"Mississippi Queen" | ||||
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![]() West German picture sleeve | ||||
Single by Mountain | ||||
from the album Climbing! | ||||
B-side | "The Laird" | |||
Released | February 1970 | |||
Recorded | 1969–1970 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:30 | |||
Label | Windfall | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Felix Pappalardi | |||
Mountain singles chronology | ||||
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"Mississippi Queen" is a song by the American rock band Mountain. Considered a rock classic, [5] it was their most successful single, reaching number 21 in the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. [6] The song is included on the group's debut album and several live recordings have been issued. [5]
Drummer Corky Laing explained that he had developed some of the lyrics and the drum part prior to his joining the band. [7] Later, when guitarist Leslie West was looking for lyrics for a guitar part he had written, Laing pulled out "The Queen" and the two worked out the song together; [7] bassist/producer Felix Pappalardi and lyricist David Rea also received songwriting credits.
"Mississippi Queen" was recorded during the sessions for Mountain's 1970 debut album Climbing! , but without keyboard player Steve Knight. Pappalardi provided the piano part and during the recording, he insisted on numerous takes. [7] Growing weary, Laing started using the cowbell to count off the song; Pappalardi liked it so much he left it in the mix, creating the song's recognizable intro. [7]
West stated in a Guitar Player magazine interview about the gear and production of the song that, “It’s only one guitar track on the rhythm – a [Gibson] Les Paul TV Jr. into a 50-watt Marshall that went into a Sunn 12-inch cabinet." The guitar leads were later overdubbed. [8]
"Mississippi Queen" appears at number 10 on a 1995 chronological list of the "50 Heaviest Riffs of All Time" by Guitar magazine editorial staff. [9] Author Scott R. Benarde describes the song as "an enduring anthem" with a "guitar riff that sounded like a carnivore choking on dinner". [1] The song is ranked 230th in The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time by biographer Martin Popoff; [2] it also appears at number 10 on the Ultimate Classic Rock 2011 list of the "Top 10 Southern Rock Songs". [4] Spin magazine described it as "the cowbell jam to end all cowbell jams. Mountain are to the cowbell what Dostoevsky is to the Russian novel" in naming it number one on its 2004 list of the "Fifteen Greatest Cowbell Songs of All Time". [10]
Ozzy Osbourne recorded "Mississippi Queen" for his 2005 album Under Cover , with a guest appearance by West on guitar. [11] The song reached number 10 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. [12]
Diary of a Madman is the second studio album by English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne. It was released in October 1981, and re-issued on CD on 22 August 1995. This is the last Osbourne studio album to feature guitarist Randy Rhoads and drummer Lee Kerslake. An altered version appeared in 2002 with the original bass and drum parts removed and re-recorded. In 2011, a Deluxe 30th Anniversary Edition was released with all original parts restored. To date, the album has sold over 3 million copies worldwide.
No More Tears is the sixth studio album by English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne. Released on 17 September 1991, the album charted at number 17 on the UK Albums Chart and number seven on the US Billboard 200 albums chart. No More Tears spawned four singles which reached the top ten of the US Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, including the number two "Mama, I'm Coming Home", and the Grammy-winning track "I Don't Want to Change the World". Along with 1980's Blizzard of Ozz it is one of Osbourne's two best-selling solo albums in North America, having been certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA and double platinum by CRIA. It was Osbourne's final album to feature drummer Randy Castillo and longtime bassist and songwriter Bob Daisley.
Paranoid is the second studio album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released on 18 September 1970 by Vertigo Records in the United Kingdom and on 7 January 1971 by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album contains several of the band's signature songs, including "Iron Man", "War Pigs" and the title track, which was the band's only Top 20 hit, reaching number 4 on the UK charts.
"War Pigs" is an anti-war protest song by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in 1970. It is the opening track from the band's second studio album Paranoid (1970).
Felix A. Pappalardi Jr. was an American music producer, songwriter, vocalist, and bassist. He is best known as the bassist and co-lead vocalist of the band Mountain, whose song "Mississippi Queen" peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has become a classic rock radio staple. Originating in the eclectic music scene in New York's Greenwich Village, he became closely attached to the British power trio Cream, writing, arranging, and producing for their second album Disraeli Gears. As a producer for Atlantic Records, he worked on several projects with guitarist Leslie West; in 1969 their partnership evolved into the band Mountain. The band lasted less than five years, but their work influenced the first generation of heavy metal and hard rock music. Pappalardi continued to work as a producer, session musician, and songwriter until he was shot and killed by his wife Gail Collins in 1983.
Mountain was an American hard rock band formed on Long Island, New York, in 1969. Originally consisting of vocalist-guitarist Leslie West, bassist-vocalist Felix Pappalardi, keyboardist Steve Knight, and drummer N. D. Smart, the group disbanded in 1972, but reunited on several occasions prior to West's death in 2020. They are best-known for their 1970 smash hit song "Mississippi Queen", which remains a staple of classic rock radio, as well as the heavily sampled song "Long Red", and their performance at Woodstock Festival in 1969. Mountain is one of many bands commonly credited with influencing the development of heavy metal music during the 1970s. The group's musical style primarily consisted of hard rock, blues rock, and heavy metal.
"Crazy Train" is the debut solo single by English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne and was released in 1980 from his debut album as a solo artist, Blizzard of Ozz (1980). The song was written by Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, and Bob Daisley. The lyrics deal with the subject of the Cold War and the fear of annihilation that existed during this period.
West, Bruce and Laing were a Scottish–American-Canadian blues rock power trio super-group formed in 1972 by Leslie West, Jack Bruce, and Corky Laing. The band released two studio albums, Why Dontcha (1972) and Whatever Turns You On (1973), during their active tenure. Their disbanding was officially announced in early 1974 prior to the release of their third and last album, Live 'n' Kickin'.
Leslie Abel West was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the co-founder, guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Mountain. West was named the 245th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone in 2023.
Under Cover is the ninth studio album by English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne. The album consists entirely of cover songs, with an emphasis on rock music from the 1960s and 1970s. This is Osbourne's first and only album to feature cover songs from various artists, although in 1982, Osbourne released the live album Speak of the Devil featuring renditions of songs from his time with Black Sabbath. All but four songs were originally released in the box set Prince of Darkness, released earlier the same year. The additional songs are "Rocky Mountain Way", "Sunshine of Your Love", "Woman" and "Go Now". Whilst he cites The Beatles as his favourite band, his favourite song of all time is Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale". He had wished to cover this song but was advised against it since it had recently been covered by a "close musical associate".
Laurence Gordon "Corky" Laing is a Canadian rock drummer, best known as a longtime member of the pioneering American hard rock band Mountain. He and guitarist/vocalist Leslie West were the only members to appear on every album.
Climbing! is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Mountain. It was released on March 7, 1970, by Windfall Records.
Flowers of Evil is the third studio album and first live album by American hard rock band Mountain. The title track concerns drug abuse in Vietnam. The first side of the album includes new studio material, while the second consists of live material recorded on 27 June 1971 at the Fillmore East in New York City. It was released in November 1971 by Windfall.
Live: The Road Goes Ever On is the second live album by American hard rock band Mountain, released on 24 April 1972 by Windfall Records. It contains four songs recorded at three shows in August 1969, December 1971, and January 1972. The album was produced by the band's bassist and second vocalist Felix Pappalardi, while the artwork was created by his wife and collaborator Gail Collins. The Road Goes Ever On takes its name from J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit.
Twin Peaks is the third live album by American hard rock band Mountain, released in February 1974 by Columbia and Windfall Records. It contains recordings from the band's performance at Koseinenkin Hall in Osaka, Japan on August 30, 1973. The album was produced by the band's bassist and second vocalist Felix Pappalardi, while the artwork was created by his wife and collaborator Gail Collins. It was Mountain's first release since returning after a year-long hiatus.
The Best of Mountain is the only compilation album by American hard rock band Mountain. It consists of material recorded throughout 1970-1971, culled from their first three LPs. On 15 April 2003, the album was remastered and reissued in an expanded edition with new liner notes and four bonus tracks, two of which are taken from Leslie West's first solo album, 1969's Felix Pappalardi-produced Mountain, the project which eventually led to the formation of the band.
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.
Masters of War is the eighth and final studio album by American hard rock band Mountain, released in 2007. The album consists entirely of Bob Dylan covers.
Mystic Fire is the seventh studio album by American hard rock band Mountain, released in 2002. It is their final album of original material, as their following album, Masters of War, would consist solely of covers.