The 3 disc box set titled “Over the Top” was a 25th year anniversary collection of the bands greatest hits which included a re release of their most famous song "Mississippi Queen" The design Stuart Bailey created for Mountain made the front page of Rolling Stone website as a feature in Leslie Wests editorial. Sonys official Youtube posting of Stu-Arts design has received over 20 million views.

Stuart Baileys design for Leslie West & Mountain

Rolling Stones Home Page

  I was very lucky back in 97 to have been given the opportunity to illustrate and design a CD box set for the rock band Mountain, featuring the late Leslie West. The 3 disc set titled “Over the Top” was a 25th year anniversary collection of the bands greatest hits which included a re release of their most famous song “Mississippi-Queen.” The label was on Sony’s Columbia Legacy.

  For those who don't know Leslie West or the band Mountain you can read the Rolling-Stone article here which features the artwork of Stuart Bailey just below. It may surprise you the influence he had on so many musicians Including Jimi Hendrix, Foo Fighters, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Queen, ZZ Top, Ozzy Osborne and the late Eddie Van Halen who was not only inspired by Leslie West, but was a very close friend. Such a close friend that right before Eddie had past away he gave Leslie a large portion of his guitar collection.

In addition to that the band Black Sabbath got its first tour in America by opening up for Mountain. The band has also been sampled by Jay Z and his song "99 problems" along with many other rap songs using Leslies rifs and song bites for sampling. From the beginning of their success as one of the bands to play Woodstock to Leslie sitting in as a regular with good friend Howard Stern.

 My relationship with the band was due to my father Roy Bailey, a well known artist from Nantucket who illustrated the inside album cover for Nantucket Sleigh Ride, Mountains most successful album which earned the band a GOLD RECORD back in 70’s. My father was also Corky Laing's close friend the drummer for the band and Leslies wing-man.

 I only met Leslie once years later when I went to their show in Miami. I went with some friends who bought front seating tickets and asked if I wanted to go. I was able to get in touch with Corky after the show with some effort and talk to security. We went backstage and Joe Satriani walked by as he was playing next. Then we got invited onto the tour bus. We drank beers and talked for awhile as I had to pee and finally had the nerve to ask if could use the little bathroom on their bus. He said no problem. So I was in the bathroom looking in the mirror and saying to myself how cool this moment is and were hanging out on the bus all cool and stuff. So then I open the bathroom door in the narrow walk way and feel it stop half way as it bumps into something. It was a plate of food that had just spilled onto the ground. So I look up and see Mr West looking at me with great concern and asking me 1 question.”Why are you here”? Not caring much for any answer or even who I was anyway. I quickly said I was friends of Corky as he then told Leslie I was Roys son and the one who did the art for over the top. Lelsie was not to mad but just hungry and I was not helping. So that was my 1 time intro to the man and our conversation of 9 words.  We laughed afterwords and went out in Miami Beach with Corky for a bit before they took off.

SUNA SOUNDS LABEL & GUITAR PICK CONCEPT