Members BETTSLPtone Posted July 18, 2009 Members Share Posted July 18, 2009 Man, it's unfair that this man doesn't get more recognition for the work he did. He was without a doubt the most versatile guitarist of his time. He could play it all, and he did play it all. Psychodelic-blues with Zephyr, Rock n' Roll with the James Gang, Hard Rock with the Deep Purple machine, Jazz with Alphonse Mouzun,, Fusion with Jan Hammer and Billy Cobham, and that's only half of it. Now with that all said, it's a cryin' shame this man is hardly heard of or his name isn't ever mentioned when discussing rock's finest guitarists. So much great work , with so many different types of players and different kinds of music. I'm partial to the James Gang Era but his Billy Cobbham stuff also kicks my ass as well as his Purple stuff. Why oh Why did this man have to Pass on!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BG76 Posted July 18, 2009 Members Share Posted July 18, 2009 He and Uli Jon Roth are two of the guys everyone listed as influences 20 years ago and now nobody does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BETTSLPtone Posted July 18, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 18, 2009 Goddamn shame. I bet he's a bigger influence then people realize. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Huck Posted July 18, 2009 Members Share Posted July 18, 2009 One of my favorite players. His solo albums are essential listening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BETTSLPtone Posted July 18, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 18, 2009 I really cannot think of a single player that jumps generes, from Classic Rock , to jazz, to Fusion and Blues so easily. Man.....I wonder what he would be doing today? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members headless Posted July 18, 2009 Members Share Posted July 18, 2009 Someone turned my on to Bolin back in the late 1970's and I started collecting all of his vinyl. I don't have those records any longer, but now I've got the urge to him him again. Perhaps I'll make a Pandora Tommy Bolin station, and head over to YouTube to see what is there. EDIT: someone put together a real nice photo tribute to Tommy, over at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=991exg0Wt4k&feature=related Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mister Zero Posted July 18, 2009 Members Share Posted July 18, 2009 My only experience w/ TB is via Purple's Taste the Band. Love that record and some live stuff from the following tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BETTSLPtone Posted July 18, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 18, 2009 My only experience w/ TB is via Purple's Taste the Band. Love that record and some live stuff from the following tour. Dude.........Check out his James gang stuff, Billy Cobhams' Spectrum , and his solo records just to start. They are INSANELY good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GT Posted July 19, 2009 Members Share Posted July 19, 2009 I had read a couple of interviews, or gear discussions, and he would just use a plain ol' strat, into his fuzz and tape/echo machine, into tube heads, bass cranked, treble and mids lowered, fuzz up all the way, and control that with the volume knob on the guitar, plays almost clean, with that same setup. Incredible old school fuzz ROCK! Definitely check out the solo albums, Teaser and Private Eyes. Suggested listening ... Savannah Woman on TeaserWild Dogs on Teaser both are great examples of the different types of music he incorporates in his own style. Brazilian Jazz on Savannah Woman, and a good old ballad on Wild Dogs, with Tommy playing all kinds of crazy whoops and barks and crazy sounds all over the song. All with feedback, volume knob on the strat, and the couple of contols on the echo/tape machine. Post Toastee on Private EyesShake the Devil on Private Eyes Cranked strat/fuzz into a guitar amp with the bass cranked. Cool tone, very very fat, but you can still hear the notes in the chords, and he has a very fluid sound to his lead lines, lots of sustain, and finger vibrato. Bolin's use of fuzz is a good example of why a lot of people don't get a very good sound out of fuzz. They already have so much gain and harmonics in their tone, the fuzz just makes it a really muddy mess. Fuzz sounds awesome when used with it's original intent. To simulate an overdriven amp, by clipping off the waves. Let the fuzz give you the dirt, turn your amp, tube or solid state, to a gain level of "almost clean" where, if you hit a chord with the guitar volume up all the way, you get a bit of a crunch, play it softer, it cleans up. Way less treble on the amp, again, let the fuzz provide the bite for you, and balance that bite out with the bass. Then turn that fuzz on! That is how fuzz, at least the early fuzz face stuff, was meant to be used. Hendrix was the master at the fuzz face! Bolin was awfully good himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BETTSLPtone Posted July 19, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 19, 2009 . Hendrix was the master at the fuzz face! Bolin was awfully good himself Excellent reply and observations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MichaelSaulnier Posted July 19, 2009 Members Share Posted July 19, 2009 Tommy had a unique style and sound... He's been one of my favorites for many years! I still listen to his solo stuff regularly... and it's fun to cover one of his tunes once in a while with my band... there's always a few people in the crowd who know and recognize Tommy! M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jtr654 Posted July 19, 2009 Members Share Posted July 19, 2009 Tommy was a great writer the 2 James Gang, Deep Purple & his 1st solo album were all recorded within 2 year span. Unfortunately he was as high as he was gifted. Met him a few times and was always so loaded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members noize Posted July 19, 2009 Members Share Posted July 19, 2009 That live at Ebbet's Field album is really somethin' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BETTSLPtone Posted July 19, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 19, 2009 Tommy was a great writer the 2 James Gang, Deep Purple & his 1st solo album were all recorded within 2 year span. Unfortunately he was as high as he was gifted. Met him a few times and was always so loaded. Who wasn't in the 1970's!!? And so was Eric Clapton, SRV, Eddie Van Halen and Jimi just to name a few..........whats your point? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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