Hear Ronnie Montrose's "Color Blind," Featuring Sammy Hagar and Steve Lukather
Before his death in 2012 at age 64, Ronnie Montrose began recording an album with bassist Ricky Phillips (Styx, Bad English) and drummer Eric Singer (Kiss, Alice Cooper). The idea was to record 10 songs with 10 singers and call the album 10X10.
Unfortunately, Montrose was unable to see the final product during his lifetime. However, Phillips made it his mission to finish the songs; he enlisted a small army of Montrose's friends to record the vocals and the guitar solos for each song—and he actually completed the album. In fact, it'll be released September 29 via Rhino.
"His songs still have the fire and angst of a young rebel, but with some added wisdom and foresight voiced in his own unique language of 'guitar-speak'," Phillips says.
You can hear one of the new songs—"Color Blind"—below, and judge for yourself. The track features vocals by Sammy Hagar and guitar by Steve Lukather.
The disc also features appearances by Glenn Hughes with Phil Collen ("Still Singin' with the Band"), plus Joe Bonamassa ("The Kingdom's Come Undone"), Edgar Winter ("Love Is an Art") and Tommy Shaw ("Strong Enough"). Several artists heard on 10X10 had recorded with Montrose during his career, including Winter, who invited the guitarist to play on his 1972 album, They Only Come Out at Night.
Of course, Hagar got his start singing with Montrose; between 1973 and 1975, he recorded two albums—Montrose and Paper Money—with the band and toured the world. More than 40 years later, Hagar was among the first who agreed to help finish this album.
"It's valuable to have 10X10 be seen as Ronnie's last work, rather than going and digging up some stuff from his past," Hagar says. "This was something he truly had a vision for."
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You can check out "Color Blind" and the album's complete track list below.
For more information, visit ronniemontrose.com.
RONNIE MONTROSE: 10X10
1. "Heavy Traffic," Eric Martin and Dave Meniketti
2. "Love Is an Art," Edgar Winter and Rick Derringer
3. "Color Blind," Sammy Hagar and Steve Lukather
4. "Still Singin' with the Band," Glenn Hughes, Phil Collen and Jimmy "Z" Zavala
5. "Strong Enough," Tommy Shaw
6. "Any Minute," Mark Farner and Ricky Phillips
7. "The Kingdom's Come Undone," Ricky Phillips and Joe Bonamassa
8. "One Good Reason," Bruce Turgon and Brad Whitford
9. "Head on Straight," Davey Pattison and Marc Bonilla
10. "I'm Not Lying," Gregg Rolie, Tom Gimbel and Lawrence Gowan
But wait, there's more....
A few weeks after 10X10 is released, Rhino will introduce Deluxe Editions of Montrose (1973) and Paper Money (1974). Each double-disc set includes a newly remastered version of the original album, plus a bonus disc of unreleased demos, studio recordings and live performances. Each collection will be available October 13. That same day, vinyl and digital versions will be released. These double LPs include the remastered version of the original album along with a selection of bonus recordings.
MONTROSE: DELUXE EDITION
Disc One: Original Album Remastered
1. "Rock The Nation"
2. "Bad Motor Scooter"
3. "Space Station #5"
4. "I Don't Want It"
5. "Good Rockin' Tonight"
6. "Rock Candy"
7. "One Thing On My Mind"
8. "Make It Last"
Disc Two: Bonus Tracks
1. "One Thing On My Mind" - Demo *
2. "Shoot Us Down" - Demo *
3. "Rock Candy" - Demo *
4. "Good Rockin' Tonight" - Demo *
5. "I Don't Want It" - Demo *
6. "Make It Last" - Demo *
7. "Intro: Tom Donahue" - Live KSAN Radio Session, 1973 *
8. "Good Rockin' Tonight" - Live KSAN Radio Session, 1973 *
9. "Rock Candy" -Live KSAN Radio Session, 1973 *
10. "Bad Motor Scooter" -Live KSAN Radio Session, 1973 *
11. "Shoot Us Down" - Live KSAN Radio Session, 1973 *
12. "One Thing On My Mind" - Live KSAN Radio Session, 1973 *
13. "Rock The Nation" - Live KSAN Radio Session, 1973 *
14. "Make It Last" - Live KSAN Radio Session, 1973 *
15. "You're Out Of Time" - Live KSAN Radio Session, 1973 *
16. "Roll Over Beethoven" - Live KSAN Radio Session, 1973 *
17. "I Don't Want It" - Live KSAN Radio Session, 1973 *
PAPER MONEY: DELUXE EDITION
Disc One: Original Album Remastered
1. "Underground"
2. "Connection"
3. "The Dreamer"
4. "Starliner"
5. "I Got The Fire"
6. "Spaceage Sacrifice"
7. "We're Going Home"
8. "Paper Money"
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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
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