Come Taste the Band (EMI/Purple 1975) by Deep Purple

COME TASTE THE BAND

DEEP PURPLE (EMI/PURPLE 1975)

Released on 10^th October 1975 on EMI/Purple (UK) and Warner Bros. (US)

Recorded between 3rd August and 1^st September 1975 at Musicland Studios, Munich

Genre: Hard rock, funk rock, heavy metal

Length: 36:55 minutes

Produced by Martin Birch and Deep Purple

Professional reviews: Allmusic 3.5/5 stars 

Rolling Stone (favourable)

Deep Purple Discography (Studio Albums)

Shades of Deep Purple (1968)/ The Book of Taliesyn (1968)/ Deep Purple (1969)/ Deep Purple in Rock (1970)/ Fireball (1971)/ Machine Head (1972)/ Who Do We Think We Are (1973)/ Burn (1974)/ Stormbringer (1974)/ Come Taste the Band (1975)/ Perfect Strangers (1984)/ The House of Blue Light (1987)/ Slaves and Masters (1990)/ The Battle Rages On (1993)/ Purpendicular (1996)/ Abandon (1998)/ Bananas (2003)/ Rapture of the Deep (2005)

Introduction

C

ome Taste the Band is the tenth studio album by the English rock band Deep Purple, originally released in October 1975. The album was co-produced and engineered by the band and long time associate Martin Birch. It is the only Deep Purple studio record to feature Tommy Bolin, who replaced Ritchie Blackmore on guitar.

When Blackmore left the band, many observers and critics assumed that Deep Purple would be over. However, David Coverdale asked Jon Lord to keep the band together and Tommy Bolin was recruited to fill the guitar slot. A 35^th anniversary deluxe edition of the album was released in 2010.

Background

Musically, the album is more commercial than previous Deep Purple releases, leaning toward a conventional hard rock focus with overtones of soul and funk. The album shows the strong funk influence of Glenn Hughes, who had formed a bond with the equally funk and jazz inspired Tommy Bolin, but the direction represents a return to the style of 1974's Burn, with a greater focus on hard rock. The recording with Bolin also allowed the band to take many creative liberties, as Ritchie Blackmore had been somewhat difficult to work with during his latter days. In subsequent years, the record has been considered one of Deep Purple's lesser efforts, although it did sell reasonably well on release (number 19 in the UK charts and 43 in the US). The album was certified Silver on 1^st November 1975 by the BPI, selling 60,000 copies in the UK.

After tours for the album concluded in March 1976, Deep Purple broke up for eight years. Tommy Bolin died of an accidental heroin overdose in December 1976. In recent years, the album has received some critical reassessment, primarily due to Bolin's contributions. Ian Gillan, on the other hand, has stated that he doesn't view the album as a real Deep Purple album.

Reissues

In 1990, the album was remastered and re-released in the US by Metal Blade Records and distributed by Warner Bros. It was re-released again on the Friday Music label on 31^st July 2007 (along with Made in Europe and Stormbringer). While the label's website claims that the album has been digitally remastered, it is unclear which tapes were used as a source for this remastering. It is unlikely the original master tapes were used, as EMI had repeatedly claimed over the years that they were missing.

In December 2009, the Deep Purple Appreciation Society (DPAS) reported the original multi-track masters had recently surfaced and that an official remastered version with bonus tracks (including remixes by Glenn Hughes and Kevin Shirley) would see a release in 2010.

Released on 25^th October 2010, the 2-CD Deluxe 35th Anniversary edition includes the original album in remastered form plus a rare US single edit of You Keep on Moving on the first disc, and a full album remix and two unissued tracks on the second disc: Same in LA a three minute out-take from the final release in 1975, and Bolin/Paice Jam a five minute instrumental jam with Ian Paice and Tommy Bolin.

Original Album

Side One

1.       Comin' Home (Tommy Bolin, David Coverdale, Ian Paice) 3:55

2.       Lady Luck (Jeff Cook, David Coverdale) 2:48

3.       Gettin' Tighter (Tommy Bolin, Glenn Hughes) 3:37

4.       Dealer (Tommy Bolin, David Coverdale) 3:50

5.       I Need Love (Tommy Bolin, David Coverdale) 4:23

Side Two

6.       Drifter (Tommy Bolin, David Coverdale) 4:02

7.       Love Child (Tommy Bolin, David Coverdale) 3:08

8.       This Time Around (Glenn Hughes, Jon Lord)/ Owed to 'G' (Tommy Bolin) 6:10

9.       You Keep on Moving (Coverdale, Hughes) 5:19

35th Anniversary Edition 2CD

Disc One (Original Album Remastered)

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

Bonus track

10.   You Keep on Moving (Single Edit) 4:32

Disc Two (2010 Kevin Shirley Remixes)

1.       Comin' Home 4:08

2.       Lady Luck 2:46

3.       Gettin' Tighter 4:23

4.       Dealer 3:55

5.       I Need Love 5:16

6.       You Keep on Moving 5:18

7.       Love Child 3:05

8.       This Time Around 3:24

9.       Owed to 'G' 2:56

10.   Drifter 3:59

Bonus tracks (previously unreleased)

11.   Same in LA (Coverdale, Hughes, Paice, Lord) 3:19

12.   Bolin/Paice Jam (Bolin, Paice) 5:47

Personnel

Tommy Bolin: guitars, vocals, bass guitar on Comin' Home

David Coverdale: lead vocals

Glenn Hughes: bass, vocals (lead vocals on Gettin' Tighter and This Time Around)

Jon Lord: keyboards, piano, synthesizer, backing vocals on Comin' Home, bass on This Time Around

Ian Paice: drums, percussion

Produced by Martin "The Wasp" Birch and Deep Purple

Final mix by Martin Birch and Ian Paice

Engineered by Martin Birch

Cover photography by Peter Williams

Rehearsals for the album were recorded by Robert Simon, who was originally engineering the album. But after a dispute with the band over scheduling, the band left Simon's Pirate Sound Studios in favour of Birch.

Adapted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia