Elephant Mountain

This is an interesting album. I... I think I liked it? There are certainly no stand-out tracks. Nothing to point to and say, "that was a great song!" but, at the same time, I really enjoyed listening to it as background music. Nothing disagreeable in the album (apart from a brief saxophone solo which was as tasteful as that sort of thing can be). Nothing great either. So strange. Not entirely sure how to rate it so it's getting a middling 3.

Well, this was a strange one. A bit folky. A bit rocky. A bit jazzy. A bit country. A bit too averagey. Nothing stood out for me, and there was nothing to get my teeth into. It flowed over me like water over a rock. And left me just as cold.

This list really loves albums that are old. This is more old music that is not special or unique compared to the other old music and it adds nothing. Just because things are old don’t make them groundbreaking or important. This is best described as decade filler.

The sound is fantastic from the get go. Loved all the songs, very folksy. In the same breath, it sounds old and contemporary, it's just an excellent album.

An oft-forgotten jazzy psychedelic country album? Oh yes. Yes PLEASE.

Sublimely lowkey. Great background, great foreground. Sounds unique and yet matches its contemporaries. I love the folk, psychedelic, and Bluesy vibes going on here.

Mildly interesting but not horrible. Was nothing different or very entertaining. Not sure how this made the top 1001 albums lists

Absolutely beautiful album. My perception is that The Youngbloods are less cited than other popular counterculture musicians but they are great standard bearers for the movement. The lyrics are poetic and still relevant to our culture 50+ years later. I love everything about this album. The instrumentation is dated but that’s fine. It’s of it’s time. So much fun.

I'd never heard of this album, or the band until now, but I'm glad I found out about them. The music is just so good! I can't believe how good this album has been, from start to finish!

The Youngblood’s “Elephant Mountain” is great example of an album that isn’t really in the cultural lexicon when talking about 1960’s rock, but probably should be. The musicianship here is excellent and the songs, whether traditionally structured or improvisational are engaging and exceptionally performed, moving seamlessly between psychedelic rock, jazz, blues and Americana, sometimes within the same song. As this record draws to a close, one final thing to note: It’s kind of funny how literally every band residing in northern California that released a psych album in the late sixties were better musicians and songwriters than the Grateful Dead.

I wish I could fistfight this band. Wild swings between lounge jazz and Rollin’ Stones-esque tracks left me borderline furious due to the cocktease of semi-good rock and the worst jazz I’ve heard.

Enjoyed it so much bought it on vinyl.

Already loving the bluegrass feel as soon as the album starts. Anything that sounds like Outlander is good. Singer sounds like Neil Young. It started like bluegrass but now it's turning into late '60s rock. I do like how every song has a different style, and each one is a pleasant little diddy. (Note after listening) Well that was awesome. The album escalated with each song and ended on a very high note. Will 100% listen again.

The Youngbloods album was just like most of the other 60s psychedelic rock stuff we've had. Started okay then got lost up its own arse.

Get Together, the only Youngbloods song I ever heard before this, happens to be one of my very favorite songs of the ‘60s. So I’m pretty excited to see the group appear here. It’s about time I checked out some of the rest of their music. From the moment I hit play I loved this album. Darkness Darkness kicked things off beautifully. It’s got a folky, mountainy vibe that instantly appealed. Then as it goes the psychedelia came in and it all blended into something really impressive! The arrangement is beautiful and I love the lead singer’s voice. The Youngbloods make folksy, bluesy, jazzy, country, psychedelia seem completely natural. Only on reflection do I realize what an accomplishment that is. Nothing really jolted me. It all just seemed perfect. The instrumentals are wonderful. And thank you for Don’t Let The Rain Get You Down as I enter a Seattle winter. This is one of my favorite discoveries in this project so far. There will be a lot more from The Youngbloods in my future.

Heck yes. Weird hippy Americana jazz stuff is my jam.

Jammy, folksy, but totally not over the top. Light and fluffy like a merengue (am I good at album reviews???)

This is such a groovy record, I am loving it. I'm certain I've heard some of these songs before but never knew the band. I probably assumed they were just some Eagles or Animals deep cuts. I can see myself, a passenger in my dad's '79 Oldsmobile, watching the world roll by as we cruise the backroads on a sunny summer day. Maybe we’re going to get ice cream. Maybe we’re going to get groceries. It doesn’t really matter where we’re going, I just love that we’re together and the radio is playing such great tunes. This record helps me prolong this sweet reverie, it’s an unexpected conduit to happy memories, and I still miss my dad so much since he passed away last spring, so I’m going to keep idling in this one for a while.

Very chill. Loved it.

Oh, sure. The Youngbloods. I know them. Wait...do I? Am I confusing them with The Yardbirds? Oh yeah: come on people now, smile on your brother... That's them. That song's not on this album though. The only song I know on this album is Darkness, Darkness because Ann Wilson (of Heart) did a cover on her amazing album Hope & Glory. I love that cover. And I love The Youngbloods' original. I love a lot of this album. It's definitely 60s but not overplayed. Interesting instrumentation. Speaking of...there are a few instrumental bits that go on a little long but that's my only complaint. This is good good stuff and I want to hear more.

I've not heard of the youngbloods before but I was pleasantly surprised, great album

The jazzy parts are a nice change from the typical California Folk/Country/Rock/Psychedelic Music that was getting popular at the time. The overall vibe is a bit closer to Traffic than it is to CSNY. But even so, it's firmly trapped between the walls of Laurel Canyon, where so many other artists from this list reside.

The jangly bright poppy stuff is pretty annoying in that naive 60s sunshine hippy way, but the spacier jams like the fuzzy 'darkness, darkness' and the jazzy outro to 'Francis Drake' (not the over composed fussy intro) are more exciting. The Motown via garage psych 'Sham' goes hard. You can see how this (the noodly 'Trillium' especially) might've nudged their Marin County comparisons the Dead towards the jazzy Americana they'd get start playing by 1972 when they got a pianist. A pretty mixed album and part of the massive over representation on the list of every niche iteration of the psych-folk continuum of late 60s. Favorites: darkness darkness, sham

This is what I was hoping to get out of this 1001 list...finding albums I either didn't know of, or knew of, but never really paid attention to. I found a copy of this on vinyl years and years ago back when you could still find interesting records for a dollar in a Goodwill bin. Probably played it once and forgot about it. So today it got a second spin. And...it's nice. I like it. Nothing profound or out of the ordinary, but a perfectly fine late 60s psych/rock/folk mashup. And even though everything seems to fit into that mashup of a genre, there's quite a bit of variety on here as well. Pleasantly surprised. They also seem to be having fun on here. Not taking these compositions all that seriously and allowing some silliness in. Also, TIL one of the band members was named "Banana" and played most of the instruments on this. All of that said, I'm not entirely sure why this is on the list. I had to track down a copy of the book and found that it's mainly because the author liked a few of the songs? I guess is the author's prerogative. I do agree with the author that the last track on this album is particularly good (I am also a sucker for the vibraphone). Also noticed while flipping through the actual book: holy crap there are a shit-ton of albums on this list from 1969! Anyways, that's my review. An OK album that somehow caused me to write the longest review yet. So there's that. PS: What is that supposed to be on the cover in the foreground? A pile of elephant dung?

Never heard of The Youngbloods and was initially impressed, but overall I think their relative obscurity is probably appropriate. Some good songs, an excellent white soul voice, a bit Buffalo Springfield, and a band member called "Banana"; unfortunately too much noodling and half-finished sketches to be a great album

Not terrible but not good. Surely this sort of stuff is ten-a-penny from this era.

A very chill and beautiful album. I enjoyed it a lot... from the soft vocals to the instrumental breaks. Never heard of them but it's nice to find something new via this site.

Did not know this album yet but it is excellent in every aspect and I have listened to it non-stop for several times.

Really good album! Groovy blues and funky rhythms. It resembles me a bit of Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Folk rock. Late 60's. Psychedelic rock. Fun songs, love some of the harmonies. Mellow but upbeat. Perfect for helping keep things light and happy while working.

Black Mountain Breakdown 👌 Seems like folk is pretty timeless accidentally listened to the whole thing twice

Played my vinyl copy over the weekend and I really dug the laid back jazzy vibe. The folky 'Darkness, Darkness' is the standout track, but there's plenty of other highlights like 'Smug' (spitting image of classic Byrds), 'Sunlight', 'Quicksand' and the closing 'Ride the Wind'. It's generally low key, perfect for a chilled Sunday evening.

Great opening song, and the rest of the album is good vibing music, how have I never heard of this band?!?!?!?!!!

cool! surprised i hadn't heard of em

Elephant Mountain is a title that belongs to the era, but the faddish psychedelic gestures feel more dutiful than desired, and the roots rock, jazzy vibes, and an odd, shockingly Broadway feel to one or two of the later tracks make this a truly weird record, and a fun one to spend a journey with. The longer instrumentals make me sad that the form was lost to fashion, which is another way for me to say I adore East-West by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.

An unexpected journey. The inclusion of band members' voices at the beginning of several tracks is a lovely addition, making me feel like I'm in the studio with them. "Smug" is a short fun bop that's lyrically quite cutting. Thoroughly enjoyable psychedelic folk-rock.

Why were these guys never huge? I think it’s because they sounded like not only a different group on every song here but even a different sub-genre! They never embraced a style. If it were me I would’ve told them to go with that funky almost Chili Peppers vibe they hit on ‘Beautiful’. Guy almost sounded like Janis Joplin on that tune too. As a listener trying to id the band it would be near impossible when any other song from the album came up. ‘Sunlight’ for example, great song but sounds like an acoustic Doobie Bros tune. Then doing a rag time tune. Then a country folk tune. They could’ve been great if they did them, whatever that was. Instead I think someone was convincing them to fit into the time. They turned out to be a poor man’s Lovin Spoonful unfortunately. But I saved the album to my library regardless. A rare thing for me these days.

A lovely discovery! These guys weren't on my radar at all. It's that classic late 60s rock sound, but they like dabbling in other genres and playing little games - right up my street! This is like a 4.4. Fave tracks - "Darkness, Darkness" is a great opener - loved that segue from bluegrass into rock. Liked the experimentation of "On Sir Frances Drake", and the elevator muzak diversion of "Ride the Wind"

I never really heard songs I knew as The Youngbloods - "Darkness, Darkness" sounds familiar. This was actually pretty good. Not that Psychie or Folksie and had some real nice songs. "Ride the Wind". Only a 3 but a strong 3. did it for me

I wasn’t familiar with this band. Opens strong with “Darkness, Darkness.” Not as much into “On Sir Francis Drake,” but can tell the band was full of talented musicians.

Don't know what to expect here. Youngbloods lol a term that makes me think of g funks. 1969.... I liked the violin intro. Interesting, it's like country 60s rock...Hm, these guys do Get Together. Cmon people now smile on your brother...not on this album though. It has a beatles vibe to it. It's nice chill music. I don't know how some of the albums make it on to this list. This is one of them. I mean it's not shitty music but it's not like amazing you know. I like the attitude on Sham. and the guitar on it. Lot's of great instruments being used, like the xylophone on the last track, the piano through out. 3 stars.

Another good lesson not to judge an album by its cover: I was expecting something very good-ol'-boys country, and instead got something that had a bit of soul, a bit of blues, a bit of folk, a bit of everything really. Exceeded expectations, not bad.

It sounds very much late 60s. Somehow reminds me of the Monkees, but it doesn't sound very much like them for the most part. Not bad, but not at all essential. Favorite song: Sham

Sounded great right off the bat, but ended up fading into mediocrity. The lead singer sounds like a very tame and much less interesting Janis Joplin.

Bit like the Monkees in places (strong Mickey Dolenz vibes). Might have another listen.

Je détiens crisdusseld

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

This is another of those albums that I struggle to understand why it’s on the generator. This is largely inoffensive but utterly pointless - this band sounded no different than most of the other bands of their time, and had bizarre instrumentals that I can only describe as quite like “elevator music”. There was also a strange decision to keep some studio chatter in as the beginning of a track, where they all discussed which “take” this was going to be. If I could give this 1.5* I would, but alas.

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

First time I read the reviews of an album to understand why it made the list. I get that in context it helped bridge between psychedelic and the country-folk movements...but as a standalone without that context in 2025, it was kind of just...there. Nothing really to note. I think the B side picks it up from a 1 to a 2 star for me, but barely.

TIL The Youngbloods wrote "Darkness, Darkness," which is an excellent song (though truth be told, there are cover versions of it that I prefer to the original). But after that leadoff track, I quickly grew bored, and I am picking up a serious "OK Boomer" stench to this entire exercise.

Yay more slightly bland folk

-there's probably 1001 better albums from 1969 alone. This album has had zero cultural imprint, nothing from this album left a widespread popular impression on anyone, and no one in the underground or on the fringes was significantly inspired by this music. This is the 3rd album from a one hit wonder who didn't even write their own hit. Should not be included on this list. -this album surprised me. Surprised me in how strongly I disliked it. Occasionally I would hear a few measures of music that sounded OK, and each time the song was quickly interrupted by something really dull, silly, hackneyed, or contrived. I can't reasonably recommend a single song on this album. -how many albums from this era are described as "bridging the gap between psychedelic rock and folk/country"? This is probably the worst, most inessential example of that style. -the singer is as square as they come. Leaves a bitter, plastic taste in my mouth. -the "jazz" songs on this album are some of the most grooveless pap I've ever heard. -in between the bad, unmemorable songs is a lot of *trippy* / *quirky* filler nonsense I think is designed to sound like this band had a lot of high concept "experimental" ideas, but actually makes it sound like they were given too much money by their record label.

This was pretty annoying. It sounded like stupid hippie crap. Gross. I didn't like this much at all. There was 1 song that actually wasn't too bad but I have so much ill will toward this album that it's getting a 1 anyway. This should be omitted from all future publications of the book. Yuck.

Too much of an elevator music.

You can just tell when a band has great synergy, and this is a perfect example of it. 4.5 bumped up to 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.

Man. Great all around.

More music should sound like this!

First band I didn’t know on the list. Went into full discography and enjoyed the whole library.love the mix of folk and psychedelic rock

This is great.

totally unfamiliar with the youngbloods prior to this, and what a shame. this is the exact kind of music i like: pulling together a bunch of different elements and sounds and combining them with a little wit, talent and brevity to produce something engaging and exciting. the addition of (actually decent) jazz (probably thanks to drummer Joe Bauer) and bluegrass to the standard folk/psychedelic/rock cocktail is very welcome and i salute these crazy white boys for taking a swing at it

336/1089 - This was awesome. I've found I've been really into acoustic sounds lately and this combined with some cool psychedelic effects and jazz was a real treat. I liked the little interlude to flip the disc over (Turn it Over) and the one where they f up and just go off the deep end (Black Mountain Breakdown). Very nice rhythmic piano playing on this album.

Was expecting some sixties psychedelic tripe, but I was happily surprised! This is amazingly tasteful and well-executed rock. Enjoyed every minute! 4.6

Who are these guys? What a fantastic album I’d never heard of before

This thing starts like a back porch jam and ends like a rock concert. I didn't expect it to escalate like that, but it stuck the landing. It’s catchy and awesome. Why yes, I do like little ditty's.. they're a fun, quick break and sometimes ignite the smallest ideas into wildfire. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions - Darkness, Darkness - Smug - Sunlight - Beautiful - Sham

Sooo pleasantly surprised by this one!!

Another gem buried in a pile of crap. That's not fair to the list of albums, it's not all crap, but there have been a lot of poor albums served to me recently. This album was really refreshing, no highly-produced or over-engineered pretentiousness. Absolutely loved 95% of it, only a couple of weaker tracks.

Loved it

Well now, spark up a doobie and love your brother. This is some good hippie rock, man. Seriously enjoyable though. They're playing around in the studio, you can tell as much... but their little experiments bear fruit. Play it when you've got some quiet comfortable hours to yourself.

Great musicality on this record. The guys are clearly very talented, and they have the songwriting capabilities to match their chops. There's barely any folk or country on this record (a good thing), so I could see how some listeners may feel misled or be expecting something different given the tags, which may be why this doesn't have a higher rating. The truth is that this is an exceptionable jazz/psych rock record with an incredible sense of melody and rhythm. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

Perfect album! Masterpiece! I never heard it before, thank you! Country psychedelic rock is perfect! Darkness, Darkness and Smug are brilliant!

How have I never heard this before??? These guys are good at many genres, but it's a cohesive album. Awesome.

went into this not knowing at all what to expect. So many good sounds here, funky, nice folk rhythms, good strings, some Bossa Nova type beats even! I enjoyed pretty much this whole album.

Surprised at how much I liked this! Also recognized a bunch of it but didn’t know it was all by The Youngbloods. Psychedelic folk is apparently right up my alley

Day620 - 1969 was such a great year in music that this gets overlooked. this is one of my favorite genres rock,folk,singer-songwriter and i learned about jesse colin young

Love love love

Really nice easy listen. Great morning vibes.

A beautiful combination of rock & Jazz with a touch of soul. This album sounded amazing, pencil me in as a Youngbloods fan.

Heb het gevoel dat ik naar 13 verschillende bands heb geluisterd die allemaal leuk waren.

lighthearted

1969. New York. Folk rock, country rock, psychedelia

This album fucking rocked

I really enjoyed this album. It's like a jazzier version of The Byrds' "Sweetheart of The Rodeo". An excellent addition to a library of Wayfaring Strangers-- altogether American music.

Aw how peaceful and nice. Cowboy music but the cowboy is unarmed

One of the first STRONG 5s ive gotten, keeps your attention and delivers every time. Worth a listen or two if not more

Great! Sixties rock, not to heavy.

gran sorpresa gran

This was amazing. I had never heard of this band before but I love that late sixties sound.

One of my favorite albums before I even listened.

4.4/5 Echoes in a Redwood Grove Warm. Fuzzy. Deep in places. This is hippie sadness dressed as optimism. Favorite Track: Darkness, Darkness hits like an emotionally literate thundercloud. “Darkness, darkness, be my pillow…” Bro. What?! That’s gorgeous and devastating in one breath.

What a gem!

God that album was so fuckin awesome what the hell. On a serious heater streak and this was one of the ones I was expecting to skip through. Just great songwriting and fun tunes all vibes let’s go

Quiet enjoyable easy listening! Fun instrumentals and fitting vocal work. 'Sunlight' was my fave.

Super

loved it

What a diamond of an album. Never heard of The Youngbloods, but I was completely blown away. I was expecting some more pop rock from 66-73 that I've heard 50 times by now, but this was so much more. It's a beautiful album with excellent instrumentation that made me want to stay in the vibes. Ride the Wind was such an amazing ending of the album that I'm having trouble remembering my thoughts from earlier in the album. Darkness, Darkness, Smug, and Don't Let the Rain Get You Down were all great as well. But i just can't get past the funky finale, with its chimes, piano, and xylophone. Such a positive sounding song.

Um excuse me why have I not been playing The Youngbloods on repeat my whole life. I love this so much, even more so because the sound is the opposite of what I was expecting.

An unexpected 5... good energy throughout, mixing folk-rock with touches of jazz and country. Beautiful is a pick-me-up jam. Decided to listen through the album two times in a row, because it was working for me.