"Theme for an Imaginary Western" is a song written by Jack Bruce and Pete Brown. It has been performed by many artists, including MOUNTAIN, Jack Bruce, Leslie West, COLOSSEUM, GREENSLADE, DC3 and Johan Asherton.
The song originally appeared on Bruce's "Songs For A Tailor" album in 1969. The lyrics by Pete Brown are mentioned in Brown's autobiography "White Rooms And Imaginary Westerns" (ISBN 978-1906779207) as being in reference to Bruce's erstwhile bandmates Dick Heckstall-Smith and Graham Bond of The Graham Bond Organisation.
The following year, "Theme" appeared on MOUNTAINs "Climbing!" album. MOUNTAIN bassist/vocalist Felix Pappalardi, who sang the song with MOUNTAIN, had helped produce Bruce's album and brought the song to guitarist/vocalist Leslie West's attention for their album. MOUNTAIN performed the song at the Woodstock Festival in 1969; this version appeared on the Woodstock 2 album.
In 1988, Bruce teamed up with MOUNTAIN guitarist Leslie West, and performed the song again on "West's Theme" album, which was named after the song. West also performed it on "Leslie West Live!" and the Howard Stern Show.
Leslie West lived a hard life, by the late 1970s, West was recovering from addiction to heroin, morphine, and cocaine. West said in various interviews that his drug problems and similar drug abuse problems of other bandmates, had interfered with the success of both MOUNTAIN, and West, Bruce and Laing. In the mid 1980s, just as he was overcoming the drug problems, West was diagnosed with diabetes and his weight fluctuated over the years as he struggled with the disease. In the early 2000s he also survived a short bout with bladder cancer. In 2011, due to complications from his diabetes, West's right leg had to be amputated. West said in a 2014 interview that he believed his past smoking also contributed to the crisis with his leg. West went into cardiac arrest on Monday, December 21, 2020 and was rushed to a hospital in nearby Palm Coast where he never regained consciousness. After being contacted by Rolling Stone, West's brother Larry West confirmed that Leslie West had died. A report by Variety based on social media posts made by Larry West states that Leslie West died on Wednesday, December 23, 2020. He was 75.
This is Leslie West of MOUNTAIN and Derek Holt Of the Blues Climax Band performing this Mountain classic, in London's Hammersmith Odeon Theatre in 1988.
Here is a clip with MOUNTAIN performing "Theme For An Imaginary Western" live at Cincinnati Pop Festival June 13th 1970.
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