Music Review: The Electric Prunes - Return to Stockholm

What’s purple and goes buzz, buzz, buzz?

Beginning in 1965 and continuing to the present, the answer remains The Electric Prunes.

Back then, it was producer Dave Hassinger who suggested the group change their name (originally The Sanctions, then Jim and the Lords) to The Electric Prunes while he helmed their first LP. In 1966, they had the hits “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)" and “Get Me to the World on Time.” The 1968 album Mass in F Minor (produced by David Axelrod) is credited to the Prunes, as was the song "Kyrie Eleison," used on the Easy Rider soundtrack. But the then-disintegrating lineup of the group was only marginally involved with the Axelrod project.

After a long dormant period, the actual band reformed after Swedish Broadcasting released a recording of a 1967 concert in Stockholm. The new ensemble included three original members: James Lowe (vocals, guitar, harmonica, autoharp), Ken Williams (guitar), and Mark Tulin (bass). New members have included Steve Kara (guitar, vocals), Jay Dean (guitar, vocals), and Walter Garces (drums). Among the various 21st century Prune projects, so far, was the criminally unappreciated 2007 Feedback and a 2011 version of Sky Saxon’s “Pushin’ Too Hard” recorded as a tribute to the late lead singer of The Seeds.

Sadly, “Pushin’” was apparently the last studio work for Tulin who died very unexpectedly on February 26, 2011. The Prunes again went into hiatus. Tapes were then discovered of an October 10, 2004 Swedish concert which has now been given a limited release as Return to Stockholm. Appropriately, it is dedicated to Tulin who, no doubt, would feel honored by this package. It was a good show that night, well recorded, and the cover and eight-panel foldout present the 16 song event as something special. If you’re into true ‘60s psychedelia, acid rock, or garage rock—whatever you want to call it—special it is.

As we used to say, the program is quite a trip. For example, the opener, “49 Songs,” is where Beat poetry meets Haight-Ashbury feedback. Swirling keyboards and percussion make “Big Stick” truly mind-blowing.

Songs like 1968's “You Never Had it Better” and “Rewire” are reminders the seeds of punk can be found in recordings from long before the Sex Pistols. Speaking of protopunk, there’s a bit of Van Morrison’s “Gloria” in “I Happen to Love You/Mojo,” which starts off rather gentle before segueing into a brief Muddy Waters tribute. The long and spacy guitar solo in “Wind Up Toys” is as close as the Prunes come to sounding like a post-'60s band with the electronic sounds of a Kraftwerk or Tangerine Dream. However, the song was originally released in 1967, as was “Hideaway,” another strobe light-flavored flight, and the extended jams in "Great Banana Hoax.”

Article Author: Wesley Britton

Dr. Wesley Britton is the author of four books on espionage on TV, Films, and in literature. He's co-host of online radio's "Dave White Presents" where he interviews musicians, authors, actors, and entertainment insiders. …

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