The Electric Prunes are an American rock band who first achieved international attention as an experimental psychedelic group in the late 1960s, and contributed two tracks to the soundtrack of Easy Rider. After a period in which they had little control over their music, they disappeared for thirty years, reforming as a recording and touring band in 2001.
History
Origin
The group started in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, though during the group's long disbandment, rumors circulated that they were from Seattle. Their first hit was discovered by Seattle disk jockey Pat O'Day at KJR (AM) and was very popular in that city before it broke into the national charts. The founding members, Ken Williams (guitar), James Lowe (lead vocal, autoharp), Michael Weakley and eventually Joe Dooley (drums) and Mark Tulin (bass) called themselves The Sanctions, and later, Jim and the Lords. Soon, Dick Hargrave joined on organ, leaving shortly afterwards to pursue graphic arts. Their lineup changed many times, including one lineup with Kenny Loggins.
Lowe, Tulin, Williams and Weakley were introduced to David Hassinger, then resident engineer at RCA studios, who arranged for them to record some demos at Leon Russell's home recording facility (which he called Sky Hill Studios). Hassinger also suggested they needed a new name. In response, the band produced a long list of suggestions, with The Electric Prunes last as a joke.
A single Ain't It Hard/Little Olive was released from these sessions, and flopped.
Early success
The Prunes' next single, "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)" (1966), was chosen from material Hassinger culled from the established songwriting team of Annette Tucker and Nancie Mantz. It remains their highest charting success, reaching 11 in the USA and 49 in the UK. Personnel included Jim Lowe on vocals, James "Weasel" Spagnola and Ken Williams on guitar, Mark Tulin on bass and Preston Ritter on drums. This is regarded by many as the classic Prunes lineup.
Their third single, Get Me to the World on Time, was also successful but less so, peaking at 27 in the USA and 42 in the UK. Both their first album, The Electric Prunes: I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night) (1967) and consisting mainly of Tucker/Mantz material, and the followup Underground (1967) which featured mainly original Prunes material, charted in the lower reaches of the Billboard charts.
By the time Underground was complete, there had been several more personnel changes. Original drummer Weakley returned to replace Ritter, and Spagnola was replaced on guitar by Mike Gannon, who appears on only two songs. Their fourth single Everybody Knows You're Not In Love, was recorded by this line-up, but does not appear on this album.
The Axelrod period
The Prunes's third album, Mass in F Minor (1968), was a psychedelicized setting of the Mass, written and produced by David Axelrod, and somewhat of an underground favorite. Kyrie Eleison from this record was used to back the Mardi Gras drug-trip scene in Easy Rider. The band reportedly broke up during the recording, and Axelrod completed the album using Canadian band The Collectors[1] and session musicians. A tour had been planned to follow the album release, but it was cancelled after one disastrous show at which it was obvious that the Prunes couldn't play the music, some of which they had seen for the first time only a few days before the concert.
This was followed by Release of An Oath (1968), another religious-themed Axelrod work this time combining Jewish and Christian liturgy. It was produced by Axelrod using top session musicians for all instruments, backing the Prunes's vocal work.
"The New Improved Electric Prunes"
The following album Just Good Old Rock and Roll (1969) was recorded by another, completely different, group of musicians, originally from Colorado, who were assigned the Prunes's name, which was not legally owned by Hassinger (according to James Lowe in a recent interview). The album cover read the new improved Electric Prunes. This band toured and also released a single on Reprise Records in 1969, but had totally dissolved by 1970.
Reissues and reformation
Through the inclusion of their classic "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)" on the seminal "Nuggets" compilation of 1960s psychedelic gems the Electric Prunes continued to reach new fans in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. That track in particular has been a regular of psychedelic bands through the decades including Australia's Prince Vlad & the Gargoyle Impalers in the early to mid 1980s. The track was recorded by psychedelic punks The Damned in the 1980s, under their alter ego of Naz Nomad and the Nightmares, and was also a feature of The Damned's live set in the mid-80s. XTC, recording under the name Dukes of Stratosphear also paid homage to the song on their song "25 O'Clock" which emulates the style of the song. It was also recorded by Webb Wilder and the Beatnecks for their album "Doo Dad", and featured in the "trip" sequence in Webb's movie "Horror Hayride".
The late 1990s saw renewed interest in the Electric Prunes, with the release of Stockholm, a concert recorded by the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation while the (original) Prunes were on tour there in 1967. An early collection of recordings by The Sanctions and Jim and The Lords was also released, recovered from unplayed 35-year-old acetates.
After a period of 30 years, the original quartet of Lowe, Tulin, Williams and Weakley met in the studio to consider a revival. As a result Lowe, Tulin and Williams (the three who had played on all the early recordings) were joined by two new members, including James Lowe's son, to reform the band. They began touring internationally in 2001, and in 2002 released a new recording titled Artifact and a DVD album called Rewired.
Continuing the momentum in 2007, the trio of Lowe, Tulin, and Williams released a new CD entitled Feedback, a hook-laden orgy of tremolo, reverb, rollicking drums and hilariously juvenile lyrics ("I have to off myself just to get away from you") that was heard by too few critics but hailed as a masterpiece by some of those who did, including author Elizabeth Hand, who blogged, "'Feedback' is truly one of the best albums I've heard in years. Anyone who's expecting an oldies nostalgia act is going to be wicked disappointed: these guys sound like they're still twenty years old with something to prove."
The Prunes have also taken up residence in MySpace and Facebook, reaching out to fans new and old.
In 2007, the rock band The Verve ran the track "Holy Are You" before their concerts.
They were mentioned in Thomas Pynchon's 2009 novel Inherent Vice (pg. 103).
The band is now recording and touring with a new drummer, Walter Garces, who has been called the "drum guru" of L.A. They are currently recording new tracks with musician and producer Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins.
Discography
(incomplete)
U.S. Singles
- Ain't It Hard / Little Olive (Reprise 0473) 1966
- I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night) / Luvin (Reprise 0532) 1966 US #11 - UK #49
- Get Me to the World on Time / Are You Lovin' Me More (Reprise 0564) 1966 US #27 - UK #42
- Vox Wah-Wah Ad(Thomas 08-000132-0) 1967
- Dr Do-Good / Hideaway(Reprise 0594) 1967
- The Great Banana Hoax / Wind-up Toys (Reprise 0607) 1967
- Everybody Knows You're Not In Love / You Never Had it Better (Reprise 0652) 1968
- I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night / Get Me To The World On Time (Reprise 0704 - Double A-side) 1968
- Shadow (Reprise PRO 287) 1968, one-sided single
- Sanctus / Credo (Reprise PRO 277) 1968
- Help Us (Our Father, Our King) / The Adoration (Reprise PRO 305) 1968
- Hey! Mr. President / Flowing Smoothly (Reprise 0756) 1969
- Violent Rose / Sell (Reprise 0833) 1969
- Love Grows / Finders, Keepers, Losers, Weepers (Reprise 0858) 1969
- Hollywood Halloween (Birdman Records BMR1313) 2001, Peter Lewis (Moby Grape) backed by The Electric Prunes)
- Get Me To The World On Time (Live) (Birdman Records BMR037) 2002 (recorded at Voxfest III in June 2001)
- Left in Blue (original by Azure Halo)
European Singles
- I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night) / Luvin (Reprise RS 20532) 1966 UK
- Get Me To The World On Time / Are You Lovin Me More (But Enjoying It Less) (Reprise RS 20564) 1967 UK
- The Great Banana Hoax / Wind-Up Toys (Reprise RS 20607) 1967 UK
- Long Days Flight / The King In His Counting House (Reprise RS 23212) 1967 UK
- I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night) / Luvin' / Little Olive / Ain't It Hard (Reprise RVEP 60098) 1967 French
- Everybody Knows You're Not In Love / You Never Had It Better (Reprise RS 20652) 1968 UK
- Long Day's Flight / Dr Do Good / The Great Banana Hoax / Captain Glory (Reprise RVEP 60110) 1968 French
- Everybody Knows You're Not In Love / You Never Had It Better (Reprise RV 20149) 1968 French
- Hey Mr President / Flowing Smoothly (Reprise RV 20198) 1969 French
- Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night) / ("Lies" by the Knickerbockers) (Elektra K 12102) 1973 (from the Nuggets compilation) UK
- I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night) / Luvin (Radar ADA 16 - picture sleeve reissue) 1979 UK
Studio
Live
- Stockholm 1997/2002 (with different front cover)
- The Sanctions / Jim and the Lords: Then Came the Electric Prunes 2000
Compilations
- Long Day's Flight 1986
- The Singles 1995
- Lost Dreams 2001
- Artifact 2001
- Too Much To Dream : Original Group Recordings : Reprise 1966-1967 2007
Various
DVDs
Recent Compilations
"Last Night at The Rendezvous" Exclusive track on the Psychedelica Volume One compilation on Northern Star Records. 2005
External links
