Customer Reviews

Private Eyes

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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. This is a great "lost" 70's album filled with all the styles of music I mentioned above Tommy plays except hard rock. It's not really on this one, that would be Teaser(the 1st Bolin solo album), but this is Tommy's best one. Not a weak track to be found. Post Toastee, Shake the Devil, and Sweet Burgandy(it's so beautiful) are the clinchers. LONG LIVE TOMMY BOLIN!

Tommy Bolin was a musical genius and this CD is his crowning achievement. While his career was far too short the legacy he left behind for us to enjoy is in the music here and his other works. This is good stuff here people...let me repeat that...this is GOOD STUFF! I have yet to find any performer who can match his abilty to mix styles on one album and come away with a cohesive sound as Bolin does time and again, this recording included. Despite what one other reviewer says this is NOT weak in any way. Want a ten minute in your face jam? Listen to "Post Toastee" and you will have heard the very best. Want a lighter touch...it's here too. This CD should be heard and owned by anyone that considers themselves a fan of music of any kind. May Tommy rest in peace.

This guy was simply phenomenal! There is absolutely not one dull second on the album. Tommy was the most incredibly versatile talent in rock/jazz/fusion/blues/funk/ballad/bluegrass, etc, that this world might ever hear. He was a singer (gorgeous voice and phrasing), writer, arranger, and musician, to name a few of his talents. His music was leaps and bounds ahead of its time. With full confidence, I compare him to Jimi Hendrix. He would casually toss off mind-blowing solos with seemingly no effort whatsoever. Amazingly, he cut his first album at age 18 with a band called Zephyr. The music is legendary, although ABC's PROBE records gave them a rookie producer &/or engineer who botched the thing. I can't understand the reviewer who compared this to Air Supply. There is no comparison in any way, shape, or sound. Apparently, music has to be grunge or metal to appeal to him. While this album does also have a couple soft songs, it has major hard rock songs, such as Post Toastee and Shake the Devil. It's one of my all time favorite albums for several reasons. Some of the songs were written in the studio, and the LP was cut in 2 or 3 weeks! The music has a cohesiveness, despite songs ranging from funk-rock, ballad, heavy rock, latin, etc. VERY, VERY talented people. And the band reads like a who's who in rock and jazz. The most amazing players played and toured with Tommy. For instance, Narada Michael Walden, Mark Craney, Norma Jean Bell, Carmine Appice, Jimmy Haskel, Bobby Berge, Johnnie Bolin (his brother), and the list just keeps going. Tommy's brother has released almost 20 CD's of music from the 70's with some of Tommy's most awesome performances. Get this one, but don't stop there. Each CD is a rarity and most are shear masterpieces. If you're a guitar player, I dare you to copy one of Tommy's solos. They're often completly unorthodox, yet fitting and current. His dexterity has very rarely been matched, and his phrasing and riff structure have NEVER been matched. His guitar has so much bottom and gut, and attack is strong and grabbing. He used an Echoplex (tm) on previous albums, and was AWESOME with it. (Check out Zephyr: Live at Art's Bar and Grill). I could go on and on, but you absolutely MUST hear this 70's unsung guitar master/artist/legend/pioneer, and my guitar hero. If you cannot appreciate this music, dare I say that you have let the radio and your surroundings dictate what is "cool". In no way do I mean to offend anyone, and I welcome your replies and discussions at my email address.

When my son first began to listen to Tommy Bolin in the middle 80's I could not believe the music was recorded in the early 70s. My son had a degree in classical guitar. He knew what he was hearing. The fact that 25 years later his tapes are still selling, when his career was so short, testifies to the genius of him music.

why is bolin so utterly ignored by the rock historians? all he did was play the fastest, hottest, jazziest, most inventive, classiest rock guiter of his time. and he was the first (and perhaps only) rock guitarist to stand up to the likes of jazz fusionists like billy cobham and jan hammer and more than hold his own on Cobham's classic record "Spectrum." perhaps the only rock guitarist more advanced than bolin was hendrix.

well here we are treated to bolin's more extensive rock and ballad side. the album has a nice mix of heaviver pieces such as shake the devil and post toastie as well as acoustic ballads like gypsy soul.

any fan of sophisticated rock and/or top notch guitar soloists will love this record and ask themselves the same question i have: "why is bolin so under-appreciated?"

One of best albums in my collection of about 1000 discs, vinyl and tapes. An exceptional work that runs the gauntlet of musical styles. From hard rock on Post Toastie, to jazz on Sweet Burgandy. Tommy told great stories through his music. A recommendation for any Deadheads collection.

Previously, I stated that this was Tommy's last Album before joining Deep Purple. Oops! This was his last LP period. After listening to it again, I am truly amazed at his diverse musicianship. He doesn't stay with the same sound. Eddie Van Halen should be so versatile (although I like his sound). This is a bitter/sweet Album. There is so much more promise and yet Tommy's death closed that door. I just keep on listening to this "work" as if it were "many albums" over and over. Heaven is a ROCKIN' place!

This follow-up to "Teaser" is dark and smokey, with chilling references to what would become Tommy's end. His solo break in "Shake The Devil" is probably the most ferocious and terrifying rock guitar statement ever recorded. On "Gypsy Soul", he plays very inventive and jazzy lines on acoustic, floating over the changes effortlessly. "Hello Again" evokes the mysticism of the Orient, and "PostToastie" warns to "Leave the corpse in the pit..." Unfortunately, Tommy died shortly after the release of this album. It used to be difficult to find a copy of the album with the original sleeve - a great shot of Tommy wearing the shirt with his handpainted likeness that he wore the last night of his life. I saw that same shirt in a glass case in his parent's house many years later.

"Private Eyes" culminates Tommy's music career as a guitarist and a singer. He did not live long enough for his name to be heard aloud, though, he is best remebered as the replacement of Joe Walsh of James Gang and Richie Blackmore of Deep Purple. In many ways, no musicials can beat him. This album is timeless, being sold steadily over the past 25 years. If you are not familiar with Tommy Bolin, this album is a good place to start. With his exotic and glmorous voice, and ingenuous guitar play, he knew how to move people through music.

Bolin was a guitar virtuoso with groups like the James Gang and Deep Purple. Before he died, as a solo performer, he made two outstanding examples of straight up rock and roll with a blend of jazz and island music, Teaser and Private Eyes. Might sound like a strange mix, but listen to either disk and you will find it hard to believe that this music is over thirty years old and it will make you wonder what other music would have emerged if Tommy had lived to continued. It also will make you wonder why most music today can't be better.