I pulled out a classic of a CD to crank up today: The Best Of Mountain Live. Arguably, a bona fide pioneer of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, Mountain even played at Woodstock in 1969. That’s simply very cool. The original Mountain lineup of Leslie West, (guitar & vocals), the late Felix Pappalardi, (bass & piano) and (Canadian born) Corky Laing, (drums & percussion), were probably one of the earliest power trio’s in Rock History. The heaviness of Mountain’s sound from the very start, is what I point to in regarding them as Heavy Metal pioneers.
Leslie West introduced to the world, his guitar tone that leaned away from the early to mid 1960’s Rock and Roll Pop and late 1960’s Psychedelic Rock comfort zone. Being an American Rock Band, there was no Rock and Roll British Invasion wave that Mountain found themselves riding in on. Just straight up, bluesy, hard and heavy Rock and Roll… in essence, Hard Rock. Mississippi Queen from the 1970 Mountain debut album – Climbing! was a building block of Heavy Metal before the world even knew or understood the genre.
Yes, America did stake a claim in the formation of Heavy Metal, Mountain is as credible an example as any band I can think of. Listening to The Best Of Mountain Live only solidifies my Metal opinion on this. Hey, with Corky Laing being Canadian born, let’s give some Heavy Metal pioneering credit to Canada too… eh?
The Best Of Mountain Live is not going to blow anyone over with polished production, what this album does incite is the importance of Mountain’s contributions to the Hard Rock and Heavy Metal genres. Are the vintage Mountain songs and cover songs heard on The Best Of Live a mirror image of Heavy Metal 2010? Of course they’re not. What these live songs do tell my ears, is that Hard Rock and Heavy Metal evolved from bands just like Mountain, into what we all know and hear as Heavy Music today.
I picked up this CD a few years ago, for just a few bucks. Sure, I could easily have reached for and listened to a Mountain studio album today. Instead, this live CD with all it’s recorded Rock history is what lured me all the more. It was the raw, unpolished and live sensory experience that I was yearning for, from a band that helped shape the Heavy Music sound and style that I find so endearing in 2010.
Sometimes I find it hard to believe, that the roots of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal were being forged by Mountain, while they performed at Woodstock in 1969. I was not even three years old then. Then, I stop to think that Leslie West, Corky Laing and their band Mountain are still around and playing their songs, their own heavy way, still touring recently in 2009.
When it’s all said and Metal done, if you happen to stumble upon Mountain – The Best Of Live, take ownership of it and give your ears some Heavy Music roots. Yes, you will find NO glitz and glam and NO egos heard in the heavy musicianship of Mountain… now doesn’t that just sound too good to pass up?
For more info, current news and the history of MOUNTAIN, click on the link below:
MOUNTAIN – Official Web-Site
Track listing for Mountain – The Best Of Live:
Mississippi Queen
Never In My Life
For Yasgur’s Farm
Rocky Mountain Way
Theme For An Imaginary Western
Why Dontcha
Crossroads
Spark
House Of The Rising Sun
(Released in 2006, on St. Clair Entertainment Group Inc.)
LONG LIVE MOUNTAIN.
Stone.
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