You can argue over which band was the father of heavy metal, an
argument I won’t even try to touch on. But for my money, the group
that gave birth to the whole hard rock presence on the radio in the
’70s was Montrose.
A veteran of the Edgar Winter Group, Ronnie Montrose was a
well-respected guitarist when he formed his own band in 1973. That
band, featuring future Heart drummer Denny Carmassi, bassist Bill
Church, and a young vocalist named Sammy Hagar, epitomized melodic
hard rock, even if Montrose isn’t well remembered in 1998. Their
1973 debut effort
Montrose is still an enjoyable album, even 25 years after
its release.
The album was once best known for the track “Bad Motor Scooter,”
which demonstrated Hagar’s talents as a singer as well as
Montrose’s axe work. However, what is striking about Montrose’s
guitar playing for almost the entire album is that he does not
indulge himself in flashy solos. Instead, he crafts more controlled
solos that meld with the songs and highlight the whole band, not
just himself. You have to admire Montrose for taking such a stance
– it turns out to help strengthen the songs that much more.
That’s not to say that Montrose doesn’t take any time to put his
guitar through an aerobic workout. On their cover of “Good Rockin’
Tonight,” which is more of a rock shuffle, Montrose finally lets
loose on his guitar. Again, instead of sounding self-indulgent, the
solo almost seems to be called for on this piece, and it fits in
perfectly.
Oh, sure, if you wanted to nit-pick about anything, you could
probably point out some of the double-entendre lyrics (such as in
“Rock Candy,” which is a great track) and the themes of former
teenage angst (the modern-day aging tale “Make It Last”), or you
could even point out the cosmic guitar noodlings on “Space Station
#5”. But you’d be stretching – the minor flaws on
Montrose don’t distract from the whole work.
In fact, the only real complaint I have with this album is the
same complaint I have of many albums from this time period: it’s
far too short!
Montrose demonstrates that this lineup was one of the most
solid rock outfits of its time, whose loose musical sound hid a
tight ensemble. A little more than eight songs clocking in at under
40 minutes would have been appreciated to hammer that point
home.
Montrose is also noteworthy for the production work of Ted
Templeman (who co-produced the album with the band). Templeman
would later make a name for himself through his work with another
California band – Van Halen. The overall sound of this album has a
heavier bass sound than I’d normally like – but one wonders if this
has been corrected in later releases.
Montrose, unfortunately, is rarely heard on the radio
anymore. Why songs like “Rock Candy” and “Bad Motor Scooter”
haven’t held up as well as songs from other groups at this time is
beyond me; quite possibly the time is right for a re-discovery of
this album. (Montrose, who has since gone on to a solo career
achieving cult status, recently reunited with the former members of
the band for fun.) But one thing is clear:
Montrose is an album that does not deserve to be forgotten
with the passage of time.
