I suggest you drop by your local dispensary, have an edible or two, relax and turn this up LOUD. How precious it is to have this Woodstock footage. They were not one of the headlining acts.......like many bands at Woodstock, they were largely unknown before the Festival.
I'm not a musician. But I know a musician's band when I hear one. And this was a musician's band. These guys could jam. The last six minutes will blow you away. Corky Laing was a monster on the skins. Keyboardist Steve Knight was brought into the band by bassist Felix Pappalardi, who was in a band with him previously. When the guy who produced Cream's last three records asks you to come in to your new band with him, that says a lot about your musicianship.
And just one question: Could anyone bend strings quite like Leslie West? What a very unique and original guitar player with ENORMOUS tone.
Great clip! I always hated that Mountain wasn't in the documentary.
FYI - Corky Laing was not in the band during this period. The drummer was Norman Smart - the original Mountain drummer. Great clip - cool find! Thanks for posting!
https://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/blog/mountain
Edit: the ORIGINAL Mountain drummer was Ken Jannick - before Smart.
Yeah man, thanks for posting. I love the monster tone and sound Leslie got out of a blue collar, single PU LP Junior. He certainly could have had an upper end burst, but he sure didn't need one. I dig the obvious joy on his face playing. The cat loved it.
Heck Yes, nothing like starting the day with some Mountain. IMO, This band with it's trio of superstars will forever be another miss for me as I never got the opportunity to see them in person. Growing up in Chicago once in a while WLS would play "Mississippi Queen," but little did I know of the extent of their catalog.
Thank you for posting the clip from Woodstock. This is the first time I've heard that they played the festival. I guess I need to do some research to see who else played during those 3 days of "FUN and MUSIC." as they say...
@rusty: Thanks for the info. I always thought that Corky Laing was Mountain's original drummer. I see from my copy of Mountain Climbing that Laing was with them when it was released the following year. Norman Smart must have felt a lot like Pete Best.
@robslob I always assumed that Corky was the original, too. I started reading up on Mountain after Leslie died. That's when I found the link article. Yeah, Pete Best! Can you imagine meeting somebody in a bar or something and they told you that they were an original member of a famous band before they became famous?
There was an "outtakes" dvd from the movie that circulated around the site some years back. Besides Mountain several other notable groups/performers that were left out of the release. Blood, Sweat & Tears, Johnny Winter, CCR, Canned Heat among them. I should look that up.
"Is that a real poncho or is that a Sears poncho?"
Corky is however on the Woodstock record as the drummer on TYAfter’s I’m Going Home
Corky is however on the Woodstock record as the drummer on TYAfter’s I’m Going Home
I've read this story. The drum mic's on Ten Years After's recordings were either dead or just recorded bad. Corky was hired to re-record (dub) them in a studio - after the fact. So, yeah - he is on the Woodstock recording.
Stephen - story if I stole your punchline! 😉
🤙No need to be Rusty, good indeed - have you read Nantucket Sleighride - good read (great for Mountain fans😎), somewhere between Red Dog’s A Book Of Tails, & Zeppelin’s Hammer Of The Gods -
that’s where I learned that it was Corky, not Ric Lee on that smoko I’m Going Home jam that was always my favorite thing from Woodstock (along w/Soul Sacrifice) - what a surprise That was!!😄
@stephen My two favorite Woodstock performances were Ten Years After and the Who. Roger Daltry says that that was the pinnacle of their career. I became a HUGE fan of both bands after seeing the film.
@rusty: Then you MUST pick up The Who Isle Of Wight 1970 DVD. GREAT stuff....and it's their entire set, including all of Tommy. They NAIL See Me Feel Me just like they did @ Woodstock. Sound is amazing, someone did a great remaster.........
Great clip! I always hated that Mountain wasn't in the documentary.
FYI - Corky Laing was not in the band during this period. The drummer was Norman Smart - the original Mountain drummer. Great clip - cool find! Thanks for posting!
https://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/blog/mountain
Edit: the ORIGINAL Mountain drummer was Ken Jannick - before Smart.
Jannick was never part of Mountain. The very first lineup that played billed as Mountain, Smart was the drummer. Jannick was part of another band, a person on the hoffman forum had said it was a totally different band name while another says the band was billed as LESLIE WEST, THE MOUNTAIN. Either way there was no band simply called Mountain . Leslie's first solo album is titled Mountain and it was after that the decided to tour as a band billed as Mountain. Woodstock has been billed as the 3rd Mountain gig. Smart had the job because he played the drums of Leslie's solo album. Once they knew it would be band a band Felix suggested Corky who Felix knew from the band Energy
Corky grew up a few streets over from our place. He and my older brother were friends.
he caused many of us to believe that you could "make it" - where's my lawyer? LOL
awesome. have any stories that are shareable ? he is a fantastic drummer
Some of the tracks on The Road Goes Ever On were from their Woodstock appearance.
