Elephant's Memory - Elephant's Memory 1972

Although chiefly remembered these days for their role as John Lennon's loose and ragged backup band on his Some Time in New York City album from 1972, Elephant's Memory has a bit more to their history than that. Formed in 1967 by drummer Rick Frank and saxophonist and clarinetist Stan Bronstein, who reportedly met on the New York City strip-joint circuit, the group specialized in an eclectic Frank Zappa-like mix of psychedelia, jazz, and acid-tinged rock, and delivered a truly bizarre stage show complete with inflatable stage sets. Their first album, simply called Elephant's Memory, was released in 1969 on Buddah Records, a label more famous for bubblegum pop groups than whacked-out horn bands.

Two tracks from the LP, "Jungle Gym at the Zoo" and "Old Man Willow," found their way onto the Midnight Cowboy movie soundtrack later that year, which gave the group some visibility, but it didn't exactly translate into sales for the debut album. A second LP, 1970's Take It to the Streets, had even less commercial impact. Then came John Lennon and Some Time in New York City, and Elephant's Memory had their moment in the sun. They released a third album, also called Elephant's Memory and featuring David Peel, on Apple Records later that year, then backed up Yoko Ono on 1973's Approximately Infinite Universe. Angels Forever, which turned out to be the group's swan song, appeared in 1974. Elephant's Memory left behind what is probably best described as a footnote legacy since they will undoubtedly always be linked chiefly to Lennon and Ono. An impressive number of musicians passed through the band in its seven-year run, including Frank and Bornstein, as well as Carly Simon (yes, that Carly Simon, who was a member of the group for about six months), Jon Sachs, Gary VanScyoc, Michal Shapiro, Chris Robinson, Martha Velez, John Ward, Chester Ayres, Myron Yules, Richard Sussman, Wayne "Tex" Gabriel, Daria Price, and John Labosca. Footnote they may be, but Elephant's Memory made more of an impact than anyone ever might have suspected from a scuffling New York City street band. AMG.

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Elephant's Memory - Elephant's Memory 1969

This is the 1969 debut long player from the extended Big Apple-based ensemble Elephant's Memory. As such, it should not be confused with their 1972 release on the Apple Records label, featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Instead, this 11-song collection is from an earlier lineup that would, among other things, gain significant visibility for their contributions to the film Midnight Cowboy and its subsequent soundtrack (1969). Musically, the combo was multi-faceted; on the jazzy "R.I.P." and the uptempo opener, "Don't Put Me on Trial No More," they display a soulful horn-driven vibe, while "Super Heep," "Brief Encounter," and "Jungle Gym at the Zoo" are decidedly trippier and slightly reminiscent of the Electric Flag or the incipient incarnation of Al Kooper's Blood, Sweat & Tears. Incidentally, "Jungle Gym at the Zoo" and "Old Man Willow," an ethereal seven-plus minute psychedelic waltz, were chosen for the aforementioned Midnight Cowboy and even spawned Songs from Midnight Cowboy Plus Their Hit Singles (1969), an album that was little more than a profit-motivated retread to cash in on the name recognition. Two of the more interesting pieces on Elephant's Memory are the catchy pop ditty "Crossroads of the Stepping Stone," a song that could easily be mistaken for a Sopwith Camel outtake, and the pseudo-ragtime "Yogurt Song," which is as much a sly parody of the granola-lovin' generation as it is a stab at the jug band sound that inspired artists such as the Charlatans and New Vaudeville Band. Although they would continue, by the mid-'70s Elephant's Memory had gone through radical personnel changes and the name was eventually retired after the release of Angels Forever (1974). [In 2004, Elephant's Memory was issued on CD by Collector's Choice Music, sporting a great liner note essay by Richie Unterberger.] AMG.

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Elephant's Memory - Songs From Midnight Cowboy 1969

After original vocalist Carly Simon left Elephant's Memory for her own fame and fortune, the band recorded their self-titled Buddah debut, Elephant's Memory, with Michal Shapiro handling the female lead. That disc is not their John Lennon/Yoko Ono/David Peel Apple Records debut from 1972, which was also named after this ensemble. When two Elephant's Memory songs from the 1969 Buddah Records album appeared in the Capitol Records soundtrack to the film Midnight Cowboy, Buddah vice president Neil Bogart revamped and re-released the original LP, most likely and understandably, to cash in on the attention the band was getting from the hit film. "Old Man Willow" and "Jungle Gym at the Zoo" from the first LP appeared in Midnight Cowboy, and they show up again on side one of this disc along with a different spin on the Nilsson hit "Everybody's Talkin'." Here Michal Shapiro gives a woman's take on the classic Fred Neil composition over a poppy/folksy Wes Farrell production. There's a strange instrumental version of John Barry's theme to "Midnight Cowboy," jazzy rock with a female vocal, most likely Michal, adding a nice eerie resonance to the spirited and jumpy rendition, a far cry from the version that contained Vinny Bell's elegant guitar, the Top Ten hit for Ferrante & Teicher in 1969. The two new titles as well as the Elephant's Memory material from the movie make up side one. Side two contains seven more titles from the first LP, including the singles that were released from that disc, "Crossroads of the Stepping Stones" and "Don't Put Me on Trial," two excellent slices of '60s pop. Over 40 minutes of music graces Songs From Midnight Cowboy Plus Their Hit Singles, the two new titles plus everything from the Buddah debut minus the songs "Band of Love" and "Hot Dog Man" (which was the flip of the 45 rpm "Jungle Gym at the Zoo"). The album could have been even more interesting had their 45 rpm "Keep Free, Pts. 1 & 2" from November 1968 found its way onboard rather than the reissue of "Yogurt Song," a composition from keyboardist Richard Sussman and drummer Rick Frank which sounds like a Frank Zappa nightmare. Other than that, the album actually is quite consistent and is lots of fun. Later releases Take It to the Streets and Angels Forever don't have the pop meets psychedelia underground feel of this neo-bubblegum period piece. AMG.

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Elephant's Memory - Take It To The Streets 1970

More cohesive than their RCA release in the mid-'70s, the New York underground band who worked with John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and David Peel finds themselves on Metromedia, the label which had hits with Bobby Sherman, unleashing eight originals written mostly by drummer Rich Frank and lead vocalist/tenor saxman Stan Bronstein. Guitarist David Cohen contributes to a couple of tunes, with pianist Myron Yules and guitarist Greg Peratori also involved in the songwriting, but it is Frank (listed on the credits as Reek Havoc) and Bronstein who are the major forces behind this well-known-but-not-often-heard group. Clearly it was Lennon's participation on an early disc and not the band's notoriety which made them almost a household name, but one hit record could have changed all that. There is no hit here, but there is some experimental rock that Frank Zappa should have snapped up for his Straight Records. A bubblegum label could only move this if they were called Crazy Elephant and had something akin to "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'." Rather you have the antithesis, "Mongoose," followed by "Power" and the revolutionary "Piece Now." The technical proficiency is traded in for angst and lots of rock & roll attitude. "Piece Now" could very well be MC5, and the music on all three of the first tunes is dense and noteworthy. "Tricky Noses" ends side one with a flurry of bullets stopping a country-ish protest song, making the point quickly and with uneasy ease. Away from their famous friends, the seven-piece group is at least interesting here, with "She's Just Naturally Bad" sounding likeBlue Cheer when they abandoned the sonic onslaught for laid-back folk-rock. Flashes of Dylan andLou Reed make their way onto the tune. Pianist Myron Yules delivers the only song that Rich Frankand Bronstein aren't associated with, "I Couldn't Dream," a light Paul McCartney-style throwaway number."Damn" gets things somewhat heavy, a nice counterpoint to side one's "Power." This is where the band shines, solid ensemble rock with riffs and lots of not-so-quiet energy. For collectors who need anything by anyone ever associated with the Beatles, the Elephant's Memory's collection is not to be forgotten. "Ivan" is smooth New York rock a few years before Lou Reed would enter his Coney Island Baby phase, but definitely sounding like it could fit on that epic. Take It to the Streets is a true rock & roll artifact and holds some surprises worth rediscovering. AMG.

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Elephant's Memory - Elephant's Memory 1969

This is the 1969 debut long-player from the extended Big Apple-based ensemble Elephant's Memory. As such, it should not be confused with their 1972 release on the Apple Records label, featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Instead, this 11-song collection is from an earlier lineup that would, among other things, gain significant visibility for their contributions to the film Midnight Cowboy and its subsequent soundtrack (1969). Musically, the combo were multi-faceted; on the jazzy "R.I.P." and the uptempo opener, "Don't Put Me on Trial No More," they display a soulful horn-driven vibe, while "Super Heep," "Brief Encounter," and "Jungle Gym at the Zoo" are decidedly trippier and slightly reminiscent ofthe Electric Flag or the incipient incarnation of Al Kooper's Blood, Sweat & Tears. Incidentally, "Jungle Gym at the Zoo" and "Old Man Willow," an ethereal seven-plus minute psychedelic waltz, were chosen for the aforementioned Midnight Cowboy and even spawned Songs from Midnight Cowboy Plus Their Hit Singles (1969), an album that was little more than a profit-motivated retread to cash in on the name recognition. Two of the more interesting pieces on Elephant's Memory are the catchy pop ditty "Crossroads of the Stepping Stone," a song that could easily be mistaken for a Sopwith Camelouttake, and the pseudo-ragtime "Yogurt Song," which is as much a sly parody of the granola-lovin' generation as it is a stab at the jug band sound that inspired artists such as the Charlatans and New Vaudeville Band. Although they would continue, by the mid-'70s Elephant's Memory had gone through radical personnel changes and the name was eventually retired after the release of Angels Forever(1974). [In 2004, Elephant's Memory was issued on CD by Collector' Choice Music, sporting a great liner note essay by Richie Unterberger.] AMG.

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