Montrose - Jump on It (CD) - CD

Details: Digitally remastered edition of this hard rock classic featuring renowned guitarist Ronnie Montrose. Montrose had enjoyed a stellar reputation as one of the best bands of the mid '70s, with their debut album, in particular, garnering extraordinary praise, if not immediate sales success. But the band had also been heavily criticized for failing to deliver a consistent body of work, with Ronnie Montrose insisting on a course of experimentation rather than repetition. The band's previous album, 1975's Warner Brother's Presents... was greeted with faint praise by many connoisseurs of the hard rock genre, with many citing leader Ronnie's need to diversify the band's sound as a self-destructive Achilles's heel. It was also noted that the band's recordings had become somewhat muted so, under pressure to conform, the label made him abandon production duties and had the reigns over to Jack Douglas, a man who had developed a red-hot reputation producing classic Aerosmith albums. Musically this was just the tonic needed and Jump On It went someway to return the band to former glories, setting out a more defined rock sound. Issued in Sept 1976, the album contains a number of standout songs, including the hard hitting title track 'Jump On It', 'What Are You Waitin' For', 'Let's Go' and 'Merry -Go-Round'- all of them showcasing the superior talent of vocalist Bob James. However, with Ronnie still not able to come to terms with losing control of his own band, and further internal friction, the band, sadly, split up.