Mountain
Climbing!

THE REVIEW

Over the years, Hard Rock has certainly offered some interesting and highly valid realities, especially across the ocean. In the United States (and to a lesser extent in Canada), there has been an attempt to offer music of good quality, capable of challenging the so-called "British dominance." A name that has surely stood out and is fairly well-known is Mountain. "Climbing!" is their debut album, dated 1970. We are in a particular moment, with Progressive rock beginning to establish itself and Hard Rock taking its first steps but unable to stand alone and attract enthusiasts. It had not yet managed to completely detach itself from that mother named Blues. Mountain, even with this album, show strong signs of detachment that you might expect from an album from just a couple of years later. All the elements are there: a truly great voice, powerful just right, great guitar riffs that are a pleasure to listen to, a solid drum able to perform its duties, a valid presence of keyboards, a bass very attentive to follow all the others. The main task is up to Leslie West, singer and guitarist, and he answers: present! Such a response is evident in the Open Track, "Mississippi Queen", one of the historical classics of Hard Rock, where almost all the previously mentioned characteristics emerge. The keyboard impact is missing, which emerges in the second track, "Theme From An Imaginary Western". Also noteworthy is "To My Friend", an excellent instrumental track, and "Silver Party", in my opinion one of the strong points of Mountain's entire career. In the more powerful tracks, the contribution of Felix Pappalardi, a multi-instrumentalist mainly engaged on bass, is fundamental. A final mention for a live version of "For Yasgur's Farm", included in the reissue of this album. "Climbing!" is an album where there do not seem to be any particular fillers, a short album consisting of 9 quality tracks with an overall extremely positive balance. Many call it the definitive peak of the group, but I disagree. It certainly gives us an idea of the subsequent production, which will refine and improve the sound of this debut. Nevertheless, Mountain undoubtedly deserves recognition, with their albums you listen to one of the best examples of Hard Rock, extremely enjoyable to listen to and discover.