One of Sammy Hagar’s rawest recordings, Musical Chairs features some guitars that are a treat for listeners fond of the much tougher, uncompromising music that Hagar used throughout the ’70s to build one of the largest followings for an American hard rock solo artist. With a strong backing lineup that included former Montrose alum Denny Carmassi (drums), Bill Church (bass), and Alan Fitzgerald (keys), Hagar’s music comes off lean and mean. Thanks especially to Hagar himself and longtime musical associate Gary Pihl, the riffing on Musical Chairs separates the recording from many hard rock issues of the day. Aggressive numbers like “Turn up the Music” and “Straight From the Hip Kid” do the most sonic damage on this classic red-rocker offering.
01 – Turn Up The Music
02 – It’s Gonna Be All Right
03 – You Make Me Crazy
04 – Reckless
05 – Try (Try To Fall In Love)
06 – Don’t Stop Me Now
07 – Straight From The Hip Kid
08 – Hey Boys
09 – Someone Out There
10 – Crack In The World
Sammy Hagar – lead vocals, guitar
Gary Pihl – guitar
Bill Church – bass
Alan Fitzgerald – keyboards
Denny Carmassi – drums