Review of Tommy Bolin - Whips And Roses

BEFORE I BEGIN: A note to old timers and the like: Please, in the lashes below, feel free to fill in the gaps and correct the mistakes. I searched for relevant info but got only snippets and nothing particular to this CD apart from a few reviews.

TOMMY MOTHERFUCKING BOLIN! Who, I ask you, do you get when two of the guitar greats of all time have left your already established bands, that can fill their shoes at a level that won‘t embarrass you? Some shitbag slouch? Some preening all flash and no substance poser? No, you get TOMMY MOTHERFUCKING BOLIN! It’s not necessarily TOMMY MOTHERFUCKING BOLIN’S fault he was a bridesmaid and never a bride, as far as grand rock stardom goes. You may question the wisdom of stepping into the shoes of Joe Walsh or Richie Blackmore, men of legendary talent and personality…yet who among us, if we had the chops, could turn down the gig? And TOMMY MOTHERFUCKING BOLIN had the CHOPS, brothers and sisters. To play with both AmeriFunkRock masters James Gang AND ProtoMetal superstars Deep Purple means, whatever else you may be able to do, you can fucking play the fucking guitar, and with flair and style.

But many recall the name as little more than a footnote of seventies excess. The dude was, now and then, sober, if accounts can be trusted. He was dropped from a record label at one point in his solo career for falling off the stage in a drunken stupor as a suit looked on in dismay. He never made it to 1980 and he released only two solo efforts while still trapped in this mortal shithole: Teaser and Private Eyes. If you dig the non-pop side of Frampton or the Hero-osity of Beck, Allman and their contemporaries, this is right up your alley. This solo material is definitely in the James Gang category. It's funky and bluesy by turns, with extended jams out the asshole. And dated, but this is the kind of music that defies date. It’s just not that style of writing. It’s spare, jazzy. Again, bluesy. And the playing is pure. It’s as organic as childbirth.

This is a collection of his works and while I am not sure of how it all ties together thematically - rarities? Unreleased? Greatest hits? “Teaser” is on there…it’s been a motherfucking long time since I acquainted myself with anything by TOMMY MOTHERFUCKING BOLIN! What I am sure of is that this is the kind of old school guitar rock anyone who fancies themself a fan should be looking into. Especially after a headfull of modern shredding, this almost acts like a cold compress on a fevered brow. The guy surrounded himself with top caliber musicians - including stints by Glenn Hughes on voice and brother Johnny on drums and plays with an eye to get your…well..booty…you know…bootying. His style is jumpy, lick oriented, not riffy. Sometimes he goes spacey, ala Robin Trower, but generally keeps it nailed firmly in between the Walsh/Perry tradition. You won’t find the kind of staccato, symphonic Blackmore/May perfection you might anticipate, him stinting in Purple and all. This is the other kind of godding, the Jim Beam kind.

Bottom line? Look, jam is a cool interlude, and seventies jam is real jam. So this is the authentic shit. It gets no realer than TOMMY MOTHERFUCKING BOLIN! But we are metalheads and this is not metal. It is rock, period. And it’s JAM, period. Which means a little does go a long way. Taking the record in one sitting is, I would think, not going to be pleasurable for people who regularly delve into Horse the Band and Cannibal Corpse. And for all I know you can hit up your uncle for his collection on vinyl. But if you can’t, or if you are looking for smoothing out music… or if you EVER thought about playing the guitar, this CD has something to offer. It’s a snapshot of a brief and brilliant artist doing his thing. And doing it for real. If not this, look for something by TOMMY MOTHERFUCKING BOLIN!

Release Details

Tommy Bolin

Whips And Roses

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