The classic-era lineup of the group was Leslie West on guitar, Felix Pappalardi on bass, Corky Laing on drums (the original drummer was N. D. Smart), and Steve Knight on piano and organ. West's raw vocals, Laing's flowing drumming, and Pappalardi's heavy but not overly imposing bass lines were the elements of Mountain's distinctive sound.
Mountain played at the Woodstock Festival but the band did not appear in the film of the event nor was it included on the first album. The group's first album, Climbing! was released in 1970 and featured the band's best-known song, "Mississippi Queen"; the song reached the middle of the top-40 charts and the album reached the top 20 on the US album charts.
The follow-up album Nantucket Sleighride (1971) also reached the top 20 on the US albums chart but failed to yield a hit single. (The title track from Nantucket Sleighride was used as the theme tune to the UK political and current affairs television program Weekend World, which was aired between 1972 and 1986). After these early releases the band continued to receive a certain measure of critical acclaim but never achieved great commercial success.
The band was inspired by legendary power trio Cream, which Pappalardi was an "unofficial" member of; he was featured heavily on Cream's second LP, Disraeli Gears. Following Mountain's initial breakup in 1972, West and Laing formed West, Bruce and Laing with Cream bassist Jack Bruce. They produced three albums.
In 1974 West and Pappalardi reformed Mountain with Allan Schwartzberg on drums and Robert Mann on keyboards. A tour yielded the live Twin Peaks followed by the studio album Avalanche, with Laing and rhythm guitarist David Perry, who as an African American was also credited for "added color." It was the last heard of from Mountain until the mid 1980s when West, sometimes with and sometimes without Laing, has worked under the name Mountain, New Mountain or the Leslie West Band.
On April 17, 1983 Gail Collins Pappalardi, Felix's wife and songwriting partner, shot him once in the neck in their fifth-floor East Side Manhattan apartment. He was pronounced dead at the scene and Gail was charged with second-degree murder, but acquitted. Richie Scarlet has taken over as bass player on the band's recent tours.
Mountain is ranked number 98 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock".
There are other artists with the same name:
2. Romanian electronic producer; an alias of candlestickmaker.
check out: http://asiluum.com/site/2010/11/08/mountain-contorsionist-split/
3. Møuntain - post-rock from Austria
https://www.last.fm/music/M%C3%B8untain
4. Mountain is a Nigerian musician based in Lagos.
5. Kamiyama Shigeta – better known to you or I as Mountain, is a drum & bass producer from the hustling hub of activity that is Osaka, Japan.
Born into a musical family Kamiyama grew up immersed in various forms of music. At age 18 he finds Dance music and after picking the basics of a DAW, he starts producing Drum and Bass under this alias. He begins DJing in his hometown too – racking up support slots for the likes of: Sigma, Netsky, London Electricity, Metrik & the beast that is Andy C.
Theme For An Imaginary Western
Mountain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For the forest and further on
Painted wagon of the morning
Dusty roads where they have gone
Sometimes travelin' through the darkness
At the summer comin' home
Foreign faces by the wayside
Look as if they hadn't known
All the sand was in their eyes
And the desert that's dry
In the country town
Where the life was found
Oh, the dancing and the singing
Oh, the music when they play
Oh, the fire that they saw there
On the grave of no return
Sometimes they found it
Sometimes they kept it
Often lost it on the way
Pawnee shadow to possess him
Sometimes ride inside of day
Oh, the sand was in their eyes
And the desert that's dry
In this country town
Where the map was found
Oh, the sand was in their eye
And the desert that's dry
In this country town
Where the wagons bound
The song "Theme For An Imaginary Western" by Mountain talks about the journey of a group of pioneers leaving the city to travel through the forests and further on to find a new life. The opening lines describe the wagons leaving the city and heading towards the unknown with a wagon of the morning that had been painted. The roads are dusty and long as the pioneers travel through darkness and summer, with foreign faces by the wayside looking as if they didn't know where they were.
The second half of the song speaks about their journey and how sometimes they found what they were looking for and sometimes they lost it along the way. The lyrics paint a picture of a country town where life was found, with dancing, singing, and music playing. However, the presence of a grave of no return suggests that life wasn't always easy on this journey. The lyrics also talk about the sand being in their eyes and the desert being dry, suggesting that the journey was tough and challenging.
Overall, the song speaks to the theme of finding a new life in the unexpected with ups and downs, highlighting the difficult journey that pioneers had to take to find a new beginning.
Line by Line Meaning
When the wagons leave the city
As the people abandon the city life in search of something greater
For the forest and further on
Heading towards the unknown in search of adventure and freedom
Painted wagon of the morning
The hope and optimism of the new day, symbolized by the colorful wagon
Dusty roads where they have gone
The difficult and challenging path they have taken to chase their dreams
Sometimes travelin' through the darkness
Facing the unknown and moving forward despite the fear and uncertainty
At the summer comin' home
After a long and transformative journey, they return to where they started
Foreign faces by the wayside
Encountering new people and experiences along the way
Look as if they hadn't known
Surprised and bewildered by the unfamiliar surroundings
All the sand was in their eyes
The overwhelming and harsh reality of their situation clouding their vision
And the desert that's dry
The barren and unforgiving wilderness posing a great challenge to them
In the country town
Their temporary respite from the untamed world around them
Where the life was found
Discovering beauty and meaning in unexpected places
Oh, the dancing and the singing
Celebrating the joy and freedom that their journey has brought them
Oh, the music when they play
The sound of their own triumph and unity, despite their struggles
Oh, the fire that they saw there
The spark of hope and inspiration that kept them going
On the grave of no return
Reflecting on the risks they took and the sacrifices they made to arrive at this moment
Sometimes they found it
Their pursuits leading them to success and fulfillment
Sometimes they kept it
Holding onto what they've gained and valuing it above all else
Often lost it on the way
The setbacks and failures that they encountered throughout their journey
Pawnee shadow to possess him
The haunting memories of their past that still linger with them
Sometimes ride inside of day
The moments of hope and inspiration that kept them moving forward during the darkest of times
Where the map was found
The turning point in their journey where they discovered the path to their destiny
Where the wagons bound
Their ultimate destination, where they could finally rest and feel content with what they have accomplished
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mr x
If you don’t get goosebumps listening to this song then you don’t have a soul.
Perfection.
David Hughes
Right on, Mr. X.
Aaron Justice
It's For Yasgurs Farm for me. But close.
Kevin DiRito
Felix Pappalardi brought us Cream and then Mountain. In many ways he gave the soul to those bands and others including myself. His vocal abilities were largely unrecognized...sadly.
Roger B
This track ... and Nantucket Sleighride.
Blujay
Haunting.
Bob The Bear
The voice of the late, great Felix Pappalardi still gives me goosebumps. Amazing combination of voice, guitar, rhythm and soul. 👍🏻
Lorraine Diffenbaugh
Me too honey
Tunnel Into America
a great producer as well
hubert sumlin
Wow he sounds sort of like Jack Bruce, I assumed it was Jack singing. Felix does have a nice timbre to his voice, I agree. It's got a sweetness that would contrast starkly with Leslie West's singing