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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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?!?!?!?!!!

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"

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

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.

Je détiens crisdusseld

Yay more slightly bland folk

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

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.

When I saw this come up and read it was 60's folk music, I genuinely groaned. Really not a fan of folk. I was shocked listening through this. It was like a mix of jazz, rock, folk, experimental, and whatever else. This album was like a bag of party mix lollies, fuck me. I think this album really shines when there was no vocals, and the band just played. You can tell what songs they've made to be the hit singles (Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down, Quicksand, etc.) On Sir Francis Drake, Trillium, Quicksand, and Sham were certain highlights for me. Really really enjoyed this one. No better feeling than going into an album expecting it to be shit but then falling in love with it. What a great fucking album.

What a treat to listen to for the first time! Tasteful playing, lovely laid-back grooves and cool songwriting, I'll definitely be replaying this album. On Sir Francis Drake, Rain Song and Ride The Wind were particular favourites.

Really enjoyed it. They reminded me of an American version of the kinks. I’ll definitely gonna come back to this one Rating: 4.6

I really like this sound. It's like .... Jazzy soft rock. The lyrics (when present) are very good. I'm not finished with the album yet and already multiple tracks have grabbed my attention.

60's psychedelic rock is where it's at. I've never listened to a Youngbloods album. This has been a pleasant surprise Elephant Mountain is a way above average album and I've enjoyed every aspect. I think the opening track is great. I'll be listening to this all day.

Wat een goede muziek, normaal gesproken niet echt mijn genre, maar nu geweldig.

Jazzed up sort of Folk Rock with esprit, great feeling, soul, superb songwriting. Oh, I am so happy having been nuged towards this gem.

An interesting album. Rock, but with influences from country, jazz, others. I liked it a lot.

Good album - felt i was in a movie

Considering my dislike for the song “Get Together” I did not have much hope for an album from The Youngbloods. This is another instance on this list where I was glad to be proved wrong! “Darkness, Darkness” is a fantastic opener, and arguably the best song on the album, and it sets a tone for what’s to come. There honestly isn’t a bad song on this album, and besides the opening track my favorites are “Smug,” “Sunlight,” and “Quicksand.” The instrumentals are fantastic too, and on albums like this they tend to be hit or miss, but they were definitely a hit here. There are so many great albums from the 60s, and this manages to stand high amongst the competition. Truly just a fantastic record.

The Youngbloods; maybe they should have chosen a different name for themselves? In movies, the "youngblood" is always the little upstart who ends up doing great things. This band did not... why? Of all the albums I've listened to on this list, this is the first one where I was able to play the album back-to-back 3 times in a row, and almost a 4th. What an absolute gem, for me. Oddly enough, I am not able to whistle or hum a tune of the album by heart, so only for this I am limiting the rating to 4-stars, but it really should be 5!!!

I had never heard of this album or band. What beautiful music! Folky, sometimes with a bluegrass feel, but also a bit psychedelic, sometimes jazzy. I think this is my favorite album that I’ve heard for the first time from this generation. Cool that it is my 100th album! Very grateful for this find!

First listen, I did not finish. Felt it was such blah tripe. Second listen, after reading a bit about it, was a bit better. There is no one song that is a chest grabbing cracker No#1 hit. But there is something there. Third listen, and forth fourth, it gelled a little better me it's not country, it's something more playful. There is a lot of joy here. Quiet understated joyful play. I'm on the sixth listen now, very happy with the find. I'll put the this into my regular listen playlist. There's a little off fun here that's not on one style of music, it's a bit prog-rock, bit 60' psychedelia, a bit classical rock, a bit folk, a bit country, a bit R&B. It's quite the mix. I'm going to give it a good rating because I can see myself listening and relistening to this, enjoyably, with a range of environments. Driving, dishwashing, art-ing, gardening, just being. It fits with a lot of my lifestyle activities. It's good. 5 stars. (I never would have thought that at first listen, I was going to do a 'did not listen' - but here we are)

Very nice to listen to. My husband even asked who this was because he liked the music.

I’m pretty sure I’ve heard of the Youngbloods but I sure never heard any of these songs before! And this is very much my jam. Kinda like the Turtles or Lovin Spoonful. Quirky little tunes, good harmonies and plucky instrumentals. Songs added to Spotify: 4

This is an actual great psychedelic-yet-very melodic album that sounds not too hard like other psychedelic stuff - and that is its secret strength. Love it.

good and unique old sound

Shockingly good

This is something I am going to listen to for the next 15 years

This album kinda blew my mind. Love the little jazz odyssey’s through out

Great music

Lovely jammy alt psych country rock situation with a little swizzle of big band jazz stylings to round it all out. Big fan.

Nice. Eye opener

Very much enjoyed

I really liked this. Beatles-esque 60's pop done by jazz artists with lots of jazzy arrangements, medlies, and interludes.

Really like this one. Multiple listens and want to re-listen.

this was lovely, lots of influences from places I wuite enjoy. Nothing too special about the songwriting, but some really nice soundscapes

Jessie Colin Young - listened while in Hawaii

Considering the fact that I have always had a healthy dislike of country-rock, and have always felt a general disdain towards the psychadelic, I was really surprised by my reaction to this album. I kinda loved it? It was all the best of a music decade that has always kind of fell flat to me. A really nice melding of genres, with some truly gorgeous songs. Best tracks: Beautiful, Darkness, Darkness, Quicksand Worst track: Trillium

A very strong record that, while begun in NY, took on a late 60s California vibe that was part of the time’s reach toward roots and Americana. Incorporating an array of sound and styles, this album conveys a sense of evolution and growth that keeps it sounding fresh. Folk rock? Yes, kind of. But less dated sounding than much contemporaneous music. Strong.

OMG! How have I never even heard of this band before? The first track was sensational. Second track not quite so good, but still worth listening to. Echoes of Nick Drake in 'Sunlight'. 'Quicksand' excellent. This is more like it.

Loved Sunlight

looooooved it

Loved it! Elements of folk music. It didn't sound typically '60s like "Get Together."

I love folk rock! This is amazing! I love the Built to Spill vibes. Darkness Darkness is such a DnD song, Smug was great, On Sir Francis Drake was a fire jazz track, love this. Great listen, start to stop.

40 minutes long, in out all quality. Bosh.

Mi sorprende che non conoscessi affatto questa band. Un album eclettico in cui ogni traccia rappresenta un genere diverso: folk, soul, perfino jazz. Sicuramente approfondirò la loro discografia.

Nice groove. Hadn't heard of them before.

6/9 ✌🏻🤟🏻

Loved it! Folk with a bit of jazz… easy to listen

Très belle découverte de cette liste. Honnêtement pas un mauvais moment sur l'album. Pourquoi ce n'est pas plus connu je ne comprends pas.

This was a very nice surprise. I was expecting more boring Neil Young folk rock nonsense but instead I got: Blues, folk, jazz, country, soul, rock, funk, ragtime, psychedelic, 60s silliness. Will defo listen again.

dude so good and like crazy diverse, J can’t believe all these songs are on the same album made by the same band, that’s crazy - 10/10

Excellent

Insanely beautiful

From the lyrics to the music, how it plays with rock, and tries different sounds. I liked it.

5/5 - Like some of this older folk music: it's good for what it is, but not my cup of tea.

Easy listening

Ha estado buenisima la semana y este no fue la excepción

We stan

Defining music of the era. There's nothing that comes close today even though we are again in remarkably challenging times.

Wow, solid music fusing a variety of styles, sometimes within the same song. You've got to love an album that has at least three bass solos! I hadn't heard any of these songs before and overall, I really enjoyed Elephant Mountain. Liked Songs Added: On Sir Francis Drake Beautiful Trillium Sham

What a pleasant listen. Never heard of these fellas and I can’t say I have any glaring criticisms. I would say my only issue was that I don’t think anything massively jumped out to me on this album but it was enjoyable nonetheless as an album.

Sounds like just about everything that came out of this era, feels to me like clone of other shit. Liked a few of the more stripped back quieter tracks The most innovative part of this album is its awesome cover which admitted is ahead of its time 5/10 Fav tracks - On Sir Francis Drake, Trillium Least Fav - none really

This was a very good album and I was surprised to find out Charlie Daniels produced it. He probably made more money on The Devil Went Down to Georgia but this album is a worthy piece of art as well.

Interesting Album, some really good songs : Sham is a real banger for me ! Nice coffee bar atmosphere, ideal when your working, or drinking a foooking old brandy while smoking a Cohiba.

It sounds nice

10/30/24. Really enjoyed the instrumentals and jams on this album! It's been fun discovering more of the 60s psychedelic-like music outside the very popular bands. A lot of guitar influences I can personally work on.

I'd honestly never heard of these guys, which surprised me as a certified Knower of Things and enjoyer of rootsy folk-rock music, so thanks for making me learn, I guess, since this is really good? Like, it suffers (like so many albums) from frontloading the best track, so the rest of the album's not quite as good, but still, this is I think what I want Steely Dan to sound like every time I'm disappointed by Steely Dan.

What take is this, Dennis? I wasn't familiar with this group but I thought this was pretty good. Consistently enjoyable and has a nice variety in its songs, including some good instrumentals (like "On Sir Francis Drake"). It does some quirky things here and there (like the fifteen second track or the sound effects in "Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down") but nothing that feels like too much. I like "Quicksand."

As a whole this album is good, but doesn't really have any standout tracks to me. It was great to have on in the background.

It was pretty sweet tho I didn't star any one song