“Respect” by Crazy Elephant (USA, 1969)
https://www.facebook.com/prognotfrog Crazy Elephant was one of the seemingly endless aliases employed by the Kasenetz-Katz production duo to market their bubblegum hits of the late 1960s. Primarily a vehicle for session vocalist Robert Spencer — previously known for his performance with the Cadillacs’ post “Speedo” — Crazy Elephant was the name appended to the Kasenetz-Katz production of the song “Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'”; after the master was rejected by Buddah Records, the Super K Productions duo’s primary outlet, they instead shopped the track to the Bell label, for whom it fell just shy of the U.S. Top Ten in 1969. Despite the single’s success, however, Crazy Elephant failed to reach the charts again, instead becoming yet another interchangeable cog in the Kasenetz-Katz hit machine.
~ by: Jason Ankeny.
After failing to secure a recording contract with Buddah Records, the Kasenetz-Katz production team-sponsored band Crazy Elephant found a home with Bell Records and released a self-titled album. This Rock in Beat release is a straight reissue of that lone album from the band originally released in 1969 and includes one bonus track. The album contains mainly original compositions by band members and Kasenetz and Katz together with an odd psychedelic R&B cover of Otis Redding’s “Respect” and the very strange heavy version of the Leonard Bernstein song “Somewhere.” While the music on this album does have a bubblegum feel to it, the entire album is more overtly psychedelic with swirling organ, fuzz guitars, and even horns, in the style of a less heavy Vanilla Fudge or Rare Earth. Crazy Elephant did manage to produce a hit single in 1969 with the song “Gimme, Gimme Good Lovin'” that featured vocals by Robert Spencer, former lead vocalist from the ’50s band the Cadillacs.
~ Review by: Keith Pettipas.
http://tyme-machine.blogspot.com/2009/04/crazy-elephant-crazy-elephant-us-1969.html
– Hal Hing (vocals)
– Kenny Cohen (Flute, Sax, Vocals)
– Ronnie Bretone (Bass)
– Bob Avery (Drums)
– Larry Laufer (Keyboards, Vocals)
– Robert Spencer (vocals)
