| The Best of Gamma | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Greatest hits album by | |
| Released | 1992 |
| Recorded | 1978–1983 |
| Genre | Hard rock |
| Length | 73:29 |
| Label | GNP Records |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
The Best of Gamma is a compilation of music from the first three Gamma albums.
| The Best of Gamma | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Greatest hits album by | |
| Released | 1992 |
| Recorded | 1978–1983 |
| Genre | Hard rock |
| Length | 73:29 |
| Label | GNP Records |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
The Best of Gamma is a compilation of music from the first three Gamma albums.
Gamma 1 (1979) - *
Gamma 2 (1980) - **
Gamma 3 (1982) - ***
Montrose was a California-based hard rock band formed in 1973 and named after guitarist and founder Ronnie Montrose. The band's original lineup featured Montrose and vocalist Sammy Hagar, who later gained greater fame as a solo artist and as a member of Van Halen. Rounding out the original foursome were bassist Bill Church and drummer Denny Carmassi. The group disbanded in early 1977.
Ronald Douglas Montrose was an American rock guitarist, who led the bands Montrose and Gamma. 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, Gary Wright (1975), The Beau Brummels (1975), Dan Hartman (1976), Tony Williams (1978), The Neville Brothers (1987), Marc Bonilla 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.
Denny Carmassi is an American rock drummer.
Davey Pattison is a San Francisco Bay Area based rock vocalist. Pattison recorded his first music in 1969, and his career took off after arrival in the United States in 1979, on invitation from Bill Graham, to front the band Gamma, formed by Bay Area guitarist Ronnie Montrose.
Gamma was an American band formed by guitarist Ronnie Montrose and singer Davey Pattison in San Francisco, California, United States in 1979. They released four albums: Gamma 1 (1979), Gamma 2 (1980), Gamma 3 (1982) and Gamma 4 (2000). Some of their best known songs are probably "Fight to the Finish" from their first album, and "Meanstreak" and "Voyager" from the second album.
Gamma 1, released in 1979, is Gamma's debut album. It reached #131 on the Billboard Album charts, totalling seventeen weeks on the survey. "I'm Alive" reached #60 on the Billboard singles charts.
Gamma 2 is Gamma's second album, released in 1980. On this album Ronnie Montrose keeps his streak of not having the same personnel on two albums in a row, changing the line-up once again. Davey Pattison (vocals), Montrose (guitar), and Jim Alcivar (synthesizer) remain from Gamma 1. Glenn Letsch replaces Alan Fitzgerald on bass and old Montrose bandmate Denny Carmassi replaces Skip Gillette on drums.
Gamma 3 is Gamma's third album, released in 1982.
Gamma 4 is Gamma's fourth and final album and was originally released on Ronnie Montrose's own label, RoMoCo, in 2000. In 2005, it was re-released by Wounded Bird Records.
Warner Bros. Presents is the third album by the California-based hard rock band Montrose. It was released on Warner Bros. Records in September 1975.
Jump on It is the fourth album by the California-based hard rock band Montrose.
Red Hot! is one of the many Sammy Hagar compilation albums from his Capitol Records era. This one compiling material from his two live albums released for the label, All Night Long and Live 1980. Tracks 1-6 were taken from All Night Long and tracks 7-11 were taken from Live 1980.
Blood Sports is a 1984 album released by the British heavy metal band Avenger. It was reissued in 2002 by Frontline Records.
Jim Alcivar is an American keyboard and synthesizer player and sound engineer. He is most noted for his connection to guitarist Ronnie Montrose and appearing in his bands Montrose and Gamma and on his first solo album Open Fire. His father is composer, arranger and producer Bob Alcivar.
Open Fire was the first instrumental album from Ronnie Montrose which explored jazz, rock and acoustic concepts in the vein of Blow by Blow by Jeff Beck. Ronnie dropped hints in previous Montrose albums that he was heading in this direction. Songs like "Whaler" and "One And a Half" from Warner Brothers Presents... Montrose! and "Tuft-Sedge" and "Merry-Go-Round" from Jump On It contained various acoustic, synthesizer and string elements that showed Ronnie was looking to branch out from his hard rock persona.
Bob Alcivar is an American music producer, composer, conductor and keyboard player. He is the father of rock keyboard player Jim Alcivar.
Glenn Letsch, is an American bass guitarist. He was in a Los Angeles band with Mitchell Froom called "Bullet Park". After Ronnie Montrose produced their demo, he asked Letsch to join his band Gamma, where Letsch became friends with singer Davey Pattison. When Gamma disbanded in 1982, Pattison became Robin Trower's principal vocalist and Letsch continued with several of Ronnie Montrose projects and session work including playing bass on Sims computer games. He joined Trower's touring band in 2008 reuniting with Pattison.
Territory is Ronnie Montrose's second album of instrumental jazz fusion music although there are vocals on "Love You To" and "I Spy".
The Diva Station is a mix of instrumental rock music with three songs with vocals. Former Gamma vocalist Davey Pattison reunites for two songs with Ronnie Montrose.
The Very Best of Montrose is a greatest hits album by the hard rock band Montrose. It was released in 2000 on Rhino Records. The album contains songs from the group's five albums, the first four in consecutive years in the mid-seventies and another from 1987.
