Gamma- 'Gamma 1' (1979)
![[Image: b_37777_Gamma-Gamma_1-1979.jpg]](http://www.allflac.com/covers/b_37777_Gamma-Gamma_1-1979.jpg)
Trax:
Before I rant and stuff.. the line-up!
Davey Pattison- vocals
Ronnie Montrose- guitar
Jim Alcivar- keys
Alan Fitzgerald- bass
Skip Gillette- drums
Looking at the above line-up, you may be thinking 'oh god here Lewis goes again with his repetitive blues/classic rock bullshit' but this album really is something else!
Elaborate? Well, for a start this album features Ronnie Montrose who is (at least IMO) one of the best guitarists ever to 'rock' the planet (had to avoid that cliche there). As well as that, this album stands out from other releases of it's kind as it incorporates the usage of vocoders in several of the tracks in this album, namely the energetic opener 'Thunder & Lightning' and more prominently on 'I'm Alive'.
Time for a bit of background! In 1979, after Ronnie Montrose had disbanded his namesake band a few years earlier and experimented with his 'Open Fire' album of '78, he set out to form a new band.
After putting the rest of the band together, all Montrose sought to find a suitable vocalist. Renowned rock promoter and Ronnie's then manager Bill Graham had heard a little known scottish vocalist named Davey Pattison (who would later go on to sing in Robin Trower's band) and subsequently invited him to fly over from Scotland to the US to take up the role of lead vocals in Gamma. Thus, the band's line-up was complete!
Gamma circa 79/80- vocalist Pattison can be seen in the black shirt with Ronnie to the left.
![[Image: gamma%2Bblog.jpg]](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a7ttIFlcXVA/R6JE0SJCk7I/AAAAAAAACf4/hGHlT5R-IPM/s400/gamma%2Bblog.jpg)
Their debut album was recorded rather swiftly and actually released in '79. Songs on the album varies from hard/classic rock on 'Thunder & Lightning' and 'Ready For Action' to more chilled out blues-based numbers such as 'No Tears' or 'Wish I Was' and a blistering instrumental named 'Solar Heat' on which one half is an atmospheric eerie keyboard intro from Alcavair which progresses into a high intensity guitar jam from Ronnie himself. Album ends on a positive and upbeat note with the rocker 'Fight To The Finish' which is perhaps the most memorable track on the album.
'Gamma 1' most importantly for me showcases the early vocal talents of Davey Pattison and provided a career-beginning platform on which he would later be recommended to join Robin Trower in 1986 by none-other than James Dewar himself!
Despite the album's overall 'AOR' sound, it does have a few unique twists to it. Apart from Pattison's powerful vocal delivery on several of the tracks mentioned before and the level of energy that consistently radiates from this record, we are treated to an experimentation of vocoders which bears almost identical resemblence to that of Neil Young's 'Trans' record (Lloyd?) which was only recorded a few years later. (1982)
After this debut, amongst several line-up changes (with the obvious mainstay of Montrose & Pattison) Gamma would only release another two albums ('Gamma II' in '80), and ('Gamma III' in '82) before disbanding until a brief reunion and fourth record in 2000 which I am still yet to hear.
All in all, a great album from a great and harshly underrated band.
Fortunately, a fellow music lover has uploaded many of the sublime tracks from this album and I have featured some of them below. Despite the lack of visualization (i.e. blank screen), they are still worth checking out!
Thunder & Lightning
[video=youtube;M8575pguahs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8575pguahs[/video]
I'm Alive- According to wiki, this song was a hit in america reaching no.60 on billboard charts. Remember anyone?
[video=youtube;xs9Py2sk_JU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs9Py2sk_JU[/video]
No Tears
[video=youtube;MKYodkLOghA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKYodkLOghA[/video]
Solar Heat
[video=youtube;KzclZb2wT_M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzclZb2wT_M[/video]
Fight To The Finish
[video=youtube;BOMkOko6iP4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOMkOko6iP4[/video]
If anyone enjoyed hearing any of the above songs then be sure to check out 'Mean Streak' which is surely their overall best track (from their second release).
Trax:
- "Thunder & Lightning" (Montrose, Pattison) - 4:37
- "I'm Alive" (Clint Ballard, Jr.) - 3:18
- "Razor King" (Montrose, Pattison) - 5:53
- "No Tears" (Pattison) - 4:53
- "Solar Heat" (Montrose) - 3:09
- "Ready For Action" (Montrose) - 3:39
- "Wish I Was" (Mickey Newbury) - 5:16
- "Fight To The Finish" (Alcivar, Montrose) - 6:25
Before I rant and stuff.. the line-up!
Davey Pattison- vocals
Ronnie Montrose- guitar
Jim Alcivar- keys
Alan Fitzgerald- bass
Skip Gillette- drums
Looking at the above line-up, you may be thinking 'oh god here Lewis goes again with his repetitive blues/classic rock bullshit' but this album really is something else!
Elaborate? Well, for a start this album features Ronnie Montrose who is (at least IMO) one of the best guitarists ever to 'rock' the planet (had to avoid that cliche there). As well as that, this album stands out from other releases of it's kind as it incorporates the usage of vocoders in several of the tracks in this album, namely the energetic opener 'Thunder & Lightning' and more prominently on 'I'm Alive'.
Time for a bit of background! In 1979, after Ronnie Montrose had disbanded his namesake band a few years earlier and experimented with his 'Open Fire' album of '78, he set out to form a new band.
After putting the rest of the band together, all Montrose sought to find a suitable vocalist. Renowned rock promoter and Ronnie's then manager Bill Graham had heard a little known scottish vocalist named Davey Pattison (who would later go on to sing in Robin Trower's band) and subsequently invited him to fly over from Scotland to the US to take up the role of lead vocals in Gamma. Thus, the band's line-up was complete!
Gamma circa 79/80- vocalist Pattison can be seen in the black shirt with Ronnie to the left.
Their debut album was recorded rather swiftly and actually released in '79. Songs on the album varies from hard/classic rock on 'Thunder & Lightning' and 'Ready For Action' to more chilled out blues-based numbers such as 'No Tears' or 'Wish I Was' and a blistering instrumental named 'Solar Heat' on which one half is an atmospheric eerie keyboard intro from Alcavair which progresses into a high intensity guitar jam from Ronnie himself. Album ends on a positive and upbeat note with the rocker 'Fight To The Finish' which is perhaps the most memorable track on the album.
'Gamma 1' most importantly for me showcases the early vocal talents of Davey Pattison and provided a career-beginning platform on which he would later be recommended to join Robin Trower in 1986 by none-other than James Dewar himself!
Despite the album's overall 'AOR' sound, it does have a few unique twists to it. Apart from Pattison's powerful vocal delivery on several of the tracks mentioned before and the level of energy that consistently radiates from this record, we are treated to an experimentation of vocoders which bears almost identical resemblence to that of Neil Young's 'Trans' record (Lloyd?) which was only recorded a few years later. (1982)
After this debut, amongst several line-up changes (with the obvious mainstay of Montrose & Pattison) Gamma would only release another two albums ('Gamma II' in '80), and ('Gamma III' in '82) before disbanding until a brief reunion and fourth record in 2000 which I am still yet to hear.
All in all, a great album from a great and harshly underrated band.
Fortunately, a fellow music lover has uploaded many of the sublime tracks from this album and I have featured some of them below. Despite the lack of visualization (i.e. blank screen), they are still worth checking out!
Thunder & Lightning
[video=youtube;M8575pguahs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8575pguahs[/video]
I'm Alive- According to wiki, this song was a hit in america reaching no.60 on billboard charts. Remember anyone?
[video=youtube;xs9Py2sk_JU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs9Py2sk_JU[/video]
No Tears
[video=youtube;MKYodkLOghA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKYodkLOghA[/video]
Solar Heat
[video=youtube;KzclZb2wT_M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzclZb2wT_M[/video]
Fight To The Finish
[video=youtube;BOMkOko6iP4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOMkOko6iP4[/video]
If anyone enjoyed hearing any of the above songs then be sure to check out 'Mean Streak' which is surely their overall best track (from their second release).
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Site traffic heavy, I'm YouTubing hope" - Wire- 'Blogging' 2015
"But me and you were not to blame
Love always returns from where it came
Back to black and in the end,
It's all the same."- Terry Allen 'Back to Black' 1996[URL="http://www.last.fm/user/mirrorball95"]
http://www.last.fm/user/mirrorball95[/URL]
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKpqmg_Xug0qMXDCJ1sdvMw
Site traffic heavy, I'm YouTubing hope" - Wire- 'Blogging' 2015
"But me and you were not to blame
Love always returns from where it came
Back to black and in the end,
It's all the same."- Terry Allen 'Back to Black' 1996[URL="http://www.last.fm/user/mirrorball95"]
http://www.last.fm/user/mirrorball95[/URL]
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKpqmg_Xug0qMXDCJ1sdvMw