Climbing!
Studio album by
Mountain
ReleasedMarch 7, 1970 (1970-03-07)
Recorded1969–1970
StudioRecord Plant, New York City
Genre
Length32:38
LabelWindfall
ProducerFelix Pappalardi
Mountain chronology
Climbing!
(1970) 		Nantucket Sleighride
(1971)
Singles from Climbing!
  1. "Mississippi Queen"
    Released: February 1970

Climbing! (also known as Mountain Climbing!) is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Mountain. It was released on March 7, 1970, by Windfall Records.

Background

In 1969, Leslie West recorded his debut solo album, titled Mountain, with Felix Pappalardi on bass and drummer Norman Smart.[1] Smart was replaced by Corky Laing on drums and percussion, and keyboardist Steve Knight was added to form the classic Mountain lineup, with Pappalardi as producer.

Windfall Records released Climbing! on March 7, 1970,[2] and it reached number 17 on the American Billboard Top Albums chart.[1] It included the group's best-known song, "Mississippi Queen", which became a hit, and "Never in My Life", which was regularly aired on contemporary FM radio.[3] Both were sung by West, while Pappalardi supplied the vocal on another radio favorite, "Theme for an Imaginary Western".[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [3]
Christgau's Record GuideC+[4]

Matthew Greenwald, in a review for AllMusic, gave the album four and a half out of five stars. In Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote:

We all know they're the original Cremora—what this makes clearer is that they're Jack Bruce's third of the jar. On "For Yasgur's Farm" Felix Pappalardi emulates JB's self-dramatizing vocal propriety as well as his bass lines, but when Leslie West runs an acoustic guitar solo from raga to flamenco without ever touching the blues you know he's not doing an Eric Clapton tribute. Can't fit the humongous "Mississippi Queen" into this theory, but I can tell you who wrote "Theme for an Imaginary Western": Jack Bruce and Pete Brown.[4]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Vocal(s)Length
1."Mississippi Queen"Leslie West, Corky Laing, Felix Pappalardi, David ReaWest2:31
2."Theme for an Imaginary Western"Pete Brown, Jack BrucePappalardi5:06
3."Never in My Life"West, Laing, Pappalardi, Gail CollinsWest3:51
4."Silver Paper"West, Collins, Laing, Pappalardi, Steve Knight, George GardosPappalardi, West3:19
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Vocal(s)Length
1."For Yasgur's Farm"Collins, Gardos, Laing, Pappalardi, Rea, Gary ShipPappalardi, West3:23
2."To My Friend"WestInstrumental3:38
3."The Laird"Collins, PappalardiPappalardi4:39
4."Sittin' on a Rainbow"West, Collins, LaingWest2:23
5."Boys in the Band"Collins, PappalardiPappalardi, West3:33
Total length:32:38

On the 2003 Legacy Recordings CD, a live version of "For Yasgur's Farm" was added as a bonus track.

Personnel

Band

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart (1970) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[5] 19
US Billboard 200[6] 17

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[7] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b c Eder, Bruce. "Mountain – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  2. ^ Harkins, Thomas E. (2019). Woodstock FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Fabled. Lanham, Maryland: Backbeat Books. p. 134. ISBN 978-1-61713-666-5.
  3. ^ a b Greenwald, Matthew. "Mountain: Climbing! – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 8, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  5. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5373". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Mountain Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  7. ^ "American album certifications – Mountain – Climbing". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links

Authority control databases
Categories