Deep Purple
In Concert

We are at the beginning of 1976, which means the final stages of the "Come Taste the Band" tour; yet Bolin's stint with Deep Purple - which will go down in history as MK IV - has left its good fruits even in the live setting, in addition to the studio with the fantastic "Come Taste the Band" itself.

Sure, it's not easy to compete with some live performances preceding this by just a few months or at most a few years - like Live in London or Live in Paris -, where MK III's luster - Lord, Paice, Hughes, Coverdale - was in splendid form; but it is a live album that holds its own well and, above all, holds its own well despite a fundamental absence, that of His Majesty Ritchie Blackmore, who is already launched into another equally legendary adventure. Tommy Bolin was a guitarist who knew what he was doing, and "Come Taste the Band" is indeed the proof; but when comparing him with Blackmore's quintessential creations, like "Burn" for example from the first CD, the result risks evolving into something totally out of place, something that neither Blackmore nor Bolin, who is capable of great things in his own territory, deserves.

Tommy’s territory is made of a captivating "Lady Luck", where even Coverdale's Soul spirit rides the narrative impeccably. The Funk sprinkled with Hard in "Gettin' Tighter" plunges into their preferred dimension two highly inspired Hughes and Bolin, as well as a chameleonic old lion like Lord. "Love Child" manages to capture an enticing groove where the various sensibilities of our protagonists, in my opinion, reach their peak: a terrifyingly good seventies mixed sound! "Smoke on the Water" somehow manages not to come out traumatically from Bolin's guitar, unlike the previous "Burn"; though the glories of Made in Japan and the captivating renditions from the early '90s of the classic purple classics are far off. At the end of the track, an old rascal of black music like Hughes certainly doesn't miss the opportunity to bring to life a delightful hint of "Georgia on My Mind" with the band.

The riffs of "Lazy" serve as a driving force for a series of liberties from Lord, Paice, and Bolin; and if you'll allow me, these are Paice and Lord's territories. The second CD comes with an intense "This Time Around", one of the historical pieces from "Come Taste the Band," in which Hughes manages to send his vocal cords to the stars, and with it all the Hard Progressive narrative of the second part of the piece. "Stormbringer" puts energy and class on the table, in which a brilliant Bolin absolutely excels. The "conceptual" fatherhood of the piece is not exclusively Blackmore’s, and in my opinion, this benefits Tommy, who also delivers a solo at the conclusion of the piece.

Upon reaching the end of the line, a dignified "Highway Star" arrives, which, though played and sung by phenomenal people, without the support of the cat and mouse doesn't properly convey the sonic philosophy of MK II. The party concludes with four notable bonus tracks from the Springfield concert of the previous month - this was at Long Beach in February '76 -: "Going Down", "Highway Star" - which, in the end, turns out more successful than the previous version, in my opinion -, "Smoke on the Water" - also better performed in Springfield than at Long Beach -, and again "Georgia on My Mind".

It circulated as a bootleg under the name "On the Wings of a Russian Foxbat". Later, those from King Biscuit reissued the masters and created the official version, also known simply as "In Concert", but not to be confused with the MK II one. The toy will soon break, Tommy will leave this world, the serpent will slither, and amidst various revolutions within the purple family, the narrative will resume in 1984... But that's another (fantastic) story...