I was lucky to see Robin Trower in Clarksville Tennessee in the early nineties. In a three week span I went to three concerts…Santana, Eric Clapton, and I wrapped it up Robin Trower in a club called the Cannery…three really good guitar players in that three week span.
This song was released in 1970 and the opposite of their best-known hit “A Whiter Shade Of Pale.” The band had some personnel changes by this time. This wasn’t a big hit or a hit at all but I’ve always loved it as a rock and roll song. The riff is a classic guitar riff.
The song was on the album Home released in 1970. The album peaked at #34 in the Billboard Album Charts and #49 in the UK.
Whiskey Train was written by guitarist Robin Trower and Keith Reid. Great rock and roll song. Leslie West and Blackfoot also covered this song but I’ll stick with the original.
Whiskey Train
Ain’t gonna ride that whisky train
Ain’t gonna burn up no more flame
Throw away my bottle down the drain
Ain’t gonna ride that whisky train
To think that I could be so wrong
To be so sick and still go on
The way I drink it’s been too long
Don’t see much point in carrying on
I’m gonna lose these drinking blues
I’m gonna find a girl to make me choose
Between lovin’ her and drinking booze
I’m gonna lose these drinking blues
Ain’t gonna ride that whisky train
I’m tired of burning in the flame
Throw away my bottle down the drain
Ain’t gonna ride that whisky train
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Wow! This IS the band that did Whiter Shade of Pale, right… You’re 100% sure about that…?
I know right? It rocks though doesn’t it? I love this song…completely different song with the new members.
It would be a good quiz question – name this band’s only #1 single… Nobody would get it.
You are right!
I was thinking the same thing.
wow, starts out reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix. Wouldn’t have guessed it was Procul Harum, Trower seems like a talented guitarist, bet he put on a good show. He’s one of those artists whose name I’ve known since the 70s but I’d be hard pressed to really tell you any of their songs.
I know…I didn’t know any of his songs when I saw him…When he played this one my ears perked up…what a riff…it should have been a hit.
This is the first song I heard by Robin Trower.
https://youtu.be/1e_xK35C1Yg
I’m listening to it…what a cool mood and tone…LOVE his guitar and voice in this…Thanks for the song! That will be on my song list.
Cool. Dave Mason made some good music on his own also.
Trower sounded like this…I mean I still remember the gig, the girl I went with, and his sound. He really impressed me and I didn’t know much about him.
Indeed a great 3 week period of 3 great guitar players. Like I said in my John5 review last week if I played guitar I would check in the trash as that guy is so good.
I would have felt the same way with this 3 pack of 6 stringers.
Good old British blues-rock!
Oh yes…hard to believe they were doing A Whiter Shade of Pale 3 years earlier… I love that riff in this.
Great rocker and one of only a couple of tunes I know by Procol Harum other than “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” which remains one of my favorite ’60s tunes.
I agree with Dave there’s a bit of a Hendrix swagger in “Whiskey Train” – almost hard to believe this is the same band that did “A Whiter Shade of Pale!”
I know… it sounds like two different bands. Robin Trower is really good…I do want to check more of their stuff out…it sounds like that they were quite eclectic.
Talk about a complete departure of sound.
Yea it is…I do like it. AC/DC should cover it
That might be interesting.
I think it would fit them perfect
Just saw that Music Enthusiast has a Trower take. I’ll head over there after I get through with Max.
Oh yeah. Love the tune.
All hell breaks loose after that riff intro. I saw Trower live in Clarksville TN at an old club there. He was terrific.
I have a few albums with him and Jack Bruce ‘BLT’. Check out the cut of ‘Into Money’ it will give you a taste.
Love that groove man…I’ll have to check more of them out…I’ve seen the name but never heard them.
I’m kinda a Jack guy.
Jack Bruce and John Entwistle… it gets no better
No kidding. I just wish John would have done more side projects and left us more music. I should have been his manager. I can think of some good collaborations. Jack has a wealth of music. You might like West Bruce and Lang. Pretty greasy but greasy good.
I’ll leave you be after this but…I just checked out a live album of West, Bruce & Laing in 74…I didn’t know about that…they rocked.
Enjoy the conversation. Yeah they were pretty good. I regret not grabbing that live album at the time. Hard rock with some extra on the side. Another person I check in with, 1537 did a great piece on one of their studio albums. I couldnt believe it. He also nailed the review.
Well, one could say this is a different band from the group that put out A Whiter Shade of Pale.
The Whiter Shade of Pale band did not include Trower. It had two keyboard players, Gary Brooker (the singer as well) and Matthew Fisher. Fisher took off before Trower came on board.
Whiskey Train was on the group’s fourth album. The first three were stumbling towards the beginning of prog, and have some very interesting songs on them. I have long loved Homburg (the single that followed Pale but wasn’t a hit), She Wandered Through The Garden Fence, The Devil Came From Kansas, and of course Conquistador.
Home, the fourth album, followed the epic A Salty Dog. The addition of Trower, as well as the absence of Fisher, really shows.
Trower has always acknowledged his debt to Hendrix. He is very much a Jimi student. Not a copy, Trower developed his own sound.
Henry Scott-Irvine has a website and all sorts of posts and information about Procol Harum.