The Montrose album kicked my butt up down left and right. One of the best albums ever. It made me follow the band and I have everything Ronnie Montrose ever did. He is a guitar God that deserves much more notoriety. If this album was not in your record collection you did not have crap in my opinion.
Me too! went to every Montrose concert I could afford. Tickets were only $15 but the gas and food made it harder...Last time I saw Ronnie I didn't know he had cancer. He was gone within a year....He definitely does not get proper respect.
"If this album was not in your record collection you did not have crap in my opinion." So....if the album IS in a collection, that collection is crap????!?
Saw Ronnie Montrose and Gamma in Phoenix, AZ. The headliner was was Eddy Money. The other band was Santana. Ronnie and Carlos did a dueling guitar encore. Eddy came out scatting. Incredible show.
I grew up in a place called Winterland in SF and used to see Montrose there on $2 Tuesdays after that followed Sammy knowing he would go on to be one of the greatest American rock singers and also seeing him on $2Tuesday. Got Ronnies signature on a picture I took at Winterland when he played at a friend of mines pub in Pleasanton. He still had all the chops on guitar as I remembered. RIP Ronnie you were one of the best.
@@taco2k3 I was there too! Wland maybe the best rock hall ever. Saw ZZTop on the bill w/Steve Miller in '74 and Who 76. Wow. Peter Frampton opened for Johnny Winter in '73. With Foghat 2nd bill.
I have that first eponymous Montrose album on vinyl and it totally rocks as much now as it did then. Now, that was HARD ROCK at its finest--I totally agree that they were America's answer to Led Zep and that album was as strong as Van Halen's first one (which got a lot of play in my college dorm). Ronnie was such an amazing lead guitarist and that line-up was classic. Gotta play that stuff LOUD for full effect. That great running through the gears intro to Sammy's Bad Motor Scooter and Rock Candy's Bonham-esque drum beat are just a couple of the memorable moments. So sad that Ronnie had such difficult personal issues--he was an amazing and versatile musician and his legacy will live on.
The 1st Montrose album is legendary. In 1974 when I was 12 yrs old, cuts from that album were THE MOST played tunes I heard screaming out of 8 track stereos in concert w the roar of big block V8's w headers in muscle cars from that era (Cuda's, Challengers, SS Chevelles etc) while they were doing burn outs in parking lots, LOL. "Get on yo' bad motah' scootah and ride"
@@MarkMay-cr6bv Oh yes. I remember one time walking by this guy who had a 71 black Cuda with a 426 Hemi. This happened in 75. He decided to show off so he laid the baddest burnout I have ever seen that went on for like a minute. The smoke was so thick that I couldn't see 5 feet in front of me, LOL.
@@pythonflying Now it's a cacophany of noise that doesn't qualify as music. I know I sound like an old "get off my lawn" guy, but the standards for POP music are at an all time low. I'm a musician who plays gigs (classic 70's rock and 80's metal) so I am qualified to speak on this...
I know it must be hip” to not believe anything good about Sammy Hagar but he was phenomenal with Montrose and kicked Van Halen up a notch when he joined, that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. Paper Money was an excellent album. It’s one I keep buying every time my old record wears out. Will forever be a Ronnie Montrose fan and miss him dearly.
Yeah, he was only the lead singer on multiple successful groups (Montrose, Van Halen, Chickenfoot, etc.) and had a successful solo career.🤣@@dalemcmillen5065
Montrose first album is a classic, it brought something special beyond mere words. Talk about influencer. This was an anthem for single people, Sammy in VH they were older as was everyone and it was more for family age people.
Unfortunalty Ronnie had major issues going back from Edgar Winter all the way back to when he was a kid. I am sure he would of been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophernaic if he would of been checked out when he was young. Sad, he had it all yet he let the inner voices destroy himself. R.I.P. Ronnie.
Saw Ronnies last live show in Modesto CA. He was still amazing but apparently was terminally ill with cancer. He raffled off a guitar as a cancer fundraiser that night. His instrumental album Open Fire is sadly overlooked by almost everyone. Ronnie is greatly missed.
Got to see Hagar's first tour in Sacramento. Montrose came out to play Bad Motorscooter after Hagar started the song off with a lap steel sitting at the edge of the stage.
Saw these guys in Dec. of '73, 2 months after that debut LP came out....started playing the bass after I heard that mind blowing debut LP. Bill Church was my early hero. I think Ronnie was a restless soul who just couldn't settle on one genre. From Montrose to Gamma to his killer Open Fire LP, he could do it all.
I am surprised that the video omits the original Montrose band reunion on Sammy Hagar’s song “Leaving the Warmth of the Womb” from his 1997 solo album ‘Marching to Mars.’
warner Brothers Presents is an incredible album that I still listen to from back in the gotta listen to the whole thing days. Foghat Rock and Roll Outlaws is my next favorite.
Montrose was a great band , saw them in the 70s , even when Ron James took over vocals , when Sammy left .Jump on It , is a great album , as were all the others . Paper Money was my favorite .
One of my all time favorite guitar players . I do rock candy in my live show and it brings down the house as recently as last weekend, everyone knows it
The late Ronnie Montrose, RIP, was hard to deal with. Thus, the spin-offs: Sammy Hagar went solo, Denny Carmassi went to Heart ❤ and Alan Fitzgerald co-founded Night Ranger. Here, the parts were greater 🙌 than the sum! 🙄 Rare! 🤯
Who knows what happened back in the early days? I can tell you though in his later years, his band loved working with him and were devastated when he took his own life.
I have to tell this story. I bought one of the Ronnie Montrose limited edition of 500 signed CD's from him. I ordered it, paid for it and 6 weeks later still did not have it. I sent an email to the business I bought it from and got a short response. It's coming. Well 2 weeks later still no CD. So sent another email and complained saying I bought this cd. I should have had it a month ago easily even if it was late and I would like to have my CD. Well guess who was answering these emails? It was Ronnie, apparently that project was all him. He recorded it, created the store to buy it and he was the only one selling them. He was mad because I complained and explained that he had a lot going on, was touring and mailed them when he was home and had time to read the orders. I said I was sorry for complaining and about 2 weeks later it showed up. I rarely play it. Don't want to scratch it. I believe it is called Open Fire and it's really good.
I purchased my copy of the non-autographed consumer version CD of Open Fire at Tower Records. He might have been selling the autographed copies exclusively. I doubt he did a separate recording for the limited edition CD though.
I was living in the SF Bay Area and saw them many times. I still feel had they stayed together with Sammy they would have been a super group. Albums were great but even better live,
This was one of the Bands I never listen to. But I remember many White Guys having that name on the Jackets and Notebooks . So no doubt this was a Monster of a Band.
whenever people talk about Ronnie Montrose's session work they seldom mention the hot licks he put onto the only album by the Bay Area band Bonnaroo. Montrose is listed in the credits and I'd guess that's his solo on the song "Sally Ann".
It was called space station number 9 not number 5. I saw Queen Kansas mahogany rush and Montrose in St Louis in the early 1970s it cost $3.95 for all four bands General seating and what a show it was however you had to fight to get the best seats since it was General seating and I mean that literally especially since St Louis is a fighting City😢😮😅 it was worth every punch😅 hahaha
My first concert was at the Checkerdome, Ted Nugent in 78, I was so pissed when I walked in with my Dad. He had a habit of getting the cheaper version of something I wanted and I thought he got me again, he loved to tell the story of how I cussed him out when we walked in an I heard Sammy singing, and I cussed him and said you lied, this is that guy who Montrose fired, not Ted Nugent, lol. Sammy was the opener. Great memories of the Arena/Checkerdome. Him and my Mom ran the bar at the Arena Bowl till the day it closed.
@@kikiki4592 hahaha you don't say so you're a Saint Louis person as well. I think I may be a little older than you because I remember seeing Emerson Lake and Palmer at the old arena Annex which was the Arena Bowl. I've seen almost every concert that came to St Louis at the arena including Rush The Who and Emerson Lake and Palmer who I also saw at Kiel. Kiel Auditorium is where I saw Montrose. Do you by chance remember the KSHE kite flying contest in 1974 and 75 I saw Rush open up for Charlie Daniels in 1974 it was Rush first tour and the concert Drew 80000 people to Forest Park the other concert was Kiss and all of those shows were like St Louis is Woodstock. Due to radio station KSHE we had a music scene in St Louis that was pretty much second to no one.. I'm 66 years old and I still live here which is getting kind of scary especially downtown hahaha all right then nice to hear from a fellow St Louis Ian
@@robwarren6729 my bad.. you're absolutely right I had a feeling I had it wrong so I dug up the album and checked it is indeed space station number 5.. congratulations to you because I'm seldom wrong when it comes to 1960s and 1970s rock
@@kikiki4592 I saw Ted Nugent at the Super Jam Busch Stadium 1977 Gypsy was also on the bill and a couple others I think Grace Slick and Jefferson Airplane play it's been so long ago and I was so high and drunk I can't really recall everyone but they're about six different groups on the bill
I'm lost I seen Montrose at cobo hall Detroit they backed up AC/DC . They were really good guy left that out. Pretty sure it was 1981 hells bells tour .
Montrose didn't have the best inter-personal skills. If I recall, he did have some influence in getting City Kidd's (aka Telsa's) contract to put out an album.
I saw Montrose twice in the Summer of 74, at Winterland ballroom. Ronnie was a petulant Jerk. Sammy got into a screaming match with him and literally forced Montrose to come back and play an encore.
What happened to Montrose? Didn't want to know what happened to Van Halen. I know that story I clicked on this to hear about Montrose. You went away from the subject mattered and talked about Sammy Hagar.
How about doing Focus one of the greatest groups of Maestro musicians in the Rock Community. From a musicianship standpoint they're even up there with Emerson Lake and Palmer😮
@@ronniefarnsworth6465 what's funny funny how do you mean funny like I'm here to entertain you funny like I'm a clown like I'm here to amuse you tell me what the fuk is funny about me
@@ronniefarnsworth6465 what is so funny about that have you ever seen Focus perform and I know you're not laughing at Emerson Lake and Palmer who actually took yes on tour with them as a opening act which helped get yes started in the first place
@@ronniefarnsworth6465 I don't think it's nice you laughing you see my mule don't like people laughing he gets the crazy idea you're laughing at him now if you were to apologize like I'm sure you will the night convention that you really didn't mean it
The first two Gamma albums were excellent. Gamma 3 was disappointing by comparison. Twenty years later (early 2000s) they recorded and released Gamma 4, and it has some fine songs on it (eg 'Last Man on Earth', 'Darkness to Light' and 'Out of These Hands').
True, though the video does show Sammy and Schon jamming, yet that was not from that band, the video is circa 76-77 when Schon was still rocking the afro.
@@kikiki4592Neal Schon was still with journey in 1976 I saw them open up for Emerson Lake and Palmer those were the days when Journey was still a progressive rock band and they were great before Steve f a i r y came along and turn them into a bubblegum pop band😅
@@edljnehan2811 I know I was just referring to the guy who mention no HSAS, though in this video there is footage of Hagar and Schon jamming on stage and it is in black and white and Schon had the afro he rocked in the 70's unlike in the 80's when him and Hagar made the album together. I prefer the Roile/Dunbar eras as well. Journey owe Goodfellas and time a lot of money, they were not this legendary band they make them out to be now back then, they were REO level, aka shit, another band ruined by a limp singer.
The record companies- entertainment companies- and A&R killed a lot of great bands. They weren't willing to sign the whole band. They only wanted to sign one guy. This was in an effort to limit litigation and control the product. Radio programming wiped out a lot of great talent.
Montrose was jealous of Sammy Hagar, because Sammy is a smokin' guitar player and Montrose wanted the entire spotlight, as Sammy was more talented....too bad, as that was a great band - Montrose and Hagar!
Every video and story I’ve ever seen on Ronny Montrose shows him as a severe malcontent who was almost impossible to get along with. The first Montrose album was really the pinnacle of his career and he did little more than slide into obscurity from there. I remember when he was mentioned as one of the best guitarist in rock but in the end he left a fairly small legacy. The fact that he murdered himself shows that he was probably never very stable or level headed.
I'm sure that Ronnie had his struggles in life. Who doesn't? I met him a couple of times before he died through mutual musician friends and he was very kind and had a great sense of humor. He was respected and well thought of by others in the music industry. This can be seen if you watch the tribute concert performed in San Francisco a few months after his death. It's posted here on RU-vid.
You two are crazy, Sammy and Ronnie together would have been one of the best band around if they would have stayed together. He did not work with Eddie Van Halen if he wasn't A Great singer and front man. I would hate to know who your front man would be if you didn't like Sammy
Sammy Hagar performed with so many other groups (or group names), it's hard to keep track. It's can't forget Robert Christgau's putdown of Sammy as a schmuck. He must have some redeeming qualities, or Sammy has changed with age.
@@JeanneMartin-f7qyou’re right he’s wrong. Ronnie was jealous of attention, but he certainly wasn’t envious of Ted Nugent’s guitar playing. Ronnie was a far more accomplished, diverse player than Nugent.
