Trevor Bolder. One of rock music’s finest bass players. He sadly passed in 2013. However he was working on a solo album which has been completed with the help of some of his musical friends and has been released as Sail the Rivers.
And I must say it’s a mighty fine album and a great way to remember Trevor. Not only was he a first class bassist, he was also a talented songwriter contributing some fine compositions to Uriah Heep over the years.
Trevor was of course one of the Spiders from Mars in Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust days sporting those comical mutton chops.
He’d go on after that most noticeably with spells in Wishbone Ash and a long tenure with Heep prior to his passing.
Indeed – appearing here on Sail the Rivers we have ex-bandmates Laurie Wisefield (Ash) and also Mick Box and Lee Kerslake from Uriah Heep. To make this album more poignant, Kerslake passed earlier this year. He drums up a storm here however. And Box and Wisefield add their considerable guitar talents to the pot in fine style.
The other players here no slouches either. Particularly Derk Gallagher with some towering vocals.
So what about the songs? A mixture of Trevor’s versions of song he wrote for Heep and a few previously unreleased.
Which Way Will the Wind Blow (Different World) and Rich Kid (Raging Silence) are heavier than the Heep versions. And that’s saying something as Rick Kid has one of the most brutal riffs in Heep history.
Here’s the video for Which Way Will the Wind Blow:
Fear of Falling (Sea of Light) has Trevor singing and a reminder that the song is one of the best from Sea of Light – which in my opinion is one of Heep’s best albums. Sail the Rivers is excellent too appearing only (as far as I know) as a bonus track on the Spellbinder live album (I think the song was an outtake from the Sea of Light sessions).
Shelter from the Rain (Sonic Origami) is hauntingly beautiful and sensitively delivered (Trevor on vocals again). The booming Warchild (Wake the Sleeper) is another rocked up effort then Dream On (Sea of Light) is another of those sensitive, well-structured arranged and delivered ballads. Trevor does the lot here – vocals, bass and guitar.
The unrleased cuts are good too and generally more chilled out acoustically driven affairs and well worthy of their place here.
Over all the years and all the times I saw Heep live an overarching memory is watching Trevor play. Such a busy player yet effortless with some complex lines never missing a note.
Sail the Rivers is most certainly a superb way to remember one of the finest bassists to have picked up the instrument. And more than a bass player – a fine singer and songwriter to boot.