Wednesday 31 May 2017

The Electric Prunes – THE ELECTRIC PRUNES***

I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)/Bangles/Onie/Are You Lovin’ Me More/Train For Tomorrow/Sold For The Highest Bidder/Get Me To The World On Time/About A Quarter To Nine/The King Is In The Counting House/Luvin’/Try Me On For Size/Tunerville Trolley

The Electric Prunes were a psychedelic garage band from Seattle best remembered for their memorable No. 11 US hit I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night. Their self titled debut album was rather less successful after which the group largely faded from public consciousness. (US:113)

"Released in 1967, The Prunes debut album features the only two of the group's songs that anybody in their right mind would remember: I Had Too Much To Dream is a masterpiece of psychedelic pop, a mind warped concoction of warbling guitars, spacey rhythms and wistful vocals. Get Me To The World On Time, meanwhile, marries the former song's psych-pop craftsmanship with a thumping Bo Diddley beat and some warbling guitars. So there you have it, just two really good singles."

"Silly name, but good tunes. Very psychedelic, with lots of reverb and special effects. The Prunes have been forgotten, except for one hit single (I Had Too Much To Dream) but some of the songs here are quite good. If you like this kind of stuff, this album is a must-have."

"The Electric Prunes suffer from the same disease which claimed so many of their contemporaries - mediocrity. Does anyone else remember how many albums were sold from 64 - 67 that had only one or two good songs? I don't remember either, but I do remember there were far too many - add this one to the pile."

"This is a classic album of the psychedelic era. It includes two monster hits with I Had Too Much To Dream and the Bo Diddley inspired Get Me To The World On Time. The inconsistency of some of the other tracks is a bit disturbing at first sight."

"There are many obvious attempts at being experimental, but most don’t come over very well. But then there is one of the most fantastic psychedelic rock songs of all time: I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night). It could basically be described as a morbidly elegant verse giving way to a rocking chorus with several guitars playing in the background, smothered with crazy effects; it stands the test of time."

"A landmark of early garage psychedelia, a bit uneven but adventurous."

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