James Lowe, the lead singer in psych-rock band the Electrical Prunes, has died. In an announcement shared on Fb, Lowe’s household stated he died of pure causes on Thursday (Might 29). “Dad leaves behind a legacy of sound, love, and boundless creativity,” his household wrote. “On the middle of all of it was our superb mother, Pamela – his guiding star, enduring muse, and spouse of 62 years. We all know how deeply he cherished this neighborhood, and we really feel that love too.” Lowe was 82.
The founding member the Electrical Prunes, Lowe’s imaginative and prescient for groovy, trippy psych-rock had a big affect on the path and recognition of the style—particularly in America—throughout the Sixties. Their greatest hit, “I Had Too A lot to Dream (Final Evening),” scaled the Billboard Scorching 100 to safe a spot in its higher tier. It additionally landed a essential spot on Nuggets, the 1972 psych and garage-rock compilation that garnered a cult following. The Electrical Prunes’s self-titled LP boasted what would develop into their closing High 40 single: “Get Me to the World on Time.” Coasting over the tracks was Lowe’s smoky, soulful voice, an embodiment of easygoing Californian cool – partly due to him being born in San Luis Obispo and rising up in Los Angeles.
Surf rock-inspired storage band the Sanctions—based by Lowe on vocals and guitar, bassist Mark Tulin, lead guitarist Ken Williams, and drummer Michael Weakley—ultimately morphed into the Electrical Prunes in 1965 when an actual property agent launched them to Dave Hassinger, the sound engineer at RCA Studios who wished to supply an album. Through the band’s recording session, Hassinger urged they alter their identify, and Lowe tossed out the Electrical Prunes as a joke. “It’s the one factor everybody will bear in mind,” Lowe rationalized. “It’s not enticing, and there’s nothing attractive about it, however folks received’t neglect it.”
Regardless of their early singles failing to realize traction, Reprise Information signed the Electrical Prunes to a contract overseen by Hassinger. Though just a few lineup modifications and songwriter sub-ins came about, they settled into the studio and churned out “I Had Too A lot to Dream (Final Evening).” Constructing off its success, they recorded the albums The Electrical Prunes and Underground, each launched in 1967, and went on a profitable tour of Europe.
Hassinger pitched the Electrical Prunes on the concept of an idea album that utilized Gregorian music and psych-pop, and nabbed the late David Axelrod to compose the songs – launching a brand new, slowly lauded period for the band. The ensuing Mass in F Minor was an formidable, unwieldy document, and one among its spaced-out tracks, “Kyrie Eleison,” gained a belated reputation bump when it was synced for the cult 1969 movie Straightforward Rider. Years later, it turned coveted fodder for rap producers like MF DOOM and Madlib, who labored samples from Mass in F Minor into their songs.
