In a way it is hard to imagine why this album exists. The Electric Prunes were a garage rock band adept at churning out quality singles with clever lyrics. They were young and vibrant and by no means heading in the direction of a concept album, especially one without any standout hits.
Conversely Axelrod himself had been polishing his own unique orchestral sound and compositional style at Capitol Records, scoring production credits with pop artists and soul singers such as Lou Rawls, Letta Mbulu and “Man from U.N.C.L.E” star David McCallum. However there was no indication that he was about to score an entire acid rock interpretation of the Tridentine Latin Mass.
However exist it does, and is in all fairness a brilliant acid rock record, albeit a slightly strange concept album. Mass in F Minor shows the beginnings of the ideas that would shape Axelrod’s later solo projects, namely the three classic albums he cut for Capitol Records towards the end of the decade: Songs of Innocence (68), Songs of Experience (69) and Earth Rot (70).
A Mass of Troubles: Mass in F Minor Not All Good
Mass in F Minor didn’t bring such good things for the Prunes. Lumbered with an album they didn’t write and a producer who didn’t seem to appreciate their own artistic vision, Mass in F Minor proved to be a disaster for them. The record certainly propelled Axelrod’s career as a solo artist forward, but it also put the final nail in the coffin of The Electric Prunes.
1967 had been a good year for the Electric Prunes. The Los Angeles band had scored chart success in ‘66 with “I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night”, being one of the first psychedelic singles to make it in the charts. Their debut album of the same name was released in ‘67, as had the follow up Underground.
Both had charted reasonably well on the Billboard album charts and the Prunes had become a recognised and respected psychedelic outfit on both coasts. However at this time the band were having trouble with their producer Dave Hassinger, and cracks had become to appear within the group.
Hassinger had built up a reputation as a sound engineer, after working with such luminaries as the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and the Rolling Stones. He had given the Prunes their first break in the music business, but had since then tyrannically determined the bands direction.
After their second album Underground the Prunes wanted to experiment with their music for their third release. Hassinger and their manager seem to have forced Axelrod’s Mass in F Minor upon them. The band were regarded as a recognised and marketable product name that was supposed to help sell the concept.
Subsequent trouble with the recording of the Mass meant that the Collectors (another band under the guidance of Hassinger) had to be called in the help finish the record. A disastrous live performance by the Prunes of the Mass resulted in further misery and the group disbanded soon after.
Greedily Hassinger released two more albums in their name after the group had packed it in. Release of an Oath (68) and Just good Old Rock and Roll (69) contained none of the original band members, the former being another Axelrod concept played by top session musicians, the latter being a completely different outfit altogether.
The Album Mass in F Minor
That is not to say however that the Mass in F Minor should not be considered a Prunes album. It is still listed in their discogography on their official web site. Release of an Oath and Just Good Old Rock and Roll are conspicuously absent. Lead singer James Lowe contributed to the vocals throughout. Drummer Quint and lead guitarist Mark Tulin performed on each of the six cuts, and the full band are certainly present on the opening cuts, “Kyrie Eleison”, “Gloria” and “Credo”.
Ironically it is these three tracks which are the standouts of the album. “Kyrie Eleison” is the only track without a backing orchestra, and is the closest to the Prunes’ own sound. Its’ jerky stop start groove, and wailing guitar solo’s make for a stone-wall acid rock classic. The keen eared among you may also notice its inclusion in Easy Rider, when Fonda and Hopper are mooching around in a brothel.
“Gloria” has a great groove and even better wah-wah inflicted guitar solo, sounding akin to Big Brother and The Holding Company in one of their stranger moments. “Credo” starts out auspiciously enough with church organ and a sinister/comical sounding brass melody, before the band and the guitarist let rip on another acid soaked jam. These three pieces more than highlight the fact that when they got down to it, the band could play intelligent and exciting rock music.
Given what happened to the Prunes after this record was made it is hard not to feel animosity towards their producer and management for sending a respectable psych band under. It just shows that the music industry can be a hostile place.
Still the band have garnered a following from their inclusion on psychedelic compilations and are still touring today. And from what can be read on their website they seem to still have a soft spot for this LP. Axelrod’s concept was an odd one but it worked, and talk of resurrecting the Mass for a live performance by the band may be a distinct and ironic possibility.
 |
