Elephant's Memory 1972

Elephant's Memory are one of those many strange stories in rock history. A New York City band that featured horns, eclectic songwriting, multiple line-up changes, and several record labels, they are best known for being the backing band on Some Time In New York City by John Lennon, easily arguable as Lennon's worst release, although that isn't due to Elephant's Memory as the backing band. John and Yoko produced this 1971 Apple records outing, which has never been released on CD.

Side one opens with Liberation Special, a fast-driving, hard rocking song with a solid riff, vague lyrics about freedom, and good drive. Baddest Of The Mean follows, and it is a big plodding boogie with Stan Bronstein's gravely baritone delivery that verges on the Wolfman Jack sound, and not in a good way. The Johnny B Goode riff of Cryin' Blacksheep Blues follows, with similarly bad vocals, but a nice sax solo. Chuck 'N' Bo is a hard driving boogie that tells the story of John and Yoko attending a Chuck Berry and Bo Diddly concert.

Side two is a bit more varied. We get a few sung by members other than Bronstein, which helps, but the lyrical content is consistently weak, and they play off their celebrity producers again with the closing Local Plastic Ono Band. The country-ish Wind Ridge, the big loud Power Boogie (with more Wolfman vocals), and the hard rock of Madness and Gypsy Wolf keep things moving.

The band is tight. The lead guitar is generally interesting. The horn solos are highlights when they appear. The recording has a thick sound that could be tightened up a bit, but that doesn't wreck it.

I've said it before- All you really need is a singer, a songwriter, and a solid drummer. I can't say anything bad about the drumming. Songwriting is musically simple but effective, but lyrically banal. And vocals are a big problem for the band. They had other singers in their earlier iterations, but Bronstein just isn't up to the job, vacillating between his gravelly baritone and a high scream, it is a hard voice to see as an effective instrument. Maybe in a metal band, but not here.

Better lyrics and vocals would have made this a better record. But not better enough to make it great. There are millions of lesser artists that managed to put out a few records. Some of them made famous friends, but that doesn't mean they made memorable music.