Kiss guitarist Tommy Thayer chooses (and discusses) the record that changed his life.
Montrose
Montrose (1973)
“I came of age in the early to mid Seventies, and in that era, the most influential album to me was the first Montrose record.
"I still remember the first time I heard it. It was actually at a party at my house. I had these older brothers and sisters, and we would have these huge parties when my parents were out of town.
"We’d have kegs and hundreds of people there. So this guy brought the first Montrose record out and put it on. When I heard 'Rock the Nation' into 'Bad Motor Scooter,' I was like, ‘Oh, my god. I love this!’ It was so powerful. People that grew up in the Sixties might scoff at that and say it’s derivative or second generation…and it is. But I was 13 years old when I heard it, and it blew me away.
"There’s no doubt that Ronnie Montrose was one of the quintessential hard rock–blues guitarists of all time.”