Mountain (noun): A large natural elevation of earth’s surface rising abruptly from the surrounding level.

Mountain (band): An American rock band formed in 1969 by Leslie West, Felix Pappalardi, Steve Knight and N.D. Smart.

Mountain (album): The debut album by American rock guitarist Leslie West released in 1969.

… and the place where this latest Esoteric 7CD box set covering the bands first (and best) phase kicks off.

With Pappalardi (bass/keyboards/production) and N.D. Smart (drums) already onboard, West’s first foray into the Gotham recording studio in 1969, producing the Mountain solo album (Disc 1). Anchoring a blues rock template which would carry his career for the next five years, with heavier tracks (‘Blind Man’, ‘Blood Of The Sun’) mixed with mellower blues (‘Long Red’, ‘Storyteller Man’ both featuring Norman Landsberg on organ) and more soulful slabs of full on rock (‘Better Watch Out’, ‘Southbound Train’), each dripping with the intensity of West’s Gibson Les Paul, and heavily influenced by Cream who Pappalardi had produced, and West adored. Just listen to ‘Baby, I’m Down’ or ‘Dreams Of Milk And Honey’ to witness their impact on West’s style, especially in the latter’s Jack Bruce inspired vocal.

By the time the band took to the stage at The Woodstock Festival in August 1969 they had not only adopted the Mountain name, but had also brought in Steve Knight on keyboards to broaden the sound. Janis Joplin was still struggling to establish her Kosmic Blues Band after ditching Big Brother & The Holding , and Crosby, Stills & Nash were only making their second live appearance, so Mountain were not the only performers desperate to make an impact at the festival. But with key Mountain tracks like opener ‘Blood Of The Sun’, ‘Southbound Train’ and the drug references of ‘Long Red’ joining covers of T. Bone Walker’s ‘Stormy Monday’, West’s earlier band, The Vagrants ‘Beside The Sea’, and Jack Bruce’s ‘Theme For An Imaginary Western’ (with Pappalardi handling vocals), they had little to fear, and the dancers, chancers and flower children in attendance lapped it up. The full nine track set is included here on disc 2, including future album tracks ‘Dreams Of Milk And Honey’ from Flowers Of Evil, which includes a guitarmageddon solo from West, and ‘Who Am I But You And The Sun’ which would evolve into Climbing‘s, ‘For Yasgur’s Farm’. N.D. Smart’s future with the band may have been limited, but this set shows unquestionably where the future strengths for the band lay.

The highly appropriately titled, Climbing! (1970) which appears on disc 3, is where things really did begin to climb for Mountain. With powerhouse, Corky Laing now on drums, and percussion, as well as contributing to the writing, and completing the CLASSIC line-up, the album opens with the now legendary ‘Mississippi Queen’, with its unmistakable cowbell introduction, it became an instant hit across the US. Following the studio version of the reconstructed ‘Theme For An Imaginary Western’ which lift the song far above its original piano based roots, into a Hammond drenched monolith. Although the opening tracks became the focus, the balance of Climbing! shows Mountain to be a truly groundbreaking act, with ‘Never In My Mind’, ‘Silver Paper’ and ‘Sittin’ On A Rainbow’, bridging the gap between the 60’s blues, still in evidence on the Pappalardi fronted ‘For Yasgur’s Farm’, and the heavier Deep Purple, In Rock era of the early 70’s. Bonuses come in the form of live takes of the previously mentioned ‘For Yasgur’s Far’ and ‘Stormy Monday Blues’ both taken from The First Great Rock Festivals Of The Seventies compilation, recorded in Atlanta in July 1970.

Just five months later and disc 4’s Nantucket Sleighride (1971) not only consolidated Mountain’s position in the US, reaching #16 in the Billboard charts, but also paid tribute to historic, personal and contemporary heroes. ‘Tired Angel’ was dedicated to fallen comrade Jimi Hendrix who had passed away the previous year, ‘Travellin’ In The Dark’ was Pappalardi’s message to his late mother (Ella), ‘The Great Train Robbery’ doffed a cap the the British anti-heroes, and ‘Nantucket Sleighride’ itself, pays homage to whaler Owen Coffin who lost his life when a sperm whale rammed and sank the boat he was working on back in 1820. Musically leading a charge along with Grand Funk Railroad and the Grateful Dead, to challenge the UK’s Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath, Nantucket Sleighride walks a tightrope of hard rock (‘Don’t Look Around’, ‘You Can’t Get Away’), pre-heavy metal (‘Tired Angel’), funky blues (‘The Animal Trainer’), and progressive psychedelia (‘Nantucket Sleighride’, ‘My Lady’) with the mix of Lesley’s gruff husky voice mixing with the mellower tones of Felix, proving the perfect vocal yin and yang over the layers of guitar and keyboards frenzy, wrapped in giant rolling rhythms. Just one (live) bonus this time with the honours going to the metallic prog of ‘Travellin’ In The Dark’. A cloudy mix with bass and drums far to prominent, this isn’t their finest live moment.

By the time of Flowers Of Evil (disc 5) later that same year, the touring pressures were beginning to show, meaning that limited studio time found the band playing to their strengths. Original vinyl side one saw five new tracks being joined by live material on the flip side, made up of the 24 minute ‘Dream Sequence’ alongside perennial favourite ‘Mississippi Queen’. Amongst the studio material nothing comes close to the former glories of a ‘Mississippi Queen’ or ‘Nantucket Sleighride’. West and Pappalardi alternate vocals on the lightweight title track before the instrumental ‘King’s Chorale’ acts as an intro to ”One Last Kiss’. A missed opportunity with some classic West guitar wizardry over the rather sappy story, of a swan’s lost love. Mountain seem to be searching for direction, and just miss the post on the progressive twists and turns of ‘Pride And Passion’ and ZZ Top boogie of ‘Crossroader’, which also features in its live form on the bonus tracks along with ‘Nantucket Sleighride’, from the Live: The Road Goes Ever On album, which heralded the bands first break.

West took the time to tour, and record two albums with Laing, and his hero, Jack Bruce, Why Dontcha (1972) and Whatever Turns You On (1973) following Flowers Of Evil… but in 1973, he and Pappalardi were back on the road with a new line-up of Mountain featuring Bob Mann on keys and second guitar and Allan Schwartzberg on drums. The subsequent tour provides the material for 1974’s Twin Peaks (disc 6). Recorded in August ’73 in Osaka, Japan, it provides a great document of an iconic, and truly pivotal live band. ‘Nantucket Sleighride’, ‘Theme For An Imaginary Western’, and ‘Mississippi Queen’ are all (obviously) present, with prime cuts from Mountain (‘Blood Of The Sun’), Climbing! (‘Never In My Life’, Silver Paper’), and Flowers Of Evil (‘Crossroader’), all rounded off with a crowd pleasing run through of Chuck Berry’s ‘Roll Over Beethoven’. Colossal!

Disc 7, and the word Avalanche, not only supplied the title, but also pretty much summed up the personal state of Mountain in 1974. With both Mann (replaced by David Perry) and Schwartzberg out, and Laing returning, the band weren’t about to let the line-up shuffling effect the music, and unlike Flowers Of Evil, Avalanche is no half live, cop out. Opening with one of two covers, ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’ (the other is a laid back dirty slide trip through The Stones ”Satisfaction’), the band are really locking into the earthy live vibe with Laing doing his best version of Animal from The Muppets on his much welcomed return. ‘Sister Justice’ lays down the Cream grooves, complimenting the instrumental hoe-down of ‘Alisan’ and country twang of ‘I Love to See You Fly’. Deep southern boogie is high on the shopping list on Avalanche with ‘Swampy Boy’, ‘Back Where I Belong’ and the very “ZZ” ‘Thumbsucker’ supplying the albums backbone. The retro stoner growl on ‘You Better Believe It’ and bar-room blues of ‘Last Of The Sunshine Days’, help to complete a tracklist which covers all of the bases on this largely underrated, and forgotten 70’s swansong for the band.

Following the release of Avalanche the band played their final show in New York on New Years Eve 1974, and would stay on hiatus until West and Laing resurrected the band in 1981 with ex-Savoy Brown bassist, Miller Anderson. They would go on to tour, and record four further studio albums along with a revolving door of musicians. Of the classic quartet, Pappalardi died in 1983 (shot), Knight passed away in 2013 (Parkinson’s) and West died in 2020 (cardiac arrest) following many years of ill health. Only Corky Laing survives and is still putting in the road miles delivering songs from West, Bruce & Laing and Mountain including of course crowd favourites, ‘Mississippi Queen’ and ‘Nantucket Sleighride’. You only need to listen to his solos on Twin Peaks for proof that Leslie West was a unique and inspirational player and Don’t Look Around is Mountain, the band that he fronted for over forty years, at their peak.

Mountain (noun): A large natural elevation of earth’s surface rising abruptly from the surrounding level.

• Reviewed By Peter Brockwell.
• The Recordings 1969-1974 is released via Esoteric/Cherry Red Records on 27th February 2026.

Track List:

Disc One: Leslie West – Mountain

1. Blood of the Sun
2. Long Red
3. Better Watch Out
4. Blind Man
5. Baby, I’m Down
6. Dreams of Milk and Honey
7. Storyteller Man
8. This Wheel’s On Fire
9. Look to the Wind
10. Southbound Train
11. Because You Are My Friend

Disc Two: Mountain Live at the Woodstock Music & Arts Fair, Bethel, New York
16th August 1969

1. Blood of the Sun
2. Stormy Monday
3. Theme for an Imaginary Western
4. Long Red
5. Who Am I But You and the Sun (For Yasgur’s Farm)
6. Beside the Sea
7. Waiting to Take You Away
8. Dreams of Milk & Honey
9. Southbound Train

Disc Three: Climbing!

1. Mississippi Queen
2. Theme For an Imaginary Western
3. Never in My Life
4. Silver Paper
5. For Yasgur’s Farm
6. To My Friend
7. The Laird
8. Sittin’ on a Rainbow
9. Boys in the Band
Bonus tracks
10. For Yasgur’s Farm (live)
11. Stormy Monday Blues (live)

Disc Four: Nantucket Sleighride

1. Don’t Look Around
2. Taunta (Sammy’s Tune)
3. Nantucket Sleighride (To Owen Coffin)
4. You Can’t Get Away!
5. Tired Angels (To J.M.H.)
6. The Animal Trainer and the Toad
7. My Lady
8. Travellin’ in the Dark (to E.M.P.)
9. The Great Train Robbery

Bonus Track:

10. Travellin’ in the Dark (to E.M.P.) (live)

Disc Five: Flowers Of Evil

1. Flowers of Evil
2. King’s Chorale
3. One Last Cold Kiss
4. Crossroader
5. Pride and Passion
6. Dream Sequence (medley)
Guitar solo
Roll Over Beethoven
Dreams of Milk and Honey
Variations
Swan Theme
7. Mississippi Queen

Bonus Tracks: (Taken from the album ‘Live: The Road Goes Ever On)

8. Crossroader (live)
9. Nantucket Sleighride (live)

Disc Six: Twin Peaks

1. Never in My Life
2. Theme for an Imaginary Western
3. Blood of the Sun
4. Guitar Solo
5. Nantucket Sleighride
6. Crossroader
7. Mississippi Queen
8. Silver Paper
9. Roll Over Beethoven

Disc Seven: Avalanche

1. Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On
2. Sister Justice
3. Alisan
4. Swampy Boy
5. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
6. Thumbsucker
7. You Better Believe It
8. I Love to See You Fly
9. Back Where I Belong
10. Last of the Sunshine Days