I haven’t blogged about music for a while – time to rectify that!
I’ve been listening to Tommy Bolin’s two solo albums, “Teaser” and “Private Eyes” recently, and it’s becoming clear what bugs me about Tommy Bolin’s sole studio contribution to the Deep Purple canon, the 1976 album “Come Taste the Band”.
The two Bolin albums, especially “Teaser”, released while he was still in Purple are choppy funk-rock. Meanwhile David Coverdale, as demonstrated by his later solo albums and with the earlier incarnation of Whitesnake (forget the late 80s MTV hair-metal version of that band!) was more into Hammond-heavy blues-rock. “Come Taste the Band” is an unhappy mix of these two styles, which for me is why the album as a whole doesn’t quite work for me. Some songs, such as “Dealer”, “Love Child” and “I Need Love” sound to me like bits of songs from “Teaser” and “Lovehunter” crudely chopped up and spliced together! The songs which do work, such as “Lady Luck”, “Drifter” and “You Keep On Moving” are where one style (Coverdale’s) predominates.
Saying that, “Teaser” and the heavier follow-up “Private Eyes” are fine albums, and it’s a pity Bolin’s career was tragically cut short by drug abuse; it’s just he was the wrong choice for Purple.
Sometimes I wonder what might have happened had Purple either chosen someone else, or sacked Bolin (and Glenn Hughes) in 1976. I’m guessing we’d have ended up with something much like early 80s Whitesnake, only with a flashier guitarist. Who was available in 1976? What about Gary Moore? Just what would a David Coverdale – Jon Lord – Ian Paice – Gary Moore – Neil Murray lineup have sounded like?
WAS THEIR ANYBODY RIGHT FOR DP AFTER BLACKMORE
OR SHOULD HAVE DP DISBANDED AND WENT UNDER ANOTHER
NAME.TOMMY WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE WITH HIS OWN STYLE,PEOPLE JUST NEED TO BE OPEN MINDED WHEN IT
COMES TO MUSIC.IT WAS AND IS DEEP PURPLE MARK IV
QUADRANT 4
NEED I SAY MORE
JOEL
HELLO AGAIN,
I GUESS THE QUESTION THAT PEPLE SHOUD ASK? WAS DEEP PURPLE RIGHT FOR TOMMY BOLIN?
OF COURSE THEY WERE,MAN THEY ALL ARE THE SHIT
OF THE MUSIC WORLD.FOR ALL WHO DOG ON THEM.THINK
ABOUT THIS!,THEY WERE ON STAGE JAMMIN AND LIVIN
LARGE AND WE WERE’NT.
GETTIN’TIGHTER #1,
PEACE OUT
JOEL-SIOUX CITY HOMEBOY
PS CHECKOUT-WWW.HOMESTEAD.ENTRAPMENT.COM
HELLO AGAIN,
I GUESS THE QUESTION THAT PEPLE SHOUD ASK? WAS DEEP PURPLE RIGHT FOR TOMMY BOLIN?
OF COURSE THEY WERE,MAN THEY ALL ARE THE SHIT
OF THE MUSIC WORLD.FOR ALL WHO DOG ON THEM.THINK
ABOUT THIS!,THEY WERE ON STAGE JAMMIN AND LIVIN
LARGE AND WE WERE’NT.
GETTIN’TIGHTER #1,
PEACE OUT
JOEL-SIOUX CITY HOMEBOY
PS CHECKOUT-WWW.HOMESTEAD.ENTRAPMENT.COM
I’m a former heavy metal lead singer who didn’t quite make the big time. I remember meeting Tommy Bolin in the Speakeasy in London sometime in the 70′s. I found him rather laid-back for a heavy metal guitar player. But a nice guy who loved his music. I dug ‘Teaser’ but it can’t compare to Jeff Beck’s ‘Blow by Blow’ for style and originality. But having said that Tommy died young and maybe had great things ahead…God only knows. Keep cool keep happy!!
Ihave been playing guitar profesionaly for over30 years tommy was my guiding light through the early years saw him perform with purple in australia around 1977 he winked at me blew me away best guitar player of all time
Ihave been playing guitar profesionaly for over30 years tommy was my guiding light through the early years saw him perform with purple in australia around 1977 he winked at me blew me away best guitar player of all time
I think that the people who “hear” the “Come Taste The Band” album the best are the ones who can hear it as its own entity. Too often, Purple fans compare it to previous Purple albums, and basically critique it for deviating too much from the previous Purple sound. I know plenty of Bolin fans who don’t like the “cock rock” of Deep Purple Mark IV. I think it sits by itself and rocks and grooves. GREAT performances by all included, especially Ian Paice on drums. Well recommended is the recently released “Days May Come and Days May Go,” which is a CD of the rehearsals and jams that led up to “Come Taste The Band.” Great stuff. I think that hard rock and funk can certainly be mixed to good effect. Jim S
Spoke to you via email a bit over a year ago but lost your email address when the computer gave me the blue screen of death!!!
Would love to talk to you about “Rock is Dead”. and future tour??