Mountain had a dual personality. It was a great and influential power trio that played at Woodstock and had a direct link to Cream, the ultimate super group (bassist Felix Pappalardi produced three Cream albums). It created Mississippi Queen, one of the most recognizable songs in the history of rock-and-roll.
On the other hand, the band became a punch line of jokes about lead guitarist Leslie West’s size, his appearances on The Howard Stern show and the excesses of rock-and-roll.
The band’s second most known song is the title track for its best album, Nantucket Sleighride. Long Red, which is from the album Live: The Road Goes Ever On, shows that everything else notwithstanding, West is a brilliant guitar player. The beginning drum section is said to be one of the most sampled in hip-hop.
Other worthwhile clips are Roll Over Beethoven and Never in My Life, which is from Nantucket Sleighride.
Mountain’s short discography is here.
