By the time they entered the studio to begin working on their second album, 1974's Paper Money, the wheels were already starting to come off the supercharged Montrose wagon. Though they involved virtually the same cast of characters responsible for the band's groundbreaking Montrose LP (including producer Ted Templeman and engineer Donn Landee), the sessions for Paper Money were often marred by the fast-deteriorating relationship between guitar hero Ronnie Montrose and his very talented lead singer, Sammy Hagar. The resulting creative tug of war made for a schizophrenic, unfocused set, where powerful rockers like the title track, the heavy riffing "I Got the Fire" and the ripping instrumental "Starliner" stand out from the mostly lackluster, surrounding material, most of which falls significantly short of matching the first album's incredible energy. "Spaceage Sacrifice" is little more than a poor cousin to the debut's barnburning monster single, "Space Station No. 5," and "We're Going Home" was weak enough that Hagar reportedly refused to sing it, allowing Ronnie do the honors. In short, it didn't take a psychic to read the signs here: Hagar would soon say his official "adios" and Montrose would never be the same again. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

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