In 1970 the band was involved in an automobile accident which claimed the life of Nick Pantas, whom the band decided not to replace. After recovering from his injuries, Doug Thaler quit the band, and was replaced by Micky Lee Soule. (Upon leaving in 1972, Thaler moved to New York and got a job as a booking agent — Elf was one of the bands he booked. In 1983, he became co-manager of Mötley Crüe. Present day he works at Metropolitan Talent as an artist manager, working with artists such as Art Garfunkel, Bruce Hornsby & Ratdog).
Cover of Elf's debut self-titled album was produced by Deep Purple members Roger Glover and Ian Paice, who happened to see Elf auditioning in 1972. For the next few years, the band enjoyed mild success as an opening act for Deep Purple.
Dio both sang and played the bass guitar until, in 1973, bass player Craig Gruber was asked to join. The same year saw Feinstein quit the band, to be replaced by Steve Edwards. Feinstein formed a band called The Rods, which met with a moderate amount of success, touring with groups such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, as well as Metallica, before finally retiring from the music industry. He would not return to the music scene until 2004, when his band, Feinstein, released the album Third Wish on the Magic Circle Music label.
In 1974, Dio was asked by Glover to sing on his solo album The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast. Dio's rich, soulful voice gained the attention of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore who had just left Deep Purple and was looking for musicians for his first solo album, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. He decided to use Elf for this album, and the band Rainbow was thus formed, with Blackmore replacing Edwards. After they finished recording the album, however, Driscoll, Gruber, and Soule were replaced by Cozy Powell, Jimmy Bain and Tony Carey, who played with Dio and Blackmore during the subsequent tour. In early 1975 percussionist Mark Nauseef joined Elf, but the group disbanded shortly afterwards
for the Slime singer's project see ELF.
Never More
Elf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From here to there
Isn't any reason
Plain and simple
How I can't recall anymore
Would be misleading
Lead me on
Hell and Fire burning higher
Now I can see the ever after
Clock is moving only
While I see you down here me in laughter
Never more
Clutching to a bundle in the night
Nobody knows
Leaping dogs of winter on the fight
And everyone goes
Clutching to a bundle in the night
Nobody knows
Those leaping dogs of winter on the fight
And everyone goes
In "Never More," Elf delves into the theme of the afterlife and the transitions one may go through when passing onto the other side. The opening lines, "Can't remember how I got/From here to there/Isn't any reason/Plain and simple/How I can't recall anymore/Would be misleading," suggest a state of confusion and lack of understanding about the process of dying and leaving the physical world. The lyrics go on to describe a vision of hell and fire burning higher, perhaps symbolizing the fear of eternal damnation or punishment in the afterlife. The clock moving only while the singer sees the figure of someone in laughter suggests that time may pass differently in the afterlife, where one's perception of time may not align with reality. The phrase "Never more" highlights the finality of death and the inability to return from the dead.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't remember how I got
I can't recall how I reached my current state of mind
From here to there
I can't pinpoint the exact changes that led me here
Isn't any reason
There's no specific explanation for what's going on
Plain and simple
It's an uncomplicated situation, despite confusion
How I can't recall anymore
I can't remember what the past looked like
Would be misleading
Any attempt to retracing my steps would likely be fruitless
Lead me on
I'm just following the current, moving mindlessly forward
Hell and Fire burning higher
The situation is becoming increasingly dire and chaotic
Now I can see the ever after
I'm starting to envision the inevitable outcome of my choices
Clock is moving only
Time is marching on relentlessly, and I'm just along for the ride
While I see you down here me in laughter
As I struggle, others seem amused by my misery
Never more
There's no turning back; this is my new reality
Clutching to a bundle in the night
I'm clinging to something for comfort, despite its obscurity
Nobody knows
No one else can really understand what I'm going through
Leaping dogs of winter on the fight
I'm being pursued by frightening threats in my difficult journey
And everyone goes
Others are able to move forward without being weighed down like me
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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