKES!
was able to swerve off to the side and avoid any collision, but I had to hitch home, what a sorry little piece of crap that thing was...
oh man but Trower ROCKS!!!  WOOOO-HOOOOOO!!! 

 
Indeed!!!
The first song I have heard repeated in a month of fairly consistent listening. Pretty good rotation!!