Following on from recent albums, ‘Chess’ and ‘Kings’, Bernie Marsden continues his tribute to the work of musicians who inspired him and in some cases were friends as well as contemporaries.
As the name, ‘Trios’ suggests, this album mainly focuses on the work of power trio bands from the 1960s and displays a heavier side to Marsden’s guitar work.
The gutsy opening track, ‘Black Cat Moan’ immediately captures the attention of the listener. Marsden’s guitar work is raw and underpinned by the punchy rhythm section of David Levy on bass and Jimmy Copley on drums. Switching tempo back to the blues with the obscure Peter Green Fleetwood Mac era, ‘Drifitin’ Blues’, Marsden pays homage to the late Green and an early recording by a three piece version of Fleetwood Mac that featured Green, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie.
Sticking with the blues, Joe Reynold’s ‘Outside Woman Blues’ is another highlight in the collection, as is the sublime rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Drifting’. Paying tribute to another great guitarist, Rory Gallagher with Taste’s ‘Same Old Story’, Marsden effortlessly captures the vibrancy and energy of the guitar work on the original recording.
Another Hendrix cover, ‘Spanish Castle Magic’, followed by Robin Trower’s ‘Too Rolling Stoned’ highlight the fluidity of Marsden’s talents as both a vocalist and guitarist with their multiple time changes and extended solos. Rounding out the collection with a nod to his old friend the late drummer Cozy Powell, Marsden offers a fun upbeat version of ‘Na Na Na’, a song he originally recorded with Powell in 1974, the duo even appearing together on BBC’s Top of The Pops programme at the time to promote the song.
This recording features a guest appearance by original bass player Neil Murray too. In fact, when choosing to release it as single, Marsden had some fun with the accompanying video, humorously re-creating the Top of The Pops appearance.
‘Trios’ is a great album from start to finish. Marsden sings and plays with the energy of someone half his age. His playing is superb and his vocals are as strong as ever. The choice of songs is to be commended as quite a few are less well known and will only appeal to fans of the original artists.
More than just a quick cash in, ‘Trios’ is a fun packed foot stomping rocker that breathes new life into old classics for the benefit of a new generation.