Come Taste the Band is the tenth studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released on 7 November 1975. It was co-produced and engineered by the band and longtime associate Martin Birch. Musically, the record shows stronger funk influences than their previous albums.
It was the last studio record Deep Purple made prior to their initial disbandment in 1976, and thus the only studio album by the band's Mark IV line-up, with Tommy Bolin on guitar, and the last of three albums to feature David Coverdale on lead vocals and Glenn Hughes on bass guitar/vocals. It is also the band's only studio album without vocalist Ian Gillan or guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, with every other album featuring at least one of the two.
Come Taste the Band was commercially less successful than the previous Deep Purple albums, and it was among the lowest in the American market compared to the band's 1970s albums. In the UK, the album peaked at number 19, and it reached #43 in the US. However, it received favorable reviews, and the band's stylistic renewal was praised. The album's reputation has been mixed. Members of Mark IV have questioned the extent to which that line-up can be called Deep Purple.
Background In the mid-1970s, Deep Purple was one of the best-known rock bands in the world.Järvinen 2018, p. 203. However the group personnel and atmosphere had changed over time.Heino 2004, p. 13, 21, 38–40; Järvinen 2018, s. 247, 265–266, 270. Musically, their approach shifted from heavy rock to blues, funk, and soul.Bloom 2009, p. 211, 219–220; Järvinen 2018, p. 246, 270. Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore was heavily against the idea of incorporating the latter two musical elements, resulting in him departing the group and forming his own band, Rainbow, in 1975, with speculations that Deep Purple would break up indefinitely. Singer David Coverdale remarked that Blackmore invited him to join Rainbow, but that he thought it was uncomfortable and inappropriate. Blackmore did not take the refusal well.Heino 2004, p. 47–52; Järvinen 2018, p. 266, 270–273.
Original members Jon Lord (organ) and Ian Paice (drums) intended to disband the group. But Coverdale and Glenn Hughes (bass) persuaded them to continue and hold auditions for a new guitarist, feeling that the band was not ready to give up after only a few years' success. The management was very supportive of the band's decision to continue. Coverdale suggested changing the name to "Purple" or "Good Company", but the others disagreed. According to Coverdale and Lord, the main reason for the band's decision to continue was the money.Järvinen 2018, p. 272–273.
Bolin's introduction and changes The search for a guitarist turned out to be a difficult process. Coverdale's recommendations for the band were Jeff Beck, Rory Gallagher, and Tommy Bolin. Auditions were held at Robert Simon's Pirate Studio in Hollywood.Heino 2004, p. 51–52. Clem Clempson from Humble Pie auditioned for the band but did not become Blackmore's replacement. Bolin, whose playing on Billy Cobham's Spectrum album impressed band members, was then asked to audition. Coverdale recalled the audition by saying:
Bolin, who mainly played fusion jazz, had none of the band's records, and knew nothing about the band's discography and image.Charlesworth 1983, June 1975. Despite this, the audition went well, and Bolin was immediately asked to join.Järvinen 2018, p. 275. Bolin admired the band's playing skill, but his decision to join was probably also influenced by the desire to gain visibility and money to promote his solo career (as his solo album Teaser was soon to be released).Järvinen 2018, p. 275, 281. After weeks of rumors, the band announced Blackmore's departure and Bolin's joining in June 1975.Järvinen 2018, p. 270.
The new lineup was well-received.Heino 2004, p. 52–53. The rest of the band got along with Bolin, who was cheerful and outgoing compared to the argumentative and very difficult Blackmore.Kean 2007, p. 4. In particular, Bolin and Hughes became close friends.Heino 2004, p. 57. Blackmore also considered Bolin a good choice as his successor.Bloom 2009, p. 236–237; Järvinen 2018, p. 277.
Deep Purple's managers were concerned about Bolin's availability. Bolin was already contracted to record and promote his own upcoming solo album. The band agreed to reduce their tight working pace, in order to give Bolin some time to focus on his solo career during breaks.Heino 2004, p. 53–54.
Songwriting and production Recordings took place at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany from 3 August to 1 September 1975. Most of the album's material had already been composed before the recordings began. The songs were mainly written by Coverdale and Bolin. Bolin had a lot of usable material from his previous bands, many of which he had written with his friend Jeff Cook. The band members allowed Bolin to compose quite freely, satisfying him.Järvinen 2018, s. 276–278; Heino 2004, p. 54–55. The album was produced by Martin Birch in collaboration with the band, while Ian Paice joined Birch to mix the record.
Unlike Blackmore, Bolin used a lot of effect pedals and other effects in his playing, notably the Echoplex, and used the opportunities brought by the studio much more than Blackmore. On the album, for example, overlapping guitar tracks were frequently used. Keyboardist Jon Lord is a supporting player for much of the album, except for his solos on "Love Child" and the keyboard-driven "This Time Around"Heino 2004, p. 54–56. on which he plays all the instruments.
The recordings were made difficult by the members' substance abuse problems. Bolin was in Europe for the first time and headed to the nightclubs of Munich as soon as he arrived. Before leaving, he took the five sleeping pills given to the band due to the time difference.Casey 2010, p. 9. Bolin used heroin and other opioids irregularly but often. The other members at that time did not know the seriousness of the situation. Hughes, on the other hand, had been addicted to cocaine for some time. The road crew tried to prevent drug use by hiding the drugs supplied to members and beating up drug dealers, but the attempts were mostly unsuccessful. Drugs were smuggled to Bolin and Hughes, among other things, inside hollowed-out books. Hughes was sent to London for drug rehab after being beaten by a rowdy.Heino 2004, p. 54–56; Casey 2010, s. 14; Järvinen 2018, p. 278–280. The public was told that Hughes had a liver infection.Casey 2010, p. 18.
Due to his absence, Hughes sings significantly less on the album than on the previous two Deep Purple albums. He sings the lead on "Gettin' Tighter" and "This Time Around". However, Hughes' joint vocals with Coverdale, which colored previous albums, can only be heard on Come Taste the Band's last song "You Keep On Moving". Along with Coverdale, Bolin sings a bridge in the song "Dealer". The original version of the song was performed by Hughes, but after he had to withdraw to England, Coverdale recorded a new vocal track instead. Coverdale and Hughes also had a dispute over the division of singing parts. Hughes had time to record most of the bass tracks before he left, but the song "Comin' Home" features Bolin on bass and backing vocals. After the recordings, the other members made Hughes' continuation in the band conditional on his taking care of himself.
After the completion of Come Taste the Band, Bolin completed his solo album Teaser. Both Hughes and Lord contributed to the album, although they are not credited. During Deep Purple's hiatus, Lord composed and recorded his solo album Sarabande.Heino 2004, p. 54; Casey 2010, p. 14.
Music and lyrics Come Taste the Band differs from Deep Purple's previous output due to its strong funk and blues influence.Casey 2010, p. 23. According to Mika Järvinen, the album was a "radical and brave... attempt to completely reform". Despite this, the whole is more rock-style than the band's previous album Stormbringer, which was heavily influenced by black music.Järvinen 2018, p. 282. Stormbringer's style had divided the band's fans, and Coverdale had already promised before Bolin joined that the band would return to rock on their next album.Heino 2004, p. 48.
In the practice sessions of the first weeks of Mark IV, the band has played long and free-form improvisations. Come Taste the Band, on the other hand, has almost no such parts. According to AllMusic, the genres of the album are listed as arena rock, hard rock and heavy metal. According to Rolling Stone contemporary assessment, the album continues the funk style of the band's previous two albums but also has an aspiration back to the progressive rock of the band's early days.
Comin' Home Come Taste the Band's opening track "Comin' Home" combines Deep Purple's old and new style. Paice's drum intro starts the song that was used similar to the concerts of the band's previous line-up. Guitarist Tommy Bolin's playing style using effects brings something new to the song. The composition represents energetic, straightforward rock.
Lady Luck "Comin' Home" is followed by "Lady Luck" in a similar style. It was composed by Jeff Cook, and Bolin brought the song with him when he joined Deep Purple. Bolin had been performing it in his concerts for four years already, but the new band brought out "new aspects" of the composition. Coverdale finished the song and wrote the lyrics about the blue-eyed gypsy queen.Heino 2004, p. 55.
Gettin' Tighter "Gettin' Tighter" is a guitar-driven and upbeat song sung by Hughes that featured more funk influences than any Deep Purple song ever before. The song originated from a riff invented by Bolin: "I duned it in one practice session. I just rolled... 'Damn, they would enjoy this' [...] I started to feel them and they started to feel me, it was like... giving and taking, that is, musically." The finished composition was credited to Bolin and Hughes. Bolin had written the guitar riff in 1974.Thompson 2013, p. 220.
Dealer "Dealer" lyrically has a dark tone. Its context shows the story of Coverdale's attempt to talk some sense into Hughes to curb him from addiction. The song also features a couple of bars of Bolin's vocals.
I Need Love In the last song of the A-side, "I Need Love", Coverdale sings about sex, a topic that had already become his trademark. The song also features a female backup singer.Heino 2004, s. 118.
Drifter The B-side starts with the fast-paced "Drifter", which had already been completed during the Pirate studio's rehearsals. The song's riff is reminiscent of Blackmore's song "Mistreated".Thompson 2013, p. 223.
Love Child "Love Child" is reminiscent of Led Zeppelin songs, and the guitar riff in the chorus is borrowed from Bolin's previous band, The James Gang. Jon Lord's keyboard work is also a significant part.
This Time Around/Owed to 'G' "This Time Around" is a calm piano ballad, with Hughes singing over Lord's keyboard accompaniment.Heino 2004, p. 55–56. The song serves as the intro to Tommy Bolin's solo number "Owed to 'G'" instrumental. The composition originated from Bolin and Lord jamming into the double-jointed track. The letter G was a tribute to composer George Gershwin, whose compositions inspired Deep Purple's songs "Black Night" and "Burn". In some circumstance, the title is split in separate tracks themselves in some reissued pressings.
You Keep On Moving The LP ends with "You Keep On Moving", in which Coverdale and Hughes perform their joint vocals for the only time on the album, which had played an important part in the previous two Deep Purple albums. Coverdale and Hughes composed the song back in 1974 before Bolin joined.Casey 2010, p. 11. The latter did not contribute to the composition, but his guitar playing is heavily featured in the song. "You Keep On Moving" was released in the UK as the album's only single, and many contemporary critics considered it the album's best. Dave Thompson has described it as "an eerily gallant ballad with a hint of Queen."