Description

‘Bolin’ was released back in 2004 as ‘Snapshot’. However ‘Snapshot’ had no information at all about the when and where any of these ten tracks were recorded. This 2012 re-release with the title ‘Bolin’ features sleeve notes. ‘Snapshot/Bolin’ was an album of material Tommy Bolin failed to release during his lifetime and consists of band demos, solo demos, live tracks, and jam sessions. For anyone who loves Tommy Bolin and missed out on ‘Snapshot’ then it’s a surprisingly worthwhile set of archival material that's not solely of interest to Bolin obsessive. Much of it's far more rootsy and low-key than many would expect given the hard rock that he played on much of what he did release. As absurd as the comparison might seem, he sounds kind of like a Marc Bolan without the warble on the numerous wholly or partially acoustic folksy, bluesy tracks, which have a bittersweet sensitivity. The louder, more electric half of the disc isn't as ingratiating, but does display Bolin's skills as a hard rock guitarist and, again perhaps surprisingly to some listeners, one who was adept at fusion-like moves. Some of the more familiar tunes include ‘Savannah Woman’, here given a jazzy treatment; an acoustic ‘Standing in the Rain’, which was done in a different arrangement for the James Gang's Bang; and the acoustic ‘Oh Carol’, which is an early version of the James Gang's ‘From Another Time’. Track listing: 1. Savannah Woman 2. Standing In The Rain 3. Cats Cradle 4. Oh Carol 5. Gotta Dance 6. Spanish Lover 7. Cucumber Jam 8. The Devil Is Singing Our Song 9. Homeward Strut 10. Summer Breezes