50 STATES OF HARD ROCK #26: MONTANA
Release: Hooked
Year: 1991
Line-up: Jack Russell (vocals), Mark Kendall (guitars), Michael Lardie (guitars, keyboards), Tony Montana (bass), Audie Desbrow (drums)
Track Listing:
1. Call it Rock N'Roll 3:56
2. The Original Queen of Sheba 4:39
3. Cold Hearted Lovin' 4:19
4. Can't Shake it 4:41
5. Lovin' Kind 4:44
6. Heartbreaker 6:44
7. Congo Square 6:57
8. South Bay Cities 5:24
9. Desert Moon 4:32
10. Afterglow 5:49
Fletchanator's
comment: So far in this series I've had to do a couple of slight cheats in order to fill slots, but this is the most cheatiest cheat I've done so far. Desperate times call for desperate measures and I couldn't for the life of me find any hard rock/hair metal bands from the sparsely-populated northwest state of Montana. So I present to you Great White, a California band, with a bassist named Tony MONTANA *hangs head in shame*. Besides sharing his last name with the state, he also has the same name as the main character from the movie Scarface.Even the most casual of rock music fan will be familiar with Great White's big hit Once Bitten Twice Shy. Most will also be aware of the infamy the band gained due to the fatal club fire at one of their shows in 2003. Thankfully they have moved on from that tragedy, albeit in a splintered faction, with singer Jack Russell fronting Jack Russell's Great White (with Montana also in the fold) and Kendall, Lardie and Desbrow playing in... Great White. Can't we all just get along guys?
But let's head back to 1991 for their fifth studio album, when all the boys were still functioning together. Following on the heels of the hugely-successful Twice Shy album (with the aforementioned big hit), Hooked had a lot of expectations riding on it. It didn't reach the heights of its predecessor, lacking a big hit single, but did reach #18 on the Billboard charts and was well-received by fans and critics.
Hooked is a fine album, continuing the polished sound from Twice Shy, while ramping up the bluesy elements. Desert Moon, Original Queen of Sheba and Heartbreaker are the standout tracks in my opinion, while their cover of Small Faces' song Afterglow is another highlight. Highly recommended!
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