Label: EMI Records
Release date: 10/10/1975
Production: Martin Birch & Deep Purple
Album length: 37.16 min
Genre: Hard Rock / Heavy Rock
Rating: 9.0/10
»Come Taste the Band« was the tenth studio outing from English heavy rock titans Deep Purple, and the first and only album by the so-called Mark IV lineup, which had American Tommy Bolin (1951-1976) on guitar. The versatile Bolin, previously best known for playing with Mahavishnu Orchestra drummer Billy Cobham on his solo jazz rock fusion masterpiece »Spectrum« (1973), was a respected session player and a former member of Zephyr and The James Gang. Thanks to his love of jazz and, above all, funk, he quickly found common ground with Deep Purple singer/bassist Glenn Hughes, who, after the departure of guitar virtuoso Ritchie Blackmore, had a lot more freedom to pour funk elements into Purple’s traditional heavy rock sound.
Bolin, a raw guitar gem who died in the prime of his youth, reportedly landed the Purple guitarist spot on the very first try, turning up to the audition with feathers in his multicolored hair and a half-naked Hawaiian girl at his side. With his brilliant, complex and utterly distinctive guitar technique, he instantly captivated the four Purple members in the room, who were by then fed up to the back teeth with Blackmore’s dictatorial, sometimes downright bizarre whims. Sadly, the four had no idea back then that Bolin was also a heroin addict. Had they known in time, they might have prevented a great tragedy. Alongside their similar musical tastes, the addiction to mind-altering substances helped Bolin and Hughes quickly develop a special brotherly bond and a deep mutual understanding.
The legendary singer/bassist was, after all, in an exceptionally dark period of his personal life, almost constantly on cocaine. This unhealthy common ground between Bolin and Hughes had a decisive impact on the atmosphere and most of the lyrics of »Come Taste the Band«. Bolin’s heroin troubles would end tragically within a year, but when he went into the studio in 1975 to record »Come Taste the Band« with the rest of the band, he was in excellent guitar form. Next to his two solo records, »Teaser« (1975) and »Private Eyes« (1976), this album is the central life testament of a guitar virtuoso who died far too young and who, under different circumstances, could have achieved many more exciting things in music.
This was a band that most fans had quietly buried after Blackmore’s departure, not knowing that singer David Coverdale had managed to convince the two original members, keyboard wizard Jon Lord and drumming great Ian Paice, to carry on into new and unpredictable challenges. Despite the many troubles that dogged the sessions in Los Angeles and Munich, »Come Taste the Band« turned out to be an exceptionally high-quality studio effort. After decades of being ignored, it’s only now, largely thanks to Bolin’s guitar legacy, gaining more respect among fans and critics. You can sense fresh energy and drive in every single track, so it’s hard to believe today that this was the last Deep Purple album of the seventies, and their last studio effort until the triumphant return with »Perfect Strangers« (1984).
Compared to its largely funk-flavored predecessor »Stormbringer«, »Come Taste the Band« is a somewhat harder record with more hard rock elements, though there’s no shortage of funk and soul moments either, driven mainly by Hughes and Bolin. Lord and Paice were the defenders and keepers of Purple’s traditional, punchy sound, while Coverdale was torn somewhere in between, and with his masculine, blues-charmed vocals he kept the balance between the two extremes. This time, David and Glenn agreed on who sings what on individual tracks, so the vocal duet only comes right at the end of the album. »Comin’ Home«, the opening heavy rocker with boogie piano variations, rides on the wings of Coverdale’s mighty singing, enriched by Bolin’s wailing vocal harmonies. Combined with Bolin’s striking, lengthy guitar solo, backed by thunderous drum fills, it makes for a fiery album opener in the best Purple tradition.
»Lady Luck« (originally written by Jeff Cook) is another hard rock wrecking ball with funk flavoring, on which Coverdale rants, in a deeply lived-in way, about the treachery of women’s charms, accompanied by Bolin’s complex guitar variations and Lord’s witty organ bits. On the funk rock standard »Gettin’ Tighter«, where ‘funky man’ Hughes takes over the vocal baton, a hedonistic mood rules thanks to a bouncy motif built on a cheeky guitar riff and hopping drums. In the middle section, Bolin’s witty, complex funky guitar improvisation dominates, while Hughes energetically holds up the catchy, melodic chorus.
»Dealer«, whose lyrics clearly refer to Hughes’ and Bolin’s run-ins with drug dealers, is another funk rock standard, in which Coverdale’s bluesy vocal keeps instilling a sober tone, as if he wanted to warn about the detours of such a lifestyle. A short dreamy section arrives with the sudden entrance of Bolin’s vocal, which adds a personal touch to the dramatic atmosphere, while the mouthwatering guitar solo is once again a treat for the ears. On »I Need Love«, which strikes a fitting balance between traditional hard rock shades and funky rhythmic inserts, Bolin’s feisty guitar riff comes closest to Blackmore’s style of crafting innovative guitar phrases. Coverdale’s vocal feels right at home with a word like ‘love’ in the title and, in classic blues fashion, thrashes his untamed hormones all over the place. Bolin’s solo improvisation is backed by funky rhythms and soulful vocalizations.
The hard rocker »Drifter« is another »Come Taste the Band« evergreen, never letting up in building a hyperactive atmosphere watched over by Coverdale’s unbridled, romantically tinged vocal confession about a drifter. Hughes joins him with backing harmonies on the chorus, while Bolin, after a short guitar solo backed by relentless drum fills, steers it all into faster rhythmic shades. The calmer middle section belongs to Lord’s organ solo and yet another inventive Bolin improvisation, until the song ends abruptly on the rhythm of rolling drums.
The punchy evergreen »Love Child« is another stand-out on which Bolin faithfully follows Blackmore’s spirit of creating scorching, iconoclastic guitar phrases, while Coverdale, backed by merciless drum meanders, once again has what can only be called vocal orgasms as he tells of recent romantic misadventures. A touch of prog rock experimentalism comes from a short but complex instrumental section with a witty Lord synthesizer solo. The gripping suite »This Time Around/Owed To ‘G’« is the most technically accomplished and complex »Come Taste the Band« classic, with the lead vocal baton once again taken by a superbly in-form Hughes. The jazz-tinged opening part is a melancholic piano ballad, where Hughes’ inconsolable vocal slowly builds remarkable atmospheric drama, once again demonstrating his stunning vocal versatility and boundless emotional range. In the second, instrumental part, the drama only intensifies with the sudden onslaught of fiery guitar phrases and mighty organ variations, until it peaks with yet another voluptuous Bolin guitar solo.
The peak of the whole album, and of the short-lived Mark IV lineup, is the closing masterpiece »You Keep On Moving«, where an exceptional nostalgia constantly blends with indescribable melancholy through an intense atmosphere. Hughes and Coverdale complement each other again after a long time with passionate vocal harmonies. The slow build-up of mood rests on a swaying rhythm in the calm opening part, where Hughes’ deeply melancholic vocal builds the drama, supported by a mighty guitar phrase and the rustling waves of the Hammond organ. Eventually it moves into a harder section with epic guitar passages and fiery drum transitions, where Hughes keeps impressing with his vocal variability. Lord’s otherworldly organ solo is the best on the entire album and paves the way for Coverdale’s fired-up vocal, which this time, compared to Hughes, plays a less important role, but one no less effective in building the mighty atmosphere. The melodramatic, synchronized interweaving of guitar and organ passages then delivers a truly epic finish.
The CD version released for the original album’s 35th anniversary includes some interesting bonus goodies, among them the single version of »You Keep On Moving« and the solid heavy rocker »Same in LA«, while »Bolin/Paice Jam« is an interesting instrumental jam between the tragic guitarist and a drummer who knows every trick in the book.
The often-overlooked classic »Come Taste the Band« is a worthy farewell to Deep Purple’s seventies and an immensely valuable testament to Bolin’s unique guitar talent, one that makes you forget Blackmore’s absence altogether. Sadly, it’s only now, with Bolin long gone, that many fans are realizing just how criminally overlooked an achievement this was in the Deep Purple story. The Mark IV lineup was plagued by problems even on tour, mostly connected to Hughes and especially Bolin, who, because of his heroin addiction, struggled more and more on stage to keep up with the rest of the band, despite the occasional still-brilliant performance, and put them in a lot of awkward situations.
After their last gig with Bolin in the lineup ended catastrophically in the middle of London in 1976, Coverdale, with tears in his eyes, wanted to tell the rest of the band and management that he was quitting for good. He had no idea that Lord and Paice, who could no longer watch the legendary band disintegrate into a parody of itself on the backs of two addicts, had quietly decided weeks earlier that Deep Purple had passed their expiration date. After the big disappointment, Coverdale threw himself into a solo career with full sails, which soon grew into his own band called Whitesnake, where Lord and Paice eventually joined him too. Hughes, who battled cocaine addiction for a long time, started a successful solo career that continues to this day, while Bolin wasn’t so lucky: an overdose of heroin at the end of 1976, as he was preparing for the release of his second solo album »Private Eyes«, proved fatal. After eight years, Deep Purple reunited in their most popular Mark II lineup and released the excellent album »Perfect Strangers« in 1984, but that’s another story.
Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
1. Comin’ Home (3:54)
2. Lady Luck (2:48)
3. Gettin’ Tighter (3:36)
4. Dealer (3:53)
5. I Need Love (4:24)
6. Drifter (4:05)
7. Love Child (3:07)
8. This Time Around/Owed to ‘G’ (6:13)
9. You Keep on Moving (5:22)
Lineup:
David Coverdale – vocals
Glenn Hughes – vocals, bass guitar
Tommy Bolin – guitar, bass guitar on “Comin’ Home”, backing vocals on “Comin’ Home” and shared vocals on “Dealer”
Jon Lord – keyboards, piano, synthesizer
Ian Paice – drums, percussion
