The writer Dave Davies said defined the 1970s: “Rock and roll to the roots”
Youthful rebellion, social realism, and working-class romance, few bands typified London’s swinging sixties era quite as adeptly as The Kinks. With brothers Ray and Dave Davies at the helm, the band pioneered a litany of rock masterpieces, from the proto-punk genius of ‘You Really Got Me’ to the profound artistry of concept albums like The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society. Inevitably, though, the 1960s had to end sometime, and it was down to the next generation of rock innovators to carry on that torch.
Although like many of their contemporaries, The Kinks carried on into the 1970s and beyond, they struggled to achieve the same level of gainful development during that time. While The Who matured into creating expansive rock operas, and The Rolling Stones searched for something a little grittier, The Kinks witnessed a decline in relevancy as the decade went on. Even though 1970’s Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One is deserving of a place among their greatest records, it failed to chart in the UK, as did every subsequent album release.
Still, that declining relevancy didn’t stop The Kinks from keeping their ears to the ground, paying attention to emerging artists and scenes across the musical landscape. They were, for instance, one of the few 1960s acts to truly appreciate the emergence of punk rock during the mid-1970s. For guitarist Dave Davies, however, there was only one band that defined the decade, and they didn’t go around bedecked in safety pins and bondage trousers.
“Mountain were a great influence,” he told Guitar Player during an interview earlier this year. Hailing from Long Island, the hard rock outfit formed at the tail-end of the 1960s, but really came into their own the following decade. As Davies explained, “They made heavy tones heavier and their sound was innovative: great production and bass by Felix Pappalardi, Corky Laing on drums and Steve Knight on keyboards — all cool.”
Joining the growing scene of blues-focused hard rock outfits which emerged during the late 1960s, spurred on by the likes of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, Mountain are rarely afforded the same kind of unwavering adoration as some of their contemporaries. On many an occasion, their legacy has been reduced to the popularity of their defining track ‘Mississippi Queen’, but for those like Davies who are willing to listen, there is so much more to explore within the Mountain repertoire.
Heaping praise on the metal-pioneering outfit, Davies expanded, “Plus Leslie West was a great and underrated guitar player of the time, and he really stands out on this album [Nantucket Sleighride]. The song ‘Nantucket Sleighride’, in particular, is a momentous piece of music, a powerful blend of hard rock and melody.”
Although Davies did cross paths with Mountain and West eventually, he never got the chance to strike up a proper relationship with the songwriter. Given that they were both usually immersed in their respective rock masterpieces, it is likely they simply didn’t have the time.
Nevertheless, Davies looks back upon that with regret, “I didn’t get to know him well and I feel sad about that, but he was very nice during our short meeting. I was sad to hear of his death in 2020. He was rock and roll to the roots.”
Still, Mountain’s discography has certainly stood the test of time, as Dave Davies can certainly attest to.
