CLEAN 1969 ORIG 1st ELEPHANTS MEMORY NUDE COVER FREAKY PSYCH TRIPS LENNON BAND

$

34

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                NUDE PAINTED GROUP COVER 

                    CLEAN 1969 TOP COPY         

                   ELEPHANTS MEMORY

                ((1st))                

                         ...USA - BUDDAH - BDS 5033 

After 43+ years a TOP COPY with Psychedelic painted nude group thick gatefold cover...

Original 1969 first pressing of the very first and most unique album by Elephants Memory, the hippierock group that John Lennon chose as his backing band 3 years after this, their first album was recorded....The band also appeared in the 1983 documentary film, Hell's Angels Forever, in which they appear at the Hells Angels' Pirates Party held on the SS Bay Belle on September 5, 1973, together with the Jerry Garcia Band.

Originating from New York, Elephant Memory was formed in 1967 by Bronstein and Frank, who were both playing the strip joint circuit. They soon became known for their outrageous performances, with light shows, destruction of sculptures and weird outfits. After recruiting a young Israeli singer, Michal Shapiro they were signed to the Wes Farrell Organization, a powerful management and production company. Their first album was released in February 1969 and has a flashing sleeve, the group members being pictured nude, covered with paints, in front of an elephant. An interesting record, mixing psych, dreamy ballads, jazz and hard rock, two of the songs, Old Man Willow and Jungle Gym At The Zoo appeared on the soundtrack to 'Midnight Cowboy'.

So this FIRST Elephants Memory album is almost as interesting for the weird trivia surrounding it as it is for their being a more psychedelic-inflected rock version of the Electric Flag. Here's a few little nuggets: 1) Carly Simon was in the band's original lineup as vocalist and contributed to some of the songs on their 1969 debut but the songs had their lyrics changed after she left the group; 2) the band's debut record didn't sell well at all (they were on the famous pop label Buddah Records for some reason) but they went on to have songs on the Midnight Cowboy soundtrack and played as John and Yoko's backing band on the Some Time in New York City album; 3) their debut album was produced by Wes Farrell in between his gigs producing for two family groups, the real-family Cowsills and the Partridge Family; and 4) vocalist, female Michal Shapiro left the band after the debut album to pursue other interests, including painting - her painting Butternut hangs in Don Draper's album on the TV show Mad Men.

Oh, and they also made this very weird psych record in 1969. With a wide variety of instruments and styles at their disposal, Elephants Memory seem to have been determined to squeeze all their favorite sounds into eleven tracks. Coming off somewhere in between a more wacked-out Bonzo Dog Band and a gentler Mothers of Invention, Elephants Memory features a lot of acid infected rock, mixed with some more atmospheric tracks (like the epic "Old Man Willow") and a couple straightforward memorable melody rich rock songs. "Crossroads of the Stepping Stones" is a nice slice of sunshine pop that is a unique sound to the album.

The stylistic shifts are varied throughout, and the band's lyrics often cross the hazy line between "psych-pop" and "weird-sounding". Also, where Michal Shapiro does an adequate job as a Carly Simon stand-in, male vocalist Stan Bronstein is adequate, though we like his singing on the odder tracks, like the ragtime-on-speed weirdness of "Yogurt Song". And, lyrically, it's one of the more enjoyable moments on the record - how can you hate a line like, "They know I'm high on yogurt pie"?

Band Of Love
Brief Encounter
Crossroads Of The Stepping Stones
Don't Put Me On Trial No More
Hot Dog Man
Jungle Gym At The Zoo
R.I.P.
Super Heep
Takin' A Walk
Yogurt Song
Old Man Willow

CONDITION: The Cover: thick gatefold, M- having only a delete drill at top left...Wildly colorful with 4 sharp corners, no bends, no split seams and no writing...

The vinyl: is all all shiny clean all over,"EX" (excellent) = few inner sleeve paper scuffs, vastly clear = the deep groove pressing plays clean & enjoyable from start to finish without audio problems !!

keeper!

A GREAT ADDITION TO ANYONE'S COLLECTION !

SEE: SELLERS OTher items for similar cool sounds for "head" people...

EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING

All imperfections are noted both cover & record