Tommy Bolin Albums Ranked

Thomas Richard Bolin (August 1, 1951 – December 4, 1976) was an American guitarist and songwriter who played with Zephyr (from 1969 to 1971), The James Gang (from 1973 to 1974), and Deep Purple (from 1975 to 1976), in addition to maintaining a notable career as a solo artist and session musician. Here are all of Tommy Bolin albums ranked.

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3. Energy (1999)

“The album has just about a little bit of everything here. The first two cuts are jazz influenced, followed by an almost Pink Floyd sounding ‘limits’. “Dreamer” is especially good, with outstanding vocals by Cook. This band displayed a wide variety of talent on this CD. You can hear Blues, metal, jazz, fusion, and some psychedelic tunes as well. Though this was dismissed by some as “experimental”, well….that’s their problem. If that is indeed the case, my only regret is that “Energy” didn’t experiment some more. People on the look out for strong, intelligent, crisp sounding guitar and stunning song writing arrangement need to look no further than this CD. Makes you wonder what would have happened had this group stayed together.”

2. Teaser (1975)

“The sound is fantastic, and the added bonus music really opened my eyes to how diverse his music really was, including hard rock, blues, and even jazz fusion. What a great talent he was, and what a shame he had to end his life at such a young age. I would highly recommend this 3 disc collection to any Bolin fan, or any music fan out there interested in exploring the work of the former Zephyr,James Gang and Deep Purple (replacing the legend, Ritchie Blackmore) guitarist.”

1. Private Eyes (1976)

“Tommy Bolin’s Private Eyes (1976) is his best overall solo album — the sound is consistent throughout and the production is superb. Bolin’s guitar work and vocals are backed up by an outstanding studio band including saxophone, percussion, bass, and keyboards. The tracks have a laid back, bluesy quality to them. The music is timeless. Bustin’ Out for Rosie, Sweet Burgundy, Someday Will Bring Our Love Home, and Hello Again are among my favorite cuts, but honestly every track on the album is a classic.”