Elf -

Elf was an American hard-rock band that released a self-titled 1972 album on Epic, followed by the 1974/75 MGM albums Carolina County Ball and Trying to Burn the Sun. They were a frequent opening act of Deep Purple, whose bassist, Roger Glover, produced Elf’s three albums.

Singer Ronnie James Dio joined guitarist Ritchie Blackmore in his post-Purple outfit Rainbow. After a spell in the 1980/81 lineup of Black Sabbath, Dio recorded multiple albums with his namesake metal band Dio.

Members: Ronnie James Dio (vocals, bass), David Rock Feinstein (guitar, 1970-73), Gary Driscoll (drums, percussion), Mickey Lee Soule (piano, keyboards, vocals), Steve Edwards (guitar, 1973-75), Craig Gruber (bass, 1973-75), Mark Nauseef (percussion, 1975)

Background

Elf evolved from the Electric Elves, a garage-psych band formed in September 1967 in Cortland, New York, from the final lineup of Ronnie Dio and the Prophets. Singer-bassist Ronald Padavona, billed as Ronnie Dio since 1961, brought a decade of experience as a pre-Beatles pop crooner and working bandleader. He began with the Vegas Kings during 1957, then led Ronnie and the Rumblers and Ronnie and the Red Caps. Ronnie Dio and the Prophets issued a live album and a run of regional singles between 1962 and 1967. Their schedule covered clubs and college engagements, while a 1964 promotional campaign sent the instrumentalists to Sweden behind Lill-Babs and Dio across the United States with Bobby Comstock’s band.

The founding Elves lineup paired Padavona with guitarists Nick Pantas and David Feinstein. Drummer Gary Driscoll and keyboardist Doug Thaler completed the quintet. On MGM, the Electric Elves issued their October 1967 debut single “Hey, Look Me Over,” a Thaler original backed with Padavona’s “It Pays to Advertise.”

On February 12, 1968, the band endured a road accident that killed Pantas and injured Padavona, Feinstein, and Thaler. Keyboardist Mickey Lee Soule joined Padavona, Feinstein, and Driscoll when the group resumed performances during May. Thaler returned after his recovery and shifted to guitar, restoring a five-member lineup by July. The musicians dropped “Electric” from their name near the end of 1968.

The Elves linked with Decca for their June 1969 second single “Walking in Different Circles,” a Gingerbreads/Castaways cover backed with the Thaler original “She’s Not the Same,” both arranged by Claus Ogerman and produced by “Circles” co-writer Scott English. Thaler wrote both sides of their January 1970 single “Amber Velvet” (b/w “West Virginia”), another English production. His subsequent exit trimmed the group to Padavona, Feinstein, Driscoll, and Soule.

The quartet adopted the Elf moniker before their January 1972 Columbia Records audition, where they impressed Roger Glover and Ian Paice, the Deep Purple rhythm section, which offered to produce the signee’s first album.

Elf

Elf released its self-titled debut album in August 1972 on Epic Records.

The album credits all eight songs jointly to Driscoll, Feinstein, Padavona, and Soule. The original sleeve identifies Ronnie James Dio as Ronald Padavona on lead vocals and bass. Guitarist David Feinstein, pianist Mickey Lee Soule, and drummer Gary Driscoll complete the quartet.

“Hoochie Koochie Lady” struts from a guitar-led entrance into barroom boogie, then loosens into an extended closing jam. “First Avenue” bounds through low phrases and sudden falsetto leaps over a rough, rolling accompaniment. “Never More” swells from a lilting, mournful entrance into a driving riff and forceful lead breaks.

“Sit Down Honey (Everything Will Be Alright)” stomps on honky-tonk piano before yielding to separate solo passages. “Dixie Lee Junction” lopes through a subdued opening, then pivots into a broader roadhouse jam. “Gambler, Gambler” barrels through gritty riffing, interlocked lead breaks, and odd closing effects.

A1. “Hoochie Koochie Lady” (5:32)
A2. “First Avenue” (4:23)
A3. “Never More” (3:50)
A4. “I’m Coming Back for You” (3:27)

B1. “Sit Down Honey (Everything Will Be Alright)” (3:48)
B2. “Dixie Lee Junction” (5:09)
B3. “Love Me Like a Woman” (3:47)
B4. “Gambler, Gambler” (4:26)

Elf recorded the album from April through May 1972 at Studio One in Doraville, Georgia, with Glover, Paice, and engineer Rodney Mills, assisted by Tub Langford. Mills co-designed Studio One and served as chief engineer at the facility.

Hiroshi Morishima designed the sleeve from photographs by Padavona and Feinstein. The front shows a long-haired elf figure with pointed ears and dark eye makeup against woodland foliage. Landscape imagery fills the white title lettering.

Epic issued “Hoochie Koochie Lady” in November 1972 (b/w “First Avenue”). Eastern Artists reissued “Sit Down Honey (Everything Will Be Alright)” during 1975 (b/w “Gambler, Gambler”).

HNE Recordings reissued Elf on CD during 2015 with new liner notes based on interviews with Feinstein, Soule, Glover, and Paice.

1973 Lineup Change

Feinstein left Elf during 1973. Steve Edwards replaced him on guitar, and Craig Gruber joined on bass. Dio then concentrated on lead vocals. The revised lineup secured US distribution through MGM and a British contract with Purple Records.

Carolina County Ball

Elf released its second album, Carolina County Ball, in April 1974 on Purple Records. MGM retitled the US edition L.A./59 later that year.

The album features Edwards, Soule, Gruber, and Driscoll behind Dio. Clarinetist Ray Swinfield and trombonist Chris Pyne appear on the title song; trumpeter Henry Lowther also enters the brass arrangement. Backing vocals come from Helen Chappell, Liza Strike, and Barry St. John, while the Manor Chorus appears on “Blanche.” Dio and Soule share all nine composition credits.

“Carolina County Ball” saunters through clarinet and brass flourishes, then quickens beneath group replies. “L.A. 59” rattles from a trainlike piano figure into an upbeat, hard-driving run. “Ain’t It All Amusing” swings through syncopated accents before a long percussion break. “Happy” simmers through a slow, smoky entrance and expands into denser ensemble passages.

“Annie New Orleans” bounds through brisk barroom boogie and emphatic singing. “Rocking Chair Rock ’N’ Roll Blues” lingers in a subdued first section, then erupts on a fresh riff, guitar solo, and cowbell accents. “Do the Same Thing” stomps through a rowdy, fast-moving charge.

A1. “Carolina County Ball” (4:46)
A2. “L.A. 59” (4:21)
A3. “Ain’t It All Amusing” (5:01)
A4. “Happy” (5:28)

B1. “Annie New Orleans” (3:01)
B2. “Rocking Chair Rock ’n’ Roll Blues” (5:36)
B3. “Rainbow” (4:00)
B4. “Do the Same Thing” (3:10)
B5. “Blanche” (2:31)

Elf recorded Carolina County Ball from January through February 1974 at The Manor in Shipton-on-Cherwell, Oxfordshire, with producer and string arranger Roger Glover and engineers Lou Austin and Simon Heyworth. Glover worked in sequence on the 1973/74 Nazareth albums Razamanaz, Loud ‘n’ Proud, and Rampant. Elf mixed the album at Kingsway Recorders in London. Heyworth had co-produced and engineered the 1973 Mike Oldfield album Tubular Bells at The Manor.

Fin Costello photographed the original Purple Records sleeve. The front shows the five musicians leaning over an ornate wooden gallery beneath large pink title lettering. Costello also photographed the cover of the 1974 Deep Purple album Burn.

Purple issued “L.A. 59” in Britain during April 1974 (b/w “Ain’t It All Amusing”). MGM released the same pairing in the United States during September.

Purple Records reissued Carolina County Ball on CD in November 2016. Malcolm Dome supplied new notes based on interviews with Glover, Costello, Soule, and Feinstein.

1974–75 Activity

Elf supported Deep Purple during the 1974 Burn tour. Glover recruited Dio and Soule for The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper’s Feast, with Dio singing the 1974 single “Love Is All.” Percussionist Mark Nauseef joined Elf for the final album sessions.

Trying to Burn the Sun

Elf released its third and final album, Trying to Burn the Sun, in June 1975 on MGM Records.

The previous quintet returned with percussionist Mark Nauseef. Dio and Soule wrote all eight songs. Backing singers Chappell, Strike, and St. John returned for the sessions, while Martin Ford arranged the Mountain Fjord Orchestra.

“Black Swampy Water” churns from a piano entrance into a rough, rolling jam. “Prentice Wood” barrels through a brisk main section, dips into a hazier mid-song passage, then returns to its main riff. “When She Smiles” sways through an old-fashioned swing while Dio softens his delivery around a blues-marked guitar solo. “Good Time Music” struts through a swaggering barroom shuffle.

“Shotgun Boogie” quickens around a prominent bass line and a sharp solo break. “Wonderworld” swells from a gentle opening into strings and a dramatic heavier section. “Streetwalker” prowls from a subdued entrance into hard riffing, drops to bare percussion beneath Dio, then returns to blues-soaked lead work.

A1. “Black Swampy Water” (3:43)
A2. “Prentice Wood” (4:37)
A3. “When She Smiles” (4:54)
A4. “Good Time Music” (4:30)

B1. “Liberty Road” (3:22)
B2. “Shotgun Boogie” (3:07)
B3. “Wonderworld” (5:03)
B4. “Streetwalker” (7:07)

Elf recorded Trying to Burn the Sun from January through February 1975 at Kingsway Recorders and AIR Studios in London with producer Roger Glover and engineer Lou Austin. Glover had recently used Dio on The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper’s Feast, including “Love Is All.”

Fin Costello devised and photographed the sleeve. The front sets a black concert image of Dio against a large orange-red sun, with the album title curved along its upper edge.

Purple Records reissued Trying to Burn the Sun on CD in November 2016. Malcolm Dome prepared new notes from interviews with Glover, Costello, Soule, and Nauseef.

Postlude

Former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore recruited Dio, Soule, Gruber, and Driscoll for the sessions that produced Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, released two months after Trying to Burn the Sun. Elf ended as Blackmore retained Dio for the 1976–78 Rainbow albums Rising, On Stage, and Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll. Dio then replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath, fronting the metal pioneer’s Mark II lineup for the 1980/81 albums Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules. He subsequently fronted his own band Dio, which debuted with the 1983 Warner release Holy Diver.