Elephant's Memory
Encyclopedia
Elephant's Memory was a New York
band
, most notable for backing John Lennon
and Yoko Ono
during 1972 (appearing as the Plastic Ono Elephant's Memory Band) on a pair of album
s, and a handful of TV and live appearances, including the John Lennon "One To One Concert", with two performances the 30th of August 1972 to benefit the Willowbrook School for handicapped children. Two of their songs, "Jungle Gym at the Zoo" and "Old Man Willow", appeared earlier in the soundtrack
to the film
Midnight Cowboy
. Elephant's Memory received a gold disc
for their contribution to the soundtrack.
The band also appeared in the 1983 documentary film
, Hell's Angels Forever, in which they appear at the Hells Angels' Pirates Party held on the SS Bay Belle on September 5, 1973, together with the Jerry Garcia Band
.
The Elephant's Memory was formed between 1967 and 1968 by Stan Bronstein (sax
/clarinet
/vocals) and Rick Frank Jr.(drum
s). In 1968 they briefly added Carly Simon
as a vocalist. By 1969 the line-up had expanded to include John Ward (bass
), Chester Ayers (guitar), Myron Yules (bass/trombone), R. Sussmann (keyboards
), Michal Shapiro (vocals), Guy Peritore (guitar/vocals), and David Cohen (guitar/keyboards/vocals). Further additions in 1970 saw Chris Robison (guitar) and Davey 'Crabsticks' Trotter (mellotron
) join the band.
In 1969, the band had a minor hit single
with "Mongoose" on Metromedia Records. Between 1970 and 1973 the line-up remained more or less constant around the following members:
(Van Scyoc played in most of the albums where the band participated with Lennon and Ono.)
Throughout all 1972 they became the Plastic Ono Elephant's Memory Band and performed with John Lennon and Yoko Ono on various TV shows, albums and concerts. From March 1 to March 20, 1972, they played on the Lennon/Ono album Sometime In New York City. The lineup for that album was: Wayne "Tex" Gabriel on guitar, Gary Van Scyoc on bass, Richard Frank Jr. on drums, Adam Ippolito on keyboards and Stan Bronstein on sax. The album was released in June 1972 in the U.S. and in September 1972 in the U.K.
In April and May 1972, this same line-up recorded their Elephant's Memory album, produced by Lennon and released on the Beatles' Apple label. It contains various John Lennon contributions on guitar and vocals. This album has never been released on CD.
On August 30, 1972, again this same line-up, with the addition of John Ward on bass and Jim Keltner on drums played with Lennon and Ono on the famous One To One Concert, to benefit the Willowbrook School for handicapped children. This concert was organized by Lennon and Ono with Geraldo Rivera
. It was filmed and recorded and released almost fourteen years later, in February 1986 as the John Lennon Live In New York City
album.
One week later, on September 6, 1972 they played live again with John Lennon and Yoko Ono at the Jerry Lewis Telethon on TV, playing "Imagine
", "Now Or Never" and "Give Peace A Chance
".
In October - November 1972, again with the same line-up, they recorded the Lennon/Ono album Approximately Infinite Universe
, released in January 1973.
They added, at various times, Daria Price on castanets, Robert O'Leary on bass, and John La Bosca on piano. However, the line-up that recorded Angels Forever in 1974, was Stan Bronstein and Richard Frank, plus Gary Van Scyoc on bass, Chris Robison and Jon Sachs.
Van Scyoc and Ippolito appeared in the 2010 John Lennon movie for PBS, LENNONYC, giving interviews about their time with Lennon.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, most notable for backing John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
during 1972 (appearing as the Plastic Ono Elephant's Memory Band) on a pair of album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s, and a handful of TV and live appearances, including the John Lennon "One To One Concert", with two performances the 30th of August 1972 to benefit the Willowbrook School for handicapped children. Two of their songs, "Jungle Gym at the Zoo" and "Old Man Willow", appeared earlier in the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Midnight Cowboy
Midnight Cowboy
Midnight Cowboy is a 1969 American drama film based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. It was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars Dustin Hoffman and newcomer Jon Voight in the title role. Notable smaller roles are filled by Sylvia Miles, John...
. Elephant's Memory received a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
for their contribution to the soundtrack.
The band also appeared in the 1983 documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, Hell's Angels Forever, in which they appear at the Hells Angels' Pirates Party held on the SS Bay Belle on September 5, 1973, together with the Jerry Garcia Band
Jerry Garcia Band
The Jerry Garcia Band was a San Francisco Bay Area rock band led by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. Garcia founded the band in 1975; it remained the most important of his various side-projects until his death in 1995...
.
The Elephant's Memory was formed between 1967 and 1968 by Stan Bronstein (sax
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
/clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
/vocals) and Rick Frank Jr.(drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s). In 1968 they briefly added Carly Simon
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
as a vocalist. By 1969 the line-up had expanded to include John Ward (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), Chester Ayers (guitar), Myron Yules (bass/trombone), R. Sussmann (keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
), Michal Shapiro (vocals), Guy Peritore (guitar/vocals), and David Cohen (guitar/keyboards/vocals). Further additions in 1970 saw Chris Robison (guitar) and Davey 'Crabsticks' Trotter (mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
) join the band.
In 1969, the band had a minor hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
with "Mongoose" on Metromedia Records. Between 1970 and 1973 the line-up remained more or less constant around the following members:
- Stan Bronstein - sax/clarinet/flute/vocals
- Rick Frank Jr. - drums/percussion
- Wayne 'Tex' Gabriel - guitar
- Harry 'Crow' Eisenberg - guitar
- Adam Ippolito - keyboards/piano/vocals
- Arthur Kaplan - bass guitar
- Gary Van Scyoc - bass guitar
(Van Scyoc played in most of the albums where the band participated with Lennon and Ono.)
Throughout all 1972 they became the Plastic Ono Elephant's Memory Band and performed with John Lennon and Yoko Ono on various TV shows, albums and concerts. From March 1 to March 20, 1972, they played on the Lennon/Ono album Sometime In New York City. The lineup for that album was: Wayne "Tex" Gabriel on guitar, Gary Van Scyoc on bass, Richard Frank Jr. on drums, Adam Ippolito on keyboards and Stan Bronstein on sax. The album was released in June 1972 in the U.S. and in September 1972 in the U.K.
In April and May 1972, this same line-up recorded their Elephant's Memory album, produced by Lennon and released on the Beatles' Apple label. It contains various John Lennon contributions on guitar and vocals. This album has never been released on CD.
On August 30, 1972, again this same line-up, with the addition of John Ward on bass and Jim Keltner on drums played with Lennon and Ono on the famous One To One Concert, to benefit the Willowbrook School for handicapped children. This concert was organized by Lennon and Ono with Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera is an American attorney, journalist, author, reporter, and former talk show host...
. It was filmed and recorded and released almost fourteen years later, in February 1986 as the John Lennon Live In New York City
Live in New York City
Live in New York City is a posthumous live album by John Lennon. It was prepared under the supervision of his widow, Yoko Ono, and released in 1986 as his second official live album, the first being Live Peace in Toronto 1969.-Performances:...
album.
One week later, on September 6, 1972 they played live again with John Lennon and Yoko Ono at the Jerry Lewis Telethon on TV, playing "Imagine
Imagine (song)
"Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971...
", "Now Or Never" and "Give Peace A Chance
Give Peace a Chance
"Give Peace a Chance" is a song written by John Lennon, originally under the moniker Lennon–McCartney, released as a single in 1969 by the Plastic Ono Band on Apple Records, catalogue Apple 13 in the United Kingdom, Apple 1809 in the United States. It is the first solo single issued by Lennon, and...
".
In October - November 1972, again with the same line-up, they recorded the Lennon/Ono album Approximately Infinite Universe
Approximately Infinite Universe
Approximately Infinite Universe is a double album by Yoko Ono, released in early 1973. It represents a departure from the experimental avant garde rock of her first two albums towards a more conventional pop/rock sound, while also dabbling in feminist rock. It peaked at #193 in the United States...
, released in January 1973.
They added, at various times, Daria Price on castanets, Robert O'Leary on bass, and John La Bosca on piano. However, the line-up that recorded Angels Forever in 1974, was Stan Bronstein and Richard Frank, plus Gary Van Scyoc on bass, Chris Robison and Jon Sachs.
Van Scyoc and Ippolito appeared in the 2010 John Lennon movie for PBS, LENNONYC, giving interviews about their time with Lennon.
Discography
- Island In The Sky (1968, album by Long IslandLong IslandLong Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
sextet The Tuneful Trolley)- Several members of Elephant's Memory performed the brass heard on the LP.
- Midnight CowboyMidnight CowboyMidnight Cowboy is a 1969 American drama film based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. It was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars Dustin Hoffman and newcomer Jon Voight in the title role. Notable smaller roles are filled by Sylvia Miles, John...
soundtrack (1969), songs "Jungle Gym Zoo" and "Old Man Willow" - Elephant's Memory (1969)
- Take it to the Streets (1970)
- Some Time In New York CitySome Time in New York CitySome Time in New York City was released in 1972 and is John Lennon's third post-Beatles album, fifth with Yoko Ono, and third with producer Phil Spector...
(1972), with John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Elephant's Memory (1972), produced by John Lennon & Yoko Ono
- Approximately Infinite UniverseApproximately Infinite UniverseApproximately Infinite Universe is a double album by Yoko Ono, released in early 1973. It represents a departure from the experimental avant garde rock of her first two albums towards a more conventional pop/rock sound, while also dabbling in feminist rock. It peaked at #193 in the United States...
(1973), with Yoko Ono - Bio (1973), with Chuck BerryChuck BerryCharles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
- Angels Forever (1974)
- Our Island Music (1976), credited to Stan Bronstein/Elephant's Memory Band
- Live in New York CityLive in New York CityLive in New York City is a posthumous live album by John Lennon. It was prepared under the supervision of his widow, Yoko Ono, and released in 1986 as his second official live album, the first being Live Peace in Toronto 1969.-Performances:...
(1986), live John Lennon album, recorded in 1972