Search - Deep Purple :: Come Taste the Band

Purple Grooves!

Erick Bertin | Santo Domingo, Heredia Costa Rica | 09/06/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Come Taste the Band was the last studio record Purple did in the 70's. And it is a great example of how a million people (and maybe a few more...) CAN be wrong... all those fans who ignored it because it didn't feature Ritchie Blackmore don't know what they're missing. You, my friends, on the other hand, if you are reading this, is because you're interested, and I can promise you that if you keep reading and ultimately decide to purchase this record, that interest will be duly rewarded!



In 1975, shortly after completing an european tour in support of "Stormbringer", founding member, guitarist and resident tyrant (don't get me wrong, i'm a huge fan of his music, but the guy has serious issues...) Ritchie Blackmore left the band. An established act like Purple has 2 choices in such a situation: call it a day, or soldier on with a replacement. Purple chose the latter, and faced with that, they had 2 ways to go too: either choose an imitator and try to recapture the original sound and glory of the band, or forge ahead in a new direction. Again, they chose the latter, bravely enough. Rumor has it they originally set their sights on Jeff Beck, but unable to get him, went with a rather "risky" choice: a young yank named Tommy Bolin, with more of a background in Jazz/blues/funk/fusion than (hard) rock.



What did they come up with? Instead of telling you first what you're gonna find here, i'm gonna tell you what you are NOT gonna find here: you're not gonna find "Highway Star", or "Space Trucking", or "Burn" or even "Stormbringer" for that matter. Meaning that those songs driven by a big, nasty guitar riff are gone. That's not a bad thing, it just IS. With the departure of Blackmore, the remaining members were given ample space to unfold their talents, and they certainly show it here: Paice never drummed better, Lord is there filling in for Ritchie with his ever immortal Hammond B3, Hughes is in fine shape both as a bassist and singer, Coverdale sings his lungs off and Bolin, while not sounding like Ritchie Blackmore (he didn't even try, which was a bold decision...) makes a strong impresion throughout.



The band was, at least at the moment of the writing and recording of this album, rejuvenated and reinvigorated, and it really shows. My only observation would be about the vocals: how come there are only a few tandem vocals here? Coverdale sings the lion's share while Hughes sings two solo numbers ("Getting Tighter" and "This Time Around"), but the only song where they truly sing together is "You Keep on Moving". The tandem vocals are one of the features that originally fascinated me about Mk III, so I was hoping to get some more of those here. Still, their individual performances are consistently top-notch.



Try to imagine a cross between "Strange Kind of Woman" and "Might Just Take your Life" and you are halfway there! Most of the songs are rather carried through by the monster grooves that the band creates: "Coming Home", "Lady Luck", "Getting Tighter" and "I need love" (the latter being one of my favorites) are the best examples of this. Then you have a few songs that are a little more guitar driven, but here again they are different: instead of big classical scales (a trademark of Blackmore), the guitar riffs have a bluesier, "Hendrix-ier" feel to them, like the case of "Dealer", "Drifter" and "Love Child" (which is a bit reminiscent of Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker"). And then you have 2 succesive HUGE songs to top it all: "This time around/owed to G" , which is a two part song, the latter being an awesome instrumental that takes us back to those jams the band became famous for, and "You Keep on Moving", a song that can remind you a bit to "Child in Time" by its atmosphere, with the harmonies of Coverdale and Hughes being a high point. This album is awesome!!!



So what was the problem, then? Was it too funky? Nope, actually Stormbringer is way funkier than this. Was it too soft? Nope, the record rocks big time. Was it "less good" than previous records? Most definitely not! The reason is very simple: any band that experiences that many lineup changes is bound to lose (at least some of...) its identity, whether they realise it or not. And that's what happened here. Add to that the substance abuse issues that both Bolin and Hughes had, that would end up causing the implosion of the band and the death of Bolin shortly thereafter, and you realise that it just wasn't meant to be.



The bottom line: if you liked Stormbringer, you will LOVE this record! So if you don't have Stormbringer, i would recommend you to get that first. If your favorites are albums such as Burn and Machine Head, this may be a little odd for you. But i honestly recommend you to get it either way. If you like good, groovy rock, you should love this one too! Great music is great music, and you should give it a try! And the timing for you all to get this CD couldn't be better, either: thanks to this Friday Music release, you won't have to shell out any extra money to get the import version(s). I'm a diehard, and this is without a doubt one of my favorites. Go ahead and give this band a taste..."

Immediate!!

Lyn Pastac Lynsey | West Hurley, NY | 11/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I was 13, my older brother, a tremendous force in the direction to which my initial musical indulgences went. Walked in the door with this album under his arm.

I had at this point about 10 albums in my collection. I had Machine Head by DP and thought, wow, what a cool and classy looking album cover.

My experiences with Deep Purple's history outside of Machine Head were quite uninformed. But, one thing was for sure. When I heard the opening open quick drum roll, Tommy Bolin (need I say more?), and the opening lyrics.... Blew me away!

I was hooked!

Producer Martin Birch's incredible recording of this lineup is a masterpiece. This was, and is still to this day an absolutely essential part of my musical collection through 3 vinyl copies and one Japanese CD edition.

It is a perfect album and a sadly underappreciated one in the Deep Purple discography.

This is...Are you ready?? My #2 favorite Deep Purple album after Made in Japan. I think that it is simply incredible. It is funky, rockin', tight and simply some of the best boogie Rock-n-Roll to pour across my early ears and still to this day. NOTE: This is coming from a person that listens to an incredible amount of music from all genres (Except Rap/Hip Hop) and owns over 10,000 albums/CD's. The band is just having an incredible time here. It is obvious.

Plus, I feel deeply that any previous record by Deep Purple didn't have the production quality of this album. Often the recordings on "In Rock" etc. were incredibly compressed and seemingly muddy. To no fault of the musicians. The thing that to this day stands out for me with CTTB is how good these guys were at this time. Largely still are as musicians and vocalists. Their last few records are very, very good.

Here, David Coverdale took the combination of his Ian Gillan meets Paul Rodgers/FREE era styled blues vocals to a new level. I had never before or since heard him sing this well. (Ok, maybe on his first pre-WS solo album?) Glenn Hughes is an incredible soul singer. He is an amazing bassist. Jon Lord is brilliant. He open's up here in only his best way and with possibly some of his best work. Ian Paice is, and will always be, my favorite rock drummer of the "classic rock" era. Not a bad tune in the lot.



Dig it up and play it loud. Come on..."Come Taste The Band.



Perfection!!"

Fantastic!

Tom Munroe | Chicago, IL United States | 01/19/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

""You Keep On Moving" is worth the price of admission alone. One of the great songs from the 1970's, and one of Deep Purple's best songs ever. The rest of the album is also fine. A great "lost' 70's hard rock classic."