The Electric Prunes are a rock band who first achieved international attention as an experimental psychedelic group in the late 1960s, and contributed one track to the soundtrack of Easy Rider. After a period in which they had little control over their music, they disappeared for a period of 30 years, reforming as a recording and touring band in 2001.
History
Origins
The group started in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, though during the group's long disbandment, rumors circulated that they were from Seattle, probably because their records were very popular in that city. The first members, Ken Williams (guitar), James Lowe (lead vocal), Michael Weakley (drums) and Mark Tulin (bass) called themselves The Sanctions, and later, Jim and the Lords. Soon, Dick Hargrave joined on organ, but shortly thereafter left to pursue graphic arts. Their lineup changed many times, including one lineup with Kenny Loggins.
Lowe, Tulin, Williams and Weakley were introduced to David Hassinger, then resident engineer at RCA studios, who arranged for them to record some demos at Leon Russell's home recording facility (which he called Sky Hill Studios). Hassinger also suggested they needed a new name. In response, the band produced a long list of suggestions, with The Electric Prunes last as a joke. Somehow it stuck.
A single Ain't It Hard/Little Oliver (the A side a cover, the B side original) was released from these sessions, and flopped.
Early success
The Prunes' next single, I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night) (1966), was chosen from material Hassinger sourced from the established songwriting team of Annette Tucker and Nancie Mantz. It remains their highest charting success, reaching 11 in the USA and 49 in the UK. Personnel included Jim Lowe on vocals, James "Weasel" Spagnola and Ken Williams on guitar, Mark Tulin on bass and Preston Ritter on drums. This is regarded by many as the classic Prunes lineup.
Their third single, Get Me to the World on Time, was also successful but less so, peaking at 27 in the USA and 42 in the UK. However both their first album, The Electric Prunes: I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night) (1967) and consisting mainly of Tucker/Mantz material, and the followup Underground (1967) which featured mainly original Prunes material, charted in the lower reaches of the Billboard charts.
By the time Underground was complete, there had been several more personnel changes. Original drummer Weakley returned to replace Ritter, and Spagnola was replaced on guitar by Mike Gannon, who appears on only two songs. Their fourth single Everybody Knows You're Not In Love appears on this album.
The Axelrod period
The Prunes' third album, Mass in F Minor (1968), was a psychedelicized setting of the Mass written and produced by David Axelrod, and somewhat of an underground favorite. Kyrie Eleison from this record was used to back the Mardi Gras drug trip scene in Easy Rider. The band reportedly broke up during the recording, and Axelrod completed the album using Canadian band The Collectors[1] and session musicians. There was a planned tour to follow the album release, which was cancelled after one disastrous show at which it was obvious that the Prunes couldn't play the music, some of which they had seen for the first time only days previously.
This was followed by Release of An Oath (1968), another religious-themed Axelrod work this time combining Jewish and Christian liturgy. It was produced by Axelrod using top session musicians for all instruments, backing the Prunes vocal work.
"the new improved Electric Prunes"
To add to the indignities heaped upon the original band members, the following album Just Good Old Rock and Roll (1969) was recorded by another, completely different group of musicians, originally from Colorado, who were assigned the Prunes' name, which was not legally owned by Hassinger (according to James Lowe in a recent interview). The album cover read the new improved Electric Prunes. This band toured and also released a single on Reprise Records in 1969, but had totally dissolved by 1970.
Reissues and reformation
Through the inclusion of their classic "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night" on the seminal "Nuggets" compilation on 1960s psychedelic gems the Electric Prunes continued to reach new fans in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. That track in particular has been a regular of psychedelic bands through the decades including Australia's Prince Vlad & the Gargoyle Impalers in the early to mid 1980s. The track was covered by psychedelic punks The Damned in the 1980s, under their alter ego of Naz Nomad and the Nightmares, and was also a feature of The Damned's live set in the mid-80s.
The late 1990s saw renewed interest in the Electric Prunes, with the release of Stockholm, a concert recorded by the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation while the (original) Prunes were on tour there in 1967. An early collection of recordings by The Sanctions and Jim and The Lords was also released, recovered from unplayed 35-year-old acetates.
After a long period of 30 years, the original quartet of Lowe, Tulin, Williams and Weakley met in the studio to consider a revival. As a result Lowe, Tulin and Williams (the three who had played on all the early recordings) were joined by two new members including James Lowe's son to reform the band. They began touring internationally in 2001, and in 2002 released a new recording titled Artifact and a DVD album called Rewired.
Continuing the momentum in 2007, the trio of Lowe, Tulin, and Williams released a new CD entitled Feedback and have also taken residence in myspace, reaching out to fans of new and old.
They are now recording and touring with a new drummer, Walter Garces, who has been called the "drum guru" of LA.
I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night
The Electric Prunes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I touched your golden hair and tasted your perfume
Your eyes were filled with love the way they used to be
Your gentle hand reached out to comfort me
Then came the dawn
And you were gone
You were gone, gone, gone
Too much to dream
I'm not ready to face the light
I had too much to dream
Last night
Last night
The room was empty as I staggered from my bed
I could not bear the image racing through my head
You were so real that I could feel your eagerness
And when you raised your lips for me to kiss
Came the dawn
And you were gone
You were gone, gone, gone
I had too much to dream last night
Too much to dream
I'm not ready to face the light
I had too much to dream
Last night
Last night
I had too much to dream last night
Too much to dream
I'm not ready to face the light
I had too much to dream
Last night
Last night
Oh, too much to dream
Oh, too much to dream
Too much to dream last night
Oh, too much to dream
Oh, too much to dream
Oh, too much to dream
The Electric Prunes's song, "I Had Too Much To Dream", is a vivid portrayal of the singer's vivid dream, where the past and the present blend together, leaving them confused and disoriented. Through the lyrics, the singer seems to have had a dream of a past lover who has come back to comfort them. They describe the feeling of being comforted by their gentle touch and their eyes filled with love. However, as the night passes and the dawn arrives, the lover disappears, leaving the singer feeling lost and disoriented.
The singer describes feeling overwhelmed by the dream, which is why they are not ready to face reality. The lyrics, "I'm not ready to face the light," suggest that the singer is not willing to let go of the past and move forward. The dream felt so real, that the singer felt as though their past lover was right there with them, and they could feel their eagerness. However, as the dawn approached, the lover vanished, and the singer found themselves alone and unable to adjust to reality.
Overall, the song portrays a sense of longing for the past while acknowledging the harsh reality of the present. It speaks about the confusing nature of dreams and our inability to fully control them, leaving us disoriented and lost.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night your shadow fell upon my lonely room
You were on my mind and invading my personal space even though you were not physically present.
I touched your golden hair and tasted your perfume
My imagination was so vivid that I could almost feel and smell you next to me.
Your eyes were filled with love the way they used to be
In my dream or memory, your eyes looked at me with the same affection as they once did in reality.
Your gentle hand reached out to comfort me
Even though you weren't physically present, in my dream or memory, you still extended a comforting hand towards me.
Then came the dawn
The end of my dream or memory as the sun came up and ushered in a new day.
And you were gone
You were no longer part of my dream or memory as it ended.
I had too much to dream last night
My imagination was so intense that it felt like a dream that was overwhelmingly vivid.
Too much to dream
The feelings and emotions I experienced in my mind were too much for me to handle in reality.
I'm not ready to face the light
I am not emotionally prepared to deal with the reality and move on from these intense feelings.
The room was empty as I staggered from my bed
As I woke up, I realized that I was alone and the person I dreamed about was not actually there.
I could not bear the image racing through my head
The memory or dream was so powerful that it was hard for me to accept that it wasn't real and move on.
You were so real that I could feel your eagerness
In my dream or memory, you felt so lifelike that I could sense and feel the strong emotions you had towards me.
And when you raised your lips for me to kiss
In my dream or memory, you were so close to me that we were about to kiss each other.
Oh, too much to dream
The feeling of being overwhelmed by powerful emotions and vivid imagination was too much for me to handle.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANNETTE TUCKER, NANCIE MANTZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@HomerSnodgrass
I was 15 in 67. My friend had his basement covered in blacklight posters. We would listen to the Prunes and Kenny Rogers do Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Was In. And so many other psychedelic tunes, can't list them all. A truly great time to grow up. I'm fast approaching 72 but I still love that music. Kids today don't know what they've missed....
@RT-mu3bh
We boomers had the best music.
@gerade-aus
Love that Peter Max shirt!
@bread15
im 14 play bass in a band and love psych so atleast i can enjoy it
@michaelarmentrout3654
😊
@godgetti
would you please record yourself saying, "Kids today..." and whatever, post link here, I'll watch, thanks!
@mikeberger1688
I was 14 in '67. So just imagine what it was like to be that age and hear music like this. -- You can't put it into words.
@RudeBoy77777
It made the world feel like a place worth living in - my father thought it was the end of western civilization...
@scottrussell1006
I was 13 and music back then was EPIC. People knew who they were. Music ironed out the kinks. 👍
@mtbrowna33
Me too!