The Electric Prunes were an American Garage Rock band who first achieved international attention as an experimental psychedelic group in the late 1960s. Five CD box set containing a quintet of albums from the Psychedelic rockers all housed in mini LP sleeves and packaged in a slipcase. Includes the albums The Electric Prunes, Underground, Mass in F Minor, Release of an Oath and Just Good Old Rock & Roll.
Although they certainly had an experimental and exploratory side, at least for a garage band, the Electric Prunes were always considered first and foremost a singles band by Reprise Records, and the group's singles were carefully mixed to sound perfect coming through a mono car radio, while the LP versions of the same songs would be mixed for a home-based stereo system, which means the radio mixes were much punchier. This 24-track set collects all of the Prunes' singles for Reprise during the heady psychedelic period of 1966 through 1969, including the classic hit "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)," the Bo Diddley-rhythmed "Get Me to the World on Time," and other oddities that didn't get much or any radio time like "Wind-Up Toys," which rides an intriguing, staggered beat and shows that this band could have done just fine if left alone to develop.
An extensive 6CD box set devoted to one of the key innovators of the '60s psychedelic sound featuring their entire output, rarities and demos. Featuring the first CD issue of the mono mix of the 'Mass In F Minor', the collection also compiles the original dedicated mono 45 mixes, plus rare cuts, early demos, and extended takes, as well as the legendary live recording of the band captured in Stockholm during their European tour in late 1967, all lovingly remastered by Alec Palao. To complement these unique psychedelic sounds the box set includes a comprehensive history of the group by Gray Newell, featuring in-depth recollections from original vocalist James Lowe, and from key member of the later incarnation of the band, Richard Whetstone, making this the definitive Electric Prunes' collection.
For a band that scored two major hit singles in their first year as recording artists, the Electric Prunes were given precious little respect by their record label, Reprise Records; the group was allowed to perform a mere two original tunes on their debut album I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night), and when their second, Underground, didn't sell, they became glorified session men under composer and arranger David Axelrod on Mass in F Minor. When the Prunes couldn't play Axelrod's charts to his satisfaction, they were replaced by session men, and the original bandmembers weren't even invited to participate on two "Electric Prunes" albums later released by Reprise, Release of an Oath and Just Good Old Rock and Roll.
To call David Axelrod an auteur is putting it mildly. Although finally revered the world over by hip-hoppers and lovers of his 60s and 70s cinematic instrumentals (and an excellent eponymous solo offering on the Mo’ Wax label from 2001), Axelrod’s earliest recordings from 1967-70 have remained shrouded in mystery.
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection
For those who grew up in the 1960s, or even those that didn't but lived where there was a decent rock station that played plenty of music from that era (that is, not an oldies station), you probably have heard "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night".
For fans of the Electric Prunes, the 1968 Reprise album Mass in F Minor is a disaster, but for aficionados of failed and bizarre concept records of the late '60s, it's definitely worth investigating.