Working for Atlantic Records in 1968, he was asked by that company to knock into shape a New York group called the Vagrants which contained "this fat kid from Queens" on lead guitar. This "fat kid" - West's own description - was Leslie West (ne' Weinstein and b Queens, N.Y., October 22, 1945).

Pappalardi wasn't overly impressed by the Vagrants, but he was by what he considered West's dynamite guitar work.Thus when the group broke up after two flop singles for Atco, Pappalardi took the guitarist into the studio for his Leslie West - Mountain solo album in 1969.

The album went so well that Pappalardi (Cream had by now disbanded) and West determined to team-up together in new group taking name from debut album. Steve Knight, whom Pappalardi had played with in the '60s outfit Devil's Anvil, was recruited as keyboardsman, and Boston drummer Norman Smart completed lineup.

Employing hard rock style that some critics regarded as "more Cream than Cream" - West played the Clapton part, Pappalardi was Bruce - Mountain took to the road, playing only their fourth gig before an audience of thousandsat the August 1969 Woodstock Festival. Shortly after, however, drummer Smart was deemed unsuitable, and a young Canadian, Corky Laing (b. Montreal Jan 28, 1948), came in in his place. Lineup given above was group's best-known.

Their first album, Mountain Climbing (with Smart)* was released in early 1970 and was certified gold in autumn of that year. Similarly, Nantucket Sleighride (1971 - with Laing) was a best-seller, and sellout tours and singles Mississippi Queen and For Yasgur's Farm (i.e. Max Yasgur of Woodstock fame) kept them among the forefront of U.S. heavyweight rock attractions - despite their derivative, and often heavy-handed style. Significantly perhaps, they never got off the starting grid in U.K.

Two more albums were forthcoming. Flowers Of Evil in late 1971and a live set in 1972, before West and Laing split from Knight and Pappalardi; the latter** wanted to ease-off live work and return to his studio, and teamed up with former Cream bassist Jack Bruce. Thus was formed the short-lived, opportunist West, Bruce and Laing - which was little more than Mountain part 2, or Cream part 3!

When in summer 1973, Bruce got itchy feet (or perhaps pangs of conscience), West and Laing worked briefly in States as Leslie Wests's Wild West Show before re-forming Mountain January 1974 with Pappalardi back in the fold. Somewhere around this period Pappalardi and West appeared on a live album credited to Mountain and recorded in Japan. This, a double-set entitled Twin Peaks, was noteworthy for containing only three tracks over four sides of vinyl. In fact one cut, the live Nantucket Sleighride, not only occupies one LP but manages to encroach on its partner LP too. This album was never released in the U.K.

The re-formed group's first new studio collaboration was Avalanche, which featured rythym guitar by David Perry, short-lived component of the new band, and Pappalardi filling in keyboard colouring previously supplied by Steve Knight.

In early 1975 West released a tedious solo album, The Great Fatsby, presaging second dissolution of Mountain, and now works with own Leslie West Band, still in cohorts with Laing, which previously released eponymous album towards end of same year.

Pappalardi is reputed to be medically deaf from playing onstage with Mountain.