Electric Prunes - 'Just Good old Rock And Roll' (Collector's
Mike Reed | USA | 09/17/2007
(2 out of 5 stars)
"You've got to be kidding. This sort of marketing ought to be illegal. First off, this isn't the Electric Prunes at all. Some of the same line-up from 'Mass In F Minor' {a lot better} album than this insult to all true Prunes fans. I've heard about this {strictly for completists} later day Electric Prunes release, but I never thought any record company would bother to reissue it on CD. It's not all that terrible, just the very idea of tagging this disc as an Electric Prunes record. Tunes here that I could possibly coax myself into sitting through again are "Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers", maybe "Violent Rose" and the semi-uplifting "Sing To Me". Listen to this site's provided sound clips before purchasing."
Not worthy of the name
Peter J. Chudoba | Rochester, NY | 08/06/2007
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I almost regret buying this, except that it helps complete my collection. This album is terrible. Not worthy of the name of the Electric Prunes. Caveat emptor."
Forget the name, enjoy the music.
Suspicion | Providence, RI USA | 05/12/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I get that a lot of reviews you read for this record will be 1 or 2 stars just based on principle. This is "The Electric Prunes Mark II". There are no original members on this record. Yadda yadda yadda.
So what. You listen to the music, not the name on the cover. The music is pretty good. Lots of guitars, some cool keyboard lines, great singing. Furthermore, a lot of the songs are actually pretty memorable and will stick in your head.
It's a bit formulaic, sure. But quite frankly, well over 3/4 of this record is exactly what the album states that it is...just good old rock and roll. By 1969 standards, this was decent, name on the cover be damned."
Great late-'60's rock
Burritoman "USA" | Pennsylvania | 11/09/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is my favorite Electric Prunes album. It doesn't have any of the 'Mass In F Minor' experimentation going on, as the title implies, and only traces of their prior hard-psych sound, and it's all the better for it in my opinion. Of course there's not an original member in sight, but the musicians are very strong and the material uniformly excellent. Not perfect, but for a heavy rock album from 1969, "Just Good Old Rock And Roll" is about as good as you'll find. Too bad they didn't last into the mid-'70's with this (or any) lineup, because it would have been interesting to see where the Prunes would've gone in the era of heavy rock. Believe it or not, on this particular album the Electric Prunes are ahead of the pack when it comes to nascent boogie rock (of the type Foghat and Humble Pie would later develop and trademark), but since this album has been so overlooked this aspect of the band's sound has seemingly gone unnoticed. Probably the most important thing about "Just Good Old Rock And Roll" is that this would be the first time that the band had been allowed to be almost completely self-contained, thus resulting in an honest (if admittedly somewhat directionless, going in all sorts of different styles) work. If given a chance, the music on this disc is diverse and very well done. A lost classic now on cd, without bonus tracks but decent informative notes and great remastering from our friends at Collectors Choice Music."
A fine period piece!
Un tintinophile | Ville de Québec, Canada | 08/03/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In the early seventies, I used to order all those Warner/Reprise various artist 2-lp samplers that cost just 2 bucks, and believe it or not, I'm still listening to most of them.
On the one called Songbook, there was "Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers" and it remains one of my favorites to this day. I'm glad I can at long last enjoy the whole album. From the samples, the rest of the cd seems to be of the same ilk. I'm quite fond of the organ textures throughout which remind me of Iron Butterfly or Vanilla Fudge.
Who knows, it must have been one of those up and coming bands that were forced to adopt the Electric Prunes moniker by the record company in order to put out their music. What would you have done? It's a matter of this or eternal obscurity...
I, for one, am glad I still can listen to this album today.
And by the way, I love the "real" Electric Prunes too!"