LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

The career of Elephants Memory can be summed up as a case of gilt by association. Having had two songs on the soundtrack of an Oscar-winning film in 1969s Midnight Cowboy, they were then fortunate enough to be selected by John Lennon and Yoko Ono as their backing band. Given that the newly solo Beatle was at the time one of the music worlds biggest names, you couldnt get much more famous. You can also count singers Carly Simon and Martha Velez as one-time members. Yet as fast as fame and fortune arrived it disappeared, and nowadays the band is but a footnote in rock history. An enjoyable one, though, as this, their first album from 1969, shows. With the album originally titled Elephants Memory, the connection with Midnight Cowboy occurred by chance after the tracks Jungle Gym At The Zoo and Old Man Willow, were selected to appear on the films soundtrack.
The Buddah label decided to cash in on the attention the band was getting from the film, hence the re-packaging of the album as Songs From Midnight Cowboy Plus Their Hit Singles. Further weight was added to the film connection with the addition of a version of Everybodys Talkin, Nilssons hit from the soundtrack, with Michal Shapiro taking the vocal lead. John Barrys achingly sad instrumental theme, already a US Top 10 hit for Ferrante & Teicher that year, was another addition, with trumpet and saxophone replacing the original harmonica and wordless vocals from Shapiro. Whilst this record will have obvious appeal to Lennon fans, it also maintains the groove to stand alone as a great, fun piece of psychedelic rock memorabilia.
Track listing: Everybodys Talkin / Old Man Willow / Midnight Cowboy / Jungle Gym At The Zoo / Crossroads Of The Stepping Stones / Dont Put Me On Trial No More / Super Heep / R.I.P. Yogurt Song / Band Of Love / Takin A Walk / Hot Dog Man / Brief Encounter