Top 10 Electric Prunes Songs

The 1960’s saw an onslaught of psychedelic rock bands. Like any musical genre, once a certain style of music proves to be successful whether it’s from an economic or artistic standpoint, inevitably the scene becomes flush with new bands riding the wave of what’s hot. In 1965, the band The Electric Prunes were formed on the West Coast of the United States under the sunny skies of Los Angeles California. After a year of forming the band was signed to Reprise Records and released the single “Ain’t It Hard. Their first album entitled The Electric Prunes soon followed.

Over a two-year period from 1967 to 1969, the band released five studio albums. The group also released a dozen singles, a few live albums and a series of compilation records. It’s amazing how bands in the 1960’s released so much music in such a short period of time. Groups like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and many others were constantly releasing singles or full length albums every couple of months. The band broke up in 1970. However, thirty one years later, the band reunited and began releasing albums once again. A few key members passed away in the 2010’s most notably bassist Mark Tulin. This article will take a look at the Electric Prunes Songs released during their late 1960’s period and the reunion period.

# 10 – Onie

We start our Top 10 Electric Prunes songs lust with this tender grooving ballad form the band’s debut album. The song was listed as the third track on the record. It was written by Annette Tucker and Nancie Mantz who were not members of the band but rather a professional songwriting team that wrote for a multitude of artists including Frank Sinatra and the Jackson Five.

# 9 – Lost Dreams

The great Electric Prunes song “Lost Dreams,” was written by longtime band members James Lowe and Mark Tulin. The song was the opening track on their comeback album Artifacts which was released in 2001 on Halloween.

# 8 – Shadows

How could you not love this great single by the Electric Prunes released in 1968. The haunting vocals lines that ride the distorted guitar lick is just psychedelic perfection. Bands like The Electric Prunes, Roky Erickson And The 13th Floor Elevators, Blue Cheer and many more defined the term psychedelia in the late 1960’s.

# 7 – Ain’t It Hard

The song “Ain’t It Hard,” was the first single released by the band before they had released their first album. The song was issued in 1966. It was a recording that failed to break onto any of the music charts at the time. However, the song clearly defined the potential of the band.

# 6 – Finders Keepers, Loser Weepers

The song “Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers,” was more a blues based song than one bathed in psychedelia. The song featured a great organ solo in the mid section and some dynamic lead vocals. A truly great track and one of the most underrated Electric Prunes songs in the band’s catalog.

# 5 – Dr. Do-Good

The Electric Prunes song Dr. Do-Good was released on the band’s second album entitled Underground in 1967. The song was written by the songwriting team of Annette Tucker and Nancie Mantz. It was the opening track of the album’s B Side. The song was the first single released from the album but it failed to garnish any chart success.

# 4 – Sell

Our favorite Electric Prunes album was their final record released in 1969. We loved their debut album, but the 1969 record really rocked hard. However, the lineup was dramatically different from the original band and many people feel this really was not the Electric Prunes. Nonetheless, we really liked this record. When a band goes through so many lineup changes all we can really do is look at the music and choose our favorite songs no matter who was in what band at any particular time.

# 3 – Get Me To The World On Time

The classic Electric Prunes song “Get Me To The World On Time,” was released on the band’s debut album. The song opened up the second side of the record. It was also the second single released from the record. The recording quality is pretty poor but perhaps that’s one of the reasons why we love this style of music. Its raw and bathed in echo. It’s just so groovy.

# 2 – Kyrie Eleison

There have been critics who have written that the late 1960’s psychedelic movement was short-lived and that bands like Led Zeppelin, Foghat, The Allman Brothers began to dominate the air waves in such a mighty fashion that they buried the music of psychedelic bands for a long time. However, the psychedelic movement has never been forgotten and its been reborn in current bands that borrow heavy from the style of bands like the Electric Prunes. Current bands such as The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and The Black Angels have kept the genre alive in the 2010’s.

The great track Kyrie Eleison was released on the band’s third album Mass in F Minor. It was an album that was composed almost entirely by David Axelrod. The  song’s significance on this list stems from its popularity based on its use in the 1960’s movie Easy Rider.

# 1 – I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night

Out of all the Electric Prunes songs on this list, there is none more well-known than the classic Electric Prunes song “I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night.” It is the band’s most popular work and deservedly so. The song is a masterpiece that defines all the elements of psychedelic music in its greatest glory. The song “I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night,” was released on the band’s debut album in 1967. The song was released as the album’s first single. The song reached the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967 peaking at number 11 on the charts. The song was written by the songwriting team of Annette Tucker and Nancie Mantz.

The song “I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night,” has become the band’s signature song. However not only has the song represented the band, it has come to be one of the defining moments of the late 1960’s psychedelic era.