Customer Reviews

Mountain: Sea of Fire

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I advise steering clear of this DVD because of the
shoddy playing and the shaky transitions within the
songs. Its clear that this band did not rehearse much
prior to this gig. That or they had a very,very off night.
Only those most hardcore Mountain historians should buy
this but even then you aren't going to find much here
that compels you to watch this DVD more than a couple of
times. The best part of the whole show is when some guy
in the audience ( at most 90 people)
wants LW to talk to his friend "steve in alaska" via
cellphone. So LW agrees takes the cellphone from the fan
and says "F*** you Steve". But its kind of sad
when the highlight of the show is the stage patter.
After all, LW and Mountain aren't coffee-house
folk singers so let the music do the talking.

I haven't given up on Mountain though it would be
nice if LW actually took some time to rehearse
and pick out gear that does justice to his tone
of yesteryear instead of using harmonizers and
JCM 800s that over distort his sound which for him
is not good. His album tones are excellent and
the irony is that kids today spend thousands of
dollars trying to recreate late 60s and early 70s
tones but LW completely abandons his classic
sound by plugging into newer gear and effects
which renders his sound unremarkable and very generic.
He should also perhaps add an organist like they
used to have so songs such as "Theme from an imaginary
western" and "Nantucket sleighride" won't sound so
bare and thin with the three piece. I think
part of the reason he is using the harmonizer is to
get thicker lead tones perhaps to compensate for the
bottom dropping out when he goes to solo.

Maybe they will get their act together and record a
proper show that is more coherent and rehearsed. I
would hate to think that LW is happy with this production.
One last thing. His voice does still sound pretty good
even when its clear he doesn't sing these songs that
often anymore. I think they should do some touring and
get more serious about the show and then record another
"real" DVD.

I saw these guys perform last November at the Paramont in Denver with Vanilla Fudge- Richie "the Bat" Scarlett sat next to us while Tim Bogart showed off his stuff in the opening act. If you like deep down in your gut crunching rock and roll then this DVD is a must. You have Leslie West walking out on stage scat/attacking his guitar while the crowd is going "how does he do that". This is followed by the riffs of Blood of the Sun as the rest of the band takes the stage. This DVD showcases two of the all time great Rock and Roll legends of the phat Guitar and Drum. Leslie and Corky are on the money during this show. The DVD is stellar in both visual and audio departments. After the concert is complete you are given a bonus of seeing vintage footage from Woodstock and dress rehearsal/back stage interview material. Bottom line here is you get a chance to see one of the best Rock and roll guitar players cranking out heavy riffs that make your heart soar. What are you waiting for?

I had the pleasure of seeing LESLIE WEST many years ago at the BLUE ONION CLUB in NORMAN,OKLAHOMA. I own the LESLIE WEST/MOUNTAIN catalog on vinyl and CD. I bought this DVD and have watched it only once. LESLIE WEST AND MOUNTAIN rock the Mystic Club in Petaluma California. The scrapbook section with the story of MOUNTAIN'S fourth gig at WOODSTOCK, the story of FELIX PAPPALARDI and the story of MISSISSIPPI QUEEN add to the music included on this disc. The sound is excellent. The camera work is outstanding. Songs included on the DVD are BLOOD OF THE SUN, FOR YASGUR'S FARM, NEVER IN MY LIFE, THEME FROM AN IMAGINARY WESTERN and NANTUCKET SLEIGHRIDE along with CROSSROADS and some new songs from LESLIE WEST. CORKY LAING is one of rock's greatest drummers. Bass guitar is provided by RICHIE SCARLET and he is in excellent form. If you love LESLIE WEST AND MOUNTAIN you should buy this title as soon as possible.

I was really looking forward to this DVD, but man, what a disappointment. I have seen Leslie about a dozen times through the 70's and he was one of my all time favorite guitarists. He got all kinds of sounds out of loads of wattage and minimal effects pedals. I loved the clean gut-wrenching cords and middle neck leads. Definitely the best as a live band. What happened??In Sea of Fire he's fiddling with all his effects through the whole show. He had a totally different sound than he used to. Every once in a while he would hit a cord that would make you flash back to an old show, but then I would snap out of it on his next cord or note when his digital delay crap kicked in. The show looks like it was taped in a Jr. High school gym with about 50 people in the audience. I have to agree, about the only good thing was some of the pictures of the Mountain of old. I would like to see the old footage/concerts on DVD.

I really, really wanted to enjoy this dvd; but half way thru the third song I found myself hitting the fast forward button...over & over. The band looks old and they play old. There is very little energy in the performance other than bassist Ritchie Scarlett performing a few "Townshend" windmills on his bass (Scarlett really looks out of place in this band). You really can't blame the band; there is only about 100 people in the audience and they all look like they carry AARP cards.
Being a guitar player and a huge fan of Mountain, I was most disappointed in West's guitar. He plays thru so many guitar effects, it diminishes his skills and sounds awful. There is no trace whatsoever of his classic 70's tone & vibrato. I wonder why he's "hiding" his guitar playing behind so many electronic pedals (he often comes off sounding like a poor man's Alex Lifeson). If you close your eyes thru the concert and just listen, the band sounds like a unrehearsed version of Rush. The instrumental section of "Nantucket Sleighride" is almost unlistenable with Laing's aging drum kit barely holding the band together. The vintage footage is the only section worth a dang. Great shots of the band (mostly still photos) and a few amusing anecdotes from Corky & Leslie. When you here the power of the original "Mississippi Queen", it makes the concert portion ever more disappointing. Unfortunately the vintage section only runs about 15 minutes. All in all a purchase for a die-hard Mountain fan only. (...)

Leslie!!!!! Get rid of your octave divider & the rest of your effects!!!!! You had one of the best natural tones & vibrato in rock/blues!!!! Crank that Eddie Van Halen Peavey amp clean and lets hear your real magic!! Personally Freddy King smokes your ass, but you used to be number 2!!!! Get back to the real and give us all a thrill!!!!

I can't believe it was way back in the early 70's when i first heard their, what we would consider a slice of pure hard rock heaven, "Mississippi Queen" an all time classic, a song that is so memorable everytime you hear it, infectious, easy listening,
I was absolutely hooked.To my pleasant surprise on The Mountain
web page, was listed a live dvd, initial reaction my god 30 years later! and boy if you are a fan you are all in for a treat! Filmed in a small pub with about 100-150 people, talk about intimate settings! The sound quality is stunning, brilliantly recorded, with an option of viewing the concert in quad-split. If you are a fan of traditional hard rock or a fan of Mountain, if you will pardon the pun this is huge.The power,
the intensity, and at times the quieter moments are amazing.
During the concert there are a couple of hilarious moments that will have you in stitches, i cannot speak highly enough of this live dvd, "Over The Top"

I was expecting much more.
I eagerly anticpated its release.
This appears to have been a very "off" night for leslie.
I was expecting a performance equal to the Live CD released a few years ago. Its phenominal. Why wasnt somebody videoing that night?
The trick video camera angles I found here were annoying.
The energy just wasnt there this night.

For a West fanatic like me, still a must have.
For newcomers to the genius and uniqueness that is Leslie West......
by the live CD.

Lets hope something better gets recorded and released soon.

I cannot believe that the skinny guy playing the guitar on this DVD is actually Leslie West (wasn't Leslie West a big rotund guy that could really wail and kick ass on the guitar in the 70's?). It sounds to me like some old wanker that has just recently picked up an electric guitar and learned a few chords and scales and quickly put a band together. What the hell is happening here? Did Leslie West forget how to play guitar? What an awful guitar sound he has on this DVD. I was EXTREMELY dissappointed with this release. What a big let-down to all the Mountain and West, Bruce & Laing fans. Leslie West was one of the best rock musicians of the 70's. He played, sang and sounded awesome on such classic Mountain live albums as "The Road Goes Forever On" and "Twin Peaks". He soulfully wailed on guitar alongside Jack Bruce and Corky Laing on the classic "Alive and Kickin'" album. This DVD is an embarrassment for such a rock legend as Leslie West (and let's not forget Corky Laing, who was also a superb drummer in his day). I cannot understand, for the life of me, how any Leslie West fan, that is familiar with the studio and live albums of Mountain and West, Bruce & Laing, can actually find anything redeeming about this pathetic excuse for a DVD. I give it one star for the fine Dolby 5.1 surround sound (Too bad the Dobly 5.1 surround sound is wasted on such a dreadful performance).

Paganini had his Stradivarius. Segovia had his Ramirez. And Leslie West had his Les Paul Jr., with which he carved a fat tone that to this day excites and induces chills. (He called it "a tree limb with a microphone.") The music that he created with that guitar is legendary. How could he hope to improve on it? Why would he try? I guess it's the nature of an artist to continually seek new horizons. In this case, it just has not worked out.
In this performance, he's playing some sort of Frankensteinberger-style axe, which in itself is not a crime, but then he's running that through a harmonizer FOR THE ENTIRE SET, which reduces his tone to over-processed mush. Horrors! I could barely sit through it. Get rid of your pedals, Leslie!
The performance ranges from competent to sloppy. He's played these songs so many times, perhaps he feels he can drop whole lines from a verse here and there and it doesn't matter? In any case, a disappointing music experience. If you want a high-water mark Mountain viewing experience, check out some of the outtakes from Woodstock on YouTube. They shot SOUTHBOUND TRAIN. It's great. Why it was left on the cutting room floor I'll never know. (maybe it's his chaotic dental situation).