Leslie West RIP

Caffeine_Vampire

A very sad way to close the year.

Phenomenal talent and a huge influence.

You made it to the top of the mountain big guy. 

koneguitarist

Great player, with a huge tone. 

richardhomer

RIP

Moominpapa

An icon of classic rock. That tone on "Mississippi Queen"  - once heard, never forgotten.

JezWynd

Sad news. Caught him live once back in '73 at Manchester Free Trade Hall with West, Bruce and Laing. Awesome player.

ICBM

I saw him at the Renfrew Ferry in Glasgow about fifteen years ago - epic, larger-than-life personality and sound. He had two Marshall Super Leads and I'm not completely sure if much of it was going through the PA... and one of those little Zoom belt-mount FX units mounted on a mic stand for the octave stuff. Great gig.

RIP

merlin

  

KDS

Shit, I was dreaming about this last night and hoping this wasn’t true. Rip

Hootsmon

Saw him in Edinburgh...night of the guitars...wicked and monster LOUD

scrumhalf

Possibly the only guitarist whose work became famous as a result of a current affairs programme. RIP Mr Weinstein.

stratman3142

Sad news. A big tone and a wonderful vibrato. Flowers of Evil was the first album I owned.

Doug

jdgm

R.I.P. 

I saw him in the 70s (the bill was Pink Floyd, Faces, Mountain) and again this century when - unbelievably - he came to Farnham Maltings, just before his medical issues got serious.  What a guy.  They do not make them like him anymore.

Philly_Q

I'm gutted. 

I think I first heard of him because Michael Schenker mentioned him as an influence (although I did know that Weekend World was Nantucket Sleighride).  I bought most of the Mountain albums on Japanese import (they seemed very expensive at the time) when I was at university and he's been one of my heroes for 40 years.  Never saw him live, unfortunately.

What a shitty year it's been.

stonevibe

Gutted, the man was an absolute legend and may he rest in peace.

Stuob

Don`t know if it was his playing or attitude to it I liked better, rip Leslie.

Philly_Q

Mudcrutch

Very sad news.
RIP thanks for the music.

ICBM

@Philly_Q - that’s possibly the most beautiful picture of any rock guitarist I’ve ever seen.

Philly_Q

@ICBM for a guy who looked very little like the quintessential rock star, he was remarkably photogenic.

ICBM

Philly_Q said:

@ICBM for a guy who looked very little like the quintessential rock star, he was remarkably photogenic.

Yes. It's the expression on his face in that one in particular - totally lost in the moment, somewhere in a place of pure peace that the music has taken him despite the huge volume he was playing at. You can almost hear the sustain just looking at it...

It's the perfect rock star guitar too - the most iconic shape of all, stripped down to nothing more than what he needs, and a curly cable.