One of
Sammy Hagar's better early-career outings, this eponymous effort is most commonly referred to as The Red Album. Starting off with one of the most affective rock anthems that
Hagar would write during his solo career, "Red," the rest of the disc maintains its generally energetic pace and relatively high quality. Joining guitarist/vocalist
Hagar on the 1977 release are longtime collaborators
Bill Church on bass and
Alan Fitzgerald on keyboards. The rest of the lineup is filled out by drummer
Scott Mathews and David Lewark, who helps the red rocker out on guitar. Besides the title track, other fan favorites like "Rock 'n' Roll Weekend" and "Cruisin' and Boozin'" help fill out a track listing that is the strongest released by
Hagar during the decade between his
Montrose debut and the wildly successful breakthrough solo disc
Standing Hampton. Clearly, this is the musician's finest '70s effort for Capitol Records. ~ Vincent Jeffries