I just heard that Ronnie Montrose died. I'm not going to sit here and say that I followed his career for X amount of years and so on, because I didn't. But one of his albums, his first LP with his own band, Montrose, has been in my earthquake preparedness kit since I was in my teens. Back then, when it was really needed, it offered respite from the crap that was played, even on FM radio. Steeley Dan, Doobie Brothers, Chicago, Loggins and Messina...you'd need respite too. My brothers and I scooped up that Montrose LP, just because he had been in the Edgar Winter Group. The first Edgar Winter Group LP, They Only Come Out At Night, was a marked departure for Winter. It was when lost the horns and turned up the amps (think Dylan at Newport). Ronnie Montrose was a big part of that change. He left the band after one album, and resurfaced shortly after with Montrose, the band. Because I posted something about that album about a year ago, through the magic of cut and paste I am able to bring you the lazily acquired reused text below.
The fruit of serendipitous online meandering, I humbly bring you a mainstay of 70's guitar rock, level 2, the first Montrose LP. For the uninitiated, Montrose was led by guitarist Ronnie Montrose, fresh from the Edgar Winter Group (to be replaced by Rick Derringer). The lead singer in the first version of Montrose, was a pre-self-caricature Sammy Hagar (try, for a second, to forget it's him.) Now, this is not the best 70's guitar rock LP, but it's far, far from the worst. What endears it most, to level two-ers anyways, is that it is consistent. Montrose had their own sound, based heavily on Montrose's guitar and Hagar's just plain corny vocals. (I guarantee you, they had a well dog-earred copy of the rock lyric cliche handbook.) But you know what? The same elements are there, on every song. That's what makes it work. Just as Andrew W.K. weakened you until you succumbed to his Party, Party, Party; Montrose wears through with Rock, Rock, Rock. Never mind the three songs with "rock" in their title, listen to "One Thing On My Mind" for some true proto-Andrew W.K. rock/party posturing. This is good stuff, friends. I suggest you start your Friday night with the whole thing, beginning to end, as loud as the neighbors will tolerate.
~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
Listen:Montrose - Bad Motor Scooter mp3 at Kevin's Media
Montrose - Good Rockin' Tonight mp3 at Kevin's Media
Montrose - I Don't Want It mp3 at Kevin's Media
Montrose - Make iIt Last mp3 at Kevin's Media
Montrose - One Thing On My Mind mp3 at Kevin's Media
Montrose - Rock Candy mp3 at Kevin's Media
Montrose - Rock The Nation mp3 at Kevin's Media
Montrose - Space Station #5 mp3 at Kevin's Media
Kevin's Media Main Montrose page at Kevin's Media
Visit:
Ronnie Montrose.com
Ronnie Montrose at Wikipedia
Semi-related:
Andrew W.T.F. - Post about Andrew W.K. (6/10/2010)
