In 1966 amid a flurry of feedback, tremolo and fuzz the Electric Prunes emerged from the confines of their Los Angeles garage onto the world stage. Their hit singles and albums, including “I Had Too Much To Dream Last Nightâ€, recognized as one of the first psychedelic hit records, heralded a transition in music and its presentation. One magazine article referred to the Electric Prunes as, “the seminal philosophers of punk rock†and Mojo recently named the band “Essential Cult Heroesâ€.
The same guys who helped create the garage rock/psychedeic genre are alive and well and making music. With three of the original band members involved they continue to create innovate and eclectic music (as evidenced the new CD “Feedbackâ€) both on CD as well as in concert. And you’re getting original members, not a tepid imitation of what the band used to be.
The current incarnation is not an attempt to recreate a musical past or some tired oldies show. Instead it is the past, in the present form, alive and rocking. The new music is quirky, electric, brash and edgy. An Electric Prunes live performance combines the visual stimulation of a swirling light show; the olfactory sensation of burning incense; and the auditory onslaught of whirring, churning and vibrating music - A true sensory experience. The Electric Prunes…lust in a long line.
?WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY THINKING?
"Some people told us just to stay as we were, if we tried to play again we would only ruin our reputation"
FEEDBACK ELECTRIC PRUNES
A blazing guitar tone rises until it meets itself coming down the hall only to be sanded into a humming pulsing howl of pain. The inside cover says this is lust in a long line. A visceral link from the past to the present: Feedback!
Feedback is noise and silence in collision. It is the answer and the question bundled up in a tube; proof that someone is out there. It is the sonar ping of the submarine, the locust humming on the lake, vibrating glassware in the cupboard. But wait! Before we go climbing Jacob’s ladder to the tremolo bar we better check our fuzz tone settings. This is rock, it’s not supposed to be pretty or smooth. Thanks to original band mates, James Lowe, Mark Tulin and Ken Williams, the jagged edges abound and anything resembling smooth has been degaussed.
The Electric Prunes have landed their third space-cookie since resuming recording and playing live a few years back. Three Limited Edition CD’s released - Artifact (the reunion), California (times past), and now Feedback (lust in a long line). Quite a chunk for people locked in a pod all those years! This is the band revealed thru a style of music that was here for a minute and then went the way of 60’s idealism and dreams. That said, somehow the Prunes have tapped into the first law of thermodynamics which loosely states energy cannot be destroyed, only transformed. Feedback is the Electric Prunes 2007 transformation.
The idea with this Feedback loop is to let you see the effects of audio radiation on a ’60’s psych/garage-gaggle. Oddball is nothing new to this group as they have neatly dodged classification since their original run in 1966. No one knew exactly what to do with this type of eclectic material then, and it is likely this issue will be filed in the “what the…†slot for most listeners today. But for the tuned-in fan the echo of the past material can be felt vibrating in every slice of this Feedback biscuit.
If “Morphine Drip†(2007) isn’t “Too Much To Dream†(1966), I will eat your Tesla coil. The quirky “African Bees “ (2007) resonates with the same goofiness of “Dr. Do-Good “ (1967); “Batch Of Violins†(2007) reprises “Sold To The Highest Bidder†(1966), “Tulip Between The Eyes†- “It’s Not Fairâ€. They ALL connect.
The first cut “Hello Out There†calls to arms those snoring minions from the past that need to wake up and get a shovel for their own burial. The title track “Feedback†growls out of the underbrush to expound on the virtues of trying to get a friend to take shelter in rehab by wiggling a tremolo bar over his head. “Circus Freak†is about neither and, in “Great Banana Hoax†(1966) style, winds its way through the radio-wave craze that was Plutoed by the digital revolution. “Innerlight Transendence†ragas down the graduation aisle in kilts with new beings, new beginnings and new hope as “Flying Blind†throws a rock thru the Crystal Cathedral window and reveals there is really no one at the wheel. And please quit telling me I will find out after I am dead! “Itzomad†is a sonic tribute to all who would be the singers in the band.
The artwork, or lack thereof, is stark and direct. No photos of surly band members. No psychedelic swirling madras patterns or peace signs. No sloppy slappy, syrupy thank you’s. This is stripped down Prunes buzzing and fuzzing.
The feeling of being a part of something greater was the inspiration for most of the groundbreaking music of the ‘60’s and somehow this album puffs on that same bong for a connection to a time when people actually listened. The band is obviously playing what they want. This Feedback CD should help you define the point at which that junk in the closet becomes “Collectiblesâ€. Artifact, California, Feedback, hmmmm… lust in a long line.
Come get some Feedback @ electricprunes.net
