Customer Reviews

LIVE:ROAD GOES EVER ON

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4 star:		(5)
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If you are any sort of Mountain fan (Like I Am) You Need to Buy This CD. I Put off getting it for a while because, frankly it is kind of expensive & it only has four songs on it. But trust me, YOU WANT TO BUY THIS. The CD Starts off with a kickin' version of "Long Red", if you've ever heard the album version you probably think of this song as a pretty litte piece of ear candy, but not here, it thumps harder than the studio recording of "Mississippi Queen". Next is "Waiting to Take You Away", a pretty ballady thing that turns into a heavy guitar fest at the end (I like the mix on the version of this song that appears on "Over The Top" a little better though). Next is a ripping version of "Crossroader", i always thought the studio version of this could have been harder and I was right. They tear that baby up. Last is the 17:00 version of "Nantucket Sleighride". It is somewhat similar to the version on "Twin Peaks" but is a lot better in every respect. Steve Knights' keyboard solo is really cool (it sounds like he has a wah pedal hooked up to his keyboard) especially since he is the one member of the band who usually does not have a strong musical presence, here his playing is simply beautiful. To summarize, this album kicks mad a**, it's much better than their other live CD's (cause let's face it "Twin Peaks" is not really Mountain [it's Leslie & Felix with two session guys]& that new import live thing is just a really bad show) if you like Mountain, you'll love this CD. If you're a fan of real music, you'll like this CD.

If you want a full album's worth of Mountain in concert, this is the one to have. (See my review of "Twin Peaks".) It showcases the best of what it was that made Mountain as strong a concert attraction as a studio one in the original quartet's brief but memorable existence. "Long Red" (a track from Leslie West's solo exercise, "Mountain," of early 1969) leads off genially, but then the band gets down to serious business. West's "Waiting To Take You Away" pries open a hole for what would become in due course the power ballad and rounds it off with some pretty, spiky guitar playing. "Crossroader," as derivative a blues as can be found, gets a roaring take thanks to West's howling slide guitar and Felix Pappalardi's rumbling bass. The real treat, though, is an extended performance of "Nantucket Sleighride" which surges, ebbs, and pulls firmly into port with some of the band's loveliest and most ethereal playing. This was the last of four albums from the original working quartet; the ultimate verdict has to be that, though they made some lovely music and at their best fired a rare lyricism into what became heavy metal music, Mountain never quite lived up to their promise in the end. They did go on, of course, in a slightly new configuration a couple of years after the original band broke up, but it was far from the same.

the 33 minute of Nantucket is a must have. The cd only has 4 songs on the album, but the live version of Crossroader is also a must have. Leslie's guitar playing is awesome, and corky and felix keep it going throughout the whole album. A must have for fellow mountain fans!

This abbreviated gem (33 minutes, more or less) showcases all that Mountain was. Though it lacks some of their more recognized tunes (Mississippi Queen, of course, and the Woodstock numbers) it never the less manages to convey just about everything you need to know about the band. True fans will have other albums, but for the uninitiated, looking for a terrific example of good old fashioned bombastic power group rock, with a tasty jam as a bonus, this is a great place to start. Side 2 is taken up by a 17 minute wersion of Nantucket Sleighride, their epic whaling tune. Of all the version sof Sleighride, live or studio, this is my favorite. It avoids some of the excessive drag-outs of the 30+ minute version found elsewhere, while offering a very tasty extension of teh studio version, staying true to the feel of the original, while offering lots of room for teh various instrumentalists to stretch out. It even manages to "feature" the drummer prominently, without resorting to a strictly-drum solo. (After all, there's only so much yuou can do with 2 drum tones & a high hat!) The 3 shorter tunes (but averaging over 5 minutes each) on side 1 show off the power chord supergroup as well as MQ or anyything else, and at the same time give an accurate if too brief view of an early 70's rock concert (when it was just plain ROCK.) This is just after Cream, the era of Deep Purple, 10 Years After, and others whose joy was in teh playing, the rocking, before the whole scene turned into a race for stadium seats or outlandish outfits or a media conglomerate. The personnell are tops; without the shadow of Cream still hanging over them, Mountain would certainly have garnered a greater reputation as a supergroup. There was quite a resume' of previous and subsequent fame for most of the group. (In fact, there was even an intertwining with Cream, when West, Bruce, & Laing hooked up briefly later.) Overall, a truly satisfying heavy rock experience, highly recommended!

Yes this CD only has four songs on it but it is Timeless Mountain for sure. Having been a musician and knowing Felix Pappalardi personally Mountain was a big inspiration to me as much as The Beatles were to many. The talent in this band is Mountainous.

I had been looking for this album on CD for years and when I saw it here at Amazon I didn't think twice I purchased it immediately. Savoring the tracks from the smooth melodic Long Red to the timeless Rock mastepiece Nantucket Sleighride with a rarely heard nicely done keyboard solo from Steve Knight.

Mountain's natural thick sound of Leslie West's rip roaring guitar chords and licks, Felix Pappalardi's bumble bee sounding bass, Steve knight's melodic keyboards and Corky Laing's thunder can all be heard live. This CD is truly Timeless Mountain.

I Loved Mountain and was very fortunate to see them many times.
This is the way I remember them in concert.
When you listen to this album you will be swept away by the atmosphere and by the passion these guys generated.
This is by far THE definitive version of Nantucket Sleighride.
Mountain at its best.

This album is worth buying for "Nantucket Sleighride" alone Felix Pappalardi and Leslie west are really flying on this track,and the interplay between them is simply stunning.I own a couple of other Mountain albums but none come close to this.( although it would have been good if they could have added "Blood of the Sun " and "Theme from an imaginary western" from Woodstock 2 to this disc and then we would have just about the ultimate Mountain disc).
I have never understood why this band are so poorly regarded by so many people but this disc sets the record straight.
Buy it today.

This is one of the best "Live" recordings of all time for rock and roll. Lelsie West is still one of the greatest guitar players ever. Felix's sound on bass is very unique and Cory Laings drums are top notch. Poor Steve Knight on keyboards, no respect! This is a must for Mountain fans! Even if you are not a huge fan,this is one to have in your collection. Pure rock and roll at its finest!

Mountain was always a band that sounded better live than in the studio. Leslie West and the band gave a truly inspired performance on this record. I have the vinyl album as well as the cd because its a favorite of mine. Here you will find the absolute best recorded renditions of Nantucket Sleighride and Long Red. Ray Knight's keyboard playing on Sleighride is a beautifully atmospheric addition to Leslie West's soaring solos. Long Red is West's tour de force as he creatively improvises on a theme. His phrasing is always so effective, he can say more with three or four notes than many guitarists can with a dozen. If you only own one Mountain album, this is the one I'd recommend.

I pulled my old lp copy of this out the other night (remember those? kids actually have no clue about them today) and was as blown away as I was 30 years ago. Why doesn't music sound like that anymore? Today's performers - some of them are artists - don't get involved with the music. My theory lately is that the perception has switched from the strength being given to the instrumentation to vocal virtuosity, which to me sounds like just so much warbling. I am far more interested in a good story and in competent musicianship than in someone demonstrating how much they know about range. I hope the mood shifts again back to real artistry, but until then I have these old gems that so transported me in my salad days. This particular rendition of "Nantucket Sleighride" is the best, hands down, and I've listened closely to all the recorded versions. It takes up all of one side of the original disc but doesn't lag anywhere. The balance of the album is good also, a real rockin effort. Step back into the 70s and enjoy real music from good times.






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