Montrose – Paper Cash
Underground
Connection
The Dreamer
Starliner
I Received the Fireplace
Spaceage Sacrifice
We’re Going House
Paper Cash
Slick from the street and brimming with confidence, Montrose returned to the studio in 1974 to file their second album.
Bassist Invoice Church had left, and the no-frills strategy of the debut vanished with him, supplanted by guitarist Ronnie Montrose’s musical restlessness. It made for a extra assorted hear than Paper Money, if not a extra thrilling one. What it does is provide extra causes to remorse the very fact they couldn’t make it final.
The opening observe, Underground, was supremely radio-friendly exhausting rock, whereas keyboards have been extra outstanding on We’re Going House and The Dreamer, though the title observe and I Received The Fireplace harked again to the debut album. Finally it might all add as much as turn into the band’s largest home Stateside success.
In a style of what was to return later in his profession, frontman Sammy Hagar butted heads with Montrose and walked out midway via the tour for his or her second album, Paper Cash.
Each week, Album of the Week Membership listens to and discusses the album in query, votes on how good it’s, and publishes our findings, with the purpose of giving folks dependable evaluations and the broader rock neighborhood the possibility to contribute.
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Different albums launched in October 1974
- Worry – John Cale
- Partitions and Bridges – John Lennon
- Pink – King Crimson
- Todd Rundgren’s Utopia – Todd Rundgren’s Utopia
- Battle Youngster – Jethro Tull
- It is Solely Rock ‘n Roll – The Rolling Stones
- Hotter Than Hell – Kiss
- Borboletta – Santana
- The Coronary heart of Saturday Evening – Tom Waits
- Homeless Brother – Don McLean
- The Inconceivable Dream – The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
- It will Shine When It Shines – Ozark Mountain Daredevils
- Misplaced in a Dream – REO Speedwagon
- The Mirror – Spooky Tooth
- Mom Lode – Loggins and Messina
- Not Simply One other Bunch of Fairly Faces – If
- Quatro – Suzi Quatro
- Rock and Roll Outlaws – Foghat
- Silk Torpedo – The Fairly Issues
- Gradual Movement – Man
- Smiler – Rod Stewart
- Veedon Fleece – Van Morrison
What they stated…
“Spaceage Sacrifice is little greater than a poor cousin to the debut’s barnburning monster single, Area Station No. 5, and We’re Going House was weak sufficient that Hagar reportedly refused to sing it, permitting Ronnie do the honours. Briefly, it did not take a psychic to learn the indicators right here: Hagar would quickly say his official “adios” and Montrose would by no means be the identical once more.” (AllMusic (opens in new tab))
“As a follow-up to the band’s landmark 1973 debut, Paper Cash is a agency assertion of inventive independence. The place Montrose stays rightly well-known for its unrelenting eight-song exhausting rock assault, Paper Cash is all around the map. Opening with the blatantly poppy Underground and the largely acoustic Rolling Stones cowl Connection was certain to boost a couple of eyebrows, as was Ronnie’s determination to take the lead vocal on the somber ballad We’re Going House. (Day by day Vault (opens in new tab))
“This brief album is capped off by the title observe. Carmassi and Fitzgerald once more exhibit their talents – Carmassi with a Wipe Out/tribal rhythm that dusts off each nook of his package, and Fitzgerald with a weird robotic funk line. Hagar is extra spectacular right here than on many of the LP’s different cuts, with the emergence of the soulful supply that he’d solidified in his solo profession. Montrose, in the meantime, exhibits off memorable licks paying homage to these he’d displayed throughout his stint with The Edgar Winter Group on such classics as Frankenstein and Free Trip.” (Traditional Rock Music Weblog (opens in new tab))
What you stated…
Mike Canoe: It took me a couple of listens to find out what I did not like about Montrose’s Paper Cash earlier than I, pun totally meant, made the connection.
I feel the title observe is the most effective track and it is inexplicably the final track on the album. Has there ever been a extra rocking critique of worldwide financial coverage? OK, tongue firmly in cheek there, however I feel it is the track that finest shows all of the band’s strengths – and it is really written by Montrose and Hagar.
As a substitute the album opens with two cowl songs, one being the Rolling Stone’s pop confection Connection stretched to virtually triple its unique size and performed at what appears like one-third the velocity.
So permit me to impudently counsel how producer Ted Templeman and everybody at Warner Data might have sequenced the album to far larger impact – and even permit Connection to, effectively, join.
Facet one
1. Paper Cash
2. The Dreamer
3. Starliner
4. We’re Going House
Facet two
5. Underground
6. Connection
7. I Received the Fireplace
8. Spaceage Sacrifice
Admittedly, the one factor I understand how to play is the stereo however I play the stereo rather a lot, and I obsess over the playlists the best way others would possibly over their fantasy soccer group or dream automobile. As Jimmy Web page says, it is all about mild and shade. To my ears, Paper Cash is an efficient album hampered by a mediocre observe sequencing.
Invoice Griffin: I discover this to be a mediocre effort however admittedly, my opinion of the primary album enormously influenced that opinion. I do like Connection although.
Chris Downie: Usually lauded by a small however vocal minority of traditional rock connoisseurs as the primary nice American heavy metallic band, Montrose got here racing out of the beginning blocks within the early 70s, powered by the supreme guitar abilities of Ronnie Montrose and future Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar. But whereas the debut is rightly lauded as an all-time traditional, the band have gone down in historical past as considered one of a choose few (assume Boston, Steppenwolf and arguably Van Halen, amongst others) who unleashed a timeless first album, however by no means fairly lived it down, or topped their opening assertion.
Trying again at Paper Cash, there’s a lot to be admired right here; I Received The Fireplace (later lined by Iron Maiden) and the title observe are standouts and whereas many have misgivings about bands inserting cowl variations on an unique LP, their model of The Rolling Stones Connection is creditable.
Like Boston quickly after, there’s a case to be made that, had their debut and sophomore efforts been switched out, historical past would maybe view the band otherwise. As a substitute, the consensus is that Paper Cash is the archetypal ‘sophomore stoop’, from which an acrimonious break up with Hagar shortly ensued and the band’s early promise was by no means fairly realised. They deserved higher than that and certainly, taken by itself deserves, this can be a mighty fantastic exhausting rock album that deserves extra credit score than it ever obtained. 8/10.
Paul Murray: I bought the Fireplace is a thunderous rocker that might grace any album ever! Love this band and this album, while not on the identical degree because the debut (however what’s?), is a good hear.
Adam McCann: Little bit of a curate’s egg, I’ve Received the Fireplace is an excellent tune and when Paper Cash is sweet, it is very good, however equally when it is poor, it’s totally skippable. Unfairly judged in opposition to the debut although? Most positively.
Ron Ostrander: Pales compared to the primary album however nonetheless a terrific album. Greatest tracks being I Received The Fireplace and the title observe Paper Cash.
James Final: Do not imagine what they inform ya, whereas it is true this does not fairly come near the debut (few rock albums do), apart from only one observe that is really relatively dreadful (spoiler: its the one Sammy Hagar doesnt sing on), this can be a fairly rattling good file, deserves a reappraisal.
Fred Varcoe: Man, I might forgotten simply how good this album is. And sure, the issue when ranking it’s the first album, which is 11 on a scale of 10. It is a 9 and if it had been Montrose’s first album, we might be raving over it rather more. It is a change of tempo, however that change of tempo with Sammy’s nice vocals actually, actually works. And the guitar solo on We’re Going House is simply perfection. Man, I miss the 70s.
Gary Claydon: One factor I’ll say, whoever was in command of designing Montrose’s album covers did a very horrible job. They’re all unhealthy. This one seems like one thing you’d doodle on the quilt of a college e-book whenever you have been about 13 years previous.
Gilbert Terpstra: Nice album. Mellow however nice songs. In fact I Received The Fireplace set me in flames as a child of 9.
John Waters: I choose this album over the debut. superior cowl of Connection.
John Davidson: Paper Cash is a good album of mid-paced guitar rock tunes. There’s not a lot to set the heart beat pounding (definitely not in comparison with their debut) however I believe it may very well be a grower.
Facet 2 is certainly extra attention-grabbing than Facet 1, which instantly hits a sandbar with the lethargic Connection. It isn’t a foul track, however it stops what little ahead momentum the album had gained in Underground fully in its tracks.
Total it lacks energy, does not swing or groove and positively would not chew, however it kinda ambles alongside amiably sufficient. A reliable 7/10 (however no heather was in peril of bursting into flames).
Richard Cardenas: Connection alone elevates this file.
Peter Barron: The primary one is flawless, so select the second? It does not even have the most effective model of I’ve Received The Fireplace – the Iron Maiden cowl eats it alive.
Greg Schwepe: For probably the most half I assessment every week’s album as a standalone as I hear begin to end. In some circumstances, it’s the primary time I’ve ever heard the band. In some circumstances, it’s one other album in a well-known band’s catalogue that I both hadn’t heard earlier than or one I take heed to once more with a recent set of ears. With Paper Cash I had a much bigger job; faux I’d by no means heard Montrose’s bombastic debut. “Don’t evaluate the 2! Faux the debut doesn’t exist” I stored saying to myself.
And sure, I had by no means listened to Paper Cash earlier than. After shopping for Montrose, as a result of it was talked about in one million articles the place artists listed it because the one “that completely blew me away once I heard it”, I by no means bothered to go any additional into their catalogue.
Total, Paper Cash may be very a lot a rocking 70s album. You get the vocals of Sammy Hagar and guitar of band namesake Ronnie Montrose. A really listenable album. No track I didn’t like, nothing that made me flip it off. And this ended up being the final Montrose album album that Sammy was part of. However everyone knows that leaving the band didn’t harm him. He ended up being a terrific tequila salesman. Oh, and have a profitable solo profession after which entrance a little bit band known as Van Halen.
The keyboard infused Underground begins this 35-minute enterprise. After that comes Connection, which wins the “Disguise and Search” award for not sounding like the unique Stones model in any respect. Had I not executed some web sleuthing in regards to the album and seen the “Jagger/Richards” writing credit I wouldn’t have caught that this was a canopy.
The Dreamer comes subsequent and right here’s the place Ronnie lastly finds the acquire knob on his amp. Straight up 70’s riff together with Sammy’s trademark vocal fashion. That is adopted by the funky instrumental Starliner. A few of the keyboards are a little bit goofy at occasions, however it all works effectively with a form of name and response with the guitar.
I Received The Fireplace I’m going to guess goes to get the very best marks from all of the Album of The Week Membership reviewers. It’s the standout observe on the album.
The ultimate three tracks discover Spaceage Sacrifice slowing it down a little bit, Ronnie Montrose taking the vocals on We’re Going House, after which Sammy taking the vocal on the title observe.
Ultimately, this can be a respectable album. And what I needed to do was faux that this was their debut and that Montrose was the follow-up. All in all, Paper Cash hit the marks for me. And I’d’ve famous my calendar for when their subsequent album hit the shop, which might be Montrose in my little “Album Time Machine Reversal” situation. Think about how blown away you’d have been then with an album stuffed with Dangerous Motor Scooter, Rock The Nation, and Rock Sweet after Paper Cash whet your urge for food.
Ultimate rating: 6.94 (52 votes solid, whole rating 361)
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