A half-century perspective confirms how momentous 1975 was for Tommy Bolin. The late guitarist/songwriter completed and released his splendid first solo album, Teaser, and, around the same time, was recruited into the ranks of seminal hard rockers Deep Purple, taking the place of Ritchie Blackmore.
Yet whereas Bolin had never released a record under his own name before–instead making something of a name for himself with the Colorado-based band Zephyr–he had stepped into a comparable void before. Tommy assumed the fretboard position once held by Joe Walsh in the James Gang, writing most of the material for the two albums he recorded with them in ’73 and ’74 (Bang! and Miami).
Around this same time, too, Bolin also appeared on former Mahavishu Orchestra drummer Billy Cobham’s Spectrum LP, thereby certifying a versatility that would stand him in good stead when recording with Purple: on Come Taste The Band, he not only wielded a fearsome and funky guitar, but wrote and sang for the iconic British hard rockers.
Yet it’s important to note that Bolin’s recruitment was a logical extension of an interest in a more diversified sound, an approach that did not sit well with Blackmore and actually engendered his departure from the group he helped become so famous. And though the Marin Birch co-production with the band itself speaks volumes about DP’s longstanding loyalty to the engineer, South African Kevin Shirley’s remixes on the 35th Anniversary Edition render the sound spacious (but beg the question of the illogical track resequencing).
Nevertheless, the remastering by Dave Schultz and Bill Inglot at Digiprep also reveals nuances of harmony vocals and Jon Lord’s piano on “Comin’ Home” that simultaneously reaffirm and expand the readily identifiable Deep Purple style. In addition, Tommy Bolin’s tight spirals of guitar only accentuate the drive of Ian Paice’s drumming on “Lady Luck,” while the self-referential “Gettin’ Tighter” showcases Glenn Hughes’ voice as distinct from primary lead singer David Coverdale.
At the same time, the former madly plucks his bass during a short instrumental bridge. Similarly, in the rideout featuring offsetting overdubs of rhythm and lead guitar figures, an even more overtly autobiographical (?) “Dealer” hearkens most directly to Tommy Bolin’s solo debut. Meantime, the stomp of “I Need Love,” overlaid by Lord’s synthesiser work, sounds as fresh as the heavy riff of “Drifter” sounds familiar, especially as the aforementioned keyboardist’s organ lines course through the performance.
The finale of the nine tracks is an appropriately positioned “You Keep On Moving.” Its spooky air embroiders upon the atmosphere of the penultimate number, “This Time Around”/”Owed to G” and, in so doing, renders moot the puerile lyrics that afflict “Love Child,” to name just one number on the record.
Apart from two bonus cuts on the aforementioned double-CD set of 2010, 1977’s Last Concert in Japan and the much superior 1995 issue of King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: Deep Purple in Concert, Come Taste The Band remains the primary evidence of Tommy Bolin’s tenure with the band behind “Smoke On The Water.”
The Iowa native would go on to record a second album under his own name, 1976’s Private Eyes, but after some time fronting his own group–on some occasions opening for staunch admirer Jeff Beck–he would pass under tragic circumstances. It is thus no small irony, especially with five decades retrospect, that his passage through the ranks of Purple would foreshadow the long-term reinvention(s) of the band.
The shifting personnel under the readily-recognizable moniker of the group suggests the impact of Tommy Bolin’s presence–like that of his career overall and Come Taste The Band on its own terms–was much more significant that it seems at first listening.
