(Don’t Fear) The Reaper, Blue Öyster Cult’s timeless paean to the inevitability of death, is unofficially recognised as the definitive cowbell-infused hard rock anthem. Its only serious rival is Mountain’s Mississippi Queen, recorded six years earlier on their debut album Climbing! in 1970.
Both bands were from New York City, but unlike BÖC’s pseudo-intellectualism, Mountain’s bombastic style was based on over-amplified white-boy blues and a deep-rooted appreciation of British power trio Cream. Mountain bassist Felix Pappalardi had produced albums by Cream, so considerable expectancy greeted the release of Climbing!
