After the completion of a European tour in February 1972, Mountain went on hiatus. Guitarist and vocalist
Leslie West and drummer
Corky Laing continued working together in the new band
West, Bruce and Laing, which also featured former
Cream member
Jack Bruce, while bassist and vocalist
Felix Pappalardi returned to focusing on production work. By the summer, the band had officially broken up after Pappalardi began to suffer hearing loss due to years of touring and studio work (which eventually led to his retirement). The group would eventually reunite in 1973, releasing live album
Twin Peaks and studio album
Avalanche the following year. The group's label
Windfall Records compiled a number of recordings for a live release"
Long Red" and "Waiting to Take You Away" from the August 16, 1969, performance at
Woodstock, "Nantucket Sleighride" from the December 14, 1971, show at the
Academy of Music in New York City, and "Crossroader" from the January 29, 1972, appearance at the
Rainbow Theatre in London. The album was released on April 24, 1972, by Windfall and
Bell Records. "Waiting to Take You Away" was released as the only single from the album.
Live: The Road Goes Ever On has been reissued since its initial release; on July 13, 2018, Iconoclassic Records released a copy of the album with a bonus live recording of
T-Bone Walker's "
Stormy Monday" from the
Atlanta International Pop Festival in 1970. The recordings from the Woodstock Festival were made just prior to Corky Laing joining Mountain. Mountain's drummer at the time was
N. D. Smart who was uncredited on the album. Ironically, the drum-only opening bars of Long Red made it one of the most sampled in the history of hip hop music meaning he's been widely heard but virtually unrecognized for it. ==Reception==