We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago……
Damn…could they rock! I still don’t know why this band wasnt as big as any of the other rock & roll outfits of the period. Mountain really had it all. A solid bottom from Corky Laing on drums…a thundering bass attack from Felix Pappalardi, some tasty keybaord fills from Steve Knight…and then there was Leslie West.
West was the guitar whiz and lead singer of the band that released the LP “Flowers of Evil” in 1971. He was a rock & roll wonder. Just driving blues rock solos on and on. He and Pappalardi traded monstrous licks and phrases.
This LP was their second of the year and only had one side of new, studio material. The title track, about the evils of heroin coming from Southeast Asia. The rest of side one was fine with three solid Pappalardi numbers.
Side two shows the live side of the band and it, of course, smokes. West delivers long, blistering solos on Roll Over Beethoven and the band’s own Dreams of Milk and Honey before segueing into a solid jam to finish out a 25 minute medley. It’s been reported that this was from their set on June 27 , 1971 at the closing night of the Fillmore East.
The record closes with a live version of their hit Mississippi Queen. Yeah, it’s great!
Whenever I discuss a Mountain record I have to send a shout-out to the producer and engineers. This clean way of recording these guys and the ability to hear all of it in the final mix is awesome. So, kudos to producer Pappalardi and the engineers Bob D’Orleans and Jusy Szekely. Excellent job.
My only regret is not being able to see these guys in their prime in some hot, sweaty club. It would have been great.
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