Great Gypsy Soul

by Tommy Bolin

Overview

Did we really need this? Tommy Bolin's life and career were all too short, and to be sure, his own records, along with his work with the James Gang and as a session player, are the stuff of genius. Like many musicians who've passed on, his legacy has been tainted by numerous dodgy bootlegs and unofficial live records that have been released since his passing. While Great Gypsy Soul isn't one of those, one has to wonder what co-producers Greg Hampton and Warren Haynes were thinking. This two-disc set is designed as a "tribute" to Bolin. This set actually features a slew of guitar giants playing over previously unissued Bolin multi-track demos. Some of the other players on this collection include Steve Lukather, Joe Bonamassa, Derek Trucks, Peter Frampton, Nels Cline, Glenn Hughes, and John Scofield, to name a few. Many of these guitarists also collaborate with one another as well as Bolin's tapes on the second disc, an EP-length piece called "Marching Bag," divided into four "movements." So what could possibly be wrong with such an endeavor -- especially with such brand-name firepower? Bolin's brilliance gets lost in the shuffle due to the original "quality" of the tapes. Tracks like "Teaser," "The Grind," "Wild Dogs," and "Lotus" sound flat and lifeless; the gap between the new recordings and the old ones is huge. Bolin's memory would have been far better served if Hampton and Haynes simply rounded up the same group of players and a decent vocalist or three, and played their asses off in celebration of Bolin's influence and originality. Some of this sounds like they actually want to compete with him. Sad. Skip this. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	09/20/2024
Label:	Cleopatra
UPC:	0889466531323
Rank:	243026

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Tommy Bolin   Primary Artist
Greg Hampton   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Oz Noy   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Glen Hughes   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Myles Kennedy   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Steve Morse   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
John Scofield   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Nels Cline   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Derek Trucks   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Gordie Johnson   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Steve Lukather   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Warren Haynes   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Joe Bonamassa   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Brad Whitford   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Big Sugar   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Peter Frampton   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Sonny Landreth   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Prairie Prince   Drums
Glenn Hughes   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Chuck Wright   Design,Illustrations
Greg Hampton   Mixing,Producer,Introduction
Warren Haynes   Producer,Liner Notes
Jeff Cook   Composer,Composer
Peter Doel   Mastering
Glenn Hughes   Composer
Stanley Sheldon   Composer
Gordie Johnson   Producer,Introduction,Additional Production
Nels Cline   Introduction
Norm Waitt   Executive Producer
Fabrizio Grossi   Additional Production,Engineer,Mixing
Jeremy Mackenzie   Engineer
Tip Wyman   Engineer
Greg Savalin   Photography
John Tesar   Composer
Glen Hughes   Composer
Tommy Bolin   Introduction,Composer