Mountain-Nantucket Sleighride (1971)

Mountain are another of the legendary American bands who, driven by the formidable guitarist Leslie West and supported by bassist and producer Felix Pappalardi, drummer Corky Laing, and keyboardist Steve Knight, enjoyed their glory days thanks to three superb albums released in the early 1970s. "Nantucket Sleighride", which appeared almost a year after their debut "Climbing!", delighted their large legion of fans, despite already offering some musical changes compared to its predecessor. While the previous album overflowed with raw, guitar-driven hard rock, dominated by West's guitar and full of catchy hits, this album maintains the heavy, melodic guitars but further explores the possibilities offered by the other instruments, with a repertoire that encompasses both epic themes and the boundaries of progressive rock. The intense hard rock and blues rock tracks "Don't Look Around", "Nantucket Sleighride", "Tired Angels", "Travellin' in the Dark", and "The Animal Trainer and the Toad" showcase an album of unbridled energy, only tempered by the melodic "Lady". With this second album, Mountain reached the peak of their inspiration and popularity, achieving a well-deserved gold record for sales in the North American market.