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"Wehl, that big man, he sure does play a fistfull of guitar."
Felix beams with pride as he recalls the incident, and tells you for the third time that Lesis West is THE best guitarist in the world. He should know, he's worked with a pretty impressive list of guitarists, including Eric Clapton.
Mountain - Felix on bass, Leslie on guitar, Steve Knight on vocals and Corky Laing on drums - are over here (in Britain) for a short visit. As yet they don't mean too much in this country, but people are getting gradually turned on to them and both their last two albums - "Mountain-Climbing" and "Nantucket Sleighride" - have made the chart here.
An Italian from a musical family, Felix got into session work and from there into producing and arranging as far back as 1961. As a bass session man he's played with just about everyone. People like Tom Paxton, Tom Rush, Mimi and Dick Farina, Lovin' Spoonful, and he's arranged albums for Richie Havens, Buffie St-Marie, Joan Baez, Mississippi John Hurt, The Youngbloods, Tim Hardin and Cream.
In 1967, when Cream were first in the studio in America, Felix was producing The Vagrants, and was very impressed by the guitarist, Leslie West. He never forgot Leslie, although the next few years were pretty busy producing Cream and subsequently Jack Bruce's solo album, "Songs For A Tailor". It was just an amazing coincidence that he should meet the two major influences in his life in the same week.
"That was an incredible period," said Felix. "Then someone came in to say that there were these 3 guys (Cream) from England in the studio but for some reason it wasn't happening.
Fantastic
"That week was the most fantastic I can ever remember. The result was the Cream album "Disraeli Gears" and the first thing straight off the top was Strange Brew, and my wife Gail wrote the lyrics for it. I did the lead over-dubbed with Eric."
So in 1969 Felix produced a solo album for Leslie called "Mountain" and that started off the group. Nobody can have thought of it as a permanent thing after such a chequered career as Felix' - he had a sort of musical wanderlust. But two years later Mountain is it still as solid as a (er) Mountain.
"My whole concept of Mountain was to put Leslie out there and I formed my company Windfall Music for Mountain, so that we could exist outside and alongside the music business and follow our own lifestyle."
"Our mutual admiration for each other brought us together, and it's really happening. There's even more love and admiration there than when we started.
"The point is that Mountain is versatile now and will be moreso in the future. Maybe we'll keep from being bored from playing the same thing over and over again, and as the band's leader that's my responsibility."
Admiration
The group is based in New York, but Felix wishes it could be London especially since the Bobby Keyes session. Because the American music industry tends to have little bases, it rarely gives musicians a chance to have an impromptou jam session and exchange of ideas.
A lot of people have compared Mountain's sound to Cream - inevitable, really - because of Felix' link with the group. Leslie does admit to a great admiration for Eric's playing, and seeing him live didi seem to have a profound effect on his style.
"The thing Leslie and Eric have in common is lyricism," says Felix. "The ability to play a solo beautifully and I appreciate them both."
Felix takes time off to produce Albert King's album soon, but Mountain hope to be back here this year. And they'll be big. Very Big.
- Caroline Boucher
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