Search - Mountain :: Masters of War (Dig)

MOUNTAIN: Masters of thier Craft!

Rauk Zenta | Planet Zentar | 07/31/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mountain Is and always was Leslie West(gtr.), Corky Laing (Drms), and would be Felix Papalardi (bass) ,except for mystery shrouded circumstances involving his 83 murder, Ritchie Scarlett is very able in his bass chores. Mountain is not an oldies act, Mountain has always been a viable and powerful touring band and has had the occasional release be it the band moniker

or Leslie West name. An outstanding recent release (2002) would be Mystic Fire, but this is not an exception. So when I heard the Mountain was going to release a set of Bob Dylan interpretations, I was confident that it would prove to be a strong record. Mountain has not let me or any of their fans down with this new release, Masters of War. Fans of His Bobness will also be pleased with the power and versatility of the selections and performances included here.

Leslie West has a strong and powerful voice that only seems to get more intense with age, Corky always been the Canadian master of the large Kit, and Ritchie is an appropriate colleague on the deep end. This record includes two songs featuring long time Mountain fan/friend Warren Haynes, only adding to the magic contained within theses grooves. A complete unnecessary addition of Ozzy star power on the title track, shows that the trading of verses with Leslie is more of the Joke Ozzman than the Black Sabbath powerhouse of yore, and Leslie shines w/o the help of reality TV debasement.

Corky ups the ante with a neo-urban rap version of `Like a Rolling Stone', which features only him accompanied only by counter rhythm minimalistic drums.

A separate heavy and then light version of `Blowing in the Wind' serves to underscore the versatility of this set.

Other selections include a molten version of `Gotta Serve Somebody' and `Seven Days', songs not usually included in Dylan tribute packages. This record is a tangible slab of Rock Rage and Sensitivity. This collection is a MUST HAVE for YOUR collection. Mountain Lives!...Mountain Rules!

-Brother Rauk Zenta



"

Well who would have guessed

Ronald J. Mccullough | Wilson, N.C. United States | 07/31/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Upfront I'm a big fan of Leslie + Corky. I'm a guitarist who plays a Hamer P90 special (can you say Les Paul Jr.) and a Stienberger through a Marshall stack... wonder who I sound like?

I've listened through the album three times. It is a superb recording. Every note from every instrument is audible and correctly balanced. Mr. Laings take of Like a Rolling Stone (vocals and drums only) is fantastic and very much caught my notice. Leslie's accoustic playing should be featured more often - his note selection is excellent - the man is a far better musician than he gets credit for. Ozzie's contribution did nothing for me but it is short and he only appears once. Warren H. contribution isn't anything Leslie couldn't have done on his own - not bad but at the same time not remarkable. Mr. Aronsons contribution on the bass is very good as is Mr. Scarlets. This is a good album but be forewarned it is not Mountain of the climbing era and it isn't a bootleg - this is the real deal by some serious folks and well worth a purchase."

DYLAN HEAVY ROCK STYLE!

G. Duff | Wollongong, NSW Australia | 08/24/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I thought I knew how this would sound given Mountain's history as the hardest of hard rockers and thought it might be OK for a track or two with a fair bit of filler but it's a really good album all the way through and I strongly recommend it to Dylan and Mountain fans alike. Like a Rolling Stone is especially amazing with Corky Laing handling vocals. Enjoy!"