After a five-year stint in the acclaimed UK art-rock band Procol Harum, English guitarist Robin Trower joined forces with drummer Reg Isidore and singing bassist James Dewar to form his own blues-rock power trio. The newly-minted Robin Trower Band debuted on 1973’s Twice Removed From Yesterday, but it was the follow-up release–1974’s Bridge of Sighs–that cemented the group as a force to be reckoned with.
Released through Chrysalis Records in April 1974, Bridge of Sighs reached #7 on the US album charts and earned a Gold certification from the RIAA later that year. The album was produced by Matthew Fisher (who’d previously worked with Procol Harum on their classic 1967 single “A Whiter Shade of Pale”) and engineered by The Beatles’ Geoff Emerick.
To celebrate Bridge of Sighs’ 50th anniversary, Chrysalis has reissued the album in a variety of physical formats–most notably a 3CD/Blu-Ray deluxe edition containing new stereo, 5.1 surround sound, and Dolby Atmos remixes from Richard Whittaker. The Dolby Atmos mix is also available to stream via platforms that support immersive audio such as Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music.
Though the album’s now-classic status can certainly be attributed to the incredible songwriting and performances, the absolutely-massive sound garnered from just three musicians (with a limited number of overdubs) is a testament to Fisher’s vision and Emerick’s engineering chops. Whittaker’s Atmos mix thankfully retains all the power and ‘punch’ of the original stereo, with some effective additional sweetening from the expanded soundstage.
The opening track “Day of the Eagle” sets the template for the immersive presentation. Reg Isidore’s drums and James Dewar’s bass guitar stay mostly locked to the front stage, while Dewar’s vocals extend out into the front height and side surround speakers. The height array fills up with both vocal and drum reverb, putting the listener more in the studio space with the band. Dewar’s vocals and bass also appear in the center channel, but at a reduced level relative to the fronts.
Robin Trower’s double-tracked guitars hover between the front and speakers, engaging the front wide channels in a 9.1.4 or 9.1.6 Atmos system. This is a clever choice, as it introduces some spatial separation between the guitars and drum kit without sacrificing too much of the ‘glue’ holding the trio together. A second guitar part later appears centered in the rear surrounds, directly behind the listener.
I had high expectations for how "Bridge of Sighs" would sound in Atmos, and the result doesn’t disappoint. It starts with the chimes drifting all around and above the listener, then Trower’s guitar comes roaring from the front left speaker out into the side surrounds. The wind sounds swirl through the height array to very fun effect as well. Towards the end, multiple guitar parts surround the listener–including one that bounces between the side speakers–while the spoken voices that were obscured in the stereo mix now appear clear-as-day from behind the listener.
From there, we transition seamlessly into “In This Place.” Once again, several different guitars–all overdubs played by Trower–appear spread out around the listener. The lead part, played through a wah-wah pedal, is completely isolated in the side speakers. “The Fool and Me” shifts the focus more towards the front stage, through Dewar’s multi-tracked vocals fill up the entire space.
"Too Rolling Stoned” is certainly one of the more impressive tracks on the album from an immersive standpoint, as Dewar’s backing vocals during the chorus (“that stone just keeps on rolling…”) blast from the rear surround speakers. The second half of the song is especially fun in Atmos, as the handclaps and party ambience extend from the back half of the room all the way up into the height array.
Trower’s guitars again blast from the wide speakers for "About To Begin," while Dewar’s vocal seems to fill the entire room. Additional guitar parts in "Lady Love" hover behind the listener, with tambourine later appearing up in the front heights. For the closing track "Little Bit of Sympathy,” percussion joins the rhythm guitars in the wides.
Though the core album is a bit short at just over 37 minutes, the deluxe edition supplies a multitude of interesting extras for fans–including instrumental mixes, outtakes, extended versions, and a May 1974 live set recorded at The Record Plant studio in Sausalito. The four-disc deluxe edition can be found at most online retailers for ~$45, a comparatively inexpensive sum in the age of ‘super deluxe’ box sets that routinely average above three figures.
Bridge of Sighs is a relatively-sparse production, but Richard Whittaker’s Dolby Atmos mix manages to add newfound depth and dimension to the classic album without losing the familiar feel of the stereo mix. As one might expect, it’s the songs with more layers–such as the title track, “In This Place,” and “Too Rolling Stoned”–that offer the most satisfying immersive experience.
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