Other than Robin Trower, Leslie West (the Great Fatsby from Mountain) is my favourite guitar player. No other guitarist has approached the mastery of the Gibson that West has.
He coaxes sounds from a simple body, neck and pickup that seem impossible to duplicate. Of course, there is a secret to his style, and it's called 'feel'. West has some component of his being that allows him to meld with the guitar--the man and the axe become one entity.
His most famous work, of course, was while partnered with Felix Pappalardi in the monster rock band Mountain. I can't speak for others, but when I first heard Mountain's debut album 'Climbing', my brain virtually yelled out, "Who the hell is this guy!"
Mississipi Queen is Mountain's most recognizable work, and for once, I think a hit actually sums up a band's style accurately. Mountain was also unique in that they had two lead vocalists: West and Pappalardi. West's voice mirrored his playing: gruff, raunchy and ballsy. Pappalardi's style was more flowing and smooth, better suited for ballads, but the few tunes in which they traded-off or harmonized vocal parts (For Yasgur's Farm, a tribute to Woodstock and Travellin' In the Dark) are classics.
After Mountain (and Pappalardi's untimely death), West went solo, releasing a number of fine albums: 'Why Dontcha' and 'Whatever Turns You On' with Jack Bruce, and 'The Leslie West Band' and 'The Great Fatsby' by himself. Lately, he has returned to writing and performing, and has produced a few new albums since 1988. One interesting sidebar is that his royal largeness is large no more. He has lost at least one-hundred pounds, and the true figure may be closer to two-hundred.
