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  • Selected 2019 Gig Reviews...
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Montrose – I Got The Fire : Complete Recordings 1973-1976 (6CD Box Set)
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Montrose, the American rock band formed in 1973 around the guitar talents of the late Ronnie Montrose, formerly of The Edgar Winter Group (of Frankenstein fame) and a player who would be influential on many an American rock guitarist that followed, deserved a more commercially successful and longer lasting career than they achieved.

I Got the Fire : The Complete Recordings (covering the band’s Warner Brothers backed days of 1973-1976 
– a later album featuring only Ronnie Montrose from the earlier iterations of the band was released in 1987) helps make that very argument.
Put another way, Montrose were far more than the band that helped launch Sammy Hagar’s career.

That said the band's self-titled debut, released in 1973 and featuring Ronnie Montrose, Sammy Hagar, Bill Church (bass) and Denny Carmassi (drums), casts a very big shadow over what would follow.
Just about every self-respecting rock fan owns a copy of Montrose, one of the great rock debuts and a great example of a "sleeper" album – making it to only #133 on the Billboard chart, Montrose would eventually grow in International stature and achieve platinum status in the US; it was later acknowledged in many circles as one of the greatest rock albums of all time.

Short (8 songs, 32 minutes) and sonically sharp (courtesy of an uncluttered Ted Templeman production), Montrose was highly impacting, as was Ronnie Montrose’s guitar play and Sammy Hagar’s big, throaty (at times Daltrey-esque) vocals, emphatically declaring that we 'Rock the Nation' by either jumping on our 'Bad Motor Scooter' or heading for the Zep-riffed 'Space Station #5' (a triple opening salvo that, nearly 50 years on, is still hard to beat).
The album is expanded here with mono and stereo edits of 'Rock the Nation' and 'Space Station #5.'

CD2 is the perfect Montrose companion piece, featuring as it does six demo recordings (including non-album track, the mid-tempo rock-blues 'Shoot Us Down') and the band’s first ever performance, recorded for KSAN radio at the Record Plant in Sausalito, California in April 1973.
The ten-song session, a great showcase for the embryonic (but already tight) band, includes 'Shoot Us Down,' another non-album track (the tempo-changing 'You’re Out Of Time') and a cover of 'Roll Over Beethoven.'

The Ted Templeman produced Paper Money (1974) saw Alan Fitzgerald replace Bill Church on bass.
The band’s sophomore album was a far broader work than the debut, from the slower, acoustic-led arrangement of Rolling Stones cover 'Connection' and a Ronnie Montrose lead vocal on ballad 'We’re Going Home' to fusion-styled instrumental 'Starliner,' a beefy, rhythm-driven title track and proto-metal rocker 'I Got the Fire,' later covered by Iron Maiden (as was 'Space Station #5').  
Bonus tracks here are Single edits of 'Paper Money' and 'Connection.'

CD4 features a return to the Record Plant for another KSAN radio broadcast in December 1974.
The eight song performance features three numbers from Montrose (including a ten-minute, improvised md-section workout of 'Space Station #5'), two from Paper Money, Ronnie Montrose's acoustic piece 'One and a Half,' another outing for 'Roll Over Beethoven' and a heavy blues cover of Leiber & Stoller’s 'Trouble.'

Sammy Hagar’s departure in 1975 to pursue a solo career led to the relatively unknown Bob James being offered the microphone.
With Jim Alcivar also coming in on keyboards to add to the band’s sound, the label clearly saw this as an opportunity to reintroduce and reset, indicated by the album title Warner Bros. Presents Montrose!    
The Ronnie Montrose produced album garnered critical praise but didn’t chart quite as high as Paper Money. It still had its moments however
– the Deep Purple-esque 'Matriarch' made for a strong opener (the Single edit is also included) while following number, 'All I Need,' provided soft-rock contrast.
The seven-minute sea-song 'Whaler,' with the inclusion of plaintive viola and cymbals as wave splashes, was an atmospheric highlight; singer-songwriter Kendell Kardt’s song 'Black Train' (which Ronnie Montrose had played on), was given, again, a very Purple coloured rock arrangement to ensure the album ended as purposefully as it began.
 
Keys player Jim Alcivar had an even bigger part to play on the Jack Douglas produced Jump On It, released in 1976.
With the departure of bassist Alan Fitzgerald the band decided not to replace him but to instead have Jim Alciver provide bottom end through keyboards and bass synth (as would also be the case on tour).
A bass player, Randy Jo Hobbs, was however used on three songs, including the drum rolling slide blues of 'Let’s Go,' one of Montrose’s best post-debut album numbers.
The band also nodded to their early strengths (the hot and rockin’ title track would have sat comfortably on the debut) while looking to stretch much further than before, as heard on the string arranged brace of country-tinged yearner 'Rich Man' (penned by Dan Hartman) and big rock ballad, 'Music Man' (Single edits of 'Music Man' and 'Let’s Go' are also included).
Jump On It was a great album, but it didn’t make the Billboard Top 100; it was therefore more a case of jump off it after a four year, four album ride.

6CD box set case closed
– Montrose were far more than the band that helped launch Sammy Hagar’s career.   

Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ

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