Elephant Mountain

Hmm, a sprinkle of jazz here with some poppy undertones. But nothing too new. Can't hold it against that since it's quite an old album, but it was a'ight.

Not sure why this album is considered essential - whilst pleasant enough, there is nothing that interesting or notable going on here. Slightly noodly, psychedelic folky leanings, and wibbly keyboards, but I found it hard to say anything left any mark on me after listening. File under 'Forgotten 60s artists who there is probably a reason they have been forgotten'.

This is like “if Neil Young made jazz”… and it’s kinda awesome? From the first track, I couldn’t have predicted where this album would end up. We get psychedelic rock, folk/country rock, bluesy jam band stuff, and then just pure jazz? What. The. Hell. (In a good way)

If I’m going to complain (I am), it’s that I wish there was a little more cohesion. I don’t know if that means doing less, or doing more. Like, would a longer album give them more space to link up all the pieces and transition more smoothly between styles? Maybe it’s supposed to feel like each side is a different album and it just feels weird in the post-vinyl world. Either way, what a ride!

Not bad. Pretty chill overall. 3/5

You know what? I’m at a 10.

It’s just that good, genuinely. It might not be as instrumentally dazzling as some other albums, but the strength behind this one is a perfect mix of natural charm meeting great songwriting, and just finding a charismatic effervescence that feels lovely to listen to. I know it’s a little odd to say that about an album that starts with someone accepting the darkness of sleep as a paradise to hide from the horrors of the real world, followed by a track about catching a cheater in the act, but I promise, the darkness that opens the album quickly gets met by sunlight, and the album just continues to glide.

Jesse Colin Young sounds quite a bit like Neil Young, and as someone who’s enjoyed almost all of the Neil Young albums on the list so far, that comparison is a big benefit to this album. He’s got a natural lift to his voice that just enhances some of the lyrics further, and really pairs well with the twinkly instrumentation here. A lot of these are based on country instrumentals, but with bass, piano, xylophone & electric guitar added, creating a folksy psychedelica soundscape that can feel like anything from the Beatles to CSNY to the Pogues to the Byrds to Bob Dylan without really changing all that much. I’d even argue this album hits on some funky Stevie Wonder-esque stuff at times, particularly on “Beautiful” & more softly on the closer, “Ride the Wind”. The variety of this album is one of its biggest strengths, and for a band I’d never heard of until today, I’m really deeply impressed by their proficiency.

A lot of this album is instrumental, and while that may hurt it for other people, I just think it adds a charm to the whole thing. Instrumental tracks, when performed well, can feel just as imaginative as a track with perfect writing, and this album does them VERY well. There’s maybe one or two that feel a touch long, and a handful that feel too short, but they keep the album in a good flow. I got a good kick out of “Turn it Over” being a little piano medley to indicate flipping the vinyl over. A relic of the era, sure, but part of that natural charm all the same. The most dull one is probably “Trillium”, but I think it still has its own place.

Overall, I’m just really impressed. The Youngbloods feel like a band that could’ve been bigger, and while I got the sense this might be a “favorite band’s favorite band” sort of thing with its presence on the list & a very loose one-hit wonder status, I wasn’t expecting it to be so consistently great. The songwriting is sharp, the instrumentals all feel as great, and everything just clicks to create a smooth 40 minutes. Looking at the Wikipedia page, I suppose the revelation that Charlie Daniels of “The Devil Went to Georgia” fame was the producer here makes a lot of sense. If there’s one thing Charlie Daniels does on that track perfectly, it’s his ability to create a believable world from just the soundscape alone. I know that devil is going down to Georgia because the fiddle & the pulse of the track just tells me it’s true. That same believability applies to a lot of these tracks, just with a bit more poppy & folksy hope behind it. It’s a good recipe when it’s all put together, and it makes for one of the best discoveries we’ve gotten on the list so far. Hence, a 10, and a well deserved one. I’m very glad this is on the list.

Interesting and strange. Didn't sound like an album at all, but instead a selection of songs the algorithm might have chosen after playing a psychedelic country rock crossover landmark like Sweetheart of the Rodeo. I was open to this being better than Sweetheart, even, which has never quite lived up to its legend or its cover art in my mind. So I thought, "Cool, here we have a collection of songs in similar style but without the Dylan covers or Gospel songs."

Thing is, I never would have imagined they were all by the same band, though I might have guessed one of the bands was the crew behind "Get Together." I might have imagined some of these songs were by the Beegees or the Monkees or the Zombies or any number of bands ending in an E sound from the 60s and 70s. So in the end I liked some of the songs a lot but felt kind of meh about the album.

And after I finished the algorithm went straight into "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," the first track of Sweetheart of the Rodeo...

Never heard of these guys before surprisingly. Sounds like a decent 60s folk rock album, probably right in the middle of the street for me with 3 stars. Not terrible, not great either

There was nothing really special about this, but it was an enjoyable listen.

Really enjoyed the jam sessions

A strange blend of styles. I liked the jazzy outro of "On Sir Francis Drake".

sometimes fun, sometimes cringe, sometimes pleasant.

I know this band from the excellent (cover) Get Together which adorns most soundtracks for 60s films. It is interesting that this album seemed so fresh, almost like it was recorded yesterday. Really liked it.

Un sonido por momentos interesante, pero que no llega a atraparme del todo. Es una escucha relativamente sencilla y tranquila pero no fascinante (capaz por esto se me llegó a hacer largo por momentos).

Pretty cool album.

This is the sort of thing I like to find on the list.

Never heard it before. It’s a right mashup of genres….Country, Rock, Prog.

Was worried it was going to be too country for my tastes, but then it gets going and is much more my kind of thing.

Amazing that I’ve never even heard of it.

3

This is an exciting album, and it took me a few minutes to realize that. “Darkness, Darkness” sounds like typical 60s folk rock with a strikingly high voice. But in fact, The Youngbloods are much more than that, as they move with remarkable ease across the entire spectrum from rock to jazz on “Elephant Mountain.” Thanks to Young's voice and Banana's virtuosity, my impression is that there are no real breaks, but rather a relaxed meandering that doesn't pay too much attention to stylistic boundaries. This is probably not everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it and I think this is how easy listening should be.

There were a couple toe tappers, but it's not great.

Absolutely pointless.
Not sure how this epitome of mediocrity makes a list of 1001 things to listen to. It is instantly forgettable with several 40 second tracks and rubbish instrumentals

Sometimes the Generator provides an album which makes me wish I owned a copy of the book just so I could read the justification for its inclusion.

Darkness, Darkness's weird echoy vocal choice in verse 2 was it's most notable moment. Otherwise it was entirely forgettable. The nearly 7 minutes of instrumental in On Sir Francis Drake was annoyingly twee for half it's running time then suddenly turned into a bog-standard blues track.

At the other end of the spectrum, 15 seconds, including a fade out, where nothing happens, is not a song (I'm looking at you Turn It Over). I appreciate it was the last "song" on the a side of the album, and therefore more of an instruction, but I don't need you to warn me to turn the vinyl over.

It may just be because I'm listening to this in February in the UK, a time of traditionally unsettled weather (and currently over 40 days of rain in some parts of the country), but I took against Rain Song (Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down). The weird echoy backing vocals were back in places too.

Then the b side continued in much the same way as the a side. With not a lot interesting happening. And the last song sounding like elevator music was the cherry on the cake. I'm not mad at it, it was just a very forgettable album.

2/5

Some strong songs and beautifully played (talented musicianship in this trio format) makes for an enjoyable listen. Not ambitious enough for consideration as a top album of all time though.