Tommy Bolin
Private Eyes

One record leads to another, that's usually how it works. So here I am with "Private Eyes" by the talented and much-missed singer/guitarist Tommy Bolin, year of our Lord 1976.

The most likely path to reach this LP is surely by following one of the many streams of that overflowing river called Deep Purple. Bolin joined the group in 1975 to replace His Majesty Ritchie Blackmore. The group was already in a state of metastasis, stressed by personal egos and the infighting of the Coverdale/Hughes duo, while the Lord/Paice duo was increasingly demoralized. At first, it seemed that Blackmore's defection spelled the end for the historic band, but mainly Coverdale wasn't willing to return to being a shop assistant (the times weren't ripe for a solo career), so he tried to convince the others that there was a guitarist suited to them. To do this, he knocked on Jon Lord's mansion door in the dead of night to let him listen to Billy Cobham's Spectrum album. Why did Bolin accept the offer? I found two versions. The first claims that Tommy was fascinated by the band's sound, and the chemistry, especially with The Voice of Rock Glenn Hughes, convinced him of the choice. The second claims that Bolin hoped to use the Purple platform to launch his own solo career (Teaser was ready to launch and was released simultaneously with Come Taste The Band with a sticker highlighting that he was the guitarist from the famous Deep Purple). Perhaps both versions are true, but the fact is that Mark IV was short-lived.

"Come Taste The Band" is an excellent record and rocked live, but Bolin didn't quite enjoy playing the band's hit songs (and wasn't very careful when doing so) while his first solo album languished without adequate live promotion apart from Wild Dogs being included in the DP tour set list. Bolin is a skilled guitarist with a sweet voice (you can hear a small piece of him singing in Dealer in CTTB), but his musical tastes are light years away from something like "In Rock" or "Machine Head". Just listen to the variety of styles on "Teaser" to realize this.

So here we are with "Private Eyes," composed immediately after the unfortunate end of Deep Purple mainly due to Bolin's drug addiction, which made him unreliable in live performances. But evidently, the American lived through highs and lows, and especially in studio work, he showed his best days. Now I'll attempt an experiment: reviewing the record live, on first listen. The first impression might be misleading, but sometimes the opposite happens: 10,000 listens make you like even records that deserved 9,999 fewer. So, PLAY, and follow the record with me.

[Track 1] Bustin' out for rosey: Yeah, having listened to and appreciated "Teaser," there's no need to emphasize it, but we're light years away from a "Highway Star," or even from a "Burn" or "You Keep On Moving." There are horns and backup singers, and the rhythm makes the track appealing even to a late 70s disco. But the final solo is enjoyable. Track approved.

[Track 2] Sweet burgundy: Bolin's voice is often melodic, and this is a ballad marked by keyboard chords. A smooth-flowing track, always with insertions of horns and some guitar embroidery here and there in the background. Bolin doesn't seem interested in being labeled a guitar hero.

[Track 3] Post toastee: Finally, the first riff of the album! But what is it?? Cocaine?? Wikipedia is a must. JJ Cale released it in 1976, Clapton reinterpreted it in 1977. Just a coincidence then. The track has a more rock drive, and the central part has a noticeable bass with Bolin launching into a solo. The guy finally gets into it, and his guitar sound is unmistakable. It's probably a piece that will become captivating live. I'll have to find a solo live performance by Tommy to check. The ending resumes the funky style before concluding with another burst of solo guitar. Truly an excellent track, lasting a whopping 9 minutes!

[Track 4] Shake the devil: Another funky cadence incoming. This one is also quite a pleasure to listen to. The sax and guitar converse again. I think this will be the thread running through the album.

[Track 5] Gypsy soul: We've moved past the halfway point of the album. And we find a song with a Latin American flavor. I imagine it playing in a lounge bar with tables on the shoreline under a mid-summer starlit sky, with young and tanned waitresses in white serving icy Rossinis or Bellinis with lots of chunky fruit. Bolin shows he does not fear the acoustic guitar.

[Track 6] Someday will bring our love home: I'm forming an idea. This is a record that could play on a car radio during an evening with some beautiful girl to win over with longing glances. Quite catchy and enjoyable, yet just sophisticated enough to appear refined and not mainstream. Playing "In Rock" risks ending the evening with a blow off...

[Track 7] Hello again: Here appear violins and flutes, with orchestral arrangements. We're nearing the end now, and it's safe to say that Private Eyes isn't a rock album but rather intimate, often played with acoustic sounds like this short ballad.

[Track 8] You told me that you loved me - The final track, which doesn't present us with another rock song but a rhythmically funky piece. The guitar intervenes to fill some central passages, then becomes a bit more aggressive in the long finale.

The album is over. The impression is positive, in the sense that I will listen to it again to let it settle. But once this "Bolin phase" is over, I believe it will end up in oblivion. "Come Taste The Band" remains the album that gives me a fond memory of this unfortunate guitarist who passed away very young.