(Clicka qua per la versione Italiana)
San Francisco's Montrose, formed by veteran guitarist
Ronnie Montrose (who had already played with Herbie Hancock and
Van Morrison) and by vocalist Sammy Hagar, were for a few years
the West Coast's premier hard-rock band.
Montrose (Warner, 1973), featuring Rock Candy, Space Station
No 5 and Bad Motor Scooter, and Paper Money (1974) revealed the
aggressive, pyrotechnic styles of both guitarist and vocalist.
Hagar left the band after the second album and launched a solo career that peaked
with the album
Street Machine (1979)
and a number of hits
(There's Only One Way To Rock, 1981; Heavy Metal, 1981; I'll Fall In Love Again, 1981; Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy, 1982; I Can't Drive 55, 1984; Give To Live, 1987), and then joined Van Halen.
Montrose kept the band alive through three more albums and then launched a
solo career with the (far more interesting) instrumental album
Open Fire (Warner, 1978). After three albums with a new band, Gamma,
Montrose returned to his classy, mostly instrumental art:
Territory (1986),
The Speed of Sound (1988),
Diva Station (IRS, 1990),
Mutatis Mutandis (IRS, 1991),
Music From Here (Fearless Urge, 1994).
Ronnie Montrose killed himself in march 2012.
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