1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: 148. The Youngbloods – Elephant Mountain (1969)

 

I absolutely loved the opening track, Darkness Darkness, and given how many people have covered it, turns out I’m not alone. It moves from a country/folk fiddle opening phrase into something progessively more rocky yet soulful, with singer Jesse Colin Young’s voice moving from high and melodic to growling and throaty as the song builds.

Some of the albums in the list, I think, are there because Dimery thought that they were overlooked – I'd never heard of the Youngbloods, who had one hit of which I’m still not sure if I’m familiar. They’re sort of one foot in country-rock, the other in the more varied styles of Sixties baroque. The final track, Ride The Wind, is a bossa nova-backed mellow piece complete with vibrophone, while Rain Song is a boppy trad-jazz pastiche that The Kinks and The Beatles like to play with. Other tracks such as On Francis Drake and Black Mountain Breakdown are instrumental jams. Sham is quite a poppy Californian-style piece that I could imagine The Mamas and the Papas singing.

All in all, although bits sound like other bands of the time and the prior few years, it’s also very much its own thing, not least thanks to Young’s distinctive and powerful voice. And talking of which: next up, Tim Buckley again.