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Mountain | |
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![]() Mountain in 1970 | |
Background information | |
Origin | Long Island, New York, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active |
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Spinoffs |
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Past members | Leslie West Corky Laing Felix Pappalardi Steve Knight N. D. Smart Bob Mann Allan Schwartzberg David Perry Miller Anderson Mark Clarke Richie Scarlet Randy Coven Noel Redding Rev Jones |
Mountain was an American hard rock band formed on Long Island, New York, in 1969. [1] [2] Originally consisting of vocalist-guitarist Leslie West, bassist-vocalist Felix Pappalardi, keyboardist Steve Knight, and drummer N. D. Smart (soon replaced by Corky Laing), the group disbanded in 1972, but reunited on several occasions prior to West's death in 2020. [3] 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. [4] [5] The group's musical style primarily consisted of hard rock, blues rock, [1] and heavy metal. [6]
The beginning of the live recording of their song "Long Red" has become one of the most sampled drum breaks in hip hop, sampled in over 700 songs [7] by artists such as EPMD, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Kanye West, the Game, among many others. Songs using the sample include Jay-Z's "99 Problems" and Kanye West's "The Glory". [8] [9] [10]
In early 1969 Leslie West, formerly of the Long Island R&B band The Vagrants, put together a band, Leslie West Mountain, with Norman Landsberg (keyboards, bass) and Ken Janick (drums) and began playing gigs and recording demos. Right around this time, former Cream collaborator/producer Felix Pappalardi, who had previously produced the Vagrants, expressed an interest in producing West's work. [3] West, previously disgruntled and unsatisfied with the lack of success in his first project, found Cream to be a great inspiration. He began to feel disillusioned with the R&B and blues scenes of the 1960s in which he had played. He envisioned a project that would take on a rawer and much harder style which he had begun to favor, with his newly-developed guitar style inspired by hearing Cream's Eric Clapton.
Pappalardi rejected the demos by the West-Landsberg-Janick trio, but took a suggestion that he play bass on West's solo album, Mountain . The album also featured Landsberg and former Remains drummer N.D. Smart. The album spotlighted West's raw vocals and melodic, bluesy guitar style, and Pappalardi's bass lines were prominent. According to West, when Pappalardi asked what would be next, West suggested the pair go on the road. Keyboardist Steve Knight (from Devil's Anvil, another of Pappalardi's productions) was added after Landsberg left to form another group, Hammer, with Janick.
Naming themselves "Mountain", after West's 1969 solo album, West, Pappalardi, Smart, and Knight played shows on the west coast before getting to play their third concert as a working band at the 1969 Woodstock Festival in Bethel, New York. [11] 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. 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 written by former Cream bassist Jack Bruce) did appear on the second volume of Woodstock performances called "Woodstock II" (Neither of those "live" songs were recorded at Woodstock, however.) The 40th Anniversary Edition of Woodstock on DVD and Blu-ray features filmed performances of "Beside The Sea" and "Southbound Train".
Soon after Woodstock, Smart was replaced by Canadian Laurence "Corky" Laing, [3] who was the drummer on Climbing! , which was released in March 1970. [1] It led off with what became the band's signature song, "Mississippi Queen", which reached No. 21 in the Billboard Hot 100, and was featured in the 1971 cult film Vanishing Point , while the album reached No. 17. [3]
Mountain began a hectic touring schedule in the middle of which they recorded a follow-up album, Nantucket Sleighride , released in January 1971. [11] This album reached No. 16 but failed to yield a hit single. The title track was used in the UK as the theme to ITV's Sunday political program Weekend World . [3] After these early releases the band continued to receive a certain measure of critical acclaim but never again achieved great commercial success. [11]
After Nantucket Sleighride, the band produced Flowers of Evil (November 1971) consisting of one side of studio material and one live side, culled from a concert at New York's Fillmore East. [11]
Mountain disbanded in February 1972 after a tour of the UK. [11] West has since cited a combination of drug abuse within the band and Pappalardi's road weariness and burgeoning hearing impairment as primary factors. A live album, Mountain Live: The Road Goes Ever On, was issued in April 1972. [3]
Pappalardi returned to studio work, while West and Laing formed West, Bruce and Laing with former Cream bassist Jack Bruce. [3] [11] 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. After Bruce suddenly pulled out of the trio in 1973, West and Laing continued on briefly as Leslie West's Wild West Show, which also featured special guest Mitch Ryder plus NYC guitarist Peter Baron and bassist Tom Robb (formerly with Mylon LeFevre's band and later with the Marshall Tucker Band).
By August 1973, West and Pappalardi had reformed Mountain with Allan Schwartzberg on drums and Bob Mann (ex-Dreams) on keyboards and guitar; the new lineup toured Japan and produced a double live album, Twin Peaks (February 1974), from the tour. [11] The studio work Avalanche (July 1974), for which Laing returned to play drums and David Perry became the new second guitarist (from November 1973 to September 1974), would be Mountain's final album with Pappalardi as a participant; [11] the group broke up again after playing a final show at Felt Forum in New York City on December 31, 1974. [3]
On April 17, 1983 Gail Collins Pappalardi, Pappalardi's wife and songwriting partner (she had designed many of the band's album covers and wrote many of their lyrics), shot Pappalardi in the neck in their fifth-floor East Side Manhattan apartment and he died. [3]
After pursuing separate musical paths for almost a decade, West and Laing reunited Mountain, recruiting Miller Anderson (ex-Savoy Brown & Keef Hartley) on bass in 1981. After Anderson had travel visa troubles, he was replaced in 1984 by Mark Clarke and the group recorded Go for Your Life (March 1985). [11] This line up played at the Knebworth Fayre on June 22, 1985 alongside Mama's Boys, Blackfoot, Meat Loaf, Scorpions, Deep Purple, and others. [3] Go For Your Life was dedicated to Pappalardi's memory. Shortly thereafter, the band performed with Triumph at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Illinois. [12]
Mountain went dormant again until 1992, when West and Laing teamed up once again and brought in Richie Scarlet (known for his solo work and collaborations with Ace Frehley) to round out the lineup that had a live appearance in The Dennis Miller Show . Scarlet was replaced with Randy Coven in 1993 and in 1994 there was a Mountain lineup that included West, Laing, Noel Redding and occasional special guest guitarist Elvin Bishop. By 1995, the 1984–85 lineup of West, Laing and Mark Clarke was back, and recorded Man's World in 1996. In 1998 things went quiet in the Mountain camp again until 2001. That year, with Scarlet back in the lineup, the band toured, then recorded Mystic Fire , [1] released in 2002.
In 2003 West and Laing authored a book of recollections, Nantucket Sleighride and Other Mountain On-the-Road Stories, detailing their time with the band at its peak and their subsequent careers.
Mountain's video game debut came in 2007 on RedOctane's Guitar Hero III , featuring "Mississippi Queen" as a playable track. The song is also featured in the Harmonix video game Rock Band , although the version featured is a cover of the studio recording.
Their final album was 2007's Masters of War , featuring twelve Bob Dylan covers and a guest appearance from Ozzy Osbourne.
The band headed out on the road during October and November 2008 on a North American tour opening for Joe Satriani, [13] and with former Michael Schenker Group member Rev Jones on bass. A review of the San Diego House of Blues date covered the Mountain set, including "Blowing in the Wind" from the Masters of War album, with enthusiasm. Of the Satriani set, the reviewer was also pleased with the blues influence he felt Mountain brought to the evening, and with West joining in on a Satriani-led closing "Stormy Monday" and "Going Down" blues jam. [14]
Fellow Long Island native Howard Stern has called Mountain one of his favourite bands and has occasionally played their music on his show. Other Mountain fans include Randy Rhoads, [15] John McLaughlin, [16] Johnny Ramone, Clutch, Karma to Burn, comedian Dennis Miller, and John Frusciante (the Red Hot Chili Peppers track "Readymade" off 2006's Stadium Arcadium features a Mountain-influenced riff [17] ). Martin Barre, guitarist for Jethro Tull has stated in interviews that Leslie West was a direct influence on his playing.
Beastie Boys are also noted for their use of a brief sample of "Mississippi Queen" on the track "Lookin' Down the Barrel of a Gun" from their sample-heavy 1989 album, Paul's Boutique .
Mountain continued to perform occasionally with Leslie West, Corky Laing and Rev Jones. [18] On June 20, 2011, West had his lower right leg amputated as a result of complications from diabetes. [19] Following the surgery, West performed and recorded under his own name; his concerts featured many Mountain songs. Corky Laing formed a new project, Corky Laing Plays Mountain, in 2015. This project included bassist/vocalist Joe Venti and guitarist/vocalist Phil Baker in 2015. For their 2016 United States tour, Laing and Venti were joined by Richie Scarlet, now on lead guitar, and Ken Sidotti on keyboards. They performed Mountain music in addition to songs by West, Bruce and Laing and Cream. And in 2017, Mark Mikel was playing bass with Chris Shutters and Richie Scarlet on guitar in the lineup. [20] Mikel continued until touring was ceased in 2020 due to COVID-19. [21]
Leslie West died on December 22, 2020, after suffering a heart attack. He was 75. [22]
In 2021 Corky Laing's Mountain resumed touring with a lineup of Laing (drums, vocals), Joe Venti (bass, vocals) and Richie Scarlet (guitar, keyboards). [23]
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||
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US [24] | CA [25] | AUS [26] | GE [27] | NO [28] | UK [29] | |||
1970 | Climbing! | 17 | 19 | — | — | — | — |
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1971 | Nantucket Sleighride | 16 | 14 | 38 | — | — | 43 |
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1971 | Flowers of Evil | 31 | 23 | 39 | 39 | 17 | — | |
1974 | Avalanche | 102 | 91 | — | — | — | — | |
1985 | Go for Your Life | 166 | — | — | — | — | — | |
1996 | Man's World | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
2002 | Mystic Fire | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
2007 | Masters of War | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
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US [24] | UK [29] | |||
1972 | Mountain Live: The Road Goes Ever On | 63 | 21 | |
1974 | Twin Peaks [3] | 142 | — | |
2000/04 | Eruption | — | — | |
2013 | The Man and the Mountain (Leslie West & Mountain) [2CD] | — | — | |
2019 | Live at Woodstock | — | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
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US [24] | AUS [26] | |||
1973 | The Best of Mountain | 72 | 62 |
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1995 | Over the Top [3] | 142 | — | |
2004 | The Very Best of Mountain | — | — | |
2010 | Crossroader: An Anthology 1970–1974 [2CD] | — | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Year | Title | US [24] |
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1969 | "Dreams of Milk and Honey" | ― |
"Long Red" | ― | |
1970 | "Mississippi Queen" | 21 |
"For Yasgur's Farm" | 107 | |
1971 | "The Animal Trainer and the Toad" | 76 |
"Silver Paper" / "Travelin' In The Dark (To E.M.P.)" | ― | |
1972 | "Roll Over Beethoven" | ― |
"Waiting to Take You Away" | ― | |
1974 | "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" | ― |
1985 | "Hard Times" | ― |
"Spark" | ― | |
1996 | "In Your Face" | ― |
John Symon Asher Bruce was a Scottish musician. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and bassist of rock band Cream. After the group disbanded in 1968, he pursued a solo career and also played with several bands.
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.
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.
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.
"Mississippi Queen" is a song by the American rock band Mountain. Considered a rock classic, it was their most successful single, reaching number 21 in the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. The song is included on the group's debut album and several live recordings have been issued.
Climbing! is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Mountain. It was released on March 7, 1970, by Windfall Records.
Nantucket Sleighride is the second studio album by American hard rock band Mountain, released in January 1971 by Windfall Records in the US and by Island in the UK. It reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 200 Album Chart in 1971.
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.
Stephen Sanders "Steve" Knight was an American musician best known as the keyboardist for the rock band Mountain from 1969 until his departure in 1972.
The Vagrants were an American, Long Island-based rock and blue-eyed soul group from the 1960s. The group was composed of Peter Sabatino on vocals, harmonica, and tambourine, Leslie West on vocals and guitar, Larry West on vocals and bass guitar, Jerry Storch on organ, and Roger Mansour on drums.
Songs for a Tailor is the 1969 debut solo album by the Scottish musician, composer and singer Jack Bruce, who was already famous at the time of its release for his work with the supergroup Cream. Originally released on the Polydor label in Europe and on Atco Records in the U.S., Songs for a Tailor was the second solo album that Bruce recorded, though he did not release the first, Things We Like, for another year.
Mountain is the debut album by American rock guitarist and vocalist Leslie West, released in July 1969 by Windfall Records.
Go for Your Life is the fifth studio album by American hard rock band Mountain, released on March 9, 1985. It was their first studio album since 1974's Avalanche.
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.
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.