Nantucket Sleighride is the second studio album by American hard rock band Mountain, released in January 1971 by Windfall Records in the US and by Island in the UK. It reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 200 Album Chart in 1971.[2]
| Nantucket Sleighride | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1971 | |||
| Recorded | Late 1970 | |||
| Studio | Record Plant, New York City, New York | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 35:12 | |||
| Label | Windfall (US) Island (UK) | |||
| Producer | Felix Pappalardi | |||
| Mountain chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Songs
editThe name of the title track is a reference to a Nantucket sleighride, the dragging of a whaleboat by a harpooned whale. Owen Coffin, to whom the song is dedicated, was a young seaman on the Nantucket whaler Essex, which was rammed and sunk by a sperm whale in 1820. In the aftermath of the wreck, Coffin was shot and eaten by his shipmates. The story of the Essex was recorded by its First Mate Owen Chase, one of eight survivors, in his 1821 Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex.[3] The instrumental break in the second half of the track uses the melody of the traditional Scottish song "The Parting Glass". The closing section of the song was used as the theme to the long-running British political television show Weekend World (1972–1988). A cover version of the song was recorded by British heavy metal band Quartz in 1980.
The song "Tired Angels" was dedicated to Jimi Hendrix, and "Travellin' In The Dark" was for Pappalardi's mother, Elia.[4] "Taunta (Sammy's Tune)" was named after Pappalardi's pet poodle.[5] "Don't Look Around" was featured on the soundtrack of Pineapple Express (2008).
Bonus tracks
editThe bonus tracks on the 2004 edition include the Chuck Berry cover "Roll Over Beethoven" and the original song "Crossroader", which were released as the A- and B-sides of a promotional single in 1971. The latter was later released on Flowers of Evil (1971). Live versions of both tracks appeared on subsequent live releases, such as Mountain Live: The Road Goes Ever On (1972) and Twin Peaks (1974).
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Don't Look Around" | Leslie West, Sue Palmer, Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins Pappalardi | 3:42 |
| 2. | "Taunta (Sammy's Tune)" | Pappalardi | 1:00 |
| 3. | "Nantucket Sleighride (to Owen Coffin)" | Pappalardi, Collins | 5:49 |
| 4. | "You Can't Get Away" | West, Collins, Corky Laing | 3:23 |
| 5. | "Tired Angels (to J.M.H.)" | Pappalardi, Collins | 4:39 |
| 6. | "The Animal Trainer and the Toad" | West, Palmer | 3:24 |
| 7. | "My Lady" | Laing, Pappalardi, Collins | 4:31 |
| 8. | "Travellin' in the Dark (To E.M.P.)" | Pappalardi, Collins | 4:21 |
| 9. | "The Great Train Robbery" | West, Laing, Pappalardi, Collins | 5:43 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Roll Over Beethoven" | Chuck Berry | 2:59 |
| 11. | "Crossroader" | Pappalardi, Collins | 4:50 |
| 12. | "Travellin' in the Dark (to E.M.P.)" (live) | Pappalardi, Collins | 5:14 |
Personnel
edit- Leslie West – guitar, vocals
- Felix Pappalardi – bass, vocals, production
- Steve Knight – keyboards
- Corky Laing – drums, percussion
- Additional personnel
- Bud Prager – executive producer
- Bob d'Orleans – recording engineer
- Tom Cachetta – assistant engineer
- Dave Ragno – assistant engineer
- Beverly Weinstein – art direction
- Gail Collins – cover design, painting, photography, visual director, calligraphy
- Mick Brigden – calligraphy
Charts
edit| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[6] | 38 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[7] | 17 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[8] | 43 |
| US Billboard 200[9] | 16 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[10] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| United States (RIAA)[11] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Mountain - Nantucket Sleighride (1971) album review by James Chrispell at AllMusic
- ^ "Mountain - Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-25.
- ^ Chase, Owen (1821). Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex. New York: W. B. Gilley. ISBN 9780819562449. OCLC 12217894. Also in Heffernan, Thomas Farel, Stove by a whale: Owen Chase and the Essex, Middletown, Conn. : Wesleyan University Press ; [New York] : distributed by Columbia University Press, 1981.
- ^ ZigZag Magazine, Issue 20 - May 1971
- ^ Record Mirror, December 4, 1971
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5212". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ^ "Mountain Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ^ "Mountain: Leslie West "Natucket Sleighride" New Zealand "Gold" Record Award". 20 December 2020.
- ^ "American album certifications – Mountain – Nantucket Sleighride". Recording Industry Association of America.
External links
edit- Mountain - Nantucket Sleighride (1971) album review by James Chrispell, credits & releases at AllMusic.com
- Mountain - Nantucket Sleighride (1971) album releases & credits at Discogs.com
- Mountain - Nantucket Sleighride (1971) album to be listened as stream at Play.Spotify.com
- Nantucket Sleighride (To Owen Coffin) on YouTube