Rock’s Power Trios
And a power duo, too!
Only a handful of major rock bands were “power trios” — just three dudes (they’re always dudes) on stage makin’ the noise. Guitar-bass-drums and somebody sings.
Cream
The original power trio and first supergroup was the British band Cream: Eric Clapton (guitar), Jack Bruce (bass), and Ginger Baker (drums).
All three musicians were already stars when they put the band together in 1966, hence the sobriquet “supergroup”.
- Eric Clapton was famous from The Yardbirds and John Mayall’s Blues Breakers.
- Jack Bruce had also been in the Blues Breakers, and also Manfred Mann. (Manfred Mann was the name of Manfred Mann’s band before Manfred Mann’s Earth Band was formed by Manfred Mann.)
- Ginger Baker had worked together with Jack Bruce in two bands, Blues Incorporated and Graham Bond organization, neither of which I’ve ever heard of.
Bruce handled most of the lead vocals, but Clapton also sang lead on some songs — most notably their signature song, Crossroads. Although Crossroads is probably the only Cream song you’ve heard this century, their first huge hit was Sunshine of Your Love.
Cream was probably rock’n’roll’s first major jam band, as well. Often the verses of a song were just framing elements for the musicians taking off on a amazing improvised jams. Later, the term “jam bands” tended to include mostly psychedelic/folk oriented bands like The Grateful Dead, Phish, and Government Mule. (The Allman Brothers was another major rock band that often jammed.)
Cream was together for only three years, 1966–1968.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
While technically a power trio, Hendrix dominated the group so completely that the contributions of excellent musicians Noel Redding (bass) and Mitch Mitchel (drums) are often overlooked. Hendrix’s singing voice and style were not great, but they worked so well with his guitar playing and the songs he wrote that it is difficult to imagine the band with a separate lead vocalist.
Beck, Bogart, and Appice
Rock’s legendary guitarist Jeff Beck formed a lot of bands that would play together for a few years and then move on. One of the best was when he teamed up with bassist Tim Bogart and drummer Carmine Appice to form an eponymous power trio. Their only album, named, like the group, Beck Bogart and Appice, is my favorite rock album of all time.
Triumph
Sadly, the only band in this article that I ever saw perform live. (They were a fave of a friend of mine.) Damn but Rik Emmett could play that axe! And such powerful vocals!
You may not think you know this band, but let me remind you of their two biggest radio hits: Lay It On The Line and Fight the Good Fight.
The thing about Triumph that always makes me laugh is that their lyrics — pick any song — are just a bunch of clichés run together. Okay, so they can’t all be Paul McCartney. Check it out:
Days grow shorter and the night are getting long
Feels like we’re running out of time
Everyday seems much harder telling right from wrong
You’ve got to read between the lines
Don’t get discouraged
Don’t be afraid
You can make it through another day
Make it worth the price we pay
The good book says it’s better to give than to recieve
I do my best to do my part
Nothing in my pockets I got nothing up my sleeve
I keep my magic in my heart
Keep up your spirit
Keep up your faith baby
I am counting on you
You know what you’ve got to do
Fight the good fight every moment
Every minute, every day
Fight the good fight every moment
It’s your only way
All your life you’ve been waiting for your chance
where you’ll fit into the plan
You’re the master of your own destiny
So hive and take the best that you can
You think a little more money will buy your soul some rest
You’d better think something else instead
You’re so afraid of being honest with yourself
You’d better take a look inside your head
Nothing is easy, Nothing good is free
But I can help you where to start
Take a look inside your heart
There’s an aswere in your heart
Fight the good fight every moment
Every minute, every day
Fight the good fight every moment
Make it worth the price we pay
Every moment of your lifetime
Every minute, every day
Fight the good fight every moment
Make it worth the price we pay
Honorable Mention
Two progressive rock bands (prog rock) that were trios, but not really power trios because prog rock was its own thing. And, they were typically synth-driven, not primarily guitar.
Rush
Did you know Rush was a trio? Geddy Lee (bass, keyboards, and vocals), Neil Peart (drums), and Alex Lifeson (guitar) made all the noise. Do you even know who Rush is? Their biggest hits were Tom Sawyer, Limelight, The Spirit of the Radio, and Closer to the Heart, characterized by synthesizers, highly processed soaring guitars, and Geddy Lee’s distinctive high voice. They were probably the most accessible of the now much-maligned progressive rock (or prog rock) scene of the 1970's.
Emerson Lake and Palmer
While ELP got radio play with songs like From the Beginning, Lucky Man, and Karn Evil 9 (“Welcome back my friend to the show that never ends…”), most of their pieces were complex instrumentals showcasing Keith Emerson’s virtuoso keyboard playing, mainly on a big Hammond B3 organ and a Moog synthesizer. I feel sorry for his roadies.
Besides the prog rock of the seventies, I can think of one rock trio from the eighties that wasn’t really a power trio, nor prog rock, but too intense to call them a pop band. Let’s just call it eighties music.
The Police
…and, finally, a power duo!
The White Stripes
Guitar monster Jack White and his sister/wife/drummer Meg White composed The White Stripes, a garage-band power duo out of Detroit. Though their sound was always a bit raunchy for my taste, I like their style! They garnered an admiring following and much respect in the musical community.
The sister/wife thing is only one of many weird things about the band. For a long time they claimed Meg was Jack’s sister. Turns out she was actually not his sister, but his ex-wife. They just thought it would be less strange to have a brother-sister act than a dude-and-ex-wife act. Or maybe they thought it was stranger?
