Elephant Mountain
Encyclopedia
Elephant Mountain is an album by the American
folk rock
band The Youngbloods
, released in 1969. It reached number 118 on the Billboard 200
chart.
became the primary songwriter of the band, penning seven of the 13 tracks on the album, and cowriting four more with Lowell "Banana" Levinger and Joe Bauer. Young's songwriting ranges from jazzy acoustic ballads ("Sunlight" and "Ride the Wind"), to country/folk pop ("Smug" and "Beautiful") and bluesy hard rock ("Sham"). "Darkness, Darkness" and "Quicksand" are songs dealing with depression and suicide, quite at odds with the optimistic to happy-go-lucky image of the band created by songs like "Get Together" and "Grizzly Bear" (though not unlike other early songs such as "All My Dreams Blue" and "Foolin' Around"). The four tracks credited to Young, Banana, and Bauer are all instrumentals.
Levinger's "On Sir Francis Drake" is another instrumental named after Sir Francis Drake Boulevard
of Marin County to where the band had recently moved. At 6:44 it is the longest track on the album, consisting of two sections, the first an electric piano-based waltz, the second a blues jam with some bass soloing by Young. The remaining song on the album is "Rain Song (Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down)", which is similar to their earlier "jug band
" style songs like "Euphoria" and "The Wine Song"; it was co-written by Jerry Corbitt, Felix Pappalardi
and Gail Collins
, his wife.
Unlike their previous albums, there were no covers of songs by other artists.
The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
.
Although not specified on the album cover, the mountain depicted is Black Mountain (locally called Elephant Mountain), located west of the Nicasio Reservoir
in Marin County.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band The Youngbloods
The Youngbloods
The Youngbloods was an American folk rock band consisting of Jesse Colin Young , Jerry Corbitt , Lowell Levinger, nicknamed "Banana," , and Joe Bauer . Despite receiving critical acclaim, they never achieved widespread popularity. Their only U.S. Top 40 entry was "Get Together".-Background and...
, released in 1969. It reached number 118 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart.
History
With the departure of member and co-founder Jerry Corbitt, Jesse Colin YoungJesse Colin Young
Jesse Colin Young is an American singer / songwriter / folksinger and a founding member of the group The Youngbloods.-Early life:...
became the primary songwriter of the band, penning seven of the 13 tracks on the album, and cowriting four more with Lowell "Banana" Levinger and Joe Bauer. Young's songwriting ranges from jazzy acoustic ballads ("Sunlight" and "Ride the Wind"), to country/folk pop ("Smug" and "Beautiful") and bluesy hard rock ("Sham"). "Darkness, Darkness" and "Quicksand" are songs dealing with depression and suicide, quite at odds with the optimistic to happy-go-lucky image of the band created by songs like "Get Together" and "Grizzly Bear" (though not unlike other early songs such as "All My Dreams Blue" and "Foolin' Around"). The four tracks credited to Young, Banana, and Bauer are all instrumentals.
Levinger's "On Sir Francis Drake" is another instrumental named after Sir Francis Drake Boulevard
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard is an east–west arterial road in Marin County, California, running from just west of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to the trailhead for Point Reyes Lighthouse at the end of the Point Reyes Peninsula.It is named for the English explorer Sir Francis Drake, whose...
of Marin County to where the band had recently moved. At 6:44 it is the longest track on the album, consisting of two sections, the first an electric piano-based waltz, the second a blues jam with some bass soloing by Young. The remaining song on the album is "Rain Song (Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down)", which is similar to their earlier "jug band
Jug band
A Jug band is a band employing a jug player and a mix of traditional and home-made instruments. These home-made instruments are ordinary objects adapted to or modified for making of sound, like the washtub bass, washboard, spoons, stovepipe and comb & tissue paper...
" style songs like "Euphoria" and "The Wine Song"; it was co-written by Jerry Corbitt, Felix Pappalardi
Felix Pappalardi
Felix A. Pappalardi Jr. was an American music producer, songwriter, vocalist, and bass guitarist.- Early life :Pappalardi was born in the Bronx, New York...
and Gail Collins
Gail Collins Pappalardi
-Biography:She was wife of the late Felix Pappalardi. She contributed lyrics to many Mountain songs and co-wrote Cream's "World of Pain" with Pappalardi and "Strange Brew" with Pappalardi and Eric Clapton...
, his wife.
Unlike their previous albums, there were no covers of songs by other artists.
The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery, first published in 2005. The most recent edition consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2010, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd...
.
Although not specified on the album cover, the mountain depicted is Black Mountain (locally called Elephant Mountain), located west of the Nicasio Reservoir
Nicasio Reservoir
Nicasio Reservoir is a shallow, man-made reservoir in the Nicasio Valley region of Marin County, California, United States. It covers and sits in a drainage basin. It was created by the construction of Seeger Dam on the Nicasio Creek in 1961...
in Marin County.
Reception
Writing for Allmusic, music critic Lindsay Planer praised the album and wrote; "This effort contains some of the band's strongest material to date ..."Side one
- "Darkness, DarknessDarkness, Darkness"Darkness, Darkness" is a song written by Jesse Colin Young in 1969 which has been covered by many artists. It initially appeared on The Youngbloods album Elephant Mountain...
" (Jesse Colin Young) – 3:51 - "Smug"* (Young) – 2:13
- "On Sir Francis Drake" (Lowell Levinger) – 6:44
- "Sunlight" (Young) – 3:07
- "Double Sunlight" (Levinger, Young, Joe Bauer) – 0:41
- "Beautiful" (Young) – 3:49
- "Turn It Over" (Levinger, Young, Bauer) – 0:15
Side two
- "Rain Song (Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down)" (Corbitt, PappalardiFelix PappalardiFelix A. Pappalardi Jr. was an American music producer, songwriter, vocalist, and bass guitarist.- Early life :Pappalardi was born in the Bronx, New York...
, CollinsGail CollinsGail Gleason Collins is an American journalist, op-ed columnist and author, most recognized for her work with the New York Times. Joining the Times in 1995 as a member of the editorial board, from 2001 to 2007 she served as the paper's Editorial Page Editor – the first woman to attain that position...
) – 3:13 - "Trillium" (Levinger, Young, Bauer) – 3:08
- "Quicksand"* (Young) – 2:41
- "Black Mountain Breakdown" (Levinger, Young, Bauer) – 0:40
- "Sham"* (Young) – 2:44
- "Ride the Wind" (Young) – 6:37
Personnel
- Jesse Colin YoungJesse Colin YoungJesse Colin Young is an American singer / songwriter / folksinger and a founding member of the group The Youngbloods.-Early life:...
– bass, vocals - Lowell "Banana" Levinger – guitar, electric piano
- Joe Bauer – drums
Additional musicians
- David LindleyDavid Lindley (musician)David Perry Lindley is an American musician who is notable for his work with Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, and other rock musicians. He has worked extensively in other genres as well, performing with artists as varied as Curtis Mayfield and Dolly Parton...
– fiddle - Plas JohnsonPlas JohnsonPlas John Johnson Jr. is an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most familiar as the lead on Henry Mancini’s "The Pink Panther Theme"....
– tenor saxophone - Joe Clayton – trumpet
- Victor FeldmanVictor FeldmanVictor Stanley Feldman was a British jazz musician, best known as a pianist.-Early history:...
– vibraphone
Additional Personnel
- Charles E. Daniels (Charlie DanielsCharlie DanielsCharles Edward "Charlie" Daniels is an American musician known for his contributions to country and southern rock music. He is known primarily for his number one country hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", and multiple other songs he has performed and written. Daniels has been active as a singer...
) – producer - The Youngbloods and Bob Cullen – producer (Tracks marked *. These three tracks were recorded prior to Jerry Corbitt's departure from the band.)
- Richie Schmidt – engineer
- Hank CicaloHank CicaloHank Cicalo is an American recording engineer, most notable for his work in the 1960s and 1970s. Among the artists Cicalo recorded are The Monkees, Carole King and George Harrison.-The Monkees:...
– engineer - Mickey Crofford – engineer