Customer Reviews

Lost Dreams

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Lost Dreams album gathers together all the evidence that the Electric Prunes were well and truly ahead of the pack when it came down to having a good song and some original ideas about how to arrange it and record it.There are the two main hits here " I had Too Much To Dream Last Night" and "Get Me To The World On Time", along with some blistering album cuts like "Great Banana Hoax" and "You Never Had It Better". Also included is one of the best B-sides ever released, the flip to "Get Me To The World On Time" entitled "Are You Loving Me More (But Enjoying It Less)" which is a killer example of what the Prunes sound was all about, it pulsates and throbs right outta the speakers of your stereo.
The problem with a lot of stuff from the psychedelic era is that it was music made by people who were trying to turn their brains to mush with drugs. Not so here, the songs are sharply executed and stand up even in this day and age. The biggest shame is that there is too little of their music around as their career was wrecked by a short sighted record company, although it's great to see that the band are back together and making great new music in the 21st Century with a new album "Artifact".
So, all in all "Lost Dreams" is an essential purchase for followers of sixties psychedelia and for anyone who likes just great music.

What a treat and wonderful compilation! The biggest thrill for me was "Shadows", previously unavailable on any recording until this time. It was featured in a dandy little 1968 film, The Name of the Game Is Kill, and I loved it when I saw the film on it's original release, and have been searching for it for years. But all the other tracks are excellent as well, with first-rate sound quality.

This compilation renders all other Electric Prunes releases obsolete. James Lowe, lead singer, intended this. Unhappy with all the other Prunes releases, Lowe and bassist Mark Tulin selected tracks they deemed worthy of the Prunes legacy and remastered them specifically for this release. Consequently, this is the best Punes album you'll be able to get your hands on. One minor quibble: where is "Children Of Rain" and "Antique Doll"? However, the remastering makes up for this minor omission. The sound is simply amazing. You can put away the first two albums for good now.

Beside the hard-to-find UK import 'Long Day's Flight',this collection of 23 songs on 'Lost Dreams' is the only legit Prunes compilation release.Includes mostly cuts from their first two albums 'I Had Too Much To Dream' and 'Underground' plus some super-rare singles and previously unreleased demos(those are always good to hear).Since I've always dug these guys,It's tough for me not to fully appreciate tracks like their lesser known tunes such as "Luvin'","Try Me On For Size","Wind-Up Toys" and "Ain't It Fun".Strictly for the Electric Prunes completists OR a new fan that just prefers to get JUST one of their CD's.A should-have.

I have bought many Electric Prunes albums over the years (or the same ones many times) and have just played this one for the first time. I won't bother reviewing the music - if you are here you probably know one or two tunes already - if you like them you will love this compilation. If you know the Prunes well, you will also love this album - it is without any doubt whatsoever, the best SOUNDING Prunes release you can get. Whatever you like about their sound, this sounds better!! It makes all the other releases sound like the speakers have pillows taped over them - this is full, clear and dynamic.
If you like the Electric Prunes you have to buy this album.

The Electric Prunes put out two magnificent garage-psyche albums on Reprise in 1967, as well as several stunning singles, including of course their big American hit, I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night. Their final single in this incarnation was Everybody Knows (You're Not In Love) backed with You Never Had It Better, and Lost Dreams collects the strongest tracks from all of these onto a single disc. The band loved to experiment with all the latest gadgets and stretched the recording techniques available at the time to achieve a densely sophisticated sound with their three guitarists and the expert engineering of Richie Podolor and Bill Cooper.

The band were not always in agreement with the record label or with manager and producer Dave Hassinger and both albums, particularly the first, contained non-original material they didn't want to record. Members of the band apparently had considerable input on this compilation and have not only omitted the tracks they find embarrassing, but have added longer mixes of several of their best and most exploratory numbers, namely Hideaway, The Great Banana Hoax (a wonderful satire of the times), Dr Do-Good and the magnificent Long Day's Flight. This gives a clearer view of the band's intent than on the original albums and the sound throughout is startlingly clear. Brief track by track notes have been added by Jim Lowe, the band's primary lead singer.

Rarities include Shadows, which played over the credits of the exploitation film The Name Of The Game Is Kill, and was released at the time only on a promo single; both sides of 1st release Ain't It Hard/Little Olive from 1966; an unreleased Hollies cover, I've Got A Way Of My Own, and another unreleased outtake from the first album sessions, World Of Darkness. The albums were released in both stereo and mono formats and the stereo mixes have been chosen for everything here including outtakes, apart from third single Get Me To The World On Time and the non-album first single.

For those wanting to delve a little deeper, Too Much to Dream - Original Group Recordings: Reprise 1966-1967 is a two-disc anthology put out more recently by Rhino

THE ELECTRIC PRUNES-LOST DREAMS: With a monicker that screamed spaced out sixties, (along with other "food" groups VANILLA FUDGE, MOBY GRAPE, and STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK), THE ELECTRIC PRUNES spewed forth an eccentric, eclectic sound awash in garage rock, psychedelia, RNB, and even country strains. Their two radio hits I HAD TO MUCH TO DREAM (LAST NIGHT) and GET ME TO THE WORLD ON TIME were elegantly oscillating, buzz-guitar blasts of righteous reverb, but there was considerably more to their unhinged vision. LOST DREAMS culls the bulk of their first two highly respected albums, including CAROLE KING/GERRY GOFFIN's slowly escalating, moody paean I HAPPEN TO LOVE YOU, the twisted mind excursion TRAIN TO TOMORROW, and revamped folkie standard AIN'T IT HARD. Pinwheeling organ swirls, raw, squirmy vocals, and hippie period axe effects dart in and out of the glorious noise made here; the band's classic Vox wah-wah pedal ad is a welcome hidden track, rounding out a collection that's a lot more fun than a pile of smoked banana peels.

RATING: FIVE PITS

out of 23 songs 3 or 4 are very good. another 9 or 10 are pretty good. all 23 are well made. think monkees (as record company creations), more original but not as good. over all not essential.