GAMMA 4 WILL HAVE YOU ON YOUR FEET WITH THE RESURRECTION SHUFFLE

GAMMA remains of the most obscure bands there is in the world of hard rock. It was the second band for the late RONNIE MONTROSE, after his first namesake band folded after recording four albums in the mid to late 70`s, the first two with SAMMY HAGAR on vocals. MONTROSE the band never recovered from the absense of HAGAR, with replacement BOB JAMES just not in the same lead singer league as his predecessor.

The first non-Hagar Montrose album WARNER BROTHERS PRESENTS (1975), in recognition of the band's label, had the odd magic moment but the only exciting thing about JUMP ON IT (1976) was the lewd album cover. The music on it was flat and lacking any of the ferocity and attitude of the epic MONTROSE debut in 1973. Montrose fiddled around with solo instrumental music between JUMP ON IT and the debut GAMMA album in 1979, which was simply titled GAMMA 1.

Ronnie Montrose maintained the same unpretentious approach to album titles, with the follow-up albums being GAMMA 2, GAMMA 3 and GAMMA 4. GAMMA's brand of hard rock was both unconventional and somewhat clunky, the band's first three albums almost entirely bearing the same imaginative but predictable sound.

The two most exciting elements to GAMMA 1, GAMMA 2 and GAMMA 3 is the oft times talking guitar of RONNIE MONTROSE and the epic power drumming of DENNY CARMASSI, one the greatest drummers in the history of hard rock. There was an 18 year gap between GAMMA 3 and GAMMA 4, by the time no. 4 was recorded in 2000, MONTROSE had spent years in the musical wilderness dabbling in minority appeal jazz rock projects, among other commercially unproductive conquests.

With a couple of personnel changes, but with Patterson still in the ranks, the long awaited fourth GAMMA installment threw up a few surprises, none more downright original and inventive as this jazzed up piece of freewheeling rhythm and blues. I absolutely think this is just sensational. PATTERSON sounds like JOHN GOODMAN singing here, he cant sing (laugh) but he gets away with it with this song.

RESURRECTION SHUFFLE is the name of it as you can see. Another song off GAMMA 4 which is definitely worth a mention for its refreshing originality is OUT OF THESE HANDS, kind of like a gospel chant built into a heavy rock guitar melody. RESURRECTION SHUFFLE is a bit like having the Blue Brothers jamming with the Rat Pack, with an experimental heavy rock guitarist gatecrashing the party.