Before guitarist Leslie West passed away in December 2020, he was planning to record some of his classics from Mountain and West Bruce & Laing, plus some new songs, with a variety of guests. West may have gone, but the guests showed up anyway to pay their respects.
It’s a mark of West’s idiosyncratic playing that the guitarists bend their own styles to his, rather than vice versa, starting with Zakk Wylde who rips into Blood Of The Sun (from Mountain’s 1969 debut), backed by Bobby Rondinelli and Rev Jones who were West’s regular rhythm section and show up on most of the tracks here.
Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman handles Nantucket Sleighride with singer Joe Lynn Turner, who also shows up later with Martin Barre.
Also doffing their cap are Robby Krieger, Steve Morse, Yngwie Malmsteen and Slash, who rounds it all off with West’s greatest hit, Mississippi Queen, along with Dirty Honey singer Marc Labelle.
