Elf - Discography (1972 - 1975)[Flac][TechUK][h33t]

Elf - Discography (1972 - 1975) [Flac]



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Elf - Elf (1972)







Artist: Elf

Album: Elf

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Release Date: 1972

Label: Epic

Time: 34:22

Genre: Hard Rock

  

AMG Album ID: R     6717



Review    by Eduardo Rivadavia



By the time he came to prominence as the lead singer of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Ronnie James Dio had accumulated an extensive rock & roll résumé (longer than he'd like to admit, actually) performing with a number of groups, ranging from doo-wop in the late '50s to psychedelic rock in the '60s. But it wasn't until he founded Elf in the early '70s that Dio, or Ronald Padavona as he was then called, took his first tentative steps toward hard rock. Still, with the honky tonk piano playing of Mickey Lee Soule dominating many of its songs, Elf's self-titled Epic Records debut (produced by Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover) hardly qualifies as a bona fide heavy metal record. In fact, tracks like "Hoochie Koochie Lady," "First Avenue," and "Sit Down Honey" sound more like the Rolling Stones than Black Sabbath, and it's only occasionally ("I'm Coming Back to You," "Gambler Gambler") that the band produces truly stripped-down, gritty hard rock. "Never More" is perhaps the album's most interesting track, starting with lilting piano and a dramatic delivery from Dio (sounding rather like Freddie Mercury) before launching into a driving hard rock riff in the vein of his best work with Rainbow and Sabbath in later years. A must-own for Dio fanatics only.



Tracks    Title     Time

   

           1     Hoochie Coochie Lady          5:32

            2     First Avenue          4:23

            3     Never More          3:50

           4     I'm Coming Back for You          3:27

            5     Sit Down Honey (Everything Will Be Alright)          3:48

            6     Dixie Lee Junction          5:09

           7     Love Me Like a Woman          3:47

            8     Gambler, Gambler          4:26

       

    Enjoy! TechUK

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Elf - Carolina County Ball (1974)







Artist: Elf

Album: Carolina County Ball

Rating: 3 Stars

Release Date: Jul 29, 1994

Label: Line

Genre: Hard Rock



AMG Album ID: R   250180



Dio Biography



After losing Feinstein in early 1973, the band got a new guitarist, as well as a new bassist. Ronnie James Dio had decided to quit playing bass and concentrated only on singing. Besides playing keyboards, Mickey Lee Soule also began singing with Ronnie.



In the summer of 1973, Elf signed a new record contract with MGM Records in USA and with Purple Records in the UK. In early 1974 the band travelled to UK to record their second album at The Manor Studios. It was produced by Roger Glover and was called Carolina County Ball. However, the USA release was under different name, L.A. / 59, and had totally different sleeve. The reasons behind the name change are not known.



Tracks    Title     Time

   

            1           Carolina County Ball    

            2           L.A.59          

            3           Ain't It All Amusing    

            4           Happy          

            5           Annie New Orleans          

            6           Rocking Chair Rock 'N' Roll Blues          

            7           Rainbow          

            8           Do the Same Thing    

            9           Blanche    



Enjoy! TechUK       

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Elf - Trying to Burn the Sun (1975)

   





Artist: Elf

Album: Trying to Burn the Sun

Rating: 4 Stars

Release Date: 1975

Label: MGM

Genre: Hard Rock



AMG Album ID: R     6719



Review    by Vincent Jeffries



Recorded while the band was evolving slowly into the Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Trying to Burn the Sun is the third and final release from Elf, the band that finally earned Ronnie James Dio the attention he had been seeking since the late '50s. After writing and recording a few singles for Blackmore, Dio and Elf were solidly moving in a heavier musical direction, no doubt influenced by Deep Purple and the British supergroup's lead guitarist. Standout cuts include "Wonderworld" and "Streetwalker," two cuts that were somehow placed at the tail end of the record, despite their strong melodies and musicianship. Because the Rainbow debut was released during the same year, this record was slightly overlooked, even though the band had established a small amount of momentum in Europe and Japan especially. So while only available as an import CD in the U.S., Trying to Burn the Sun is a great listen for fans of '70s rock, not just Dio/Rainbow fans.



Tracks    Title     Time    



            1           Black Swampy Water          

            2           Prentice Wood          

            3           When She Smiles          

            4           Good Time Music    

            5           Liberty Road          

            6           Shotgun Boogie          

            7           Wonderworld    

            8           Streetwalker    



Enjoy! TechUK