Avalanche (Mountain album)

Last updated

Avalanche
Mountain Avalanche.jpg
Studio album by
Mountain
ReleasedJuly 1974
RecordedJanuary–February 1974
Genre Hard rock, blues rock
Length41:00
Label Columbia/Windfall
Producer Felix Pappalardi
Mountain chronology
Twin Peaks
(1974)		Avalanche
(1974)		 Go for Your Life
(1985)

Avalanche is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Mountain, released in July 1974. It featured the return of drummer Corky Laing and was the band's only recording with second guitarist David Perry. It was their final album of the 1970s and the last to feature bassist/producer Felix Pappalardi. The band supported the album with a tour. [1]

Contents

Background and release

After the release of their first live album, Live: The Road Goes Ever On , the band disbanded. In 1973, the band got back together for a tour of Japan, which resulted in their second live album, Twin Peaks . [2]

The band recorded Avalanche during January and February, and released it in July 1974. [3] The album debuted at No. 127, [4] and peaked at No. 102 on the Billboard 200 chart. [5] They supported the album with a tour, after which the band disbanded again, only to get back together in October of that year to play more shows. [1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]

James Chrispell of AllMusic gave the album two out of five stars, highlighting their cover of Jerry Lee Lewis' "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "You Better Believe It," but saying the rest of the album, "sounds like it could have been left buried under the Avalanche." [3] A Cashbox reviewer says the album is a "contiguous whole that picks up the essence of Mountain and sends it down on your head like, well, an avalanche." [7] A Billboard magazine reviewer wrote that the album is "maybe the best overall set the band has come up with yet." [8]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On"Dave Williams, Myriam S. Davidson5:05
2."Sister Justice"Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins, Wyatt Day3:58
3."Alisan"Leslie West4:41
4."Swamp Boy"Pappalardi, Collins2:54
5."(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" Mick Jagger, Keith Richards 5:14
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Thumbsucker"Pappalardi, Collins3:20
2."You Better Believe It"West, Corky Laing5:47
3."I Love to See You Fly"West, Pappalardi, Collins3:46
4."Back Where I Belong"West, Laing2:56
5."Last of the Sunshine Days"Pappalardi, Collins3:47
Total length:41:00

Personnel

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart (1974)Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [9] 91
US Billboard 200 [10] 102

References

  1. 1 2 Hillenburg, Jason (April 25, 2017). "The story of the band Mountain". Goldmine .
  2. ↑ Eder, Bruce. "Mountain Biography by Bruce Eder". AllMusic .
  3. 1 2 Chrispell, James. "Avalanche Review by James Chrispell". AllMusic .
  4. ↑ "Billboard 200 - Week of August 10, 1974". Billboard . August 10, 1974.
  5. ↑ "Billboard 200 - Week of August 31, 1974". Billboard . August 31, 1974.
  6. ↑ Mountain - Avalanche (1974) album review by James Chrispell at AllMusic.com
  7. ↑ "Cash Box - Album Reviews" (PDF). Cashbox . July 27, 1974. p. 22 – via World Radio History.
  8. ↑ "Billboard's Top Album Picks" (PDF). Billboard . July 27, 1974. p. 60 – via World Radio History.
  9. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3859b". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  10. ↑ "Mountain Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
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