Album review: GAMMA – What’s Gone Is Gone (The Complete Elektra Recordings))

Cherry Red [Release date: 30.06.23]

CD1: GAMMA 1 (1979)

CD2: GAMMA 2 (1980)

CD3: GAMMA 3 (1982)

The first 3 CDs from Ronnie Montrose’s band, Gamma, come nicely packaged this month, with each one including a couple of bonus tracks, mainly “single” edits.

Also nice to note that the band’s Glasgow born vocalist, Davey Pattison (also of Robin Trower) is playing some dates in Scotland this year. He’s already played a couple. Still to come are Belladrum Music Festival, Inverness on 27 July and Ivory Blacks in Glasgow in October.

Pattison joined Gamma in San Francisco 1979, flying out from Scotland at the invitation of music impresario, Bill Graham. Apparently Pattison and Montrose established an immediate rapport.

GAMMA 1
On several tracks here, ‘Thunder And Lightning’, ‘Fight To The Finish’, ‘Wish I Was’, Montrose’s muscular riffs, chiming solos and Pattison’s sinewy vocals all added up to the commercial arena rock sound many bands aimed for in the late seventies.

The songs are well crafted, but didn’t really standout in a field of similarly engaged rock bands.

GAMMA 2
‘Mean Streak’ continues where the debut album left off, sounding a little more joined up, with vocals and guitars clearly bonding in the studio. You can hear it too on the fret melting ‘Four Horsemen’ – the band were beginning to create their own arena rock identity.
That shouldn’t be a surprise considering the band’s pedigree…. Apart from Montrose and Pattison, Gamma variously included Alan (Night Ranger/Van Halen) on bass and Denny (Hagar/Heart) Carmassi on drums.

The balladic ‘Voyager’ proves to be album’s outstanding track. It keeps its distance from Stadium Rock tropes, and in doing so, it feels much more sultry and complex. A classy song, subtly, beautifully done.

GAMMA 3
On the third album, the band are still trying manfully to absorb fashionable synth sounds into their hard rocking style. ‘Mobile Devotion’ and ‘Moving Violation’ almost get there.
But still, the band’s hard rocking past constantly catches up. ‘What’s Gone Is Gone’ (giving title to this boxset), ‘Right On Time’, and ‘No Way Out’ all give Foreigner a run for their money. Bringing up Pattison’s vocals in the mix showed his voice to be the equal of Lou Gramm’s soulful croon.

But the band’s mixed stylistic messages fell on too many deaf ears, and Gamma disbanded soon after.

As fans will know, Montrose and Pattison reactivated the band in 2000. ***

Review by Brian McGowan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)