Album: Montrose
Year: 1973
There’s a small little area of L.A. north of where I live called Montrose, and every single time we drive by the exit for it on the 210, I make the devil horns and whoop “MONNNNN-TROSE!!” in honor of an album that was a staple of my teenage years.
Clearly one of the blueprints for the formula that made Van Halen global superstars (my beloved UFO was the other), Montrose was an fusion of big-ass riffs, dumb-ass lyrics and catchy songs. With an origin story not so different from Led Zeppelin’s — big session guitarist & bassist plus unknowns — Montrose featured Ronnie Montrose’s inventive guitar and the monster voice of a then unknown Sammy Hagar.
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #1199: Montrose – “Space Station #5”