West, Bruce & Laing - Live 'N' Kickin' (Great Live US 1974)

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Following the exits of bassist/producer Felix Pappalardi and keyboardist Steve Wright, remaining Mountain members Leslie West (guitar) and Corky Laing (drums) forged a new alliance with ex-Cream bassist Jack Bruce. The hard rock supergroup's debut LP, Why Dontcha, appeared in 1972, followed a year later by Whatever Turns You On. The Bruce, West and Laing trio proved short-lived, however, dissolving prior to the 1974 release of the Live 'n' Kickin' concert set.

WBL have often been unfairly compared to Cream, and except for the Jack Bruce/Felix Pappalardi link and the fact that both bands were a power trio format, I think this is unfair. They had their own sound, and this excellent live outing showcases them in all of their glory. The sound quality is excellent, and there are only 4 tunes on the album, because of their length (which begs the question which vault the rest of the live tracks are languishing in -- this should have been originally released as a two album set), and they include: 
Play With Fire: The Stone's classic is given a heavy metal finish, with Jack and Leslie trading off on vocals and Corky doing an inventive drum solo. 

The Doctor: The live outing of one of the studio tracks on their debut album, Why Dontcha', featuring searing slide work by Leslie. 

Politician: Better than the live outings by Cream, no kiddin'. 
Powerhouse Sod: This track features an absolutely mind-bending bass solo by Jack, which I found both surprising and long overdue given the fact that he never really did any bass solos when he was with Cream, except for a brief one on one of the takes of "Steppin' Out" from the Cream at the BBC CD. 
The bottom-line is that if you are a fan of Mountain, Leslie West, Jack Bruce, Cream, or any in your face heavy rock, you will eat this up with a spoon and write the label to demand that they release the rest of their live inventory. (By  Lawrence A. Strid)

01. Play With Fire     
02. The Doctor     
03. Politician     
04. Powerhouse Sod  

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