When "Come Taste The Band" reaches it's final tracks I feel like crying, and I'm not sure if that's because the music is so deep on those tracks or because I know the album is almost over...

This album is one of those one-of-a-kind masterpieces. And just in case you're concerned about it, Tommy Bolin is an excellent replacement for the unreplaceable Ritchie Blackmore. He also sings on "Dealer". I can pretty much say that if you like MkIII Deep Purple, you'll like MkIV as well.

If you are a Whitesnake fan, you'll also notice the influence this album had on the early Whitesnake material that has been written right after.

I think "This Time Around/Owed to 'G'" is also one of the most interesting musical experiences you can get from this album, since it's a very deep and soulful medley. Of course, most "headbangers" won't like it, but mature music appreciators are sure to love it. The other tracks are, simply put, the hard-rock excellente you'd expect from any early Deep Purple album. (This is the last Deep Purple album before their long retirement until "Perfect Strangers")

Last, but not least, the cover artwork is one of the coolest around. In the front cover, you see a glass filled with wine and the faces of the band members within the liquid. In the back cover, the glass is almost empty with a lipstick mark on it.

i orignially told myself i would never listen to this album considering it didn't have ritchie blackmore on it but i finally did get it and i was wrong. tommy bolin is indeed a worthy replacement. this is defintiely my favorite out of the david coverdale albums as this is almost completely composed of rockers except for the last track(stormbringer had too many ballads that didn't go anywhere). this isn't by any means as good as "in rock" or "machine head" but if you are a hardcore deep purple fan i would definitely check this out.