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Rating: I note with particular wonder that no one has yet reviewed a historic American hard and blues group known as Mountain. Well!... I will attempt to describe them.
The typical sound undertaken by this band is a mix of blues-tinged cries in the style of Cream and a healthy and massive dose of distorted hard rock. The name of the band, officially formed in 1969, reflects the figure of the leader and guitarist Leslie West (previously on stage with people like Jimi Hendrix and the Who), a big guy with a powerful voice and quick fingers. Accompanying him on bass are Felix Pappalardi, who was the producer of Cream on Goodbye and was shot dead by his wife in 1983, and the unknown Corky Laing on drums and Steve Knight on keyboards.
In 1972, the group released Flowers Of Evil, an album captured both in studio and live where the components of hard rock and blues merge in an almost baroque context. The work progresses with harmonic moments, almost relaxed and melancholic, then bursts into rhythmical accelerations of hard rock manner, all seasoned with the great persuasive power that blues is capable of creating and of which Leslie West and his guitar are legitimate offspring. The most important moments of the album are surely the opener "Flowers OF Evil", "One Last Cold Kiss", a song that David Coverdale kept well in mind for his future Whitesnake, a sweet and decidedly erotic song; "Dream Sequence", a very long 24-minute suite, where Leslie West extensively displays his musical talent and the classic "Mississippi Queen", which became a flagship over the years and in concerts to come. In short, if you prefer a captivating hard sound with peaks of raw blues, this album is definitely for you.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Flowers of Evil (04:52)
Oh can you tell me Oh how the joy
Passed from his childhood That's not my boy
I see he's finished, he's run his race
We're not his family that's not his face
We taught him well And from his youth
He knew he always Must know the truth
He left his country to go to war
When he returned, he'd found we closed the door
Chorus
But we never dreamed when he was leaving
That he would taste the flowers of evil
I know his habit was not so bad
When for fifty dollars it could be had
But now he' home to his promised land
And what he needs got to cost a Grand
When he'd been home for six month's time
My son he told me, he'd made up his mind
He's re-enlisted for three years more
It's too expensive to stop this war
[ Chorus ]
Oh can you tell me Oh how the joy
Passed from his childhood That's not my boy
He's re-enlisted for three years more
Is the price of peace worth the price of war?
04 Crossroader (04:53)
I'm a crossroader.
Speedin' from town to town.
I'm a crossroader.
Speedin' from town to town.
I never ride the main highway.
So nobody can slow me down.
I'm always trav'lin'.
Just a taste outside the law.
I'm always trav'lin'.
Just a taste outside the law.
If you come lookin' for some trouble
I'm the man that you'relookin' for.
When things ain't movin' fast enough
I gotta' pick up and move
When things ain't movin' fast enough
I gotta' pick up and move
They say it ain't no way for a man to be livin'.
It's the crossroader's blues.
07 Mississippi Queen (03:50)
Mississippi Queen, If you know what I mean
Mississippi Queen, She taught me everything
Way down around Vicksburg, Around Louisiana way
Lived a cajun lady, we called her Mississippi Queen
You know she was a dancer
She moved better on wine
While the rest of them dudes were'a gettin' their kicks,
Buddy, beg your pardon, I was getting mine!
Mississippi Queen, If you know what I mean
Mississippi Queen, She taught me everything
This lady she asked me, If I would be her maaan
You know that I told her, I'd do what I can
To keep her looking pretty
Buy her dresses that shine
While the rest of them dudes were making their bread
Buddy, beg your pardon, I was losing mine!
You know she was a dancer
She mooved better on wine
While the rest of them dudes were'a gettin' their kicks,
Brotha, beg your pardon, now I'm getting mine!
Yeeeaaaaah, Mississippi Queen!
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