Wall Street Journal Review of Nantucket Sleigh Ride
Mountain: Nantucket Sleighride
one. Don't Await Around
ii. Taunta (Sammy'due south Tune)
3. Nantucket Sleighride (To Owen Coffin)
4. You Tin can't Get Away
v. Tired Angels (To J.1000.H.)
half dozen. The Animal Trainer and the Toad
7. My Lady
8. Travellin' in the Night (To Eastward.K.P.)
nine. The Great Train Robbery
When Mount went into the Record Plant studios in autumn 1970 to put the finishing touches to their second album, there were already mutterings inside the camp that bass thespian/producer Felix Pappalardi and his girlfriend (later on wife) Gail Collins were exerting a stranglehold on the band's output.
When the band played at the Woodstock festival in 1969, information technology was only their fourth gig together. Their debut album, 1970's Mountain Climbing!, had been a pretty democratic affair, with drummer Corky Laing providing the initial thought for its hit single, Mississippi Queen, with cowbell intro and David Rea'south lyric.
The follow-upward, Nantucket Sleighride, was much darker, with Tired Angels (a morbid, Lord Of The Rings-influenced tribute to Jimi Hendrix), the claustrophobic, expletive-like My Lady and The Slap-up Train Robbery, which depicted the infamous villains behind the 1963 heist equally outlaw heroes.
Those tracks paled into insignificance next to the title rail, a fictional business relationship of a true episode involving 19th-century whaling ship The Essex, which left Nantucket on an ill-starred chase that ended in cannibalism.
- Listen on Spotifty
- Listen on Apple tree Music
Every calendar week, Album of the Calendar week Guild listens to and discusses the anthology in question, votes on how good information technology is, and publishes our findings, with the aim of giving people reliable reviews and the wider rock community the run a risk to contribute.
Join the grouping now.
Background
Leslie West'southward epiphany came the night when Cream played the Fillmore East. "We took some LSD," he says, "and the mantle opened and Eric was wearing all his buckskin: they looked great, human. They opened with Sunshine Of Your Love and I looked at my blood brother and said, 'My God, we really need to exercise.' I was stunned by how nifty they sounded, man. The show didn't finish till 4am. It fabricated me a lifelong Cream fan. I was similar a groupie for Foam."
Small world. West's outset band was The Vagrants, an R&B footnote that brought him into the orbit of Felix Pappalardi, producer of Eric Clapton and co's 1967 masterpiece Disraeli Gears. "Could The Vagrants accept been stars?" he wonders. "No. We had a great prove, strobe lights, all that stuff. But we were a local group, and we only couldn't record. Felix came in and tried to record us. He did two singles with us that didn't really practise anything."
Pappalardi entered the frame once more in the tardily 60s. "Somehow, I got in touch with him. I'd started this group Mountain. Went in the studio. Felix had 2 weeks before he had to get and produce Cream'southward Bye, or perhaps Jack Bruce's Songs For A Tailor. Only nosotros didn't have any original songs. I said, 'Y'know, if nosotros tin can't do this album, I guess we may break up.' And Felix said, 'That might not be the worst thing in the world. If you put something together, give me a call.' Well, I called him in three days, came dorsum, went in the studio, and we did my first album, Mountain [1969]."
With Pappalardi joining as bassist and co-writer, Mountain planted their flag deep in the 70s blues-rock scene with classics such as Mississippi Queen and Nantucket Sleighride. A rueful West can only speculate how high they might accept flown had Pappalardi's wife not disrupted the partnership (and shot her husband dead in 1983).
"She stuck her ii cents in, got in the middle of Felix and I, caused a lot of crap," he recalls. "All of a sudden, we were going to shows in separate cars. Drugs entered into it. I guess we got as much skilful out of it as we could. I love the Nantucket Sleighride album [1971], only afterward that, nosotros started to become downhill."
Other albums released in January 1971
- Chicago III - Chicago
- Pearl - Janis Joplin
- Deliverin' - Poco
- Hooker 'n Heat - John Lee Hooker and Canned Heat
- ZZ Top's Kickoff Album - ZZ Summit
- Extraction - Gary Wright
- Footling Feat - Little Feat
- Melting Pot - Booker T & the MG's
- The Bespeak! - Harry Nilsson
- Salisbury - Uriah Heep
What they said...
"Following the success of Climbing! and appearances at Woodstock and other outdoor festivals of the 24-hour interval, Mount recorded more than of the same for Nantucket Sleighride. The title runway is a nice mixture of classical-leaning intertwined with moderate rock; both Don't Await Around and The Animal Trainer And The Toad continue on the hard stone path so well-worn by this band. Not groundbreaking, but information technology is well worth listening to." (AllMusic)
"Although Nantucket Sleighride was also a commercial success, the album didn't live up to the promise of the band'due south debut. While still a solid effort, Nantucket Sleighride lacked the organic edginess of Cream and mutated into adequately typical, early on '70s hard stone. Nevertheless, at that place are a few moments that practise stand up out. Drummer Corky Laing injected some much needed energy into the furious Don't Await Effectually likewise every bit the title runway, which foreshadowed the fine art-rock inflow of Rush." (MusicBox)
"This recording did not have the rawness and brashness of the previous outing; information technology was more circuitous musically and lyrically while maintaining the bands musical integrity and giving it more shine at the same time, there was nevertheless something missing. Felix had more than influence on this recording and seemed to tighten the grip on the West energy level; hence, the large mans toughness and brashness did not prevail and neither did his sledgehammer guitar." (All-Reviews)
What yous said...
Steve Dev: One of the very showtime albums I bought as a kid. And I still spin it regularly. The opening assault of Don't Wait Around sucks you right in without hinting at the nuanced passion of the rest of the album, performed by skilled artisans. A supergroup. Still rates 10/ten for me.
Fred Varcoe: Seemed to accept been ignored in the U.Thou. but this album shows they were every bit proficient as anyone else out in that location. Pure stone, iii awesome musicians in W, Pappalardi and Laing. I think there'll be quite a few people out at that place thinking, 'Why didn't I buy this album 50 years ago?' I'thou 1 of them...
Bill Griffin: The commencement affair I noticed when this started playing was how much information technology sounded like Bloodrock (D.O.A. notwithstanding; that's even an outlier rail for them). The more information technology played, the more similar Bloodrock it sounded. That's not necessarily a bad thing as I really like them but one should probably non make an anthology sound every bit if Terry Knight produced it. Having said that, the championship track alone makes it worth owning. Simply i of the best rock songs always recorded. Also, listen to Astronomy from Blue Oyster Cult and tell me if they didn't cop the melody from Nantucket Sleighride.
Warren Bubb: Classic 70s rock. Brilliant Guitar piece of work from Leslie West. Only spoilt by a apartment, lifeless early 70s production. Time for a re-master?
Richard Cardenas: Title song is a vocal I don't ever think of nor do I expect for. Withal, every fourth dimension it comes on it transforms me back to my teen years in middle and loftier school. It's a vocal loved past kids who had an extensive beloved of music.
I really like Mountain and was lucky enough to come across them alive, once with Edgar Winter and Thee Image.
There's a hip stoner rock vibe to this tape that includes a feel unique to the early lxx's (I don't mean it'southward dated) that I just dear.
Hai Kixmiller: 30+ minutes of disappointment!
Equally soon every bit the needle drops into the groove, the first song, Don't Wait Around, sounds like a Cream song. It's the wall of drums and bass bashing you in the confront that dominate this song. Due west'southward minimalist guitar soloing adds some much needed melodic respite from the drums. A little bit of research showed my why my first thoughts were of the band Cream. Mountain's bassist, Felix Pappalardi, was the producer for Cream.
The album is full of mediocre attempts at "grandiose" storytelling. Pappalardi'due south weak and nasal vocalisation just doesn't quite go as soulful equally it should be on songs similar Tired Angels, My Lady, and Nantucket Sleighride. West's guitar work on the album is well... but irksome. Corky Laing'southward drumming is stellar, but the production volume should take been dialled down some. The drum productions have always been an issue we me when it comes to the power trio bands.
Unfortunately for Mountain, Mississippi Queen will ever be the yardstick that all their other songs are compared to. And Nantucket Sleighride just doesn't match, no, it doesn't fifty-fifty come shut to the primal, ferocity of Mississippi Queen. Nantucket Sleighride comes across like a classical minstrel recital with amplifiers. Perhaps if Nantucket Sleighride had come up out before Climbing, things would have been different for Mount.
Valentina Narcisse: I had never listened to any music by them earlier. I had heard of the name but they were definitely not a band on my radar or that I was interested in listening to. However, I really loved this album and wasn't expecting to be this blown away by it. I really liked the song Tired Angels.
Mike Knoop: Sometimes a little research can plow a meh album into a much more fulfilling feel. I was having trouble deciphering the lyrics so I Googled them and WOWZA! institute a tale of drugs and murder to rival Layla!
Nantucket Sleighride sounds like two different albums by two bands uncomfortably mashed together. Leslie West brings and/or sings the rowdy rockers like Don't Look Around, Y'all Can't Go Away, The Brute Trainer and the Toad. They're fine, but the songs that actually smoothen are the ones past bassist/singer/producer/songwriter Felix Pappalardi and his then girlfriend (and lyricist and cover artist) Gail Collins. The title track and Tired Angels remind me of the cute even so chilling tunes that Blueish Öyster Cult used to write.
Where it gets interesting – in a tabloid journalism sort of way – is that Gail knew Felix was getting the getting on the side so infidelity keeps cropping upwards in the lyrics. From namedropping the other adult female in the title track to lyrics similar, "If your heart was a diamond and your honey was gold, you lot'd be a band on my finger, yous don't need to be told that it own't no use tryin' to cheat on me" or "What you gonna practise when you can't seem to understand? How ya' gonna feel when your woman'south with another man?" Talk about a passive aggressive smackdown! In that context, My Lady sure sounds similar a "Baby, I'm sorry" song.
Some other keen pick – and to remember I never listened to it before because the championship made it sound similar a holiday album!
John Davidson: I was vaguely aware of Mountain back in the 70s, having first heard Nantucket Sleighride (the track) equally the theme music to a Sunday news/politics programme Weekend Earth. Simply beyond that song I didn't really give them much attention.
The production and tone are very much of the turn of the 60s into the 70s with hints of early Deep Royal and Wishbone Ash in the song structures.
Highlights for me are:
The opener... Don't Look Around which is an fantabulous rocker. I like the bluesy vox, dense keyboards and potent guitar married to a pacey beat.
The championship runway.. which starts slow earlier ripping in to the instrumental break and back again. It'south aged well .
Tired Angels - which sounds like a cantankerous between Early Jethro Tull and Wishbone Ash. with the vocal phrasing of a BOC track.
Beyond that the album is competent without being outstanding.
Adept pick though as it fabricated me listen to a few songs I haven't heard earlier or in many years.
Carl Blackness: Wow, what a great album. This what an album is all about, all the tracks are consistently good, in my stance, no obvious single choice, no problem for me. I've known of Mountain for a few years, and I'm shocked they weren't bigger in the UK. That Hammond organ drives the guitar forward and makes the sound heavier. The championship track and the great train robbery were my favourite tracks but every track on this anthology had its merits. I will be listening again.
Shane Hall: I love this album! Nantucket Sleighride is an underrated classic from an underrated grouping that is perhaps best known for the iconic single Mississippi Queen and a operation at Woodstock. In many ways, I similar this album better than the predecessor, Climbing. Besides the brilliant title runway, inspired by the incident involving the 19th century whaling send The Essex, highlights include the album opener Don't Wait Around, the Hendrix tribute Tired Angels, and the slide guitar-heavy blues rocker The Slap-up Train Robbery.
Andrew Williams: The whole anthology is completely dominated by the crawly championship track which ranks as one of my all time favourites. This is in no small-scale part due to it being the theme melody back in the 70s to Weekend World and was probably this ten year former's first introduction to 'heavy' music. Is the rest of the album worthy? Yep. Go mind.
Shane Reho: Not bad at all, but not spectacular either. Information technology starts off on a very loftier note, with Don't Wait Around kick things in gear (much like Never in My Life from Climbing) and the title rails keeping things rolling. However, afterwards that, the genuine highlights are harder to pick out. The trouble here is that this album doesn't offering much that Climbing didn't, and that makes this one feel similar a chip of a retread. 7/x. Runway picks: Don't Wait Around, Nantucket Sleighride, My Lady.
Brian Carr: Many years ago, I made the observation that new music could stop being made today and I would probably still exist able to find "new" music for the rest of my life - music that's new to me considering my tastes expanded or I missed information technology when information technology was first released. Once again, the Classic Rock Album of the Week Club has proven me right.
When I fired Mount's Nantucket Sleighride upward for the first time, Don't Look Around about took my caput off. Absolutely slamming! Laing's drumming is a bit busier than I would like, but it doesn't matter - killer opening. Taunta into the championship track is a major downshift in tone, but not in luminescence. What a beautiful, haunting track.
You Can't Get Abroad ramps it back upwardly, but the background vocals give me my first overt reminder of Cream. (Foam is talented and of import, but I never liked Jack Bruce's voice, so I haven't listened much.) This reminder continues into Tired Angels, where I realise how similar Pappalardi's phonation is to Bruce's.
The rest of the album has fine songs and playing (The Brute Trainer's honky tonk piano reminds me of The Faces). The production sounds raw, especially afterwards the crystal articulate sound of terminal week'due south pick. There are enough flaws here to keep information technology from the nine-10 range, but it definitely rocks enough to get added to my Apple tree Music library.
Sam Cummins: I'm listening to it twice. I liked it, looked up the lyrics to two songs and that ratcheted upward my rating of information technology. Human, the guitar phrasing on that last song, the live Travellling in the Dark, is only fantastic! 7 out of 10.
Gary Claydon: Mount were a band that pretty much passed me by in the 70s. I knew Mississippi Queen and of course Nantucket Sleighride which was, as already mentioned, familiar as the theme to Goggle box programme Weekend World and because Quartz did a pretty much note-for-annotation cover of it.
It was only the soap opera surrounding the death of Felix Pappalardi at the hands of his wife that made me take a bit of interest in the band. I bought a copy of Nantucket Sleighride from a 2nd hand store and gave information technology a few listens. I'm not going to pretend it blew me away then or now. But my stance of this album is pretty much unchanged. It'due south very competent heavy blues rock and fairly typical of that period.
The obvious influence is Cream but that'southward no surprise given Pappalardi'due south product piece of work with them. I like Corky Laing'due south drumming, but information technology's Leslie West'due south guitar work which really shines hither. It's easy to forget simply how expert the guy was (is still!). Stand up out tracks for me are the title track with it's gory tale of a line-fishing trip from hell and Travellin' In The Nighttime, especially the live version. All in all this is skillful solid hard/blues rock. It'due south been a good while since I listened to this so thanks for giving me reason to revisit information technology.
Final Score: 7.17 ⁄10 (117 votes cast, with a total score of 839)
Join the Album Of The Week Guild on Facebook to join in. The history of rock, one anthology at a time.
Source: https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/mountain-nantucket-sleighride-album-of-the-week-club-review
0 Response to "Wall Street Journal Review of Nantucket Sleigh Ride"
Post a Comment