Pop music, or rather the modern pop music that started in the mid to late fifties, was always considered to be a disposable commodity; a fad among teenagers that would soon be forgotten and, as far as the parents were concerned, the sooner the better. Well, it's still here fifty years later. While the music has undergone many transformations over the years each new generation of teenagers gets the chance to have a soundtrack to accompany them into adulthood and beyond.
(In the first few years of the growth of the genre, the rock 'n' rollers created a stir amongst the kids and caused consternation for their parents. People believe the musicians projected image of rebelliousness threatened to undermine the very threads of civilized society.)
As time progressed new idols rose to prominence, some more palatable than others, but the accompanying music was evolving at a slower rate. It was still either an R&B/blues/country hybrid or a super smooth ‘Tin Pan Alley style slick ballad. By the time of the British Invasion, there were still elements of these musical styles in the repertoires of The Beatles and The Stones, et al. All that had really happened was that these bands had managed to bring the true R&B roots of rock 'n' roll to the fore with the grit and sassiness of the performers who originated the style way back when. However, by the middle of the sixties there were signs of a change of style and approach to making music though, at first, the changes scatter shot and unfocused.
(The reasons for the change appear to be threefold: Firstly, the technology available for music making was beginning to make inroads into changing the sound of bands. By virtue of improvements in the size and capabilities of amplification along with the availability of the first of a new breed of sound manipulation devices beyond reverb/echo and tremolo devices; Secondly, there was an influx of more proficient young musicians who had a yearning to go beyond the simple 'pop song' formula. They were looking to try and expand the horizons of their craft; These first two elements collided with the third, the rise in prominence of the drug culture. Whether you like it or not, drugs had an impact; sometimes for the good of musical progress and sometimes just turning it into nonsense. The casualty list of musical talent that succumbed to their excesses during this period is a long and depressing read, but drugs were present at the time and they intervened on many occasions.)
As bands became more musically proficient their music skills advanced and the desire to experiment became a major focus for some. The general public however, appeared to either show little interest or little understanding of what was being presented. There are a number of significant 45’s released during the latter part of 1966 that were indications of what was on the horizon, but they were just not getting the vital airplay on radio stations required to generate sales and exposure to a wider audience. There is one exception – A garage band from sunny California, of all places. They bucked the trend when they issued a single that had all the sonic experimentation wedded to a dark, but nonetheless very commercial song that caught the attention of the US record buying public and vaulted onto the charts toward the end of the year. The band was (The) Electric Prunes. The song in question was 'I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night). From that point on there was a template for a different style of music that was commercially viable and, at the same time, satisfying to the discerning population of the burgeoning 'underground scene'.
The release and subsequent success of this song was a major contributor to the underground movement and musical genre that would, a few short months later, become known as "psychedelic". But for the band the opportunity to capitalize on this success was subjected to so much restriction by the powers that be, working behind the scenes, that they were denied the chance to become the major figureheads for this new music. They were virtually forced to watch from a distance. But for a short while they were a guiding light.
The band came together as Jim And The Lords in 1965 and then subsequently became known as The Sanctions. Following a chance hearing of a rehearsal in bass player Mark Tulin's parents garage by Barbara Harris, an acquaintance of an RCA recording engineer Dave Hassinger, she recommended to him that they were worthy of his attention. A few months later, the band signed on the dotted line at Warner Bros and recorded a set of songs at the home of Leon Russell for possible single release. A change of name was deemed necessary and the band was asked to come up with some suggestions. One idea was 'Electric Prunes', in reference to one of a series of wacky jokes doing the rounds at the time. Hassinger thought the idea was stupid and reportedly showed it to Mick Jagger at a Stones recording session laughingly saying something along the lines of, “I asked the band to suggest a new name and look what the bozos came up with!” To his shock, Jagger told him he thought that it was a great name. Hassinger immediately did a 180 a decided it was great name too. So great in fact that only he could have thought of it and claimed the idea for himself!!
The first single to appear was 'Ain't It Hard?' backed with a band composition called 'Little Olive'. While both were great slices of proficiently played mid-sixties R&B, they weren’t a success. There were too many other bands competing in that musical arena and the band were subsequently dropped by the record company. However, amongst a set of demos presented to the band by the songwriting partnership of Annette Tucker and Nancy Mantz was a song titled 'I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)'. In it's original form it was a slow tempo ballad intended to be a country ballad sung by a crooner with an orchestral backing. Dave Hassinger liked its oddball title and suggested that the band have a go at working up an arrangement and recording their version of it.
At the recording session, a 'happy accident' occurred. To save a tape reel was turned over to be used again and accidentally the tail end of an earlier recording was played back in the studio. It was the sound of guitarist Ken Williams' Les Paul sustaining through a tremolo unit to a fade which, when played backwards, sounded like some buzzing monstrosity that was coming to get you. This piece of tape was kept and added to the start of the song. This sound barrage set the tone for the rest of recording, wherein the band concocted a sonic collage of weird backward sounds that took the finished song far and away from the 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' style of music making that was de riguer at the time. The finished article, deemed too strange to find favor with the public at large, was put to one side and referred to only as 'the odd song'. However, without a song that could be regarded as suitable material to release as a single, 'the odd one' began to look like the best shot for the band. So it was with this “odd one” in hand Hassinger approached Warner Bros once again and, miraculously, they agreed to release it and re-signed the band.
After the resounding success of 'Too Much To Dream', the band set about finding a follow-up single. They came up with an inspired arrangement of a Tucker/Jones song, 'Get Me To The World On Time’, which continued where 'Too Much To Dream' left off with a host of studio created sounds from another world. When released, the single climbed the charts. Its success, although not to the same degree as it's predecessor, brought about the need to record an album, which subsequently was released as 'I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)'.
When Tucker and Mantz were again called upon to provide material for the album it was then beginning to become evident to the band that their vision of sonic experimentation was not really what Dave Hassinger had in mind for them. They wanted to boldly go where no band had gone before and he wanted it to be more like 'hey hey we're The Electric Prunes'. The album was the beginning of a tug of war between band and producer, resulting in a mix of both killer and filler tracks. The killer tracks have stood the test of time but the filler sounds like the work of another band entirely, very lightweight and almost vaudeville. The band contributed songs but, by all accounts, it was an extremely difficult task to get them accepted by Hassinger for inclusion on the album. They did not conform to his vision of pop 'loveliness'. But some slipped through the defenses and for that we must be thankful.
Further single success eluded the band. Not because of a slip in the quality, but merely because the difference of opinion in the direction both sides thought the band should be heading meant that Hassinger began to lose interest. He rather foolishly thought that they were scuppering their chances of becoming a teenybopper sensation!
There was still sufficient momentum to allow the band to record a follow up album. Once again there was the power struggle over song selection, even to the degree that songs written by the band were presented to Hassinger under a pseudonym, in order to quell his aversion to what they were coming up with. But at least this way it meant more of their material would get included and the album that was released as 'Underground' was all the better for it. It has been suggested that the band was allowed to 'have it their way' on 'Underground' because Dave Hassinger felt that he could do no more with them and if he simply let them sink themselves it would all be over. ‘Underground’ is a great album. There are a couple of examples of Hassinger intervention but it hangs together pretty well and demonstrates that the band's inventiveness was in full flow and getting better all the time.
As a last ditch attempt at exercising some sort of control over the band, a plan was hatched between Hassinger and celebrated composer and arranger David Axelrod to record an orchestrated musical Catholic mass. Written by Axelrod, it would use The Electric Prunes as the front for the project to be titled 'Mass In F Minor'. Rightly or wrongly the band agreed to go along with the program. Sessions commenced in earnest but it soon became a source of annoyance to Axelrod that, with the exception of Mark Tulin, the band could not read the written score in front of them ( they were a garage band for heaven's sake, what was he expecting?). The two Daves soon set about using back up musicians to take the place of band members. So, although the resulting album starts with the whole band performing the opening track, one by one they fell away until the album closes with very little in the way of band contribution.
The album was released to a largely indifferent public. This was more or less the final straw. One final slap round the face for the band was the requirement for them to perform the 'Mass' album live with only a few days to rehearsal. After the release of one last single, a 'poppy' offering called 'Everybody Knows You're Not In Love' the band crumbled and eventually called it a day. History states that there were two more Electric Prunes albums, but they were made by Axelrod and some of the hired hands from 'Mass' on the first offering, 'Release Of An Oath', and then more hired hands assuming the name of the band for 'Just Good Old Rock 'N' Roll'. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with either of these albums, but they had nothing to do with the original band and their pioneering musical vision.
At the time of their initial success they were highly regarded by bands who were to become some of the biggest names on the planet. Jimi Hendrix, when he met up with them on their arrival for a tour of the UK and Europe, was eager to question them on how they achieved their sound on record. Syd Barrett was lifting their ideas wholesale to help him define the psychedelic sound of Pink Floyd on their 'Piper At The Gates Of Dawn' album. Just listen to the intro of lead track 'Astronomy Domine' and compare it to the intro of the Prunes' 'Are You Loving Me More (But Enjoying It Less)' for evidence.
In the ensuing years, the band's legacy has been a source of inspiration for countless other bands and their cult status has just grown and grown. After the release of the 'Stockholm '67' live album in the mid nineties and the onset of the possibilities for communication offered by the Internet, the band members gradually reconnected with one another. A reunion album, 'Artifact', was released followed by two more releases 'California' and, most recently, 'Feedback'. These releases offer a modern day take on their classic sound and allowed them to be themselves and produce their music in a manner that was actively discouraged all those years ago.
The Electric Prunes are a vitally important link in the progression of pop music to the more serious forms of music of the late sixties. Their contribution is often overlooked or, more cruelly, their pioneering ideas are often attributed to other more well known acts. They stand up on their own and have earned a rightful place in music history. Just listen to their albums and you can hear for yourself. Or better yet, this seminal band is still out and about. Catch an Electric Prunes live show if you want to experience some musical history first hand.
Jan (editor)
co-writer references:
Kevin Wallbank
