1. This is Jack Bruce’s greatest composition. Frigg’n brilliant. 2. No one sang this song better than Felix. Just amazing. 3. Leslie West was a beautiful guitarist and this old version is his best-even better than later versions when he added a lot of technical complexity. You all know what I mean: this is the boys in heaven talking to us still.
@miltonkeynes3090, YOU SAID ALL THAT CAN BE SAID . YOU KNOW GREAT TALENT WHEN YOU HEAR IT. Thankfully they left us some of the best music in ROCK HISTORY. CORKY AND STEVE MADE MOUNTAIN A COMPLETE BAND . Only these 4-MUSICIANS MADE TO THE TOP OF THEIR MOUNTAIN,! BY THE WAY , (MOUNTAIN,MOUNTAIN CLIMBING,HENDRIX, we’re MY FIRST ALBUMS I BROUGHT.🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶😎✌️BOB
Me too !! Our campground was just up the back road behind the stage. Loved Mountain !! My band at the time played "Dreams Of Milk And Honey" and "Southbound Train".
No doubt about it. Beauty to the ears. Can and does get caught up in the throat. Thanking them for the Rollercoaster ride that is heavy super group delightfullness.
If you cheat on your wife. Don’t buy her a gun. Which is exactly what happened to Felix He was cheating and brought his wife a gun. His wife found out about it. And shot him.
Felix had such a golden tenor voice. And Leslie played the hell out of that Les Paul Jr. Mountain was one of my favorite groups from the Woodstock era.
YES WE LOST TWO OF THE GREATEST MUSICIAN,s IN THE HISTORY OF MUSIC. SO,SO SAD ,JUST LISTEN TO LESLIE PLAY THAT GUITAR,FELIX WITH THAT WONDERFUL VOICE,MAN THIS WAS A SPECIAL BAND . Thankfully WE HAVE THIS MUSIC TO LISTEN TO.!🎶🎶🎶🎶😂✌️😎BOB
No Leslie is Not with Felix.. but on the Gods white throne judgement they will be alive one last time to be judged for their Godly works on earth and then I’m sure they will both go to Hell for Eternity
he just makes you want to track down this stuff and hear him jam. very few guitarists play so damn well that I think about putting them on simply because it's time to hear it again. among the best lead guitarists that ever lived. the rock BB King. their original 'Mississippi Queen' was and is, badass. if you threw theJAMES GANG into CREAM, you'd get something like this.
Such a great song, so brilliantly played and sung. Nothing comes close anymore, there is more emotion and passion in one note of this song than on entire albums of most of todays crap. This is one of those rare tunes that literally makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck, unless you have no feelings.
@ Gary Clark , I feel it! That's what makes it real. Today..., I am numb. This new music is absent of soul. An occasional tune is alive, but for the most part it everything is dead. I need an itch scratched.
There is a strong presence of melancholy and sadness yet truth sung and played brilliantly....felix is joyous..leslie plays lead so inspired what can be said
Thank you. Love Jack Bruce’s 1969 composition from Songs For A Tailor, but I had no flippin’ idea that Mountain covered it for Woodstock. All we had was the selected acts for the movie release in March 1970. They changed the key from E to A and with Leslie’s violin-vibrato guitar solo and Felix’s Gibson EB-1 bass tones and lead vocal- I wish that I was aware that Jack’s music and Pete Brown’s lyrics had MADE it to WOODSTOCK. In 2020, I am getting what I didn’t see or hear in the 1970 movie theater. Thank you, very much. And thank you, Mountain.
Jack and his wife Janet Godfrey were close freinds with Felix and his wife Gail Collins. Remember that Felix produced all the American Cream stuff. After Mountain split Jack joined Leslie and Corky in West, Bruce & Laing. They were all buddies.
You may have been there but you didn't see them perform the version in this video, this wasn't their Woodstock performance, nor even the same band members. You can find their Woodstock versions of Blood of the Sun and Theme From an Imaginary Western here, after listening you may understand why the producers used recordings from another concert instead on the Woodstock II album. No harm, no foul, there were many performances at Woodstock that the performers would like to take back for many reasons, the weather, the crowd, the time of day, the equipment malfunctions, the drugs, the alcohol....
it is a beautiful song and reflects the struggle and the triumph of the pioneers but one part of the picture is omitted hence the "imaginary" western - the forceful dispossession and displacement and mass murder, to put it bluntly, of the original inhabitants - surprisingly, there are still people descended from them alive today
@@toddthedrysocketWelcome to human history 101. Not really that surprising that their descendants have survived though, as the vast majority of the indigenous folk who were wiped out succumbed to disease to which they had no immunity rather than a systematic genocide.
What a beautiful melody sung with the quality voice of Felix Pappalardi and his bass, the nice fills of the organist, the rock solid drums, and then the incomparable expression on guitar of Mr. west. This performance is one of the reasons the Woodstock Concert of 1969 remains a musical milestone in the Golden Age of Popular Music. Pieces like these will be enjoyed long after the Age passes and many will marvel at the unique musical feel displayed at this magical event.
Everything u have said is correct.I add one point.The rich imaginative poetry in this song is splendid.Overall, this is one of the finest R&B songs ever made.
I used to listen to this over and over in 1970 but somehow forgot all about it until today, 52 years later. So beautiful and so nostalgic the tears are flowing. You think you remember all the songs you loved over the years but a few slip out of mind. What else have I forgotten?
Not me… I’ve listened to this song through all these years. Got it on every playlist that I’ve got. Absolutely love everything about this song… never get tired of it and through all these years never forgot about it , never put it on the shelf. Great job Felix, Leslie and Corky.
Song was actually written by Jack Bruce of cream but I always thought mountain overall to be a much much better band more consistent and I actually prefer most of their versions of creams music I do not feel it Clapton had a passion as a blues player vocally or instrumentally that Leslie west did for one thing. Most underrated band of all time without a doubt although I do know of a couple of other exceptions to this
I saw West, Bruce and Laing play in North London and it was a joy to hear Jack sing this. Another link with Cream was that Felix worked with the group as a producer and, I seem to recall, playing instruments. I saw Mountain in London and they were the loudest group I had heard. When Felix played certain notes you could actually feel your stomach move. No wonder he lost his hearing. In the past when great musicians passed away there was always the consolation that others would be coming along. God knows what has happened. The supply line has been well and truly cut with nothing coming along. Watch Jack Bruce sing this live on RUclips - he dedicates it to Felix.
Damn...there's NOTHING like this out there today. I was born 40 years too late. The 60s were the most creative period for music. Felix's bass and voice and Leslie West's guitar are perfection.
+QueerAndUnplugged You are so right about this. I am old now (almost 64) but feel so damn lucky to have grown up in the wonderful 60's, so much great music by so many great musicians and bands, and they actually played their instruments. Starting with The Beatles, Stones, Kinks, etc; then Cream, Steppenwolf, Hendrix, Deep Purple, Mountain, Zeppelin, JethroTull, and on and on. It really was the most creative period for music. Peace
+Gary Clark Was a great time for sure! But you forgot the greatest American guitar driven band of all- the original Allman Brothers Band with the great, incomparable Duane Allman
+midrider335 Didn't forget them, just so many to mention them all, but you are right, ABB was (and still is) one of the great ones too. Duane Allman still stands as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, pretty remarkable considering his far too short career. Others worthy of mention too include Grand Funk Railroad, Free, Bad Company, Pink Floyd, Sabbath, so many.........
+QueerAndUnplugged The music wasn't over produced and McDonaldized , so it had flavor. And there was no MTV so what the music sounded like was more important then looks. Add that the electric guitar amp were not just being used for volume, turn that shit up to 10 and the guitar becomes a different kind of animal, controlled feedback and sustain as an expressive tool. And a lot of bands were spiritual or had a theory, LSD made people think outside the box and stuff like Transcendental Meditation and Zen were being discovered. And there was a real nasty war happening with a draft lottery and at any moment your number could come up and in 8 weeks you'd be in hell. Assassinations, civil rights movement, the youth seriously questioning the government and the status quo, just a ton of factors making for some serious song writing with intense lyrics, Bob Dylan. And a lot of the music was about God and enlightenment, or peace and love. Folk music and the old blues masters being appreciated made for acceptance of a different kind of singing voice, less polished and trained, raw and down to Earth was good. All these factors made for a perfect storm. As to why music has gone down the tubes, it might not have, the good stuff might be hard to find. Music was just tossed out on the airwaves, like throw it at the wall and see if it sticks, see if it sells. Now I think they stick it to the wall, in other words they decide what we like. And those personal music devices, down loading one song at a time, whole albums often had a theme. Also through schools and universities there is a kind of censorship that is in the disguise of inclusive but is really constraining. Free speech and open discussion was encouraged, now there are safe zones all over a campus and a special little zone kicked off to the side is the only place where free speech is allowed. Last but not least, TV, American Idol, X Factor. New music was presented to us on shows like Ed Sulivan and Mid Night Special and other shows. Now it's a game show, and to top it off the winners are under contract and told what to do for 10 fucking years! Anyway, that is my take on what the hell is going on in the arts and why a Woodstock might not happen again for a long time.
Played in a band that had a first day opening in a new club that were used to copy bands that all dressed alike. Mr. Lucky's in Denver. Big club. We played all our opening stuff trying to get people to dance or something. Stones, Dooby Brothers, Allman Bros, Eagles and original stuff. We thought we were going to be fired right away. I guess they were just sitting listening because they'd never heard something like us or such a diversity of material - ALL done very well. For our closing song I thought what the hell lets shoot the works and if they don't like us we'll soon know. We played "Theme from an Imaginary Western" and with my "Felix like" voice and loud guitar parts going on - brought down the house with a standing ovation. Almost tears on the stage. What a relief! We played and they liked it from then on and many more times at Mr. Lucky's. Saved by the Mountain!!
To me, the live sound of this band and this song in particular are a complete and perfect representation of the sounds and moods of that particular time - 1969
agree with you for sure... song takes me back to when we were so hopeful of making positive change to fix the messed up world....think we dropped the ball in many areas but seeing now some of the youth are grabbing onto those values..
I can't believe I didn't know about Leslie's passing until today. I woke this morning wondering what he'd been up to, then was looking up drummers, and stumbled onto the passing of my favorite guitarist ever. R.I.P. Leslie. This brings such sadness. Some of my buddies and I drove around six hours, to Little Rock sometime in the hot part of the summer of 1970 (I believe), in Johnny Daughrty's white Chevy Impala, to see Mountain. We figured we'd probably miss Ted Nugent and Edgar Winter's White Trash, but that was okay, if we got to see Mountain. By the time we got there, EWWT was just about finished, then we just slid right up to the front row of folding chairs, and I stood right in front of Felix and Leslie for the whole show. It was the definition of the overused word "awesome!". I'm sure none of us ever forgot that time we saw MOUNTAIN. LESLIE WEST and FELIX PAPALARDI !! I'm so glad I got that experience and the memory. I sang Theme for many years from behind the drumset, with a few different bands. I wish we'd gotten a recording of The AlaBastards doing it, back in the 0ughts. It was my favorite song ever to sing. My voice won't reach those highest notes anymore, but I still keep trying in the shower.
Can't add much - the most-beautiful of ANY of the live renditions of MOUNTAIN's best-ever songs. Steve's organ-contribution unusually well-placed & balanced. Corky's drumming at its most studied, syncopated and rhythmically-accomplished. Leslie's soulful out-front guitar unsurpassed. Felix's vocals and Bass superlative, unsurpassed for command and rounding-out of this 'best among the best' - comparable reference STORMY MONDAY (live at Atlanta 1970)
god, that LEAD! (I stole the double vinyl album from my firend just to have it in the 70's) He found it and took it back. Still besties and West is still a beast!
This is where I first heard this song. I was a little boy. Eight years old. I was so amazed at EVERYTHING. the people, the music, the feeling all around. It was like nothing I ever experienced in my life 56 years later. nothing comes close. thank Ozzy, I had an older hippy Brother....
A tune from a mountain of a man, Leslie was way ahead of his time and thru all these years he kept putting out great music. Killer axeman...Thanks for posting this Classic..
This should have been on the original record but at least it made it to the 40th anniversary CD but not the DVD. For myself that version off Climbing was his best & most passionate . Truly one of the 70s most classic guitar solos.
When the wagons leave the city For the forest and further on Painted wagons of the morning Dusty roads where they have gone Sometimes traveling through the darkness Met the summer coming home Fallen faces by the wayside Looked as if they might have known Oh the sun was in their eyes And the desert was dry In the country town Where the laughter sounds Oh the dancing and the singing Oh the music when they played Oh the fires that they started Oh the girls with no regret Sometimes they found it, sometimes they kept it Often lost it along the way Fought each other to possess it Often died in sight of day Oh the sun was in their eyes And the desert was dry In the country town Where the laughter sounds Oh the sun was in their eyes And the desert was dry In the country town Where the laughter sounds
This Song has so much emotion and feeling.... I never grow tired of this classic, Leslie West and Mountain, I saw them in 1970 at Crosley Field in Cinci... Cinci Music Festival. Too many Great Bands to recall. But truly grew up in a special era that will never be repeated... A theme for an Imaginary Western is in a Class by itself...
I love this song! It was this recording that I fell in love with Leslie West's guitar playing. His choice of notes and especially his vibrato, is just pure joy in the truest sense of the word. No wonder Randy Rhoades cited him as an influence. He let's the guitar breathe! His rhythmic sense is perfect. It's how he could bring out so many emotions out of the guitar. He gives the guitar sound life! RIP Leslie. Your now playing the the greatest band ever!
Perhaps one of Leslie's greatest performances ever. I can see why Randy Rhoads loved his feel. His vibrato was perfect. I love it too. RIP Leslie. You and Randy and everyone else can jam forever!
The dynamics here are astounding; Felix's soaring, clear vocal singing a beautiful evocative song/ballad combined with the melodious intertwining instrumental backup makes this an outstanding anthem, perfect for that time and easily able to be timeless. I'm glad I saw Mountain shortly after Woodstock at Catholic University in D.C.
❤️ Mountain ❤️ Love you guys. RIP Leslie, Felix & Jack. I don’t know how or what you’ve done but I feel like a better human being every time I hear this, and that’s since 1969.
Simply the best version of this song. Felix vocals, Leslie’s solos (it’s all in the fingers man), Corky’s solid in the pocket, and the underrated coloring keyboards of Steve Knight. Best version audio; new PBS release of Mountain is close 😊
Leslie played our small local community center (Eckman) in Old Greenwich CT with the Vagrants multiple times before he hit the big time, what a sound. Our theory was that his sustain and resonance had something to do with his body, ha ! so amazing
I grew up with this music and it still knocks me out. Hope the kids today will be able to find 'something' to look back on from today that has anywhere near the emotional impact that this music has. Glad it's not me.
You're right....The CSN&Y song 'Sea Of Madness' wasn't recorded at Woodstock either...They used a better sounding version from the Fillmore East on the first Woodstock album..Cool that you were there Edgar Cook...I was a couple of years too young to go...
I've read that also their "Blood of the Sun" was not from Woodstock performance. I compared the two ones: the true Woodstock one was good, but the one they put on the record is terrific!!👍
Written by Jack Bruce (he of Cream fame) and lyricist Pete Brown, "Theme For An Imaginary Western" was included on Bruce's 1969 solo album Songs For A Tailor, released shortly after Cream's demise. Felix Pappalardi, who was Bruce's producer, recorded the song with his band Mountain for their 1970 album Climbing!. With Pappalardi on lead vocals, this became the most popular version of the song.
Mountain sounded phenomenal to me when I first heard this song on the radio. Just like when I was a kid, when I heard White Room, I later heard Theme For An Imaginary Western on the radio and could not get enough that song either. The imaginary of..Where the laughter sounds...Oh, the sun was in their eye.....And the desert that dry...In the country towns....Where the laughter sound......love it!!.....I spent years following the shadows that run from themselves and other songs written by Pete Brown. The words to his songs always got me. Pete was a poet!! And today I will play this song too, quite few times in remembrance Rest in Peace Peter 'Pete' Constantine Brown, your songs made a difference to a lot of folk. Always, let the sunshine of love beam up to you Pete! When the wagons leave the city For the forest and further on Painted wagons of the morning Dusty roads where they have gone Sometimes travelin' through the darkness Met the summer comin' home Fallen faces by the wayside Looked as if they might have known Oh, the sun was in their eye And the desert that dry In the country towns Where the laughter sound Oh, the dancing and the singing Oh, the music when they played Oh, the fire that they started Oh, the girls with no regret Sometimes they found it, sometimes they kept it Often lost it along the way Fought each other to possess it Sometimes died in sight of day Oh, the sun was in their eye And the desert that dry In the country town Where the laughter sounds Oh, the sun was in their eye And the desert that dry In the country towns Where the laughter sound
When this album came out "Theme From An Imaginary Western" was the only song we jammed on, and I was always the singer. By the time I got to singing "When the sun" my heart was rising in my chest. You never forget a song that can do that to you, and it makes you want to go to those forests and further on.
I've loved this song ever since i was 16, and first hearing it at the Brighton Park Theater in south Chicago, when the Woodstock film first came out . we were passing joints around in there, and nobody hassled us . i was surprised to find out that this isn't the actual version that was played at Woodstock, but some other live version from when they played the Fillmore i think . the Woodstock version, which someone posted on here somewhere, isn't nearly as good as this one, so it's cool with me.
Correct, when they played this at Woodstock they had a pretty bad breakdown and had to start over. I guess that’s why they used a different recording on the album, Woodstock II.
Join the March to get Leslie West and MOUNTAIN inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!!! QUITE POSSIBLY THE GREATEST GUITAR TONE IN ROCK HISTORY CANNOT BE DENIED NO LONGER!!! Sign the Petition and make Rock history!!! www.ipetitions.com/petition/get-leslie-west-inducted-into-the-rock-and-roll
The late Felix Pappalardi, sings on this Jack Bruce song and he does it with passion and sounds a lot like Jack Bruce. You can't find music like this anymore ! And Leslie West, for years it has been rumored that he played some solos on The Who s' Who s' Next album.
We miss you Felix. Gone 30 years this week. Godspeed my brother - thanks for all the great music. Only you could wrestle greatness out of Mountain and Cream, et. al.
Not actually recorded at Woodstock, nevertheless the most (I feel) epic of all the paean's to the Woodstock event, the people & the journey. I never tire of listening to this. Felix's voice, Leslie's fuzzed out guitar... it's perfection.
@@crazymanmichael100 I've looked for years, as have others, to determine where...Detroit?, Cincinnati?, Fillmore East?, no one has been able to identify it & I've listened to over 20 versions from the era. The Woodstock version was a fairly shabby reading compared to what was released on Woodstock II in '78 (Vinyl). Here is what the actual Woodstock performance sounded like: ruclips.net/video/x9g8I092b-c/видео.html
@@klep2859 Thanks for that, yes, quite different, it's funny i noticed the comments section was turned off for that one, looks like it will remain a mystery, at least we do have the Woodstock 2 version to listen to. Thanks again.
1. This is Jack Bruce’s greatest composition. Frigg’n brilliant.
2. No one sang this song better than Felix. Just amazing.
3. Leslie West was a beautiful guitarist and this old version is his best-even better than later versions when he added a lot of technical complexity.
You all know what I mean: this is the boys in heaven talking to us still.
Peter Brown co author. RIP
Agree on all three!!
@miltonkeynes3090, YOU SAID ALL THAT CAN BE SAID . YOU KNOW GREAT TALENT WHEN YOU HEAR IT. Thankfully they left us some of the best music in ROCK HISTORY. CORKY AND STEVE MADE MOUNTAIN A COMPLETE BAND . Only these 4-MUSICIANS MADE TO THE TOP OF THEIR MOUNTAIN,! BY THE WAY , (MOUNTAIN,MOUNTAIN CLIMBING,HENDRIX, we’re MY FIRST ALBUMS I BROUGHT.🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶😎✌️BOB
YOU SAID IT SO RIGHT ,THE ORIGINAL VERSION IS STILL THE BEST.THIS WAS ONE OF ROCK,s GREATEST BANDS!🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶😎✌️BOB
Amen, brother!
I was near the front of the stage for this set 51 years ago!
You should have 1000 thumbs up for that brother
Well Tony...it's 51 years later and I'm still jealous.
That’s great! Ok as someone who was there, who’d you rate the 3 best acts that played it, in order?
Me too !! Our campground was just up the back road behind the stage. Loved Mountain !! My band at the time played "Dreams Of Milk And Honey" and "Southbound Train".
I remember, I was standing right next to ya! Such a long, long time ago!
Felix's bass and voice almost brings me to tears,incredible song RIP FelixPappalardi.
Felix's voice was haunting during the song such a professional
Sorely missed along with Jack Bruce Leslie West...They brought joy, celebration, AMPED UP Music, POWERFUL .
No doubt about it. Beauty to the ears.
Can and does get caught up in the throat. Thanking them for the Rollercoaster ride that is heavy super group delightfullness.
If you cheat on your wife.
Don’t buy her a gun. Which is exactly what happened to Felix He was cheating and brought his wife a gun.
His wife found out about it. And shot him.
@@peterm1826 that's crazy. No sane person would kill someone (let alone someone so intimate) for such a trivial thing.
Felix Papalardi was a great singer bass player and producer he should definitely be in the rock and roll HOF.
I agree with you my friend !
His wife shot him with a gun HE BOUGHT HER! Never buy your WIFE a GUN
He was fantastic...one of my personal musical heroes.
One of the single greatest songs ever written
John Deegan I bet they were having some great sex though LOL
The guitar is so soulful in this song. Doesn't matter which version by Mountain it is, it never ceases to make me tear up.
One of the best guitar solos ever recorded
Felix had such a golden tenor voice. And Leslie played the hell out of that Les Paul Jr. Mountain was one of my favorite groups from the Woodstock era.
Ditto
Indeed
R.I.P. Leslie West. You’re with Felix now.
And Jack Bruce!
Also, R.I.P. Felix Pappalardi
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️
YES WE LOST TWO OF THE GREATEST MUSICIAN,s IN THE HISTORY OF MUSIC. SO,SO SAD ,JUST LISTEN TO LESLIE PLAY THAT GUITAR,FELIX WITH THAT WONDERFUL VOICE,MAN THIS WAS A SPECIAL BAND . Thankfully WE HAVE THIS MUSIC TO LISTEN TO.!🎶🎶🎶🎶😂✌️😎BOB
No Leslie is Not with Felix.. but on the Gods white throne judgement they will be alive one last time to be judged for their Godly works on earth and then I’m sure they will both go to Hell for Eternity
Felix pappalardi has a beautiful voice. I think this must be one of the best guitar solos in history.
Well said. I discovered Mountain 6 months ago and I am hooked. I think I own pretty much everything they put out.
Sounds like Burton Cumming's voice kind of..
Always thought Leslie sung this one. Very nice voice anyway.
West rules wirth his tone!
One of Jack Bruce's best.
50 years ago, and Leslie West has a guitar tone I'd die for NOW.
May he RIP
One of my all time favorites.. RIP Leslie.
he just makes you want to track down this stuff and hear him jam. very few guitarists play so damn well that I think about putting them on simply because it's time to hear it again. among the best lead guitarists that ever lived. the rock BB King. their original 'Mississippi Queen' was and is, badass. if you threw theJAMES GANG into CREAM, you'd get something like this.
IT S IT,get sunn coliseum pa plug in mic jack adjust master/volumes,eq,get lp jr w/p-90 ,BUT OH THE FINGERS AND SOUL bless myn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Such a great song, so brilliantly played and sung. Nothing comes close anymore, there is more emotion and passion in one note of this song than on entire albums of most of todays crap. This is one of those rare tunes that literally makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck, unless you have no feelings.
So absolutely true, Mr. Gary Clark. So very true.
+Gary Clark ....agreed..absolutely...today's crap has no soul compared to this.
It is just freakin' fabulous....
It is!!!
@ Gary Clark , I feel it! That's what makes it real. Today..., I am numb. This new music is absent of soul. An occasional tune is alive, but for the most part it everything is dead. I need an itch scratched.
This song was perfect for Mountain, and we are so lucky they took it for their own. Simply one of the best songs of the rock n' roll era !
Probably one of the best songs ever written and Mountain's cover tops them all.
I listen to this song at least once a week. After all these years.
i do too
@@joeymac3969 I wish I could, I have to listen to it once a day.
This does a 60ish fellow good once a week at least. Therapy ya know
I put "Mountain Climbing" cd in my car player and then epoxied a cover over the access slot.
I can't claim to listen that often but, when I do, it consumes me. RIP Leslie West just today. :(
There is a strong presence of melancholy and sadness yet truth sung and played brilliantly....felix is joyous..leslie plays lead so inspired what can be said
Well said...Thanks.
RIP Leslie West. Thank you for all of the memories and good times that your music provided me. Say hi to Felix for me!
So some pole dancer named Madonna gets into the Rock and Roll hall of fame but not Mountain?
They have zero credibility as far as I'm concerned.
Less than 0@@josephminutella2888
@@josephminutella2888 They're just tools of the tools that run Rolling Stone magazine.
Hear, hear
Leslie West = all about careful phrasing and tone. Lovely playing. I consider this to be the definitive version of Jack Bruce's song.
Thank you. Love Jack Bruce’s 1969 composition from Songs For A Tailor, but I had no flippin’ idea that Mountain covered it for Woodstock. All we had was the selected acts for the movie release in March 1970. They changed the key from E to A and with Leslie’s violin-vibrato guitar solo and Felix’s Gibson EB-1 bass tones and lead vocal- I wish that I was aware that Jack’s music and Pete Brown’s lyrics had MADE it to WOODSTOCK. In 2020, I am getting what I didn’t see or hear in the 1970 movie theater. Thank you, very much. And thank you, Mountain.
The story is that Jack didn’t think it was good enough, so he gave it to Felix
Jack and his wife Janet Godfrey were close freinds with Felix and his wife Gail Collins.
Remember that Felix produced all the American Cream stuff.
After Mountain split Jack joined Leslie and Corky in West, Bruce & Laing.
They were all buddies.
Felix Pappalardi's voice and Leslie's guitar solo give me chills to this day
One of the great guitar solos of all times!! And I was there to see it. Mountain Live at Woodstock!
I wasthere too.......but fuck if I remember PLEASE TELL ME WHADDTHEY SOUNDLIKE......SHIT BET THEY WUZ GREAT !!!!!
You may have been there but you didn't see them perform the version in this video, this wasn't their Woodstock performance, nor even the same band members. You can find their Woodstock versions of Blood of the Sun and Theme From an Imaginary Western here, after listening you may understand why the producers used recordings from another concert instead on the Woodstock II album. No harm, no foul, there were many performances at Woodstock that the performers would like to take back for many reasons, the weather, the crowd, the time of day, the equipment malfunctions, the drugs, the alcohol....
You can say that really lived The Life
Sal Cipolla -I hate u..just playing.. only was 14 back then..1969..
Lucky fucker!
I was 14 years old during one of the greatest concerts that ever took place.
Such an experience for me. R.I.P. Mr. West💔💔💔💔😥
A British poet/musician captures America's past in such a brief and eloquent way. Makes me cry
it is a beautiful song and reflects the struggle and the triumph of the pioneers but one part of the picture is omitted hence the "imaginary" western - the forceful dispossession and displacement and mass murder, to put it bluntly, of the original inhabitants - surprisingly, there are still people descended from them alive today
@@toddthedrysocketWelcome to human history 101. Not really that surprising that their descendants have survived though, as the vast majority of the indigenous folk who were wiped out succumbed to disease to which they had no immunity rather than a systematic genocide.
What a beautiful melody sung with the quality voice of Felix Pappalardi and his bass, the nice fills of the organist, the rock solid drums, and then the incomparable expression on guitar of Mr. west. This performance is one of the reasons the Woodstock Concert of 1969 remains a musical milestone in the Golden Age of Popular Music. Pieces like these will be enjoyed long after the Age passes and many will marvel at the unique musical feel displayed at this magical event.
Love Felix's singing, and bass playing.....what a talented cat he was.
Everything u have said is correct.I add one point.The rich imaginative poetry in this song is splendid.Overall, this is one of the finest R&B songs ever made.
Yes you are right. The incomparable Jack Bruce wrote this song.
Like Felix Pappalardi, Jack Bruce was a great talent.Of Blessed Memory are both of these geniuses.
Eloquent, Neil.
I used to listen to this over and over in 1970 but somehow forgot all about it until today, 52 years later. So beautiful and so nostalgic the tears are flowing. You think you remember all the songs you loved over the years but a few slip out of mind. What else have I forgotten?
Not me… I’ve listened to this song through all these years. Got it on every playlist that I’ve got. Absolutely love everything about this song… never get tired of it and through all these years never forgot about it , never put it on the shelf. Great job Felix, Leslie and Corky.
RIP - Jack Bruce 10/25/2014. You will never be forgotten.
randy109 Randy 109, you are lucid and insiteful concerning Jack Bruce. What I would give to go back to these Halcyon days.
Take care brother
Jack was with Cream back then? Not at woodstock
Twigg Ster right on twig thank you send
Twigg Ster He wrote it.
@@billydotleeds C
Mountain never got their due! Songs like this and Nantucket Sleigh Ride are so beautiful!
Agreed. I have so much of their music on vinyl that I will never give up. I never saw them play, but I sure loved them.
Brings tears to my eyes
Jack Bruce wrote it in 64
Song was actually written by Jack Bruce of cream but I always thought mountain overall to be a much much better band more consistent and I actually prefer most of their versions of creams music I do not feel it Clapton had a passion as a blues player vocally or instrumentally that Leslie west did for one thing. Most underrated band of all time without a doubt although I do know of a couple of other exceptions to this
, and: Long Red.
I saw West, Bruce and Laing play in North London and it was a joy to hear Jack sing this. Another link with Cream was that Felix worked with the group as a producer and, I seem to recall, playing instruments. I saw Mountain in London and they were the loudest group I had heard. When Felix played certain notes you could actually feel your stomach move. No wonder he lost his hearing. In the past when great musicians passed away there was always the consolation that others would be coming along. God knows what has happened. The supply line has been well and truly cut with nothing coming along. Watch Jack Bruce sing this live on RUclips - he dedicates it to Felix.
r.i.p. Jack Bruce and thanks for writing this great song.
indeed...
Pete Brown lyricist.
This is for all the kids that think a thousand notes played fast really matters.
Leslie West is a master of feel and tone, he can make three notes sound better than 30.
Too many notes? ruclips.net/video/dCud8H7z7vU/видео.html
So true
my fav ..ever!! saw him back at the capital in NJ a few times as a kid..
It's not the notes that make a song great, it's the space in between that makes it soar!
Damn...there's NOTHING like this out there today. I was born 40 years too late. The 60s were the most creative period for music. Felix's bass and voice and Leslie West's guitar are perfection.
+QueerAndUnplugged You are so right about this. I am old now (almost 64) but feel so damn lucky to have grown up in the wonderful 60's, so much great music by so many great musicians and bands, and they actually played their instruments. Starting with The Beatles, Stones, Kinks, etc; then Cream, Steppenwolf, Hendrix, Deep Purple, Mountain, Zeppelin, JethroTull, and on and on. It really was the most creative period for music. Peace
+Gary Clark you are so right Gary! Best music ever. Peace.
+Gary Clark Was a great time for sure! But you forgot the greatest American guitar driven band of all- the original Allman Brothers Band with the great, incomparable Duane Allman
+midrider335 Didn't forget them, just so many to mention them all, but you are right, ABB was (and still is) one of the great ones too. Duane Allman still stands as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, pretty remarkable considering his far too short career. Others worthy of mention too include Grand Funk Railroad, Free, Bad Company, Pink Floyd, Sabbath, so many.........
+QueerAndUnplugged The music wasn't over produced and McDonaldized , so it had flavor. And there was no MTV so what the music sounded like was more important then looks. Add that the electric guitar amp were not just being used for volume, turn that shit up to 10 and the guitar becomes a different kind of animal, controlled feedback and sustain as an expressive tool. And a lot of bands were spiritual or had a theory, LSD made people think outside the box and stuff like Transcendental Meditation and Zen were being discovered. And there was a real nasty war happening with a draft lottery and at any moment your number could come up and in 8 weeks you'd be in hell. Assassinations, civil rights movement, the youth seriously questioning the government and the status quo, just a ton of factors making for some serious song writing with intense lyrics, Bob Dylan. And a lot of the music was about God and enlightenment, or peace and love. Folk music and the old blues masters being appreciated made for acceptance of a different kind of singing voice, less polished and trained, raw and down to Earth was good. All these factors made for a perfect storm. As to why music has gone down the tubes, it might not have, the good stuff might be hard to find. Music was just tossed out on the airwaves, like throw it at the wall and see if it sticks, see if it sells. Now I think they stick it to the wall, in other words they decide what we like. And those personal music devices, down loading one song at a time, whole albums often had a theme. Also through schools and universities there is a kind of censorship that is in the disguise of inclusive but is really constraining. Free speech and open discussion was encouraged, now there are safe zones all over a campus and a special little zone kicked off to the side is the only place where free speech is allowed. Last but not least, TV, American Idol, X Factor. New music was presented to us on shows like Ed Sulivan and Mid Night Special and other shows. Now it's a game show, and to top it off the winners are under contract and told what to do for 10 fucking years! Anyway, that is my take on what the hell is going on in the arts and why a Woodstock might not happen again for a long time.
Played in a band that had a first day opening in a new club that were used to copy bands that all dressed alike. Mr. Lucky's in Denver. Big club. We played all our opening stuff trying to get people to dance or something. Stones, Dooby Brothers, Allman Bros, Eagles and original stuff. We thought we were going to be fired right away. I guess they were just sitting listening because they'd never heard something like us or such a diversity of material - ALL done very well. For our closing song I thought what the hell lets shoot the works and if they don't like us we'll soon know. We played "Theme from an Imaginary Western" and with my "Felix like" voice and loud guitar parts going on - brought down the house with a standing ovation. Almost tears on the stage. What a relief! We played and they liked it from then on and many more times at Mr. Lucky's. Saved by the Mountain!!
Very cool story !!
This is really beautiful. I'm an old rocker who somehow missed Mountain back in the day; glad to catch up now.
To me, the live sound of this band and this song in particular are a complete and perfect representation of the sounds and moods of that particular time - 1969
agree with you for sure... song takes me back to when we were so hopeful of making positive change to fix the messed up world....think we dropped the ball in many areas but seeing now some of the youth are grabbing onto those values..
I can't believe I didn't know about Leslie's passing until today. I woke this morning wondering what he'd been up to, then was looking up drummers, and stumbled onto the passing of my favorite guitarist ever. R.I.P. Leslie. This brings such sadness. Some of my buddies and I drove around six hours, to Little Rock sometime in the hot part of the summer of 1970 (I believe), in Johnny Daughrty's white Chevy Impala, to see Mountain. We figured we'd probably miss Ted Nugent and Edgar Winter's White Trash, but that was okay, if we got to see Mountain.
By the time we got there, EWWT was just about finished, then we just slid right up to the front row of folding chairs, and I stood right in front of Felix and Leslie for the whole show. It was the definition of the overused word "awesome!". I'm sure none of us ever forgot that time we saw MOUNTAIN. LESLIE WEST and FELIX PAPALARDI !!
I'm so glad I got that experience and the memory. I sang Theme for many years from behind the drumset, with a few different bands. I wish we'd gotten a recording of The AlaBastards doing it, back in the 0ughts. It was my favorite song ever to sing. My voice won't reach those highest notes anymore, but I still keep trying in the shower.
Thank you for posting this!
I remember once Leslie said, 'I always thought the best guitar solos are the ones you can hum". He was right.
That is brilliant. If Leslie said it, it only reinforces what a thoughtful person he was
He's so right
That's about as good a live performance as I ever did hear. Just incredible
Can't add much - the most-beautiful of ANY of the live renditions of MOUNTAIN's best-ever songs. Steve's organ-contribution unusually well-placed & balanced. Corky's drumming at its most studied, syncopated and rhythmically-accomplished. Leslie's soulful out-front guitar unsurpassed. Felix's vocals and Bass superlative, unsurpassed for command and rounding-out of this 'best among the best' - comparable reference STORMY MONDAY (live at Atlanta 1970)
THE IMMORTAL ROCK SOUND OF MOUNTAIN!
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Jack, Felix, and Leslie. True to the music. They will never be forgotten.
god, that LEAD! (I stole the double vinyl album from my firend just to have it in the 70's)
He found it and took it back. Still besties and West is still a beast!
What a true work of art..A masterpiece in music.
One of my favorite song by Mountain and Leslie West's solo is perfect and doesn't waste a single note.
saw Mountain in UK supporting Deep Purple on reunion in 1980's, Richie Blackmore wanted Leslie West to play...says it all.
This is where I first heard this song. I was a little boy. Eight years old. I was so amazed at EVERYTHING. the people, the music, the feeling all around. It was like nothing I ever experienced in my life 56 years later. nothing comes close. thank Ozzy, I had an older hippy Brother....
That is a great story, it must have been a stunning experience.
A tune from a mountain of a man, Leslie was way ahead of his time and thru all these years he kept putting out great music. Killer axeman...Thanks for posting this Classic..
This should have been on the original record but at least it made it to the 40th anniversary CD but not the DVD. For myself that version off Climbing was his best & most passionate . Truly one of the 70s most classic guitar solos.
Donnie Maxwell .
MOUNTAIN is the Name of the Band and they were the loudest and most ass kicking fucking band on the planet.
HAVING SEEN THEM TWICE I WOULD SAY YOU ARE CORRECT
So F-in underrated!
thumbsucker[avalanch] maybe not chronologically, but sound wise the birth of metal
When the wagons leave the city
For the forest and further on
Painted wagons of the morning
Dusty roads where they have gone
Sometimes traveling through the darkness
Met the summer coming home
Fallen faces by the wayside
Looked as if they might have known
Oh the sun was in their eyes
And the desert was dry
In the country town
Where the laughter sounds
Oh the dancing and the singing
Oh the music when they played
Oh the fires that they started
Oh the girls with no regret
Sometimes they found it, sometimes they kept it
Often lost it along the way
Fought each other to possess it
Often died in sight of day
Oh the sun was in their eyes
And the desert was dry
In the country town
Where the laughter sounds
Oh the sun was in their eyes
And the desert was dry
In the country town
Where the laughter sounds
Thank You
Thank you
Beautiful....
haunting music from another time and an extraordinary voice with an unforgettable solo
Looks like Joe Cocker in the photo. Awesome version of my favorite Mountain song.
agreed
It is.
Hendrix might have been out there but he wasn't out there alone.
Hendrix used to ask people if they thought he was as good as Leslie West.
Great comment! I love it!
Could not have said it better
RIP Felix, we miss you
Such a clear, natural voice. Also great songwriter. I also miss him greatly.
I miss Jack too
This Song has so much emotion and feeling.... I never grow tired of this classic, Leslie West and Mountain, I saw them in 1970 at Crosley Field in Cinci... Cinci Music Festival. Too many Great Bands to recall. But truly grew up in a special era that will never be repeated... A theme for an Imaginary Western is in a Class by itself...
Tim look for that video on here. I just viewed it.
omg, it's got to be over 40yrs since I've heard this. SO great.
I love this song! It was this recording that I fell in love with Leslie West's guitar playing. His choice of notes and especially his vibrato, is just pure joy in the truest sense of the word. No wonder Randy Rhoades cited him as an influence. He let's the guitar breathe! His rhythmic sense is perfect. It's how he could bring out so many emotions out of the guitar. He gives the guitar sound life! RIP Leslie. Your now playing the the greatest band ever!
Felix, what a talent! He played so heavy and sang like a bird...
blistering tone so pure legendary performance on this stage
Perhaps one of Leslie's greatest performances ever. I can see why Randy Rhoads loved his feel. His vibrato was perfect. I love it too. RIP Leslie. You and Randy and everyone else can jam forever!
The dynamics here are astounding; Felix's soaring, clear vocal singing a beautiful evocative song/ballad combined with the melodious intertwining instrumental backup makes this an outstanding anthem, perfect for that time and easily able to be timeless. I'm glad I saw Mountain shortly after Woodstock at Catholic University in D.C.
RIP LESLIE WEST DECEMBER 23 2020. I WISH SOMEONE WOULD REMASTER THIS CLASSIC
I agree. Mountain had great music. It's unfortunate that the production quality in the studio was not better.
❤️ Mountain ❤️ Love you guys.
RIP Leslie, Felix & Jack.
I don’t know how or what you’ve done but I feel like a better human being every time I hear this, and that’s since 1969.
I still can't get enough of Theme for a imanginary western given I first heared it back in the day. Thank you again Mountain!!
+Nicole Murdock One of my all-time favorite songs. So beautiful.
Was backstage with these guys in Atlanta, GA no ROCK STAR attitudes great guys same with CACTUS & Small Faces with 25 yo Rod on vocals
IMO: This is a truly iconic mellow classic rock recording! Thank you for putting it up!!! Leslie West at his immortal best!
In terms of gut wrenching emotion & expressiveness, this has to be my all time favorite guitar solo - RIP Mr. Leslie West.......
Simply the best version of this song. Felix vocals, Leslie’s solos (it’s all in the fingers man), Corky’s solid in the pocket, and the underrated coloring keyboards of Steve Knight. Best version audio; new PBS release of Mountain is close 😊
Rest Well Leslie..Felix and Jack are waiting for you
A beautiful melody w/ a kick ass heavy bottom. have loved these guys for more than 45 years!
Leslie played our small local community center (Eckman) in Old Greenwich CT with the Vagrants multiple times before he hit the big time, what a sound. Our theory was that his sustain and resonance had something to do with his body, ha ! so amazing
I grew up with this music and it still knocks me out. Hope the kids today will be able to find 'something' to look back on from today that has anywhere near the emotional impact that this music has. Glad it's not me.
Never got to see Mountain, but did get to see West, Bruce and Lang! Nice.
What a man that can play bass and have a
Grate voice too.what a gift god gave to him.☮️✝️❤️
Loved this 50 years ago and still do today! I still think wow, when I hear it!
I am told this take was not from Woodstock,anyway they played at night. It was put on the Woodstock album as the best take available. Yes I was there.
You're right....The CSN&Y song 'Sea Of Madness' wasn't recorded at Woodstock either...They used a better sounding version from the Fillmore East on the first Woodstock album..Cool that you were there Edgar Cook...I was a couple of years too young to go...
I've read that also their "Blood of the Sun" was not from Woodstock performance. I compared the two ones: the true Woodstock one was good, but the one they put on the record is terrific!!👍
love this...R.I.P Jack...A bloody Legend...
And now... Leslie West...
Amen sister
Definitely 😢😢
Such a MONSTER song! Sadly, A soulful reprieve that will lost upon the heaps of excellent performances in the 70's, 80's and 90's
One of the greatest tunes ever, still holds up after all these years. Keith Lien
RIP Jack Bruce and Felix.
Amazing song...Great melody...descending chords...astonishing guitar and vocals!!! Do you want more? Ha ha...Impossible...CLASSIC!
Written by Jack Bruce (he of Cream fame) and lyricist Pete Brown, "Theme For An Imaginary Western" was included on Bruce's 1969 solo album Songs For A Tailor, released shortly after Cream's demise. Felix Pappalardi, who was Bruce's producer, recorded the song with his band Mountain for their 1970 album Climbing!. With Pappalardi on lead vocals, this became the most popular version of the song.
Mountain sounded phenomenal to me when I first heard this song on the radio. Just like when I was a kid, when I heard White Room, I later heard Theme For An Imaginary Western on the radio and could not get enough that song either. The imaginary of..Where the laughter sounds...Oh, the sun was in their eye.....And the desert that dry...In the country towns....Where the laughter sound......love it!!.....I spent years following the shadows that run from themselves and other songs written by Pete Brown. The words to his songs always got me. Pete was a poet!!
And today I will play this song too, quite few times in remembrance
Rest in Peace Peter 'Pete' Constantine Brown, your songs made a difference to a lot of folk.
Always, let the sunshine of love beam up to you Pete!
When the wagons leave the city
For the forest and further on
Painted wagons of the morning
Dusty roads where they have gone
Sometimes travelin' through the darkness
Met the summer comin' home
Fallen faces by the wayside
Looked as if they might have known
Oh, the sun was in their eye
And the desert that dry
In the country towns
Where the laughter sound
Oh, the dancing and the singing
Oh, the music when they played
Oh, the fire that they started
Oh, the girls with no regret
Sometimes they found it, sometimes they kept it
Often lost it along the way
Fought each other to possess it
Sometimes died in sight of day
Oh, the sun was in their eye
And the desert that dry
In the country town
Where the laughter sounds
Oh, the sun was in their eye
And the desert that dry
In the country towns
Where the laughter sound
When this album came out "Theme From An Imaginary Western" was the only song we jammed on,
and I was always the singer. By the time I got to singing "When the sun" my heart was rising in my chest.
You never forget a song that can do that to you, and it makes you want to go to those forests and further on.
Rock music at its finest!!!
Bless you Leslie, guitar God...Glad I was there. I have tears in my eyes today.
Blessings Leslie and Felix are on the Mountain now I guess, playing with Jack Bruce let's hope
I've loved this song ever since i was 16, and first hearing it at the Brighton Park Theater in south Chicago, when the Woodstock film first came out . we were passing joints around in there, and nobody hassled us . i was surprised to find out that this isn't the actual version that was played at Woodstock, but some other live version from when they played the Fillmore i think . the Woodstock version, which someone posted on here somewhere, isn't nearly as good as this one, so it's cool with me.
Correct, when they played this at Woodstock they had a pretty bad breakdown and had to start over. I guess that’s why they used a different recording on the album, Woodstock II.
Join the March to get Leslie West and MOUNTAIN inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!!! QUITE POSSIBLY THE GREATEST GUITAR TONE IN ROCK HISTORY CANNOT BE DENIED NO LONGER!!!
Sign the Petition and make Rock history!!! www.ipetitions.com/petition/get-leslie-west-inducted-into-the-rock-and-roll
The late Felix Pappalardi, sings on this Jack Bruce song and he does it with passion and sounds a lot like Jack Bruce. You can't find music like this anymore ! And Leslie West, for years it has been rumored that he played some solos on The Who s' Who s' Next album.
RIP Leslie and Felix. Thank you for numbers such as this one. From a time when music was real.
So wonderful. Such a fine song. So much emotional power.
Listen to that fucking TONE!
Aint it great! Tone baby, Tone! Its all about the tone
tad holtz Tube amps.....you cant beat em!!!!
Steve Hoge Fucking awesome, just listened to Jack Bruce and Joe Bonamass. No beating West's tone.
Steve Hoge Jimi's old Sunn amps.
+Steve Hoge Powered by Tualatin, Oregon & Conrad Sundholm.
Legend 🎸 guitar, amazing voice, powerful musician.
We miss you Felix. Gone 30 years this week. Godspeed my brother - thanks for all the great music. Only you could wrestle greatness out of Mountain and Cream, et. al.
Wonderful take on a stunningly beautiful song by JB. Not a fluffed note anywhere. And Felix's voice...WOW! Shame this didn't make it to the movie.
I heard on a podcast that Mountains manager was like "do we get paid to be in the movie? no? pass", haha big mistake
@@brookskaplan66 This isn't really the same version from Woodstock anyway. The real version isn't quite so good.
Not actually recorded at Woodstock, nevertheless the most (I feel) epic of all the paean's to the Woodstock event, the people & the journey. I never tire of listening to this. Felix's voice, Leslie's fuzzed out guitar... it's perfection.
where was it recorded?
@@crazymanmichael100 I've looked for years, as have others, to determine where...Detroit?, Cincinnati?, Fillmore East?, no one has been able to identify it & I've listened to over 20 versions from the era. The Woodstock version was a fairly shabby reading compared to what was released on Woodstock II in '78 (Vinyl). Here is what the actual Woodstock performance sounded like: ruclips.net/video/x9g8I092b-c/видео.html
@@klep2859 Thanks for that, yes, quite different, it's funny i noticed the comments section was turned off for that one, looks like it will remain a mystery, at least we do have the Woodstock 2 version to listen to. Thanks again.
One of the most beautiful songs of the festival ..... great Leslie West..R.I.P
This song, this solo, so amazing. This will never happen again
Original on Jack Bruce's 1969 solo debut-album "Songs for a Tailor".
Love the vocal on this-never heard this before.
Beautiful. I love Jack Bruce's stuff with Cream, so I'm not surprised. Awesome vocal by Felix and Leslie's guitar solo really hits it just right.
what a classic!!..... felix leslie jack you guys rip and thanks for makin the world a better place with all your class mountain and cream songs xx