Montrose - Very Best of Montrose (CD)

All Music Guide

Except for a few illadvised power ballads, Montrose was a harddriving, headbutting, riffrattling, nonstop rock machine whose best qualities creative guitar playing, hooky melodies, and smart production were arguably the blueprint for Van Halen and any number of other similar crunch protometalers. As the only compilation of this underrecognized band, The Very Best Of captures 15 highlights from four Warner Bros. albums spanning 19731976, and tacks on three difficult to find cuts from 1987's reunion disc on Enigma. While Montrose was a fine fret shredder, there's little that's distinctive about his style. But the songs he applied his fiery sixstring frenzy to remain timeless rock shouldhavebeen classics, most of which have been unjustly neglected, and this comprehensive single disc compiles the best of them. With track by track annotation from the guitarist/songwriter/producer (and on one track, singer), remastered sound, welldocumented liner notes, as well as full credits, there's lit...tle that Rhino could have improved on here. The absence of any Ronnie Montrose solo material, or his work with the band Gamma is understandable, since his style for those projects differed substantially from the hardgrinding groove he pounded out with his selfnamed band. Although the first eight tunes that cover the Sammy Hagar years (Montrose and Paper Money) are the best known, there's plenty of solid rocking on the other ten tracks. Singer Bob James (not the jazzfusion pianist) wasn't nearly as magnetic as his betterknown predecessor, but his Lou Grammstyled range suited the material just fine, and the band, whose members changed on almost every album, were always solid, if unremarkable professionals. Tough pile drivers like "Rock Candy," "I Got the Fire," "Let's Go," and "Dancin' Feet," with their chunky, thunderous riffs and lighterraising yet forgettable lyrics, can get any biker party started, and hearing them all together for the first time makes you wonder why Montrose isn't more highly regarded as an early influence on countless hot guitar rockers. No matter, because this is 76 minutes of undiluted, rugged guitar rock at its finest. Leave your brain cells at home and just enjoy. - Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide Read more Less