  To store and retrieve signals at the single photon level, various photon echo
schemes have resorted to complex preparation steps involving ancillary shelving
states in multi-level atoms. For the first time, we experimentally demonstrate
photon echo operation at such a low signal intensity without any preparation
step, which allows us to work with mere two-level atoms. This simplified
approach relies on the so-coined "Revival Of Silenced Echo" (ROSE) scheme. Low
noise conditions are obtained by returning the atoms to the ground state before
the echo emission. In the present paper we manage ROSE in photon counting
conditions, showing that very strong control fields can be compatible with
extremely weak signals, making ROSE consistent with quantum memory
requirements.
