Not heavy and God forbid ‘funky’...

Do you like an album that was always thought to be the artist's worst? When it happens it creates a strange feeling of dissonance. You’d sit there wondering why people don’t like it and you do.

It’s more common than you might think. Some things just connect with you and some don’t. The first time I experienced this was when I eagerly brought home Deep Purple’s ‘Come Taste The Band’, the first with Tommy Bolin. I got it on release because they were my favourite band. I bloody loved it, Bolin’s solo at the end of ‘Comin Home’ gave me the feels. I still love all of it. But when I took it to school, I was dismayed to find my pals thought it was their weakest album and were disappointed.

They thought it was not heavy and God forbid ‘funky’. The aversion to anything funky was profound and pathetic amongst rock kids. Not me. Not least because the ‘funk’ such as it was, was a very mild hint at it. In fact that flavour was one I enjoyed. Remember, I had a secret disco passion. And I was, at 15, just realising that girls liked the funk too, and this was a positive and a change to having passionate encounters to ELP.

The sales of the album confirmed the drop off in interest but I maintain it's an excellent release and probably in their top 5 and I think opinions have softened a little.

Other derided releases I’ve loved are ‘Song Remains The Same’ by Zep ‘Works vol 1’ by ELP. ‘Crest of a Knave’ by Tull, ‘Conquest’ by Uriah Heep and ‘Drama’ by Yes. There are loads of others. Maybe I have unusual tastes but I don’t think so. I prefer the view that I just am prepared to accept bands move on and have a right not to keep making the same album and have to try something else.

Taste the Tee...