livinglegendsmusic.com www.mountainrockband.com An exclusive series of Living Legends Music interviews with Leslie West. Part 3 of 8. Recorded on October 31st, 2008 at the House of Blues in Lake Buena Vista, FL.
Felix was amazing. Classically trained musician, understood theory, composition and recording techniques. His work with Cream and Mountain was phenomenal. RIP
Jack Bruce came from the same background, too! Leslie West didn't need formal music training all he needed what was in his mind at the time. RIP 🙏 Leslie West, a true force of nature that's sorely missed to this day and eternity
Mountain should be in the hall of fame, they were one of the best heavy bands of all time. They made amazing records, wrote amazing songs, and were amazing live in their hey day. Criminally underrated.
@@martymartin2894 depends on a person's taste, jump in from start to finish. His other projects in between. 2011 he came out with a very good album unusual suspects, with alot of guest artists on it. My personal favorite is Twin peaks, a live album. Hope you experience some enjoyment from this great artist. HAIL Thee Eternal Heavy!!!
@@martymartin2894 Although there are great songs on all of their albums. The 2 MUST HAVES, are Climbing & Nantucket Sleighride. Both of them, the whole album is excellent.
Felix was very much part of Cream - it's a shame he never got the recognition he deserved. Leslie was one of the greatest. This coming from someone (me) who saw Mountain live around 69-70...and Cream...and even Hendrix ('68, Clark U) . No joke, he was great!
During the summer when I was 13 my folks sent me to stay with my grandmother. There wasn't much to do so my grandmother obliged her friend's grandson to take me to a concert they were going to at the Memphis Shell. So my first rock concert turned out to be Mountain and I got to witness American counter-culture. It was fun.
What a humble man. When he said he knew nothing and played crap guitar Such a genuine Man.Leslie rightly lavishes credit on Felix for the talent he was. I heard a few interviews Leslie has given and he comes across as one of the Boys someone you'd like to have as a mate. Not pretentious in any shape, way or form
I can only say what I feel based on what he said.. I get you point though, I suppose we all might have a Jeckyl and Hide in us to some extent... I'm sure my ex wife would say that about me lol.
Douglas Rutherford Believe me this guy is a dick. I've seen him disrespect people even at his live shows. watch the video of him playing bb kings in nyc 2014 and see how he chews out a fan in the front row simply because he was sitting alone. or watch mountain's dvd sea of fire and watch him make a negative comment to a CHILD in the audience simply because HE let the kid strum his guitar while playing and the kid knocked one of the strings loose on the guitar. what a prick! so fyi this guy is a douchebag for sure....trust me.
C`mon.Let`s all relax and express our opinions in a civilized forum.No need to get personal or profane w each other.If Leslie West was mean or arrogant, he wasn`t the first rocker to act that way.Whatever.He had tremendous talent playing the guitar.Very memorable tone."Mountain" as a supergroup didn`t last long, but "Climbing" was a hugely acclaimed album-it made Mountain one of the world`s most revered rock groups.For all his talent, it was Felix who had a mean and selfish side.Gail Collins came to know that.
" Stormy Monday", Mountain, Atlanta Pop Festival 1970. I wish I had a dollar for every time I got stoned and listened to that monster of a jam! I wonder if they have a deluxe reissue of that album? That would be cool indeed. RIP Mr.Leslie West and Mr. Felix Pappalardi.
Mammoth Mountain jam, that song is. It's been reissued on the Mountain album _'Over The Top.'_ The 3-LP album _'First Great Rock Festivals of the 70's': Atlanta Pop Festival-Isle of Wight'_ that the song originally appeared on is out of print. I have a digitally transferred copy from vinyl to CD that I still listen to sometimes.
Leslie was a world class guitarist which, given his size, was no small feat. Mountain never made the big time in the way Cream or Zeppelin did but they were a force that others in the business recognized. RIP Leslie, Felix and Jack.
They were pretty big, especially in the circles I travelled in the early 70's. Leslie's guitar technique was ground breaking and influenced a lot of players. Listen to Rossington on "Give me Back My Bullets"...plenty of Leslie licks, done well.
this is Musical History that will "never be forgotten" as told by legendary guitarist & founder of the super rock group of the 70's MOUNTAIN, Mr. Leslie West!
I was introduced to Leslie’s music in 1972 by an American lad who was moved into our school in the UK. I lapped it up, already a fan of Cream, Zep, Deep Purple and so came a new range of albums to add to my collection, and still playing them all. Another great loss to the real music industry. Turn up the volume Leslie so we can still hear you playing down here.
When Mountain's first album came out in 1970, I was attending Pacoima Junior High School in Pacoima, California. I thought Felix Pappalardi was the coolest playing his Gibson Mahogany EB1 Violin shaped Bass!
Man, Mountain is criminally under-rated and appreciated. They were one of of the heaviest monster groups of the era of the likes of Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Sabbath, Cream, Vanilla Fudge, Free, and several others. And Leslie West just had the perfect tone and hard blues-based riffs that blended perfectly with Pappalardi and Laing. A great rock trio.
A dream come true - seeing & listening to Leslie talk about his career. Leslie West is the most underrated guitarist since Jimi Hendrix, no question about it. I will watch all the episodes. Thanks!
Thank you for this interview! I worship Leslie's playing now. Mountain is all. SO glad he talked about Felix R.I.P. here because I don't know much about him other than he produced Cream, had awesome bass tone and playing ability, cool lyrics and a beautiful voice. Interesting. Mountain: Leslie, Felix and Corky still haven't got proper due as legends of blues rock, hard rock and even Heavy Metal at times.
Leslie answers questions I've pondered for decades, and he does it beyond questions from the interviewer. A rock guitar inspiration for millions, even if he's an asshole, God bless him.
@notfragile33 Felix was playing guitarron with Fred Neil when I met them in the Village in 1963, so "yes" Felix had played bass before. They were working on "Tear Down the Walls", "I'm a Drifter", "Dade County Jail" and "The Bag I'm In" (I think). He was my mentor and "big brother" when I was straight out of the Louisiana swamps with mud between my toes. Last time I saw him was at Woodstock. I was on the film crew so we were both working on stage and didn't get to talk.. I miss him so much.
OH' HECK,CHECK!!! I REALLY FELT BAD & MY KNOWLEDGE OF MUSIC ARTISTS IS FADING AWAY FROM MY LIFE. I REALLY APPRECIATED "LESLIE WEST" R.I.P. JUST LEARNED HE HAD LEFT THE SCENE 3 YEARS+ SOME DAYS AGO. SO MUCH FUN TO LISTEN TO WHEN I WAS ENJOYING MY NARROW ESCAPES OF DOWN TRODDEN EVENTS IN MY ROOM INSIDE MY HEAD.
I dunno, I am 50 so I bridge the old motown era with '80s funk, then hiphop later, but not into rap myself...I think the younger (and i lived by the hood growin up) cats like to reject the blues as a way to rebel...I will never give up playin the blues!!
But not near as crazy as a tea sipping Londoner like Mick Jagger putting on a fake southern accent to sing an old swamp tale about "The Spider and the Fly"! Hey, if Jackie Gleason can be convincing as Sheriff Buford T Justice in "Smokey and the Bandit" and Carrol O'Connor as a southern police chief in "The Heat of the Night", that's not far fetched for Leslie to do the same
I only wish that someone close to the group knew exactly how Felix got his sound. I know, the gibson humbucker, the sunn amp etc., but how did he get that completely clean overdrive tone. He sounded like organ pedals on roids, just a beautiful sound, no fuzz box, no pedals.. absolutely unique and unmatched sound to this day.
Richard Hunt: Leslie's 1st Sunn was actually a P.A. head. He thought oh crap but plugged in anyway, by maxing the pre-amp of the vocal channel he overdrove the master & it Screamed...
Felix was playing guitarron with Fred Neil when I met them in the Village in 1963, so "yes" Felix had played bass before. They were working on "Tear Down the Walls", "I'm a Drifter", "Dade County Jail" and "The Bag I'm In" (I think). He was my mentor and "big brother" when I was just a girl straight out of the Louisiana swamps with mud between my toes. Last time I saw him was at Woodstock. I was on the film crew so we were both working on stage and didn't get to talk.. I miss him so much.
The funniest thing is what he said about Felix looking like Sonny Bono! I always thought the same thing! The "Sonny Bono of Heavy Metal"--Felix Pappalardi!
@SKYVOLTAGE So little said about Felix Pappalardi. Here's something: Felix was the Bard of Rock n Roll. He was Jack Bruce on bass, he was Bob Dylan the Songwriter, and he was Colonel Tom Parker the music producer. Felix Pappalardi will always be the brightest color in the Fabric of the Rock n Roll Supergroup... he was the most diverse.
Now when I look back, West, Bruce, and Laing was IMHO really an American version of "Cream". I remember the bluesy tunes on the two WB&L vinyls on Columbia, then listen to the Clapton/Bruce stuff on earlier recordings, and BINGO! Pappalardi clearly made his marks. Digging West on Pandora with all his blues tunes these days. With B.B. King and Stevie Ray gone, it's refreshing to hear West still playin'! (BTW 88 year old Chuck Berry should hang it up; he needs to go on a book-signing tour or something.)
Wow UFC, way to disrespect generations of bluesmen and an entire race of people. You need more then music education, you need life education... which we are not trained to give you. Rest assured, Leslie learned from many great bluesmen who happened to be black. Albert King,. BB King, dozens others. I think many musicians today need to learn HALF what Leslie did from these blues greats in order to start putting that soul back into Rock n Roll.
