Mountain (band)

Mountain is an American pop-rock and hard rock band that formed in Long Island, New York in 1969. Originally comprising vocalist and guitarist Leslie West, bassist Felix Pappalardi and drummer N. D. Smart, the band broke up in 1972 before reuniting in 1974 and remaining active until today. Arguably best known for the song "Mississippi Queen", Mountain is one of many bands to be commonly credited as having influenced the development of heavy metal music in the 1970s.

The band was formed shortly after Leslie West, formerly of the Long Island R&B band The Vagrants, recorded a solo album titled Mountain (a reference to West's physical bulk) with bassist and former Cream collaborator Felix Pappalardi producing.[2] The album also featured former Remains drummer N.D. Smart. The album spotlighted West's raw vocals and melodic, bluesy guitar style, and Pappalardi's heavy and elegant bass lines were heavily in evidence throughout, and according to West when Pappalardi asked what would be next West suggested the pair go on the road. Though heavily inspired by seminal British blues-rock band Cream (with which Pappalardi had been a frequent collaborator: he produced Disraeli Gears, Goodbye and Wheels of Fire, also contributing viola, brass, bells and organ to the latter), keyboardist Steve Knight was added. Naming themselves after West's album, West, Pappalardi, Smart, and Knight played shows on the West Coast before getting to play their fourth concert as a working band at the 1969 Woodstock Festival in Bethel, New York.[2] Their first album as a band, Climbing!, would include a tribute to the festival, "For Yasgur's Farm."[2]

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, though 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 co-written by former Cream bassist Jack Bruce) appeared on the second volume of Woodstock performances.

Soon after Woodstock, Smart was replaced by Laurence "Corky" Laing.[2] Climbing! was released in March 1970.[1] It led off with what became the band's signature song, "Mississippi Queen", which reached #21 in the Billboard Hot 100, while the album reached #17 in the Billboard 200.[2] Mountain began a hectic touring schedule in the middle of which they recorded a followup album, Nantucket Sleighride, released in January 1971. This album reached the #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.[2] After these early releases the band continued to receive a certain measure of critical acclaim but never again achieved great commercial success.