Gamma (band)
| Gamma | |
|---|---|
Gamma, 1980.
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| Background information | |
| Origin | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Genres | Hard rock, heavy metal |
| Years active | 1978–1983, 2000 |
| Labels | Warner Bros., Elektra |
| Associated acts | Montrose, Night Ranger |
| Past members |
Ronnie Montrose Davey Pattison Jim Alcivar Glenn Letsch Skip Gillette Denny Carmassi Alan Fitzgerald Mitchell Froom |
Gamma was a band formed by guitarist Ronnie Montrose and singer Davey Pattison in San Francisco in 1979. They released four albums: Gamma 1 (1979), Gamma 2 (1980), Gamma 3 (1982) (all on Elektra Records) and Gamma 4 (2000). Some of their best known songs are probably "Fight to the Finish" from their first album, and "Meanstreak" and "Voyager" from the second album.
Ronnie Montrose put the band together after having released a solo album Open Fire in 1978, after having disbanded the hard rock band Montrose in 1977. Gamma were a far more AOR-oriented band than Montrose, and used a lot of the latest keyboard technology in their sound.
Their debut album Gamma 1 was released in 1979 and reached #131 on the Billboard Album charts, totalling 17 weeks on the survey. Gamma scored a hit single with "I'm Alive" which got to #60 on Billboard's Singles charts. The original lineup of Ronnie Montrose (guitars), Davey Pattison (vocals), Alan Fitzgerald (bass), Jim Alcivar (keyboards) and Skip Gillette (drums) recorded this album. Guitarist Montrose, bassist Fitzgerald and keyboardist Alcivar had all been members of the band Montrose.
Gamma 2 was issued in 1980. Alan Fitzgerald (who later joined Night Ranger as their keyboardist) was replaced by bassist Glenn Letsch, and Denny Carmassi (another ex-Montrose member) came in on drums. The album had a memorable cover design by Mick Haggerty, featuring two sharks with only their fins visible burrowing through a lawn that was being sprinkled. The album peaked at #65, and featured a heavier sound. (e.g. "Mean Streak" and "Cat on a Leash"). There was also a cover version of Thunderclap Newman's classic "Something in the Air". It was produced by Gary Lyons and Ronnie Montrose.
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