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.
The Toonerville Trolley
The Electric Prunes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In daddy's day he walked to school
And lived his life by the golden rule
And chopped down timber for his fuel
In daddy's day.
His shoe were made by Buster Brown
The world was square, it wasn't round
In daddy's day.
He'd ride the Toonerville Trolley, the Toonerville Trolley
Tooting on his licorice stick
The Toonerville Trolley, the Toonerville Trolley
That was how he gets his kicks.
Oh by gee, by gosh, by golly
Life to him was oh so jolly
Dad, what happened to the Toonerville Trolley ?
In daddy's day they were so pure
No one had to take the cure
For being wildly insecure
In daddy's day.
They'd sit and rock and talk a bit
The sun would fall and they would quit
They went to bed and that was it
In daddy's day.
He'd ride the Toonerville Trolley, the Toonerville Trolley
Tooting on his licorice stick
The Toonerville Trolley, the Toonerville Trolley
That was how he gets his kicks.
Oh by gee, by gosh, by golly
Life to him was oh so jolly
Dad, what happened to the Toonerville Trolley ?
The Electric Prunes's song The Toonerville Trolley is a nostalgic tribute to the "good old days" as remembered by the singer's father. The song describes how life was simpler and more innocent in "daddy's day," when people lived by the golden rule and chopped wood for fuel. In those days, people were content with the little pleasures in life, like riding the Toonerville Trolley and tooting on a licorice stick. However, the singer wonders what happened to those simple pleasures, and why the world has become so complicated and insecure.
The lyrics paint a picture of a bygone era in which people were more connected to each other and to nature. They would sit and talk, watching the sun go down, before retiring to bed at night. The song implies that society has lost something valuable in its rush to modernize and industrialize. The Toonerville Trolley is a symbol of the simpler and more innocent times that the singer's father remembers. The song is a lament for the loss of these times, and a call for people to remember and appreciate the things that really matter in life.
Line by Line Meaning
In daddy's day he walked to school
In the past, daddy used to walk to school.
And lived his life by the golden rule
He followed the principle of treating others as he wished to be treated.
And chopped down timber for his fuel
He cut down trees to use as a source of energy.
His shoe were made by Buster Brown
His shoes were manufactured by a popular brand called Buster Brown.
He'd hide and roll his knickers down
He used to hide and fold his short pants at the knee.
The world was square, it wasn't round
The world was perceived as something flat and not round like it is described today.
He'd ride the Toonerville Trolley, the Toonerville Trolley
He would take a ride on a specific trolley called the Toonerville Trolley.
Tooting on his licorice stick
While riding the trolley, he would play a musical instrument called a licorice stick.
That was how he gets his kicks.
Riding the Toonerville Trolley and playing his instrument was his idea of having a good time.
Oh by gee, by gosh, by golly
An expression of amazement or surprise.
Life to him was oh so jolly
He found life enjoyable and happy.
Dad, what happened to the Toonerville Trolley ?
The artist inquires about the disappearance of the Toonerville Trolley.
In daddy's day they were so pure
In the past, things were believed to be more innocent.
No one had to take the cure
People did not have to rely on medications to feel better.
For being wildly insecure
They did not suffer from extreme feelings of anxiety or uncertainty.
They'd sit and rock and talk a bit
People would sit down, sway to music, and have a conversation.
The sun would fall and they would quit
When the sun set, people would stop their activities for the day.
They went to bed and that was it
After completing their tasks, they would retire for the night.
Contributed by Kylie P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Benito Soriano
on Are You Lovin' Me More (But Enjoying It Less)
A very nice and underated song should have done better . . . .
Benito Soriano
on Onie
A ery nice and underated song should have done better. . . .Up to now.