Mass in F Minor [Import]

The Electric Prunes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 24, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• ASIN: B00004ZBZM
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,070,379 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Kyrie Eleison

2. Gloria

3. Credo

4. Sanctus

5. Benedictus

6. Agnus Dei

7. Hey Mr. President [*]

8. Flowing Smoothly [*]

Editorial Reviews

This project was composer David Axelrod's idea, The Electric Prunes performing a Catholic mass set to psychedelic guitar. The result was outrageous, also made famous by the inclusion of 'Kyrie Elesion' in the soundtrack to Easy Rider. Incliudes two bonus --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Mess for a C Minus, January 17, 2005

By 

BluesDuke "A sacred cow is worth but one thin... (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mass in F Minor (Audio CD)

According to several sources (including the band themselves, by way of interviews posted on a couple of Websites dedicated to them), David Axelrod--who composed "Mass in F Minor" as an experiment in transposing elements of the Catholic mass to psychedlic-era rock and pop; and, who was said to have had help enough (mostly from the band's producer, Dave Hassenger, and manager, Lenny Poncher) in jamming it down the band's throat--didn't entirely replace the original Electric Prunes for the album. The band's drummer and lead guitarist, Quint and Mark Tulin (responsible for the band's trademark feedback effects and co-writer of their original material, whenever they were allowed to record any), played on all six original tracks. Lead singer James Lowe did all the lead singing. The full original quintet played on the first three tracks, "Kyrie Eleison" (yes, the one Peter Fonda couldn't resist using for the soundtrack to "Easy Rider"), "Gloria," and "Credo" (originally, side one of the set); for the remaining selections, the three remaining Prunes were augmented by a Canadian group, the Collectors, later known somewhat better as Chilliwack; and, by guitar-friendly engineer Richie Podolor (perhaps remembered best for work with Steppenwolf) adding some guitar work.

Given their ambivalence about the project to begin with, the original Prunes acquit themselves well enough on those first three cuts, the best of which--"Gloria"--leaves the impression of a cleaned-up version of the original Big Brother and the Holding Company taking catechism classes on the sneak. Otherwise, Axelrod's attempt to yank the traditional music extants tied to Catholicism into a psychedelic brew seem awkward when thrust into very reluctant hand (well, the remaining hands), given the Prunes' apparent tiring of being guinea pigs for someone else's ideas and oversight.

(The Prunes actually gave a "Mass in F Minor" concert--the original band got hit with that assignment fresh off a tour and was allowed no time to rehearse properly, not a terribly bright idea considering the full band knew three of the numbers at best. The concert was an apparent disaster and the original Prunes began to dissipate, with Hassenger and Poncher apparently bringing in anyone they pleased to be the Prunes and milk the name--which still had some cred thanks to their original hit singles, "I Had Too Much To Dream" and "Get Me To The World On Time." By the time the Electric Prunes, what passed for them, actually did break up, none of the original members had been there for over a year or two.)

As a concept, "Mass in F Minor" wasn't a terrible idea; there was nothing exactly wrong with trying to adapt portions of the Catholic mass to the era's rock and pop styles (this would be done pretty liberally in the years to come), and in toto you could do worse than what the actual or alleged Electric Prunes were forced to do with "Mass in F Minor." (Come to think of it, British heavies Spooky Tooth, at around the same time or within a year, with "Ceremony"--in fairness, they signed on to be the backing group for its creator, electronics experimenter Pierre Henry; they didn't necessarily expect it to be issued as a Spooky Tooth album--actually did do worse. ) But "Mass in F Minor" (and its Electric Prunes-in-name-only followup, "Release of an Oath/The Kol Nidre"; Axelrod at least was willing to give Judaism an equal opportunity for limpen deconstruction) has the sad enough legacy--in terms of both its inconsistent music and the burden of its having been forced upon a band, or what was left of it, which did not love it--of being a major part of why it is that critics and fans since have insisted that few of the original psychedelic bands deserve better than the Electric Prunes do.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most acid drenched album of all time is available again!, November 6, 2000

By 

qoz (somewhere in Corn Belt Country) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mass in F Minor (Audio CD)

That this album was even finished was a miracle. Recorded while the band was undergoing one of their periodic personnal changes, MASS IN F MINOR captures a minor band at the last desperate moments of their 15 minutes of fame. In fact, two distinct bands played on this album. While guitarist Mark Tulin, vocalist James Lowe and drummer Quint performed on all cuts, it was the first three tracks, (Kyrie Eleison, Gloria, and Credo) that featured the Electric Prunes of "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)" fame while the remaining 3 tracks (Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei) were mainly recorded by a Canadian band named The Collectors. The difference is obvious to anyone who listens. The former featured ear-splintering solos by guitarist Ken Williams on all three cuts and were generally some of the finest acid rock ever recorded. The latter was more keyboard based, utilizing electric piano and some primative synthesizer. Which is not to say it was wimpy by any means. One could say the Kyrie-Gloria-Credo triumverate represented the feedback-drenched style of psychedelia which was rapidly losing favor (which may explain why this album was not available in the US for almost 3 decades) while the Sanctus-Benedictus-Agnus triad represented the newer "progressive" arm of psychedelia (kinda like Yes and Moody Blues before they took themselves seriously). No serious study of 60's psychedelic music is complete without this album. Highly recommended

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars underrated and almost anonymous top rated album, March 7, 2005

By 

mabus (melbourne Fl) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mass in F Minor (Audio CD)

as a foremost authority on music particularly from the sixties, I rate this as one of the top 5 albums EVER recorded, though archaicly finished. I don't understand why Axelrod fired the Prunes, one of the single Premier bands during the absolute heighth of music. They don't even name or give credits on the issue I have. If I didn't have LOST DREAMS I would have no idea who played on this, and I'm still not sure. I imagine Ken Williams played guitar on the first three tracks. From the first time I heard this album I was totally blown away. The arrangements, drums, guitar, and other instrumentation are out of this world and set their own standard. I was shocked to see how low its ratings were. As a guitar player, these were some of the best and most difficult licks I ever learned. Salute to who ever was involved in bringing this conception together, disparate though it was. A mass in f minor concert would floor many people.