When Leslie West Turned Toward the Wind and Helped Shape the Future of Hard Rock
In the late nineteen sixties, American rock music was evolving rapidly. Blues, psychedelia, and the emerging language of heavy guitar were blending into a new and powerful sound. One important document of that transition was the 1969 album “Mountain” by guitarist and vocalist Leslie West. Among the album’s lesser known but memorable tracks is “Look to the Wind”, a song that reflects the musical atmosphere from which the future band Mountain would soon emerge.
Released in July 1969 on Windfall Records, “Mountain” was West’s first solo album after his earlier work with the Long Island rock group the Vagrants. The record was produced by bassist and musical collaborator Felix Pappalardi, who also played bass and keyboards during the sessions. Drummer N. D. Smart completed the core lineup. Although technically a solo album, the chemistry between West and Pappalardi was so strong that they soon formed the band Mountain, taking the name directly from this album.
“Look to the Wind” appears near the end of the album and offers an interesting contrast to the heavier guitar driven tracks that dominate much of the record. The album itself contains eleven songs and runs about thirty five minutes, blending blues rock, early hard rock, and psychedelic influences. Many listeners associate the record with its more aggressive pieces such as “Blood of the Sun” or the widely known “Long Red,” yet songs like “Look to the Wind” demonstrate the broader musical palette West was exploring at the time.
In performance, West’s approach combined thick guitar tone with a distinctive raspy vocal style. Critics often highlighted his powerful voice and inventive blues influenced guitar playing as defining features of the album. These elements would later become central to Mountain’s sound in the early nineteen seventies.
The album itself achieved moderate commercial success, reaching number seventy two on the Billboard 200 chart. While it was not initially promoted as a band recording, its legacy grew over time because it effectively laid the groundwork for the Mountain group that followed. Just a year later the band would gain widespread recognition with the album “Climbing!” and the classic single “Mississippi Queen,” which introduced their heavy blues rock style to a much larger audience.
Within that historical context, “Look to the Wind” can be heard as part of a formative creative period. The track reflects the exploratory spirit of the era, when musicians were expanding the vocabulary of electric guitar music and pushing rock toward a heavier direction. Even in its quieter moments, the recording carries the sonic character that defined West’s work: expressive guitar phrasing, strong blues roots, and a raw vocal presence.
More than five decades later, performances of songs from the “Mountain” album continue to interest rock historians and fans who study the origins of heavy guitar music. Listening to “Look to the Wind” today provides a glimpse into the moment just before Mountain became one of the notable hard rock bands of the early nineteen seventies.