Early Hard Rock: "Mississippi Queen" Mountain (1970)

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Mountain is merely a rock and roll footnote despite still performing albeit with numerous lineup changes and down periods. The band’s first two albums charted well in 1970 and 1971 and it was downhill after that. From their debut album “Climbing!.” “Mississippi Queen” would become Mountain’s only hit and signature song charting at Billboard #21. I grew up with “Mississippi Queen” first when it was a hit and later as a classic rock staple. Though never becoming major, Mountain is credited as a pioneer in hard rock/heavy metal and you can hear that in “Mississippi Queen.” Outside of Led Zep, few bands rocked as hard in 1970 as Mountain who were a no frills outfit. Leslie West’s voice is rough as he bellows “Mississippi queen, you know what I mean” and there is a blues influence. The song is not for the easy listening crowd.