YOU ARE HERE: zharth.net / Zharth's Music Log / Week 180 (Power Trios)
(Originally finalized on January 12, 2026)
Preface: A lot of my favorite bands had four members (e.g., Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Doors). That number seems like a good balance between having too many cooks to spoil the broth, and not enough players to cover all the bases. With that said, there are plenty of great bands that had more than four members. But there's something special about the power trio, which cuts the formula down to its bare essentials: guitar, bass, and drums. This week, we're going to listen to some of the most prominent power trios of the classic rock era.
Monday: The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Bold As Love [Axis: Bold As Love, 1967]
Comments: Despite being such a lean formation (or perhaps because of it), power trios tend to disproportionately feature virtuosic talents. I couldn't think of a better example of this than The Jimi Hendrix Experience. On this title track that closes out the band's second album, bass guitarist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell do anything but fade into the background, despite standing in the shadow of one of history's most celebrated guitarists.
Tuesday: Cream - Strange Brew [Disraeli Gears, 1967]
Comments: Jimi Hendrix himself made no secret of the fact that he was enamored with Eric Clapton's own power trio, featuring bass guitarist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. By now, I've shared most of the highlights from this cast-off from John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (especially after pitting these two bands against each other), but here's the opening track from their second album - one of only a few that features Clapton (and not Bruce) on lead vocals.
Wednesday: Beck, Bogert & Appice - Superstition [Beck, Bogert & Appice, 1973]
Comments: After playing around with different lineups for the Jeff Beck Group (starting out with Rod Stewart and future Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood), former Yardbird Jeff Beck took a detour to form a supergroup with the rhythm section from Vanilla Fudge. This cover of Stevie Wonder's Superstition reinforces my belief that, despite his instrumental prowess, Beck's lack of focus on songwriting was a significant barrier to more mainstream success.
Thursday: Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble - Pride And Joy [Texas Flood, 1983]
Comments: Although Stevie Ray Vaughan would later add keyboard player Reese Wynans (who plays in Joe Bonamassa's band these days), "Double Trouble" initially consisted of just bass guitarist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton - making this yet another power trio to feature one of history's most celebrated guitarists! I suppose that when you've got that much talent, you don't want to water it down.
Friday: ZZ Top - La Grange [Tres Hombres, 1973]
Comments: As their appropriately-titled (albeit in Spanish) third album describes, ZZ Top is one of rock's most recognized power trios, featuring guitarist Billy Gibbons, bass guitarist Dusty Hill, and drummer Frank Beard (ironically, the only one without a beard). Paying homage to John Lee Hooker, this blues shuffle written as a tribute to "the best little whorehouse in Texas" is one of the band's biggest hits.
Saturday: Grand Funk Railroad - Inside Looking Out [Grand Funk, 1969]
Comments: Judging purely by the considerable gap between their instrumental talents, and the myopic focus on a few of their more poppy radio singles, I'd rate Grand Funk Railroad as one of the most underrated rock bands of their era. And for their first five albums, they were a power trio! This cover of an Animals tune from their second album channels Eric Burdon's chaotic energy, and charges it up to a near ten-minute tour de force.
Sunday: Robin Trower - A Little Bit of Sympathy [Live, 1976]
Comments: In a move that may have been inspired by his role model Jimi Hendrix, Procol Harum's former guitarist Robin Trower initiated his solo career by forming a power trio. And, like Cream (whose own Jack Bruce later collaborated with Trower), it was the bass guitarist, James Dewar, who handled most of the vocals (and with distinction). This live track, complete with false ending (or is it just an extended outro?), makes for a perfect set closer.
Honorable Mention: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Lucky Man [Emerson, Lake & Palmer, 1970]
Comments: There's a prominent power trio I've neglected; no disrespect intended, but I simply don't find the band Rush to be as engaging as the rest of the music we've listened to this week. Instead, I've chosen Emerson, Lake & Palmer (often shortened to ELP) for the honorable mention - pushed out of the regular running because it modifies the basic formula of guitar, bass, and drums in favor of Keith Emerson's keyboard. Written by guitarist Greg Lake and recorded for the band's self-titled debut album, Lucky Man is one of the first songs to ever feature a solo played on a Moog synthesizer.