Turtles - Elenore [Excellent quality] (Live, 1968)

[Birdsofprey1956]

studebaker hawk he treats the flies all right.Love flo and eddie.

[chiefhalftown]

Vastly underrated band. In their prime each single was a gem. The songs hold up well today.

[ShotDownInFlames2]

Live music, not lip synched, awesome

[87Lalula]

i wish i'd lived those days...

[angelspeak2000]

I've always loved this drummer. What is his name?

[Postie218]

@angelspeak2000 Should be John Barbata

[peenumunde]

what a classic song and band,, happy days.!!!

[peterzang]

Cool Was Barbata playing live though? He's a great drummer...but hard to tell

[zappadead13]

touring can make you crazy!!!

[JohnnyCxviii]

Lead singer reminds me of Alfred Molina somewhat, or vice versa. One thing this band was never short on was personality. Or character. Or hits. Plenty of great hits. Gotta love the Turtles.

[jmb92555]

Barbata was up there w/ Bonham, Moon, etc in terms of power. The Turtles had great tunes but not really the sort of band where a drummer like that would be showcased.

[blackiebeast]

are these guys still touring? Dynamite stuff! Carol

[mrstevehartman]

YES, the drummer is better than Ringo !

[tallguy3708]

How many hits use the word etcetera?

[jeremiah123z]

Gee -- such a smart, clever song -- a sweet-tempered parody, really, of the pop music of its day. ("You're my pride and joy, etc"). And dig that crazy tambourine action. These guys were great performer/singer/songwriters. Zappa mocked The Turtles on the inside cover of his Freak Out album, as I recall. Later, they joined the band. Far out.

[nickmostly]

@jeremiah123z

yes, flo and eddy joined frank zappa, i saw the show about 68, one of the best shows Ive ever seen: listen to live at the filmore east by zappa, same concert, this is what turned into 200 hotels, the curly haired clown (you idiot) was the best part of the show..

[jeremiah123z]

@nickmostly

Nick: Thanks for the tip. Even though I bought Freak Out when it was issued, I'm only now coming to appreciate Zappa and Co. I saw a clip of "Stairway to Heaven" today -- hilarious. And a friend just played me "Elvis Has Left the Building" on his iPhone. Next up: 200 hotels. Cheers

[Ironcabbit]

oh my lord,  I just found Jonah Hill's grandpa!

[Jackretro]

That clip is great except for the big curly afro hair clown.

[hjshorter]

@Jackretro That "curly afro hair clown" performed with Frank Zappa, Marc/Bolan/T. Rex, Bruce Springsteen, & Alice Cooper. Obviously his hair did not get in the way of his voice.

[CrudeDude]

@hjshorter Billy was a mountain...

[reverseification]

@CrudeDude Ethell was a tree growing off of his shoulder...

[Wacokid48]

that's John Barbata on drums. The Turtles were a great vocal and folk-rock group from the best years of the 60's. I played their songs in the 60's and my son loves their music today !

[shadykb]

Why cant we have great music like this today :(

[oranger2525]

@shadykb We had our time. Let the kids today have theirs.

[mouschter]

I contend that "movie" is the only possible rhyme combination with "groovy" in the English language....

[Cromag99]

Chip Douglas on bass...

[SixtiesPopGold]

@Cromag99 No, he'd left the group one and a half year earlier. This is Jim Pons.

[Bigbearbeau]

I meant 1:31 duh!

[Bigbearbeau]

2:30 is sooooo cute. not sure why they sound so english though???

[wabbitinwed]

It is live... there is not a drummer alive who could sync to a track like this guy does.... this is the real deal.

[deccasmooth]

That pedophile guy in the glasses plays a mean tambourine ...

[MrBlondeAlmond]

I love the leg kick that the background singer/tambourine player does in time with the drum hit at 1:50. So cool.

[sgtpepper3uk]

Excellent Live Performance, Thank you for Posting.

[Grendelmonster8u]

@sgtpepper3uk Not truly live. See my comment below.

[kenokid]

This looks like a "Who has the biggest guitar?" contest.

[muzzmann]

Notice they cut the Brother out of the picture whole way thru..........hmmmmmmmmm

[tommylord]

It was my dream to have a drum kit like that when I was nine years old.

[ejslurb2007]

Actually, the drummer's name is spelled Barbata, and after he played with the Turtles, I believe he worked with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young ("Four-Way Street") and was an original member of Jefferson Starship (but not Airplane). And yes, Johnny does cook on the drums!

[dondebar]

Wow, they're actually playing this - it's not dubbed! Remarkable for that time on TV.

[MrKite053]

@dondebar I am so amazed at all of the comments on this page about this group. The Turtles were an incredible band from the day they formed.Their writing and harmonys were second to none back then,and Flo and Eddie ( the two front men) were very heavily influenced by The Beatles. They always sounded great live,I had the good fortune of seeing them live in 1968 at a venue in NYC. To me,one of their best tunes ever was You Showed Me,way ahead of it's time.

[betabloca]

@MrKite053 Well said. and I agree with you 100%. I live in the UK and never saw the Turtles live. I was 14 in 1967 when they toured here. Would have given a lot to see and hear them. As always they remain so under appreciated but it is good to read all the positive comments here.

You showed me live is on Youtube - if you haven't seen it take a look - absolutely great rendition.

[Grendelmonster8u]

@dondebar The vocals are lip-synced & they use pre-recorded back tracking as did American Bandstand & numerous TV shows since the 60s to today. It's easy to tell with the background vocals. He adds one little remark b/w a pause in lyrics. They did this to give a polished performance that sounds like the record. It's not *truly* live. X-Factor does it. Amer Idol & other shows do it w/ the group & star songs where they jump & move around. It's OK b/c the point was to see them.

[calif562]

Didn't that drummer used to play with the Who?

[XWiseXGuy]

@calif562 Nonononononono.

This guy is way more calm and controlled than Keith Moon (from the Who) ever was.

They do kinda look alike, but their styles are completely different.

[bigfly66]

That drummer kicked some ass on that tune.

[betabloca]

@bigfly66 Drummer is Johnny Barbater and was and still is really good.

[chicoblackstar]

@betabloca not barbater ,,, barbata

[betabloca]

@chicoblackstar Thanks for the spelling lesson and its Barbata not barbata. I always loved the Tertles!

[chicoblackstar]

@betabloca

Tertles not called, are called ''Tyrtles'' hahhaahah

[MsJune54]

LOVE everything about this video.....the drummer spinning his drumsticks, the humor, the music!!....just a fun group always....

[stofpoeper]

@MsJune54 I saw this song being discussed in one of those music documentaries on TV some years ago and the lead singer here was explaining that this song was actually a "dig" or poking fun at young boys/men becomming "girl aware" so to speak. So yes, the song was intended to be lighthearted.

[MsJune54]

@stofpoeper thanks for the info! I like to find out the inspiration for songs I love....

[bisleybob3]

Very surprised - This video is a real gem , the humour the image is awesome and yes the music ic fantastic

[MrGreggMan]

Serious drumming skills 1:07 onwards...

[mekongyouwrong]

@MrGreggMan That's Johny (sic) Barbata, a stone groove. Check out She'd Rather Be With Me. Killer.

[cinephilia1]

Watch the movie 'My Dinner With Jimi'.

It is the story of The Turtles [includes the incident where The Beatles bullied them.]

[LkOutMtnMan]

They made some great music, had fun and that was what made the 60's so cool! Lot of talented bands appeared over night and there were bands practicing everywhere in garages dreaming of making it to the big time!

[homecurious]

In response to the comment about the hair... Mark's hair was insured for $100,000 back in the 60's. How much was yours worth?

[liberalflame67]

am I the only one that notices the major drum swagger all the way through, not to mention the dazzling tambourine twirl at 1:05?

[mrstevehartman]

@liberalflame67 Nope, they were GOOD !

[crabbybutt1]

gotta love these oldies<3

[Souplesse000]

It's OK to be fat and have shit hair. Really.

[Altaira55]

@Souplesse000

Oh yes, back then talent mattered more than looks.

[gymnastix]

@Souplesse000 Howard Kaylen and Mark Volman (a/k/a "Flo" & "Eddie" in their days in Frank Zappa's Mothers Of Invention) are the two, main singers of The Turtles, and have loaned their voices and production talents to several well-known rock & roll acts over a 50-year span.

[60srecords]

Eddie and Flo ,love the Turtles

[ASeasonedWitch]

"Maybe we won't watch the show . . . "

Turtles had a number of excellent songs.

[JohnNiemsMusic]

Love the line - EVEN THOUGH YOUR FOLKS HATE ME! So true back then as I was never in a hurry to meet her parents! LOL

[jbeng1953]

so who are the 4 dorks? What were ya looking for? This is good stuff from a turbulent time. Made those of us that lived back then feel better.

[MaiHarinder]

Do any of the bands playing now have so much fun? (Are those really pink shoes?)

[MinkSnopes1]

flo & eddie were so cool

[theRock828]

the singer.......Benny hill???

[faulisdead]

the singer looked old even then

[PtolemyJones]

Scotty? Get back to engineering! hehehe... great tune.

[calebdengler1]

...and mainstream American never would have never ended up hearing Dylan were it not for the Turtles and the Byrds.

[calebdengler1]

The song was indeed a (brilliant) send-up...People might forget how hip these guys actually were-- Marc Bolan used them for the black-chick-sounding backup vocals on the "Electric Warrior" album...They were with Frank Zappa for a while...And rappers sampled them mercilessly in the late 80's and early 90's.

[doobiebro76]

Elenore,I always thought you were beautiful woman even though you were only the words in a song.Now after all these years Elenore,you have never aged and your as beautiful ever.Thank you so very much from a young man at one time in life, who still thinks your beautful.Rusty 1968 or 2011

[MinkSnopes1]

@doobiebro76 gee, i think you're swell

[theuglyrose]

These guys look like they would be a blast.

[69dollyrocker]

Loved this band when I was a little girl. My mom played the singles til they warped!

[naganokumas]

Is it true that they put this song out because they were demanded of another 'Happy Together', and it was an offering that was kind of a send up?

But then it was brilliant, despite the send up aspect.

Efforts in the lyrics such as "You're my pride and joy, etc." suggest such.

[57highland]

@naganokumas There used to be a posting of this song in which Howie talked about the song. The Turtles wanted to do more progressive music, while the record company wanted another pop hit (e.g., Happy Together). Howie tried to write a pop song that would be so bad that the record company guys would say "Hey, that's awful. OK, try the 'progressive' thing." But it backfired somehow, because "Elenore" ended up being a big hit.

[LOKISlog7]

@naganokumas They wrote this song because of criticism from certain music critics that called their song-writing ability childish and amateurish. This song of "genius" was their response.

[xPsychoxClownx]

@LOKISlog7 where the fuck did you hear that shit that's not true at all

[LOKISlog7]

@xPsychoxClownx I saw Flo and Eddie at Albany Riverfront Park with about 10,000 people in 2006. Along with doing their hits, Volman also did a medley of KC & the Sunshine Band, Sister Sledge, Britney Spears and Eminem. During the show when they were about to sing a Turtles song; they gave a background stories. He said; the critics slammed their lyrics; and in response they wrote "Elenore," -featuring such wry love song lyrics as "You're my pride and joy et cetera." as a comedic dig.

[xPsychoxClownx]

@LOKISlog7 well yea that's true but the part about them writing it in response to critics is complete bullshit

[msredboot7]

wow, i forgot how much i always Loved this song!!! The Turtles were Awesome

[Beeguiling]

Nothing wrong with Art's voice, but Christ, Garfunkel should have emulated the guy with the tambourine in this video.

[GabrielDhalaman]

the way that drummer manages the song...smoooth,liiiiight,he listen the song and they do the conjunt,the whole thing....any time is not here right now,littl duuude

[blues917]

Wild shit...love it!

[dog1net]

The drummer here is John Barbata, who joined the Turtles after Joel Larson left.

[lennonzappa71]

@tgif223 The bass player is Jim Pons. He replaced Chip Douglas who was recruited by Michael Nesmith to produce and play bass on The Monkees' "Headquarters" album. Pons also played with Zappa in the 70's.

[deweypug]

Everyone seems to be donning the 'Sgt. Pepper' style mustache in those days...

[tym1962]

class class......

[usmexcapi]

the best of the best long live the turtles

[ChiroQuacker]

the lead singer looks like my fat jew accountant with the comb over hair-do...very few lead singers from the 60's were fat like this chubby hymie...

[thoof2001]

@ChiroQuacker Good grief, what a bigoted asshole you are . . . go crawl into an oven, fruitcake.

[shakedownstreet48]

I rember seeing this when it showed back then and was very impressed with the drummer. They were doing this live.

[Fizzypop1211]

I love 1:26 - frizzy haired dude spots the active camera and sings to it, lead singer becomes aware, looks at him as if to say wtf are you doing, then realizes camera, plays to camera, feels awkward, pulls face, CHORUS PHEW!! - - love the "amateur"ish of it all - and as a drummer, totally enjoy the drums at the back.

[57highland]

@Fizzypop1211 Yeah. Whether that move was planned or spontaneous, it was pretty funny.

[santatigerclaus]

incredibly amazing and awesome

[TheLadandLass]

they made some great music

[ironskull57]

puffy shirt

[JohnnyCxviii]

Nicely done. Great to see a live act done so well.

[BenPaine55]

I am pretty sure the 'drummer in the background' is the fabulous Aynsly Dunbar, he was one of the very best drummers during this time, simply A+++, these guys turned into FLO AND EDDIE and catch all the vids you can of them. They can do it easily, make fun, or make it fantastic. Terrific songwriters. They were MUCH better than they ever gave themselves credit for since they came from THE TURTLES.

[MisterWhist]

@BenPaine55 That is not Aynsley Dunbar. That is John Barbata... Dunbar and Barbata did time in Jefferson Starship...

[BUZZ4134]

The musical delivery is almost flawless. It sounds almost like it came straight from the record. However, I can see they are really singing. I bought their greatest hits album in 1975 and still have it.

[IslandMyk]

What makes this song so great is that the Turtles wrote it as a 'screw you' to the record company that demanded more pop songs after the band said they wanted to do more psychedelic music. Every pop cliche is in there, and it was successful without anyone realizing just how cynical it is.

[needmorebeads]

I also remember seeing them with Frank Zappa - at Expo '67 in Montreal. Loved them all those years ago and still love 'em now! Thanks for posting!

[ZBraun95]

Got to love the tambourine player! He's so into it! lol

[gethemified426]

@ZBraun95 AKA The manager!

[noalittleaboutlot]

Love that line..."Your looks intoxicate me!"

[dugtzu]

Thanks immensely for posting this. Great version.

[brsfan66]

Reminds me of meathead in All in the Family.Your only half right when you said your folks hate me.Archie did but Edith loved you.

[kathykay2010]

YOU HAVE THE BEST MUSIC EVER...LOVE THEM ALL!

LOVE YOU TOO...*-*...*-*...! THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO!

[mysterytrax]

The very first recording act I ever seen "live" in my life.

It was at THE HULLABALOO in Hollywood, during a midnight show.

The lines use to form around 10:pm outside and the doors openned at 11pm.

It cost $1.00 and the variety of groups on those nights were stellar for the times. It was during the period ofr1966, 1967. On this particular Friday night/

early Saturday morn, The Buffalo Springfield also took the stage.

I saw LEGENDS for one dollar. It changed this 15 year old forever. WOW!

[bamboosa]

I saw these guys, Flo and Eddie, sing with Zappa. They did this song, as well as Zappa's stuff, with a huge band. These mofos can frikkin sing.

[MoonOfNeptune]

Dongoe, you're exactly right. After the success of "Happy Together", the Turtles wanted to explore different types of music. But that didn't sell as well, so they were told to get in the studio and turn out another "Happy Together" or else.

If you listen closely, this song is amazingly similar in structure, melody and harmony. And that line "You're my pride and joy et cetera" is just a briliant inside joke.

[Tokewhichu]

I like this song one of my faves from them.nice live appearance.

[DONGOE]

This song was actually written as a joke to please the record company execs.

[STRUMMERBOY1975]

A Greatttttt Song...........:)

[MrFrank440]

A time when looks didn't matter- but talent did.

[MYJETGLO]

PERFECT IN EVERYWAY!!!!!!!

[Whammo1963]

Nice to see Tony Clifton in his prime.

[coolpilot007]

fANTASTIC PERFORMANCE !!!

[jjhtr]

You have to check out Zappa's Live at the Filmore disk....these guys are incredible.

[jwas50]

flo &eddie

[kirbygene]

"you're my pride and joy, etcetera" LOL

[pawntucky]

Nice harmonies, and yeah Mr. Pants is coool.

[gentlepersuader]

Watch the drummer magic in the backgound.

[dslider1]

@gentlepersuader Yeah! That drummer is great.

[GiovannaNYC]

@gentlepersuader That's my cuz

[drkam6]

@gentlepersuader Indeed! What a great drummer! John Barbata

[MisterWhist]

@drkam6 Killer drummer...

[codylittlestuff]

@gentlepersuader Caught that. Serious coordination as well as rhythm.

[buymemakeupfirst2010]

Besisdes his hair, the skinny jeans the tambourine player is wearing is working for him too!

[triffiks]

brilliant why cant they make songs like that today Liz Gilberts selection box is ace !!!

[jjmmjj44]

check the lineup at your state fair, thats where i saw the concert in mILWAukee,they tour all over the country in the summer

[jjmmjj44]

go see the happy together tour if they have it near or in your city next summer ,we saw turtles ,association, grass roots , mark lindsay,buckinghams , all for 15 bucks, they each played like 4 or 5 songs ,then all on stage at the end singing one song from each group ,it was a blast, didnt even see anyone smoking pot ,must be too old for that i guess,lol!

[mrclubfoot100]

@jjmmjj44 Where do you get info about tour dates and cities. Intersted in going .! 

[AlergicoAlLatex]

Esta cancion sin duda es una de las mejores que he escuchado en mi vida....!!!!

[toasteroven427]

This is proof they were a "Beatles" band. You can't tell me they don't have the Sgt. Pepper look going on here! Don't worry, I'm a big Turtles fan so I'm not ragging on them.

[DewsRandom]

@toasteroven427 a lot of people copied the beatles, in 66 when george used a sitar everyone started using sitar in rock music. in 64 when george used this type of guitar it inspired the yard birds to play and many other stuff

[toasteroven427]

@DewsRandom

Well yes, I honestly just didn't know it continued into '67. I mean, look at the Byrds, they used every instrument the Beatles used, right down to the name brands! George Harrison really did popularize the Gretsch guitar.

[bottleman57]

I am 54 and have always liked this song. And if I am not mistaken, I have never saw it performed live. So thank you very much for posting this.

[mrgoodvibrations]

I always liked the line, "your my pride and joy, etc!" LOL

[tcr023]

this has to be flo and eddie's audition tape for frank zappa

[vaderbomb93]

At 1:30, Eddie looks just like Jon Lovitz...

[dennisUVGHRG]

Somebody help me on this. I saw them on T.V. once and I swear Mark kneed his tambourine, it rolled up his microphone while he did a 360 catching waste high.  Am I dreaming or did that really happen. No Tivo in those days so I got one shot at it. Also I used to work with Jim Pons (bass player) in early 60's (Phil's Market). Jim if you're still out there a big shout out. Thanks, Dennis - ultimatevocalgroup

[fgldnglbs]

The Wrecking Crew likely posed as the Turtles on the record, but they couldn't get a deal without playing live in the first place. In case there was any doubt, Kraft Music Hall puts it to rest.

[betabloca]

@fgldnglbs No wrecking crew used on turtles music. They played on their own instruments.

[J0EYbagaDONUTS]

Nice skinny jeans Mark . lmao  Go Flo N Eddie !

[formattester6]

that was kickass! now, what kind of shoes it the tambourine guy wearing? great band! great song! great live performance!!! dont make em like this anymore folks!

[ejcgavidia]

Esta cancion es una de mis favoritas y la escuche desde pequeño, hoy pasando los 40 me sigue gustando más aún.

[rattamahatta81]

All this awesome with Terry Bam Bam Gordy on the tambourine?????

[guitarbrian46]

this song was written to make fun of their own success as a "pop" band. They also got screwed royally from they're record company. For years they couldn't tour as the Turtles or even under they're own names. The contention was that the record company "owned they're names" right down to they're given names. So... Flo and Eddie were born and toured with Frank Zappa as explained by moniw8. It was a riot to see the Mothers of Invention playing "Happy Together".

[CHAYITO16557]

ESTA HERMOSA LA MUSICA, PERO QUIEN ME IMPRESIONO ES EL CHICO DE LENTES

[ozarkdem]

Johnny Barbata was the greatest, likely still is. Had a major crush on him back in the 60's. Great drummer.

[beadsstitcher]

This is a very ,very nice song......but I think I will go for the lead singer:)) Thank you for the memory.

[moniw8]

I'm sorry, but you are wrong, the tambourine player is Mark Volman "Flo". He & Howard Kaylan "Eddie" joined Frank Zappa's Mothers Of Invention in 1970's.

[cryslovesmusic]

The tambourine player is Felix Pappalardi who went on to form Mountai-,"Mississippi Queen,".

[raven5537]

those were the days, where are those days now.

[pimmsdad]

@raven5537 In our memories and our hearts...

[mtg1219]

"youre my pride and joy etc." Classic lyric!!

[Inabravenewworld]

This music Makes me Happy :)



[BILLFRANCIS1956]

wasnt music great like this in late 60's and early 70's