Personnel includes: Leslie West (guitar); Felix Pappalardi (keyboards, bass).
As the link between the legendary supergroup Cream and the lesser-known yet no harder rocking Mountain, Leslie West's MOUNTAIN is something of a cult item among 1960s rock aficionados. On the heels of his collaborations with Cream (as a producer and songwriter), Felix Pappalardi took Leslie West, singer and guitarist for a Long Island-based rock band the Vagrants, into the studio and with a little help from friends (and himself on bass) recorded this blues-rock monster.
MOUNTAIN plays like a blueprint for Mountain, the band Pappalardi and West would form after the release of West's solo debut (Mountain are best known for their hit "Mississippi Queen"). In the mold of Cream, but with an even harder edge, West and company play a power-chord-rich variety of blues, packing plenty of distorted crunch, not to mention West's blistering solos and fierce, raspy vocal attack. Worth seeking out for its rare status, MOUNTAIN should appeal to fans of Cream, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Blue Cheer, and the bluesy garage rock of the era.
