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Mountain — Eruption - Around the World
(Liberation Hall 5057, 2003/2022, 2CD)

by Henry Schneider, Published 2022-06-07

Eruption - Around the World Cover art

In the late 60s and early 70s, Leslie West’s band Mountain was a musical force to be reckoned with. The trio of Leslie West (vocals and guitar), Felix Pappalardi (vocals and bass), and Corky Laing (drums) immediately took center stage with their first album and mega hit, the iconic “Mississippi Queen.” Mountain broke up in 1972 and West then formed his next power trio with Jack Bruce, fresh off of Cream, in West Bruce and Laing, which only lasted about a year. West soldiered on with The Leslie West Band and also a solo career until his passing in 2020. For me, I could never appreciate the studio albums, but West’s live performances captured his true genius on the guitar. Liberation Hall’s reissue of Eruption: Around the World is a 2CD set of live recordings, both in the US and Europe. The CD and promo material state that disc one was recorded live in New York City in 1985 with former Uriah Heep bassist Mike Clarke at The Ritz in Manhattan and L’Amour in Brooklyn. And disc two was purportedly recorded on West’s European tour in  2003 with bassist Richie Scarlet. Even though this double CD set has been released a couple of times, I wonder if the producers actually listened carefully to the second disc. After the extended bass solo on their 23-minute opus “Dreams of Milk and Honey,” West says “on bass Felix Pappalardi!” — but Pappalardi was tragically murdered by his wife in 1983, so it appears that this version of the song is actually from at least 20 years earlier. Other than this issue, the entire 2CD set is a fantastic snapshot in time of one of rock’s truly great guitarists. West’s finger picking, metallic power chords, and lyrical solos and the raw power of his voice and artistry are on full display. The album’s highlight is the inspired “Nantucket Sleighride” performance on CD1 with West seamlessly moving from the basic song to Edvard Grieg’s “Hall of the Mountain King” to Eric Clapton’s “Layla” riff to a Tommy riff to finish it off with “Rollin’ and Tumblin’,” which them segues into “Mississippi Queen” where West integrates a bit of Cream’s “Cat’s Squirrel.” The crowd is enthralled and West was particularly skilled at engaging them sing along at the top of their lungs like on the refrain of “Mississippi Queen” and the cover of Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way.” If you are a Mountain fan and never heard this set of live recordings, now is your chance.

Filed under: New releases, 2022 releases, 2003 recordings

Related artist(s): Mountain

 

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