Nantucket Sleighride by Mountain (1971)
A Mountain-ous achievement
It became a cliche, by the mid-seventies, for the music press to describe Mountain as 'more Cream than Cream', while others said they were too heavy handed. Although there were connections between the two bands (bassist Felix Pappalardi was Cream's producer and Jack Bruce/Pete Brown wrote for Mountain), their music is only similar in that they were both pioneers of heavy blues rock. Bruce and Eric Clapton tended to be crooners, while Leslie West, although not averse to crooning, had a raw and sometimes strained voice - hence, perhaps, the criticism of heavy-handedness. Most significantly, Leslie West's guitar playing was counterpointed by Steve Knight's keyboards, so they were not a three-piece, guitar-led supergroup. Nevertheless, Corky Lang may not have been the best drummer in the world, but he certainly remains one of the most distinctive, and Felix Pappalardi, predominantly a producer, was no slouch on bass either.
Nantucket Sleighride, the album, opens with one of Mountain's best and most dynamic tracks, Don't Look Around, still a staple of their live set when they reformed in the mid-eighties (along with the title track). I always think of the second track Taunta (Sammy's Tune) as a gentle intro to the Mountain's masterpiece, Nantucket Sleighride (to Owen Coffin), which begins with West's melodic vocals and segues into his and Knight's weaving in-and-out of each other in an workout to rival Stairway to Heaven, Smoke on the Water, Echoes and Freebird. Nantucket Sleighride did not receive the accolades of the aforementioned but it is equal to them all. The song and album title is about being towed in a small boat by a harpooned whale. Owen Coffin was a young seaman on the Nantucket whaleship Essex, which was rammed and sunk by a ***** whale in 1820. The lyrics were written by Felix Pappalardi with his wife, Gail Collins, who shot and murdered him in 1983. Those of us of a certain age can remember Nantucket Sleighride as the theme of the current affairs ITV show, Weekend World. According to journalist Keith Ling*, Leslie West told him that he did not like the song at first, "But Zakk Starkey told me that he and his father [Ringo Starr] used to wait by the TV each Sunday afternoon, so I ended up warming to the darned thing." Corky Lang's drumming thrillingly propels the song in a manner worthy of Keith Moon, but Pappalardi's best bass playing is heard later on the album.
You Can't Get Away! has a very catchy riff, but West tends to strain his voice. Tired Angels (to JMH) reminds me of Nantucket Sleighride, but with a more spiky guitar riff. The Animal Trainer and the Toad is a slowish blues with bizarre lyrics by Leslie West/Sue Palmer, but is the catchiest track on the album. It often appears, albeit incongruously, on Mountain compilation albums. My Lady flows, inconsequentially, into the lengthy Travellin' in the Dark, an anthemic piece with nifty playing from Pappalardi and West. A live version of Travellin' in the Dark, not available on the original vinyl LP, is added as a bonus track to the CD and, although West's voice is shakier, the feel is more punchy and less-anthemic. Leslie West always demonstrates what a great musician he is on live material and this no exception. The penultimate track is The Great Train Robbery, about how, "The wages of sin are too hot to handle." Words which must be ringing in Gail Collins's ears!
Nantucket Sleighride is a truly great album because, like Cream, Mountain were among the first and best bands to create the template for the heavy rock bands to come. It is also a marvellous abum for the enduring quality of outstanding pieces like Don't Look Around and Nantucket Sleighride (to Owen Coffin). Mountain were no strangers to the epic, as Theme from an Imaginery Western had already been released on the first official album, Climbing! (1970) and stunning live versions of Nantuck Sleighride (to Owen Coffin) were yet to come.
* Keith Ling's article on Mountain can be found on his website:
DAVE LING - MUSIC JOURNALIST
