RELEASED 12.1.2012
Discover the genius of the legendary guitarist and mega talented Tommy Bolin (Deep Purple/James Gang/Billy Cobham) with his all-new deluxe 3 CD set, The Ultimate: Redux. As the new home for the Tommy Bolin Archives, Inc., Friday Music, and our good friends at TBA Inc. have put together this incredible thirty-one track collection for the serious Bolin collectors and new fans of classic rock guitar with a clever mix of rock, fusion and blues. He was truly the consummate guitarist and his influence has been felt by many of us. With the help of Tommy's brother, Johnnie Bolin, producers Joe Reagoso and Michael Drumm managed to cull over forty hours of unreleased tapes, sessions, live material, demos, unreleased masters, and have come up with the best Bolin music ever presented in one place. The remastering process was full of surprises as Reagoso attests: I was going over the playback of Hard Chargin' Woman, and there is this Echoplex break that seemed like World War Ten was just beginning. I mean I never heard anything like it. It went from a this blues belter, to this unbelievable Echoplex break... then back to a small blues combo sound... without Bolin missing a step... it just blew my mind. I played it for some other guitarists and they were equally knocked out. This is one for the history books folks. —Joe Reagoso In addition to all of the various stages of his career presented in this package, the Bolin family has also shared never before seen photographs from Tommy's own stash. Full color photographs also grace each CD, and make this pleasing for the eyes, as well as the ears. As an introduction to the box set, our good friend Steve Vai took some time out from his very busy touring and recording schedule to put his appreciation of Tommy Bolin into the written word, which graces the packaging as well. And we thank him for it! The producers have also provided an informative essay in the booklet, which also brings another side to the life of this artist rarely told. The music speaks for itself; we think the folks that finally get a glimpse of the Energy sessions will be knocked out. It is so hard to believe that this never got released back in 1972. This was some rare holy grail material, but now with the proper distribution in place, these ill-fated sessions will get a chance to be heard by music lovers everywhere. The live material is second to none; his Tommy Bolin Band performances of You Told Me That You Loved Me, Post Toastee plus the rare outtakes of Crazed Fandango, Cucumber Jam and the simplicity of Slow Driver will keep the listener amazed for years to come. His time on earth was tragically short, but he left his fans an abundance of incredible works as this collection proves, with over 3 hours of unreleased tracks, sessions, rehearsals, live performances, and personal recordings. As Johnnie Bolin recalls "The local clubs wouldn't book Tommy. The owners couldn't make any money at the bar. Everyone was listening to Tommy play the guitar in awe." We still are in awe and this album will make a lot of fans happy for years to come! Enjoy! All newly remastered by Joe Reagoso (Deep Purple, David Lee Roth, Paul Rodgers, Johnny Winter, Canned Heat). All recordings are official Tommy Bolin Archives approved masters.
Disc One Teaser (Acoustic Demo, 1973) Sister Andrea (Demo, 1971) Cross The River (With Zephyr, Live, Colorado, 1973) Hard Chargin Woman (With Zephyr, Live, Colorado, 1973) Red Skies (Energy, 1972) Heartlight (Energy, 1972) Hok-O-Hey (Energy, 1972) Got No Time For Trouble (Energy, 1972) Miss Christmas (Energy, 1972) Journey (Demo, 1973) Alexis (Acoustic Demo, 1973)
Disc Two Standing In The Rain (Acoustic Demo, Circa Bang) Cucumber Jam (Early Version) Spanish Lover (Acoustic Demo, Circa Miami) Stratus (Live From Ebbets Field, 1974) Getting Tighter (Tommy Bolin Tribute, Denver, CO, 1997) Homeward Strut (Live At Ebbets Field, 1974) Teaser With Tommy Bolin Band (First Time Live, Disc 2 Version) Wild Dogs (Early L.A. Demo Version) Dreamer (Early L.A. Demo Version)
Disc Three People, People With Tommy Bolin Band (Live At Ebbets Field, 1976) Lotus With Tommy Bolin Band (Live At Ebbets Field, 1976) Savannah Woman (Demo) Crazed Fandango (Teaser Outtake, 1975) Sweet Burgundy (Acoustic Demo From Naked II) Shake The Devil (Live In Albany, NY, 1976) Someday We'll Bring Our Love Home (Acoustic Demo From Naked I) You Told Me That You Loved Me (Live In Albany, NY, 1976) Post Toastee (Electric Guitar Demo From Naked I) Post Toastee (Live In Albany, NY, 1976) Slow Driver (Acoustic Version From Naked I)