''Elephant Mountain'' is the third studio album by the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

The Youngbloods The Youngbloods was an American rock band consisting of Jesse Colin Young (vocals, bass, guitar), Jerry Corbitt (vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica), Lowell "Banana" Levinger (guitar and electric piano), and Joe Bauer (drums). Despite receiv ...

, released in 1969. It reached number 118 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart.

Background and recording

With the departure of member and co-founder Jerry Corbitt,

Jesse Colin Young Perry Miller (November 22, 1941 – March 16, 2025), known professionally as Jesse Colin Young, was an American singer and songwriter. He was a founding member and lead singer of the 1960s group the Youngbloods. After their dissolution in 1972, ...

became the primary songwriter of the band, penning seven of the 13 tracks on the album, and co-writing four more with Lowell "Banana" Levinger and Joe Bauer. The four tracks credited to Young, Banana, and Bauer are all instrumentals. Levinger's "On Sir Francis Drake" is an instrumental named after

Sir Francis Drake Boulevard Sir Francis Drake Boulevard is an approximately 43.8 mile east–west arterial road in Marin County, California, running from the trailhead for Point Reyes Lighthouse at the end of the Point Reyes Peninsula to Interstate 580 just west of th ...

Marin County Marin County ( ) is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is ac ...

, 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 only other song on the album not co-written by Young is "Rain Song (Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down)", which is similar to their earlier "

jug band A jug band is a musical band, band employing a jug (instrument), jug player and a mix of conventional and homemade instruments. These homemade instruments are ordinary objects adapted to or modified for making sound, like the washtub bass, washbo ...

" style songs like "Euphoria" and "The Wine Song"; it was co-written by Jerry Corbitt,

Felix Pappalardi Felix Albert Pappalardi Jr. (December 30, 1939 – April 17, 1983) was an American music producer, songwriter, vocalist, and bass violin, bassist. He is best known as the bassist and co-lead vocalist of the band Mountain (band), Mountain, whose ...

and

Gail Collins Gail Collins (born November 25, 1945) is an American journalist, op-ed columnist and author, most recognized for her work with ''The New York Times''.

, his wife. According to the liner notes on the Sundazed reissue, the album was "begun in New York early in 1967, then finished in RCA's Hollywood studios after the band moved to San Francisco, but not released until 1969." Liner notes writer Jud Cost mentions that original member, Jerry Corbitt, though uncredited in the liner notes, performs "on a couple of Elephant Mountain tracks, notably singing the vocal with Young on 'Smug'." Unlike their previous albums, there are 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'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music criti ...

''. 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 is a shallow, artificial 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 . S ...

in Marin County. Sundazed released a remastered version in 2008 with "Previously Unissued Bonus Tracks," including "Pool Hall Song" and "Beautiful" (alternate version). In 2014, RCA of Japan released a 19 track version of the album.

Composition and music

The album's style is characterized as "blending affective

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

melodies and lyrics with their good time

roots."

's basslines are described as "propulsive" and Joe Bauer's drum work is described as "nimble." The album makes use of

electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument that has a piano-style musical keyboard, where sound is produced by means of mechanical hammers striking metal strings or reeds or wire tines, which leads to vibrations which are then converted into ele ...

and

harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...

. Some of the material present on the album has been described as "

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

y." The album's third track, "On Sir Francis Drake," is an

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

, and the ninth track "Trillium" employs

musical improvisation Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of immediate ("in the moment") musical composition, which combines performance with communication of Emotion, emotions and Musical technique, instrumental techn ...

from the band. "Sham" is described as a "straightforward rocker," drawing comparisons to other

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...

music acts such as

Stoneground Stoneground was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1970 in Concord, California. Originally a trio, Stoneground expanded to a 10-piece band by the time of their eponymous 1971 debut album. The group appeared in two films, ''Medicine Ball ...

. "Ride the Wind" takes stylistic cues from

Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and ) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America, which encompasses Music of Latin America, Latin America, Music of Spain, Spain, Mu ...

Critical reception

Reviewing for ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'' in 1969,

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

wrote, "In the manner of tight groups, the Youngbloods stretch thinner all the time. Not only have they lost Jerry Corbitt, but their own expertise has become somehow attenuated. Banana used to be the most tasteful electric pianist in rock. Now he has become so tasteful he can sound like

Roy Kral Roy Kral (October 10, 1921 – August 2, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and vocalist. Known for his partnership with his wife Jackie Cain as the duo Jackie and Roy, he was also the brother of the singer Irene Kral and the father o ...

on a lazy night."

Lester Bangs Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs (December 14, 1948 – April 30, 1982) was an American music journalist and critic. He wrote for ''Creem'' and ''Rolling Stone'' magazines and was also a performing musician. The music critic Jim DeRogatis called ...

was more enthusiastic in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', saying "this is one of the most encouraging albums I have heard in months. ... This album exudes that supremely rare commodity in these dark, bored, destructive times – joy." Years later, ''Rolling Stone'' said the album "bridges the gap between the last days of

psychedelia Psychedelia usually refers to a Aesthetics, style or aesthetic that is resembled in the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience produced by certain psychoactive substances. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic ...

and the outbreak of

country-rock Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...

that had afflicted artists like

the Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...

and

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

." In a retrospective review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, Lindsay Planer praised the album, feeling that it "contains some of the band's strongest material to date". ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' described the album as their "1969 folk-rock touchstone". Lindsay Planer of ''

'' gave the album four and a half stars out of five, stating her belief that the album "contains some of the band's strongest material to date."

Track listing

Side one

Side two

# "Rain Song (Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down)" ( Jerry Corbitt,

Gail Collins Gail Collins (born November 25, 1945) is an American journalist, op-ed columnist and author, most recognized for her work with ''The New York Times''.

) – 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

Sundazed 2008 Reissue

# " Darkness, Darkness" (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 # "Rain Song (Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down)" (Corbitt, Pappalardi, Collins) – 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 # "Pool Hall Song" ( Michael Hurley) (mis-credited to Jesse Colin Young) – 3:04 # "Beautiful" (Alternate Version) (Young) – 9:31

RCA Japan 2014 Reissue

# " Darkness, Darkness" (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 # "Rain Song (Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down)" (Corbitt, Pappalardi, Collins) – 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 # "Pool Hall Song" ( Michael Hurley) (mis-credited to Jesse Colin Young) – 3:09 # "On Sir Francis Drake" (Single Version) – 3:04 # "Beautiful" (Alternate Version) – 8:26 # "Smug" (Alternate Mono Version) – 2:14 # "Sham" (Alternate Mono Version) – 2:46 # "Radio Spot For Elephant Mountain" – 1:08 Tracks 17 "Smug" is a mono mix of the regular album version.

Personnel

;The Youngbloods *

– bass, lead vocals, acoustic guitar on "Sunlight" *Lowell "Banana" Levinger – guitar, backing vocals, electric piano *Joe Bauer – drums ;Additional musicians * Jerry Corbitt – guitar and vocals (uncredited in original liner notes) * David Lindley – violin *

Plas Johnson Plas John Johnson Jr. () (born July 21, 1931) is an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most widely known as the tenor saxophone soloist on Henry Mancini’s " The Pink Panther Theme". He also performs on alto and bar ...

– tenor saxophone *Joe Clayton – trumpet *

Victor Feldman Victor Stanley Feldman (7 April 1934 – 12 May 1987) was an English jazz musician who played mainly piano, vibraphone, and percussion. He began performing professionally during childhood, eventually earning acclaim in the UK jazz scene as ...

– vibraphone ;Technical *Charles E. Daniels (

Charlie Daniels Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, and was a pioneering contribution to Southern rock and progressive country. He was ...

) – producer *The Youngbloods and Bob Cullen – producer (Tracks marked *. These two tracks were recorded prior to Jerry Corbitt's departure from the band.) *Richie Schmidt – engineer * Hank Cicalo – engineer *Mickey Crofford – engineer

Charts

;Album ;Singles

References

{{Authority control 1969 albums The Youngbloods albums Albums produced by Charlie Daniels Albums produced by Jesse Colin Young RCA Records albums Folk rock albums by American artists Country rock albums by American artists