The 2003 reissue of Mountain’s 1971 Nantucket Sleighride is a great excuse for me to remind you all about this often forgotten, mesmerizing outfit.

Torn between the straightforward heavy rocking of guitarist Leslie West and the mellower psychedelic and experimental tendencies of bass player and producer Felix Pappalardi (renowned for his work with Cream) there was Mountain. But instead of letting these seemingly conflicting approaches ruin them, Mountain managed to make them complement each other, creating a fabric of sound that is truly their own. (The sleeve-notes on the 2003 reissue are highly helpful in understanding the chemistry that led the band)

It is for this fabric that Mountain can be claimed "Godfathers of Grunge" – and I’m convinced bands like Alice in Chains or Paw took much of their attitude and sound from it.

Unlike other outfits of their time, Mountain is not built around virtuous players; instead, it is built as the sum of its parts. This is clearly evident on the album opener "Don’t Look Around," which is a rare writing collaboration between West’s throated vocals (a possible influence for death metal vocals) and extra overdriven multi-track guitar work, alongside Pappalardi’s gentler approach. As on most of the album’s tracks, it is keyboardist Steve Knight and power drummer Corky Laing that serve as mediators between the other two – navigating from the thunderous riffs to the colorful rhythm, helping the skillful production, gluing everything together even tighter.

The production deserves further attention – Pappalardi has not used his position as a producer to quiet his rebellious band members by adjusting the recording to his side of the field; West’s characteristics are used to spice up the recording, giving it the raw live edge it so rightly deserves. West, on his behalf, also plays along to the Pappalardi’s musical themes, so that the battle is in fact more of a relationship.

The opening track also presents the original Mountain in their usual, uncompromising form. They have never hinted towards commercial success (which is probably why they are often overlooked) and always kept their inaccessible sound intact. Even the semi-romantic title track is difficult to decipher, as its melody is partially shadowed by intensity and lyrical ambiguity, yet it is a crowning achievement for the band in staying true to its identity by not losing it within the context of a love song despite the fact that it is a beautiful piece.

Mountain’s Nantucket Sleighride (together with Climbing!, which was also reissued this year) is an essential album for any hard rocker who is interested in an atypical classic and classy, intelligent yet intense performance.