#Jim Alcivar

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Montrose I Got the Fire - Complete Recordings 1973-1976 [Box Set] 2022 HNE Recordings ————————————————— Tracks CD One Montrose 01. Rock the Nation 02. Bad Motor Scooter 03. Space Station #5 04. I Don’t Want It 05. Good Rockin’ Tonight 06. Rock Candy 07. One Thing on My Mind 08. Make It Last 09. Rock the Nation [mono] 10. Rock the Nation [stereo] 11. Space Station #5 [mono] 12. Space Station #5 [stereo]

Tracks CD Two: Demos 1973 01. One Thing on My Mind 02. Shoot Us Down 03. Rock Candy 04. Good Rockin’ Tonight 05. I Don’t Want It 06. Make It Last Live KSAN Radio Session. Record Plant, Sausalito, CA, USA 21st April 1973 07. Intro 08. Good Rockin’ Tonight 09. Rock Candy 10. Bad Motor Scooter 11. Shoot Us Down 12. One Thing on My Mind 13. Rock the Nation 14. Make It Last 15. You’re out of Time 16. Roll over Beethoven 17. I Don’t Want It

Tracks CD Three: Paper Money 01. Underground 02. Connection 03. The Dreamer 04. Starliner 05. I Got the Fire 06. Spaceage Sacrifice 07. We’re Going Home 08. Paper Money 09. Paper Money [stereo] 10. Paper Money [mono] 11. Connection [mono]

Tracks CD Four: Live KSAN Radio Session, Record Plant, Sausalito, CA, USA 26th December 1974 01. Intro 02. I Got the Fire 03. Rock Candy 04. Bad Motor Scooter 05. Spaceage Sacrifice 06. One and a Half 07. Roll over Beethoven 08. Trouble 09. Space Station #5

Tracks CD Five: Warner Bros. Presents Montrose! 01. Matriarch 02. All I Need 03. Twenty Flight Rock 04. Whaler 05. Dancin’ Feet 06. O Lucky Man 07. One and a Half 08. Clown Woman 09. Black Train 10. Matriarch [mono]

Tracks CD Six: Jump on It 01. Let’s Go 02. What Are You Waitin’ For? 03. Tuft-Sedge 04. Music Man 05. Jump on It 06. Rich Man 07. Crazy for You 08. Merry-Go-Round 09. Music Man [stereo] 10. Music Man [mono] 11. Let’s Go [stereo] 12. Let’s Go [mono] —————————————————

* Long Live Rock Archive

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Tom Waits - Foreign Affairs (1977)

http://www.tomwaits.com

[metalsongoftheday]

Thursday, April 20: Gamma, “Mayday”

Gamma 2 was one of the greatest hard rock albums of all time: Ronnie Montrose’s second album with his second major outfit improved upon Gamma’s strong debut with tighter songwriting, sharp production from Gary Lyons, and perfectly calibrated performances.  Really, the only things dating the record are Jim Alcivar’s occasional synth flourishes and the overall pride in craftsmanship. “Mayday” closed Gamma 2 in style, with seething fretwork from Montrose that stood out on its own terms but didn’t outshine the ferocious drumming of Denny Carmassi or Davey Pattison’s “Scottish Paul Rodgers” growling.  The whole band was so spot-on that one could easily get lost in the playing- these guys were truly one of the tightest hard rock outfits ever, and should’ve been a major commercial force in their day.  But while Montrose’s namesake band was eventually recognized as a pioneering act, Gamma remains neglected by all but the most devoted aficionados of the form.  A genuine shame, since “Mayday” was classic virtuoso hard rock of the highest caliber.

[rainingmusic]

Tom Waits - New Coat of Paint

[rockandrollpicsandthings]

Gamma, San Francisco, 1980

Jim Alcivar, Ronnie Montrose, Denny Carmassi, Davey Pattison and Glen Letsch

[1962dude420-blog]

Today we remember the passing of Ronnie Montrose who Died: March 3, 2012 in Brisbane, California

Ronald Douglas Montrose was an American rock guitarist, who led the bands Montrose (1973-77 & 1987) and Gamma (1979-83 & 2000). He also performed and did session work with a variety of musicians, including Van Morrison (1971–72), Herbie Hancock (1971), Beaver & Krause (1971), Boz Scaggs (1971), Edgar Winter (1972 & 1996), Gary Wright (1975), The Beau Brummels (1975), Dan Hartman (1976), Tony Williams (1978), The Neville Brothers (1987), Marc Bonilla (1991 & 1993) and Sammy Hagar (1997). The first Montrose album has often been cited as "America's answer to Led Zeppelin" and Ronnie Montrose was often referred to as one of the most influential guitarists in American hard rock

Montrose was born in San Francisco. When he was a toddler, his parents moved back to his mother's home state of Colorado (his father was from Bertrand, Nebraska, and his mother was from Golden, Colorado). He spent most of his younger years in Denver until he ran away at about 16 years old to pursue his musical career. Ultimately he spent most of his life in the San Francisco Bay area.

In 1969, he started out in a band called 'Sawbuck' with Mojo Collins (lead vocals, guitar), Starr Donaldson (guitar, vocals), Chuck Ruff (drums) and Bill Church (bass). They were signed to Fillmore Records, co-owned by producer David Rubinson and promoter Bill Graham (promoter), and toured and opened for major acts. At the end of 1970 and beginning of '71, they were recording their first and only album, Sawbuck. During this time, Rubinson had arranged an audition for Montrose with Van Morrison. Morrison, having recently moved from New York to California, needed a new band to record his next album Tupelo Honey. Both Montrose and Church left Sawbuck to join Morrison, but both did appear on two songs on the Sawbuck album which was released in 1972. Montrose and Church also played on the song "Listen to the Lion", recorded during the Tupelo Honey sessions and released on Morrison's next album Saint Dominic's Preview (1972).

Montrose played briefly with Boz Scaggs before joining the Edgar Winter Group in 1972 and then Montrose recruited Chuck Ruff which essentially ended the band Sawbuck. For Winter's third album release, They Only Come Out at Night (1972), which included the hit singles "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride", Montrose recorded electric guitar, acoustic 12 string, and mandolin.

Montrose formed his own band, Montrose in 1973 and featuring Sammy Hagar on vocals. That incarnation of the band released two albums on Warner Bros. Records, Montrose (1973) and Paper Money (1974), before Hagar left to pursue a solo career. Although the liner notes for the CD edition of Paper Money said that Montrose was offered to play lead guitar for Mott the Hoople, when he left the Edgar Winter Group, Montrose says that it never happened and was just a rumor. He also added his guitar work to Gary Wright's song, "Power of Love" off the 1975 album, The Dream Weaver.

The guitarist released two more Montrose band albums in the rock/vocal format (Warner Bros. Presents Montrose! (1975) and Jump on It (1976), featuring vocalist Bob James replacing Sammy Hagar and adding Jim Alcivar on keyboards. Montrose then shifted direction and released a solo album, the all-instrumental Open Fire (1978) with Edgar Winter producing.

In 1979, Montrose formed Gamma with vocalist Davey Pattison at the recommendation of fellow Scotsman James Dewar (musician) bassist/vocalist for Robin Trower. Jim Alcivar appears on his fourth Ronnie Montrose project in a row and bassist Alan Fitzgerald returns as well with drummer Skip Gillette. Gamma had more of a progressive rock edge as compared to the Montrose band and initially produced three consecutive albums. The rhythm section was replaced by Montrose drummer Denny Carmassi and bassist Glenn Letsch with Gamma 2. Gamma 3 saw Alcivar replaced by Mitchell Froom on keyboards.

In 1983 Montrose played lead guitar on the song "(She Is a) Telepath" from Paul Kantner's album Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra although he wasn't a member of the original PERRO.

In 1985 he joined Seattle's Rail (winners of MTV's first Basement Tapes video competition) for several months. He was looking for a new band and one of Rail's guitarists, Rick Knotts had recently left. Billed as 'Rail featuring Montrose' or 'Ronnie & Rail', they played a set of half Rail favorites and half Montrose songs ("Rock Candy", "Rock the Nation", "Matriarch" and Gamma's remake of Thunderclap Newman's "Something in the Air"). At the end of the tour, there was an amicable split.

He continued to record through the 1980s and 1990s, releasing solo albums including The Speed of Sound (1988), Music from Here (1994), and Bearings (2000), as well as another Montrose album titled Mean (1987) and a fourth Gamma album Gamma 4 (2000).

Montrose appeared on Sammy Hagar's solo album Marching to Mars (1997) along with original Montrose members bassist Bill Church and drummer Denny Carmassi on the song "Leaving the Warmth of the Womb". The original Montrose lineup also reformed to play as a special guest at several Sammy Hagar concerts in summer 2004 and 2005. Montrose also performed regularly from 2001 until 2011 with a Montrose lineup featuring Keith St. John on lead vocals and a rotating cast of veteran hard rock players on bass and drums. In 2011, Montrose formed the 'Ronnie Montrose Band' with Randy Scoles on vocals, Dan McNay on bass, and Steve Brown on drums, playing music from his entire career, including both Montrose and Gamma songs. This lineup was captured in his final released work, the concert DVD Ronnie Montrose: Live at the Uptown.

During his 2009 tour, Montrose revealed that he had fought prostate cancer for the previous two years but was healthy once again; he continued to tour until his death in 2012.

On March 3, 2012, Montrose died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His death was originally assumed to be the result of his prostate cancer. However, the San Mateo County Coroner's Office released a report that confirmed the guitarist had taken his own life.

The toxicology reported a blood alcohol content of 0.31 percent at the time of death. In early 2012, the deaths of his uncle and of Lola, his bulldog, worsened what Guitar Player magazine called a "clinical depression that plagued him since he was a toddler."

Montrose was survived by his wife, Leighsa, two children, Jesse and Kira, and five grandchildren. He also had two brothers, Rick and Mike.

[stevecanmakeanythingnerdy]

RANDOM RECORD WORKOUT SEASON 4 Battle 26 Gamma : 1 (side 1) Vs. New Model Army: No Rest for the Wicked (Side 2) Gamma : 1 (side 1) You may or may not recognize this name from Spring Training this year where Gamma kicked butt. This is their debut though, and some of you may want to know, just who are Gamma? Well, Ronnie Montrose put the band together after having released a solo album Open Fire in 1978. This is just after having disbanded the hard rock band Montrose in 1977. Gamma were a far more cutting edge band than Montrose, and used a lot of the latest keyboard technology in their sound. In fact, very keys heavy in some spots. This debut album was released in 1979 and reached #131 on the Billboard Album charts, totaling 17 weeks on the survey. Gamma scored a hit single with "I'm Alive" which got to #60 on Billboard's Singles charts. The original lineup of Ronnie Montrose (guitars), Davey Pattison (vocals), Alan Fitzgerald (bass), Jim Alcivar (keyboards) and Skip Gillette (drums) recorded this album. Guitarist Montrose, bassist Fitzgerald and keyboardist Alcivar had all been members of the band Montrose. Alcivar went on later to help form Night Ranger. The triumphant twinkling keys and power chords wash over you like Gamma rays on the opener "Thunder and Lightning". Nice vocal F-X too. "I'm Alive" as previously mentioned charted and was the single for this debut. It is a nice blend of sonic rock and keyboard squawk. Notably happier than other tunes. "Razor King", with it's big, beefy percussive fills and dramatic build with report follow on the heels. Bust out the Blues! Also featuring Montrose being Montrose on guitar. Shred!!! They save the best for last, in my opinion. "No Tears" is a barnburner! Powerful riffage gives way to mountainous rock and roll. Consider the credentials and really, there should be no surprise. This rookie debut is all-star caliber. There have been some killer match-ups this season, and this is just another example. This is Led Zep with keys. Only four song needed to shred like a wheat cereal. New Model Army: No Rest for the Wicked (Side 2) Certainly political in nature. Mix in parts of Sham 69 and The Business, but so much more. Difficult to even describe, really. This is (legitimately) goth garage-a-billy reggae punk. Very hard to imagine, but trust me, it is pulled off with perfection and is VERY good! Gold you might even say. Get this and gain +3 Hipster Points!! The band formed in Bradford, West Yorkshire in the autumn of 1980, taking their name from Thomas Fairfax's English Revolution militia. 1985's No Rest for the Wicked and the associated single "No Rest" both made the mainstream Top 30 in the UK. "No Rest" starts off side 2 and introduces you to the bands proper meandering, meaty bass driven sound. Right away with the British snot and charm. The layered guitar work is brilliant. Stutter and delay outtro even contributes to all the neat little hooks and tricks that make it stick. "Young, Gifted and Skint" is the next attack. NMA are no strangers to discordant surfy garage tunes either. Also, because they are Brits they can rhyme words like "skint" with "int" (as in "isn't"). One distinctive feature of NMA is the previously mentioned bass work. It is nothing short of amazing and on full showcase here, in "Drag It Down". Super tight and punchy and almost otherworldly. I am almost confident in placing a bet that it influenced the sound and weight of Bass in a band like Ned's Atomic Dustbin. New Model Army finish out with "Shot 18" and "The Attack"- the latter of which does a fantastic job of connoting emotions in song. Stiff Little Fingers would be proud. Two pretty hard rocking bands with quality output, but who walks away with their head held high? Gamma took 19 minutes to burn through 4 songs and 143 calories. That is 35.75 calories per song and 7.53 calories per minute. New Model Army must be wicked, for they certainly gave no rest, as they belted out 5 tunes over 19 minutes and burned 158 calories in the process. That is 31.60 calories per song and an impressive 8.32 calories per minute. New Model Army is the model of perfection here, and win today's RRW challenge! Gamma : "No Tears" https://youtu.be/xmcJNinYTHk New Model Army: "No Rest" https://youtu.be/KzjHbbXH2XE #randomrecordworkout #randomrecordworkoutseason4

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Gamma 5 Alive in America 2022 Renaissance ————————————————— Tracks: 01. Ready for Action 02. Thunder and Lightning 03. Razor King 04. Wish I Was 05. I Got the Fire 06. Town without Pity 07. Fight to the Finish 08. I'm Alive 09. (So You Wanna Be) a Rock 'n' Roll Star 10. No Tears 11. Voyager —————————————————

Jim Alcivar

Alan Fitzgerald

Skip Gillette

Ronnie Montrose

Davey Pattison

* Long Live Rock Archive

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Gamma What's Gone is Gone - Complete Elektra Recordings 1979-1982 2023 HNE Recordings ————————————————— Tracks CD One: Gamma 1 01. Thunder and Lightning 02. I’m Alive 03. Razor King 04. No Tears 05. Solar Heat 06. Ready for Action 07. Wish I Was 08. Fight to the Finish 09. I’m Alive [mono]

Tracks CD Two: Gamma 2 01. Mean Strike 02. Four Horsemen 03. Dirty City 04. Voyager 05. Something in the Air 06. Cat on a Leash 07. Skin and Bone 08. Mayday 09. Something in the Air [mono] 10. Voyager [single] 11. Voyager [mono]

Tracks CD Three: Gamma 3 01. What’s Gone Is Gone 02. Right the First Time 03. Moving Violation 04. Mobile Devotion 05. Stranger 06. Condition Yellow 07. Modern Girl 08. No Way Out 09. Third Degree 10. Stranger [mono[ 11. Right the First Time [mono] —————————————————

* Long Live Rock Archive

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Montrose Jump on It 1976 Warner Brothers ————————————————— Tracks: 1. Let’s Go 2. What Are You Waitin’ For? 3. Tuft-Sedge 4. Music Man 5. Jump on It 6. Rich Man 7. Crazy for You 8. Merry-Go-Round —————————————————

Jim Alcivar

Denny Carmassi

Bob James

Ronnie Montrose

* Long Live Rock Archive

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Montrose Warner Bros. Presents Montrose! 1975 Warner Brothers ————————————————— Tracks: 1. Matriarch 2. All I Need 3. Twenty Flight Rock 4. Whaler 5. Dancin’ Feet 6. O Lucky Man 7. One and a Half 8. Clown Woman 9. Black Train —————————————————

Jim Alcivar

Denny Carmassi

Alan Fitzgerald

Bob James

Ronnie Montrose

* Long Live Rock Archive

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Gamma 2 1980 Elektra ————————————————— Tracks: 1. Mean Strike 2. Four Horsemen 3. Dirty City 4. Voyager 5. Something in the Air 6. Cat on a Leash 7. Skin and Bone 8. Mayday —————————————————

Jim Alcivar

Denny Carmassi

Glenn Letsch

Ronnie Montrose

Davey Pattison

* Long Live Rock Archive

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Gamma 1 1979 Elektra ————————————————— Tracks: 1. Thunder and Lightning 2. I’m Alive 3. Razor King 4. No Tears 5. Solar Heat 6. Ready for Action 7. Wish I Was 8. Fight to the Finish —————————————————

Jim Alcivar

Alan Fitzgerald

Skip Gillette

Ronnie Montrose

Davey Pattison

* Long Live Rock Archive

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Ronnie Montrose Open Fire 1978 Warner Brothers ————————————————— Tracks: 1. Openers 2. Open Fire 3. Mandolinia 4. Town without Pity 5. Leo Rising 6. Sinful Love 7. Rocky Road 8. My Little Mystery 9. No Beginning / No End —————————————————

Jim Alcivar

Alan Fitzgerald

Ronnie Montrose

Rick Schlosser

Edgar Winter

* Long Live Rock Archive