Where is the LOVE for Crazy Elephant?

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Kasenatz-Katz vehicle, whose debut single, "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" charted. A lot of pumping organ, lead bass and horns bubblegum singalong singles. But only the first did anything. Assembled into an album that sometimes sounds like Jethro Tull with a white soul singer when the flute player overdoes it. Denny Cordell also had a hand in it.

Later K*K imported Godley/Creme songs. The guys on the album were ringers hired to take the show on the road.

"Higher and Higher" and "Dark Part of My Mind" are heading toward '71 high energy riff rock. "Space Buggy!" Dig the guitar sound that would show up years later on Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers records. There's even a B-side instro called "Landrover." Landrover!?! "Hips and Flips" is cough-syrup chopped & screwed "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin" decades before the urban fad.

I had the single, but the collection is more zany fun than expected.

― Urnst Kouch (Urnst Kouch), Thursday, 12 October 2006 21:58 (nineteen years ago)

"I had the single, but the collection is more zany fun than expected."

WHAT collection? Do they have a compilation out now?

I have their 1969 album plus some of the singles (including, of course, their one hit). One thing I'll say about Crazy Elephant is that they made some damn convincing psychedelia, considering they did not even have a guitarist. If you look at the photos on the back, none of the members are credited with playing guitar. (The guitar solo on "Gimme" was rather inept - maybe that was why?)

If there are any guitars on the album at all, it sounds like it must be the K-K studio guys. The guitar-less cuts are noticeably rawer, so that'd have to be the road band.

BTW, ironic that you start this thread...I just saw the Shadows of Knight last night (the lead singer is the only original member) and their second song was "Gimme Gimme"...

― Rev. Hoodoo (Rev. Hoodoo), Thursday, 12 October 2006 22:59 (nineteen years ago)

i love dark part of my mind. great song. i have the 45. never heard the other stuff. but i keep my eyes open for it.

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 13 October 2006 02:24 (nineteen years ago)

Yep, there's a reissue of the 69 album that includes all the other singles and B-sides K*K released under the Crazy Elephant name. More unidentified ringer musicians, some of the tunes have a little more guitar on them. "Space Buggy," by example, is all guitar and written by Denny Cordell. It all sounds good, even the slightly drippy pop psyche, but I usually start with the single mono mix of "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" since that's what I had.

― Urnst Kouch (Urnst Kouch), Friday, 13 October 2006 04:26 (nineteen years ago)

"dark part of my mind"

great great song - the Repertoire reissues adds more singles and crazy b-sides. its good fun.

― Marco Damiani (Marco D.), Friday, 13 October 2006 05:33 (nineteen years ago)

"Gimme Gimme" is about the only song I can think of that crossed over from the bubblegum machine to "classic" FM rock in the '70s/'80s.

― A Radio Picture (Rrrickey), Friday, 13 October 2006 06:40 (nineteen years ago)

Know what I mean? You could play it for a bunch of bikers next to "Magic Carpet Ride," "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man," etc., and all would be good.

― A Radio Picture (Rrrickey), Friday, 13 October 2006 06:41 (nineteen years ago)

The guitar solo on "Gimme" was rather inept - maybe that was why?

It sounds like Lou Reed! (Hence the ineptness) (I'm not suggesting that it was Lou Reed by the way)

I've had the album for years, never liked it, sounds exactly like you'd expect when a bunch of guys paid to record bubblegum are let off the leash to do their own thing

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 13 October 2006 08:27 (nineteen years ago)

"Gimme Gimme" is about the only song I can think of that crossed over from the bubblegum machine to "classic" FM rock in the '70s/'80s.
-- A Radio Picture (rrricke...) (webmail), Today 7:40 AM. (later) (link)

.. apart from Ram Jam's "Black Betty" of course!

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 13 October 2006 08:40 (nineteen years ago)

sounds exactly like you'd expect when a bunch of guys paid to record bubblegum are let off the leash to do their own thing

Nite Flights by the Walker Brothers to thread...

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Friday, 13 October 2006 08:49 (nineteen years ago)

Believe me, Marcello, the Crazy Elephant album falls somewhat short of "Nite Flights"

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 13 October 2006 08:50 (nineteen years ago)

Pumping Organ would be a great name for a band.

― Shoes say, yeah, no hands clap your good bra. (goodbra), Friday, 13 October 2006 10:07 (nineteen years ago)

""Gimme Gimme" is about the only song I can think of that crossed over from the bubblegum machine to "classic" FM rock in the '70s/'80s. Know what I mean? You could play it for a bunch of bikers next to "Magic Carpet Ride," "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man," etc., and all would be good."

As a kid, I never knew it was supposed to be bubblegum AT ALL until later, when I found out it was a Kasenetz-Katz production. Robert Spencer's vocals sound too BALLSY, compared to say, Ron Dante or Andy Kim, who would have never passed the "Magic Carpet Ride" biker-rock test.

I never thought of "Black Betty" as bubblegum, either - it's just the name recognition of K-K that causes it to be thought of that way.

― Rev. Hoodoo (Rev. Hoodoo), Friday, 13 October 2006 11:19 (nineteen years ago)

Ron Dante and Andy Kim never worked with K-K tho did they?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 13 October 2006 11:22 (nineteen years ago)

I don't believe they did. K-K's main all-purpose man was Joey Levine. That's his nasal tones you hear on Ohio Express ("Yummy Yummy Yummy") and Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus ("Quick Joey Small") records.

― Rev. Hoodoo (Rev. Hoodoo), Friday, 13 October 2006 11:51 (nineteen years ago)

I know, who told him he could sing? I suppose he wrote most of the songs so he had first dibs on singin' 'em.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 13 October 2006 11:55 (nineteen years ago)

Who told him he could SING? Man, I think Levine's affected, snotty vocal on "Quick Joey Small" is one of the best things of all time. One of the first 45s I ever owned.

― Daniel Peterson (polkaholic), Friday, 13 October 2006 13:09 (nineteen years ago)

You're preaching to the converted here

― Diddumsismus (Dada), Friday, 13 October 2006 13:11 (nineteen years ago)

yeah, quick joey small is genius all around.

andy kim was all jeff berry's doing.

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 13 October 2006 13:37 (nineteen years ago)

They have songs besides "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'"?! Now I really need to get my internet back at home, that's the most exciting thing I've heard all week. "Gimme Gimme" is totally awesome, and if it's bubblegum, it's closer to "Your Auntie Grizelda" than "Sugar, Sugar" - Hoodoo OTM about the ballsy vocal, the sloppiness of the mix suggests Nuggets, and then of course there's that bizarre decision to include Goofy laughter on the chorus, which ends up being (for me) the real hook. Genius throughout.

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Friday, 13 October 2006 14:50 (nineteen years ago)

I am disappointed in ALL OF YOU. Y'all must like Music Explosion's "Sunshine Games" as well.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Friday, 13 October 2006 15:45 (nineteen years ago)

The Music Explosion's 1967 album on Laurie is surprisingly fine - not the usual "hit-plus-filler" job.

― Rev. Hoodoo (Rev. Hoodoo), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 06:30 (nineteen years ago)

Wow. Has The Right Stuff or anyone reissued that? I bought a CD of the Barbarians album for a quarter.

― A Radio Picture (Rrrickey), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 07:30 (nineteen years ago)

Much love here for Levine on "Sweeter Than Sugar" also.

― A Radio Picture (Rrrickey), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 07:30 (nineteen years ago)

Tell me more about the Barbarians! They're conspicuously absent from my Bosstown compilations.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 13:40 (nineteen years ago)

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