Elephants Memory 1969 Album

Elephant's Memory

Before they gained notoriety as John Lennon and Yoko Ono's backing band during their radical political phase in New York City, Elephant's Memory was a rough-and-tumble street outfit in Greenwich Village, honing their craft in strip clubs and biker bars. Which makes it all the more surprising that their debut was: 1) released on a label known for its bubblegum content (Buddah Records), and 2) the content of the album in no way matched up with their reputation. There are songs about yogurt, hot dogs, some San Francisco-like pop grooves ("Band of Love", "Crossroads of the Stepping Stones"), and overriding all of this, a very jaunty, rough-house take on the jazz-rock that was emerging onto radio stations back then. The group was essentially Stan Bronstein, Rick Frank, and a revolving cast of characters who carried over to the next record. As far as this one goes, it's really just an odd curio from an era that had more than it's fair share of them.