The Electric Prunes are a psychedelic rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The group’s first run together and recording material lasted until 1970, but the band got back together in 1999 to record new material and began touring with new members shortly after that. I first checked out their debut album earlier this year before I started this website, and I figured it would be nice to go back and listen to another album from them. This album, Just Good Old Rock and Roll (1969), was the fifth studio album from the group, and was created with some of the original lineup missing, as the original group had already disbanded. The album was generally received well by critics, but the sales of the record did not necessarily reflect this notion. I’m pretty stoked to check out this album, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Sell” starts out with some super groovy electric organ with some guitar work and drums that seem to march the tune forward at first. Oh wow, the tune seemingly drops into place as the vocals come in, which seems to signal a shift toward some groovy psychedelic rock and roll. Oh wow, the tune has changed up a few times to this point, and seems to return to that initial chorus and relieve a ton of tension with some flavorful and shimmering organs. Great track, and I’m super stoked to hear the rest of the album.
Oh wow, “14 Year Old Funk” has a feel right away that reminds me a bit of the slick and delicate sound from I recall of the band’s first album, though the guitar seems to have a bit more twang and the tune itself seems to have a bit more of a rockin’ feel compared to what I remember. Oh wow, I really dig the rollicking piano fills; super sweet. The bass guitar in this one is super tasty as well, as there’s a somewhat intricate little lick which is relieved as the final note in the lick breathes a bit more. Oh wow, the electric guitar that comes in at the end has some super nice flavor as well that seems to reflect the general direction of psychedelic rock of the era. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Love Grows” comes on pretty hot as the wah-pedal’d electric guitar nearly gives a sort of squish-like quality to the soundscape, while the drums and other guitar work seems to have a very driven rock and roll sound that nearly reminds me a bit of Heart from the early 1970s. Oh wow, this instrumental breakdown has some super tasty funk rock sounds with the wah-pedal’d guitar and the shouts into the soundscape; super sweet. I really dig the chorus vocals, which seems to add another sweet element as what sound like baritone singers try to reach higher registers into a falsetto range. The jam at the end of the track is super tasty as well. Great track.
Oh wow, “So, Many People to Tell” has a strange and ominous sound to the musical landscape with the chorus vocals seemingly blowing like a breeze through a cemetery at dusk. Oh wow, the soundscape shifts to something a bit less ominous as the drums changes to a sweeter swing and the piano plays a line that seems to break through the darkness of earlier. Oh wow, the flute comes in to bring an even higher level of sweetness to the track. Wow, I really dig this tune; the song has evolved a ton since the beginning. Great tune.
“Finders Keepers, Loser Weepers” gets grooving right away with something that feels like some groovy psychedelic rock and roll with a bit of a funk inflection in the shimmering organs and that bopping bass line. Oh wow, the band really seems to have a nice groove going in this one. Holy smokes, this is a super tasty track. The layering of the vocals nearly reminds me a bit of Manfred Mann’s style. Oh wow, the groove the drums and bass have going at the end of the tune was making me make faces as I listened; super sweet stuff. Great track.
“Giant Sunhorse” starts off with a bit of a strange way, which seems to reflect some flavors of psychedelic rock in the years recent to the album. The tune sort of reminds me a little bit of Cream meets Grin, especially in regards to the tone of the guitar work and the style of psychedelia-inflected rock and roll in the tune. Oh wow, the guitars pick up a massive amount of fuzz as the tune seems to come to a building crescendo at the end of the tune, and I’m digging it. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “Violent Rose” has a sort of laid back sound at the beginning of the tune with the different lines from the shimmering organs, and different guitar parts that seem to be sort of slick like Robby Krieger, and fuzzed-out in a style that reminds me a bit of Iron Butterfly, while at the same time there’s another line that nearly sounds like a country-sounding pedal steel guitar, seemingly putting this soundscape at the crossroads of psychedelic rock’s past, present, and future with the mixture of styles. I really dig this quick tune. Great track.
Oh wow, “Thorjon” starts off hot with some groovy fuzzed out and distorted guitar work that nearly has a cheese-like sound. Oh wow, the instrumental jam in this one is super tasty, and seems to reel right back into the chorus as I sit even further on the edge of my chair to listen in, making me only want to listen even closer. Oh wow, the different layers of the guitar nearly seem chaotic at first, but all seem to play off of one another to meet up in a really interesting manner when I listen closer. Super sweet track.
“Silver Passion Mine” starts out with a sort of eerie sound that has me hooked in right away with the guitar reminiscent of The Doors circa 1968, and the flute that seems to invite a strange breeze into the soundscape. Oh wow, the different vocal lines seem to come together in a chaotic, nearly scatter-brained manner that eventually resolves to a line that is made all the sweeter because of the chaotic approach. Great tune.
“Tracks” has an intro riff that reminds me of some classic rock and roll with some psychedelic flavors laced throughout. Oh wow, the interplay between the groovy guitars and the shimmering organs has me constantly trying to listen even closer. Wow, super tasty track.
Oh wow, “Sing to Me” seems to bring the track out there at the beginning with the ominous lines from the organs and the nearly outer-space-like sounds of the electric guitar, but the different layers of vocals seem to beckon you to some semblance of reality with a style reminiscent of a spiritual gospel style. Holy smokes, I really dig this track. The band seems to make you aware that they have you hooked in at this point, and you have no choice but to listen even closer as the band gets into a super tasty and groovy jam for the outro of the song. Wow, great track and a great way to finish the listening experience of the album.
Holy smokes, this album is pretty sweet. The members of The Electric Prunes that recorded this album seemed to have carved out a unique space in time, as the sound in the album is very much a psychedelic rock and roll sound that combines flavors from around 1967 with some slick guitar work and flavorful organs, with flavors from about 1969 with the fuzzed out guitar work at different points throughout the album reminiscent of the 1969ish era of acid rock, with some different twangy flavors that seemed to remind me a bit of the early 1970s when psychedelic rock picked up a bit of a country-inflection. These different flavors seem to have been laced together with a backdrop of rock and roll, which made me want to listen continually closer as the album progressed. If you’re into psychedelic rock of the late 1960s and early 1970s, then you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A