COME TASTE THE BAND

Prior to the release of "Come Taste the Band", Deep Purple had lost their iconic vocalist Ian Gillan a few years ago and had added the soulful vocals of David Coverdale, which basically changed the classic DP sound. However, sales were still positive and DP's management pushed for more tours and more albums. The band was getting worn out and Ritchie Blackmore hated the new sound, especially the line-up's 2nd album "Stormbringer". He hated the funky and soulful vibe the music had taken on so much that he left the band. Only two members, Jon Lord and Ian Paice remained from the famous Mark II line-up, and now they found themselves missing a lead guitarist.

Everyone know the story, and Tommy Bolin was hired to replace Blackmore, who had gone on to form Blackmore's Rainbow. Bolin had a background of having played for The James Gang and had released a solo album, so he was somewhat known. However, his guitar style was completely different. Coverdale and Hughes were now more free than ever to pursue their different sound for the band, and both of them were surprisingly open to allowing Bolin to help in writing the songs. Bolin was afraid that he wouldn't be able to handle the famous Blackmore solos, so he was allowed to make a huge contribution to the sound. Hence, the unique sound of this record among the other Deep Purple albums.

Many would argue (and still do) that this is not really a DP album. But, the fact is, it is a DP album. This album is a direct result of where the band was headed. The songs are heavy, lyrically driven, and, thanks to both Coverdale and Hughes, more soulful, funky and radio friendly. For me, the first side of the album is full of forgettable tracks, with nothing standing out much except for a cool, funky section of "Gettin' Tighter", which ends up being too short with the funkiness being quickly lost in Hughes smothering vocals. Coverdale and Hughes both had the same styles of voice, so other than that small section, even with two lead singers, the songs sound way too similar and nothing seems to pull the listener in.

Nothing much changes on the first half of the 2nd side of the album, it's just more of the same style, same smothering vocals and not enough in the instrumental area that would capture the love of the earlier fans. It's not until you get to the last two tracks that anything interesting happens. The first highlight comes in the "melody" track which still doesn't sound much like the DP of previous years, however, it is an excellent unique style that stands out from the rest of the repressed sound of the rest of the album. The best part is the 2nd part of the Melody which is called "Owed to G", an instrumental track that shows off Bolin's own playing and writing style, proving that it is much different from Blackmore's, and also proves that maybe without Coverdale and Hughes influence, Bolin really needed to be in a different band. The final track "You Keep on Moving" is also very good, with great hooks and an overall sound that stands out from the rest of the album.

None of the music on this album is progressive, but the last two tracks are good enough to raise this album up one star above the previous album "Stormbringer" which only had a nice looking cover going for it. Yes, CTtB ended up getting great sales at the beginning, but soon took a nosedive and ended up being one of DP's lesser known albums, with no singles that performed well and with sales dropping quickly. Bolin was correct in saying that he wouldn't be able to handle Blackmore's solos on the older songs that fans demanded be played in concert, and fans would "boo" when he messed them up. This whole thing was unfair for Bolin because he was a good enough guitarist, but he had his own style that was very unlike Blackmore's. Also, a lot of the blame can be put on Bolin's impairment due to his reliance on drug use, which would end up taking his life after he released his 2nd solo album soon after CTtB was released. The band ended up breaking up after this and management said they would not play together as DP again. It would be almost 10 years before DP would reappear, reuniting under the classic Mark II line-up again, and prove that this is really what the fans wanted.

In the meantime, you have this weak album that has two great tracks on it, but sounds nothing like the DP from before, and because of this, the fans and the band have basically disowned it. However, in my opinion, it is a little bit better than "Stormbringer", but still a long ways from the excellent material that was produced during the Mark II phase. It's a sad story and one that could have had a better ending if it had been released under a different name, but the public and management wanted the name for recognition. The album is not a complete throwaway, but it's not one that anyone should search high and low for. 3 stars.