The band was formed shortly after Leslie West, formerly of the Long Island R&B band The Vagrants, recorded a solo album titled Mountain (a reference to West's physical bulk) with bassist and former Cream collaborator Felix Pappalardi producing. The album also featured former Remains drummer N.D. Smart. The album spotlighted West's raw vocals and melodic, bluesy guitar style, and Pappalardi's heavy and elegant bass lines were heavily in evidence throughout, and according to West when Pappalardi asked what would be next West suggested the pair go on the road. Though heavily inspired by seminal British blues-rock band Cream (with which Pappalardi had been a frequent collaborator: he produced Disraeli Gears, Goodbye and Wheels of Fire, also contributing viola, brass, bells and organ to the latter), keyboardist Steve Knight was added to avoid the new band being perceived as a simple imitation. Cream drummer Ginger Baker held a brief stint as manager of the band during their early years. Naming themselves for West's album, West, Pappalardi, Smart, and Knight played shows on the West Coast before getting to play their fourth concert as a working band at the 1969 Woodstock Festival in Bethel, New York. (Their first album as a band, Climbing!, would include a tribute to the festival, "For Yasgur's Farm.")
Mountain was received enthusiastically by the festival audience but the band did not appear in the film of the event, nor was their performance included on volume 1 of the festival's live album, though their performances of "Blood of the Sun" (from West's album) and "Theme for an Imaginary Western" (a song they planned to record for Climbing and co-written by former Cream bassist Jack Bruce) appeared on the second volume of Woodstock performances.
Soon after Woodstock, Smart was replaced by Laurence "Corky" Laing. Climbing! was finished and released in the late fall of 1969. It led off with what becamethe band's signature song, "Mississippi Queen", which reached the middle of the top 40 charts as a single while the album reached the top 20 on the US album charts. Mountain began a hectic touring schedule in the middle of which they recorded a followup album, Nantucket Sleighride, released in 1971. This album reached the top 20 but failed to yield a hit single. The title track was used in the United Kingdom as the theme to ITV's Sunday political program Weekend World. After these early releases the band continued to receive a certain measure of critical acclaim but never again achieved great commercial success.
After Nantucket Sleighride, the band produced Flowers of Evil consisting of one side of studio material and one live side, culled from a concert at New York City's legendary Fillmore East. Within a year---Leslie West has since cited a combination of drug abuse within the band and Pappalardi's road weariness and burgeoning hearing impairment as primary factors---Mountain broke up; a live album, The Road Goes Ever On," was issued in 1972.
Pappalardi returned to studio work while West and Laing formed West, Bruce and Laing with former Cream bassist Jack Bruce. Their first American performance was a Carnegie Hall concert, prompting a bidding war that Columbia Records won, and the new trio cut two studio albums and a live release over the next two years. (Wikipedia)
| Band - Mountain Origin Long Island, New York, USA Genres Blues-rock, hard rock, heavy metal, blues metal Years active 1969–1972, 1974–present Labels Windfall, Columbia, Lightyear, Recall, Big Rack Associated acts West, Bruce and Laing, Blues Creation Website www.mountainrockband.com Former members Felix Pappalardi N. D. Smart Steve Knight Allan Schwartzberg David Perry Bob Mann | Line-up: Leslie West - Guitar, vocals, Felix Pappalardi - bass Corky Laing - drums, Miller Anderson - vocals Mark Clarke - bass, Ian Hunter - keyboards Chuck Kirkpatrick - vocals, Steve Knight - keyboards Norman Landsberg - keyboards, Tommy Morrongiello - guitar David Perry - guitar, Noel Redding - bass N.D. Smart II - drums, Norman D. Smart - drums Ritchie Scarlett Randy Coven Mark Hitt Rev Jones Steve "Budgie" Werner Track list: |
| Disc 1 1. Blood of the Sun 2:35 2. Long Red 3:15 3. Blind Man 3:54 4. Dreams of Milk and Honey 3:34 5. Southbound Train 2:59 6. Because You Are My Friend 3:12 7. Mississippi Queen 2:31 8. Theme from an Imaginary Western 5:06 9. Never in My Life 3:51 10. Silver Paper 3:17 11. For Yasgur's Farm 3:23 12. To My Friend 3:37 13. Sittin' on a Rainbow 2:22 14. Stormy Monday [live] 19:30 15. Waiting to Take You Away [live] 3:38 16. Guitar Solo [live] 5:48 | Disc 2 1. Don't Look Around 3:43 2. Taunta (Sammy's Tune) 1:00 3. Nantucket Sleighride 5:51 4. You Can't Get Away! 3:25 5. The Animal Trainer and the Toad 3:26 6. My Lady 4:33 7. Travelin' in the Dark 4:24 8. The Great Train Robbery 5:43 9. Flowers of Evil 4:53 10. One Last Cold Kiss 3:51 11. Crossroader 4:48 12. Roll over Beethoven [live] 4:08 13. You Better Believe It 5:49 14. Back Where I Belong 2:57 15. Bardot Damage 4:05 16. Shimmy on the Footlights 4:23 17. Talking to the Angels 3:42 18. Solution 4:13 |
Download Complete Album - Mountain (1995) Over The Top
Download CD 1 [FS] [66MB]
Download CD 2 [FS] [68MB]
Discography
Studio albums
* Climbing! (1970)
* Nantucket Sleighride (1971)
* Flowers of Evil (1971; partially live)
* Avalanche (1974)
* Go for Your Life (1985)
* Man's World (1996)
* Mystic Fire (2002)
* Masters of War (2007)
Live albums
* Mountain Live: The Road Goes Ever On (1972)
* Twin Peaks (1974)
Compilations
* The Best of Mountain (1973)
* Over the Top (2001)
