Page 47 - Classic Rock (February 2020)

John Lennon and Yoko
Ono, whose suite Laing
blagged his way into in
Montreal in 1969.

Mountain at the Fillmore East,
New York City, June 27, 1971.

“I’m very sorry, but I’m not a newspaper writer, from you.” If anything, Prager
I’m just a musician in a local band that would do undersold the situation.
anything to meet you. I’ll just leave.” “Felix was a dictator – he was hard- Laing with West, Bruce
Equally amazing, Lennon invited the trembling core,” Laing remembers. “For a long & Laing at the Rainbow
in London, April 20 1973.
youth to sit down and tell his story. Lennon loved time he and I were not friends. But in
the band name Energy, and he and Laing shared a way that was fine, as my experiences
a few minutes talking about songs and writing. As with Felix set me up for what would later happen a cowbell as a backing track accompaniment, and
Laing prepared to leave, Lennon told him: “You when I worked with Jack [Bruce]. They were two upon its completion assumed that producer
have a set of balls, Mr Energy”. The incident would of the best teachers in the whole wide world.” Pappalardi would take it out during the mixing
draw laughs several years later, when Laing, now The other two members of Energy had declined stages. “But Felix went: ‘No, I think it’s kinda cool’,
a star in his own right, sang backing vocals on to work the basic idea of the jam from the power so the cowbell stayed.”
Lennon’s 1975 album Rock ‘N’ Roll. cut evening into a bona fide song. But when Jimi Hendrix and his Band Of Gypsys were in
To Energy’s great joy, they were chosen the studio next door at the Record Plant.
as willing guinea pigs to accompany the Mountain wanted Jimi to be the first
musician Felix Pappalardi in an audition person to hear their new song.
for a position as a producer for Atlantic “To this day there isn’t a part of “I had hung out with Hendrix before,
Records, and went to New York in 1967 me that doesn’t try to imitate Keith so Felix and Les asked me to invite him
to a record a version of Nat King Cole’s in,” says Laing. “As we played him the
ballad When I Fall In Love. Pappalardi got Moon when I’m playing on stage.” final mix, his head sunk further and
the gig, and would go on to produce further downwards. Finally, he looked
Cream. In the summer of ’69, in an act of blind Mountain were looking for a final track for their up and told us simply: ‘Cool.’ But the way he said
faith, Energy threw caution to the wind and moved album, West spotted its potential right away. it, we knew we had something special.”
to New York City. They very quickly realised the “Within ten minutes, Leslie had this guitar lick and
scale of the challenge they faced. was screaming out the lyrics,” Laing says, smiling eleased in March 1970, Mountain’s
Mountain bassist Pappalardi had made a mental at the memory. debut album, Climbing!, was a follow-
note of Laing’s name, and when the band were When Mountain recorded the song at the Rup to guitarist Leslie West’s solo album,
looking for a drummer to replace the outgoing ND Record Plant in New York, Laing had used Mountain, from the previous summer.
Smart, Laing received a call. And so A thoughtful yet hard-hitting piece
he was then was left with a difficult of work, the rumbling, sonorous
decision: turning down the strains of Climbing! are often credited
opportunity to join a group with with contributing towards the birth
genuine prospects – that August, of heavy metal.
Mountain had appeared at “The reasons for its success were
Woodstock – or remaining loyal to the musicality of Felix Pappalardi
bassist George Gardos and singer/ versus the playing of Leslie West,
organist Gary Ship, the friends with which came straight from the gut.
whom he’d made such a leap of faith. Those guys were complete
With mixed feelings he let his head opposites,” Laing muses. “My
rule his heart. contribution is a little harder to
On September 12, 1969, Laing’s define, but I consider myself the
first day as a member of Mountain, Henry Kissinger of rock’n’roll – it
Bud Prager (the manager who would was my job to maintain the lines of
be the brains behind the rise of communication.
Foreigner) warned the rookie: “Felix “And let’s not forget Steve Knight,
GETTY x4 will push you real hard, he is going Keith Moon, with whom Corky became who was one of the most peace-
good friends, after thinking the Who
to need a hundred and fifty per cent
loving guys you’ll ever meet,” he
drummer might punch his lights out.
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