Customer Reviews

Masters of War (Dig)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Mountain Is and always was Leslie West(gtr.), Corky Laing (Drms), and would be Felix Papalardi (bass) ,except for mystery shrouded circumstances involving his 83 murder, Ritchie Scarlett is very able in his bass chores. Mountain is not an oldies act, Mountain has always been a viable and powerful touring band and has had the occasional release be it the band moniker
or Leslie West name. An outstanding recent release (2002) would be Mystic Fire, but this is not an exception. So when I heard the Mountain was going to release a set of Bob Dylan interpretations, I was confident that it would prove to be a strong record. Mountain has not let me or any of their fans down with this new release, Masters of War. Fans of His Bobness will also be pleased with the power and versatility of the selections and performances included here.
Leslie West has a strong and powerful voice that only seems to get more intense with age, Corky always been the Canadian master of the large Kit, and Ritchie is an appropriate colleague on the deep end. This record includes two songs featuring long time Mountain fan/friend Warren Haynes, only adding to the magic contained within theses grooves. A complete unnecessary addition of Ozzy star power on the title track, shows that the trading of verses with Leslie is more of the Joke Ozzman than the Black Sabbath powerhouse of yore, and Leslie shines w/o the help of reality TV debasement.
Corky ups the ante with a neo-urban rap version of `Like a Rolling Stone', which features only him accompanied only by counter rhythm minimalistic drums.
A separate heavy and then light version of `Blowing in the Wind' serves to underscore the versatility of this set.
Other selections include a molten version of `Gotta Serve Somebody' and `Seven Days', songs not usually included in Dylan tribute packages. This record is a tangible slab of Rock Rage and Sensitivity. This collection is a MUST HAVE for YOUR collection. Mountain Lives!...Mountain Rules!
-Brother Rauk Zenta

Leslie West and Corky Laing really shine in this recording, taking a step away from the usual Mountain classics to record some of the most powerful words in Rock music history. Leslie West's signature voice, tone, and vibrato are doing something great here, and the combination of Leslie's vocal and guitar brilliance with Dylan's lyrics are just stunning. Corky's performance of "Like a Rollin Stone" has to be heard, as was Leslie's version of "The Times are a Changin" "This Heart Of Mine" "Mr. Tamborine Man" "Highway 61" "Blowing in the Wind" Need I go on!? Leslie's all pepped up singin his brains out, what are ya'll waitin' for.. buy this NOW before the Times A Change and it sells out!! :) A REAL MUST HAVE. come to thegreatfatsbies dot com and sign up to the Mountain fan club

I thought I knew how this would sound given Mountain's history as the hardest of hard rockers and thought it might be OK for a track or two with a fair bit of filler but it's a really good album all the way through and I strongly recommend it to Dylan and Mountain fans alike. Like a Rolling Stone is especially amazing with Corky Laing handling vocals. Enjoy!

Its a shame radio is so lousy. Everyone could hear how great a CD this is. Leslie's years of play comes out in a great CD from the 1st song to the last. Really nice job. Buy this CD.

I am a huge Mountain fan with Felix Papilardi being one of my favorite bass players of all time. Bob Dylan on the other hand, I am not a huge fan of. I think he's one of the greatest songwriters of all time, but his voice kills everything for me. Here you get some of the finest songs ever written performed by one of the loudest bands of all time. Leslie West and Corky Laing are tight. Obviously there is no Felix, but there are guest appearences by Ozzy & Warren Haynes. All in all, a very tight album. 4 stars!

I recently heard Mountain perform Blowin in the Wind at a live concert and loved it. The CD is fantastic and the more I listen the more I enjoy it.

Upfront I'm a big fan of Leslie + Corky. I'm a guitarist who plays a Hamer P90 special (can you say Les Paul Jr.) and a Stienberger through a Marshall stack... wonder who I sound like?
I've listened through the album three times. It is a superb recording. Every note from every instrument is audible and correctly balanced. Mr. Laings take of Like a Rolling Stone (vocals and drums only) is fantastic and very much caught my notice. Leslie's accoustic playing should be featured more often - his note selection is excellent - the man is a far better musician than he gets credit for. Ozzie's contribution did nothing for me but it is short and he only appears once. Warren H. contribution isn't anything Leslie couldn't have done on his own - not bad but at the same time not remarkable. Mr. Aronsons contribution on the bass is very good as is Mr. Scarlets. This is a good album but be forewarned it is not Mountain of the climbing era and it isn't a bootleg - this is the real deal by some serious folks and well worth a purchase.

It took me a couple of listens, but I do like the album better than I initially did. All of the versions are pretty, good, but all of the versions aren't the "Mountain" sound. It really should have been put out as a Leslie West solo album.Simply put, it lacks the thunderous riffs a Mountain album is supposed to have. And there is a definate lack of Leslie's guitar solos too. Leslie is in fine voice on these songs.I like the fact that they cover a bunch of Dylan tunes I'm not familiar with."Everything is broken" is a great tune, and the piano version of "times are changing" is really tasteful. "Rolling stone" is great too, a very different take with Corky rapping over a drum beat.It does grow on you, and it's good to see Leslie and Corky's take on a number of Dylan classics. I hope they put a few of these in their live set.

I have mixed feelings on Mountains latest offering...some stuff such as the title cut and "Serve Somebody" are as good as anything they've done. while others..well..leave a bit to be desired. Maybe i'm a purist, but to hear Rap on a Mountain cd is blasphemy!!! Maybe it's time for Leslie to dump Corky and proceed with his solo career. Even "Highway 61" suffers from the Hip Hop influences...AAAHHH!!!! Hey, i've been a Mountain fan since 1969 and i'll always love 'em...but come on.....

Has some remarkable sounds and super performers on board! Track one- Ozzy vocals are as good as anything he has done in the past Sabbath or since! Leslie proves again that he is still one of the most expressive and sophisticated guitar players of all time. Truely they have stayed
"Masters" of their own sound. Mountain is still a major force.