Search - Tommy Bolin :: Energy

Redefining the word 'Ecletic.'

Mike Warden | Tarkio, Mo. USA | 02/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a wonderful find this CD is! Those who are looking for Tomy Bolin's "lost years" (1972) are going to be thrilled with this one. For the uninitiated, Tommy Bolin was a very talented guitarist from Sioux City, Iowa who made his way westward in the early seventies to the Denver/Boulder metropolitan area to find work. He teamed up with several musicians and worked with an equally terrific band named "Zephyr", but before he formed with Zephyr, Bolin worked out with a bunch called "Energy", and this one is very good!
The description inside the liner notes describe this recording as "....jazz metal fusion blues." Once again, the word ecletic immediately comes to mind. The line up at the time for this band was Tommy Bolin-guitar, Jeff Cook-vocals, Tom Stephenson-keyboards, Bobby Berge-bass, and Stan Sheldon-drums. These musicians put together a great sounding album, that even though it was recorded in 1972, still sounds fresh and exciting.
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.
Tommy Bolin went on to play in The James Gang,(he is still admired and missed by Joe Walsh) Deep Purple, Billy Cobham, Alphonse Mouzon, and he also released his own solo LP "Private Eyes." What makes "Energy" so unique is that this CD is a forecast of what would later come from Tommy Bolin. Check it out, it is definitely worth a listen."

Excellent "jazz metal fusion blues" album!

used_once | Floral City, Florida USA | 03/20/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album explores Tommy's jazzy,free~flow side. It's an album of great depth & maturity & it gets better with each listen.Bolin's band "Energy",whom he plays with here,is a tight yet experimental band & they bring joy to each song on the album.The fidelity of the CD is excellent,as are all of the CD's from the Tommy Bolin Archives.I highly recommend this CD. The music is so fresh & alive that I find it hard to believe it was recorded in 1972 when Tommy was in his early 20's!He was a gifted soul~~You want to be amazed?Buy this CD!"

The best band you've never heard! No Kidding!

Gator Carter | Newport OR | 01/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tommy Bolin said this was his favorite band that he ever played in, better than the James Gang, Zephyr and even Deep Purple. It's easy to believe after listening to this. Recorded in 1972 when he was just 20 years old, his work on this album is easily some of his most creative & transcends many of his better known peers of the time such as Page, Blackmore & even the recently departed Jimi Hendrix. And he wrote or cowrote most of the songs here. Quite impressive in their eclectic scope, the songs range from the inspired metal blast of "Heartlight", the soulful jazz fusion R&B of "Limits" (which is my fave track), the slow ballad "Dreamer" played with grit and a killer guitar solo (although Tommy really perfected this one on his "Teaser" album), the chugging blues-based rock of "Got No Time For Trouble" (far better than the James Gang version). "Red Skies" is also better than the later version that Bolin would record with the James Gang IMO. Many other great moments on this, the sound is fantastic for the most part, although the instrumental "Hoko Hey" is a bit muddy in sound quality, but these are remastered demos recorded in 1972 so you can't expect perfect clarity. "Limits" sounds incredible, killer sound IMO. And this is clearly a band in the true sense of the word, it's really not Tommy Bolin & Energy although he deservedly earned most of the accolades at the time, the drummer Bobby Berge is absolutely sensational, as is Stan Sheldon on bass who went on to much acclaim later in jazz fusion circles and with Peter Frampton, Jeff Beck etc. Jeff Cook's vocals are bluesy and powerful if his range may be a bit limited at times, he's also a great lyricist and was a favorite collaborator of Tommy's for the remainder of Bolin's short life. Tom Stephenson's keyboards add the perfect blend and dimension to the group and his vocal take on "Limits" is powerful. Clearly a band effort here. Oddly for 1972, too eclectic to win over the fickle record companies and garner a record contract. They broke up a year or so later. Maybe if they had stuck it out longer they would have snagged that ever elusive contract. If they had, they would have been one of the premiere bands of the 70's, I'm sure of it."