James Lowe, the lead singer in psych-rock band the Electric Prunes, has died. In a statement shared on Facebook, Lowe’s family said he died of natural causes on Thursday (May 29). “Dad leaves behind a legacy of sound, love, and boundless creativity,” his family wrote. “At the center of it all was our amazing mom, Pamela – his guiding star, enduring muse, and wife of 62 years. We know how deeply he cherished this community, and we feel that love too.” Lowe was 82.
The founding member the Electric Prunes, Lowe’s vision for groovy, trippy psych-rock had a large influence on the direction and popularity of the genre—especially in America—during the 1960s. Their biggest hit, “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night),” scaled the Billboard Hot 100 to secure a spot in its upper tier. It also landed a critical spot on Nuggets, the 1972 psych and garage-rock compilation that garnered a cult following. The Electric Prunes’s self-titled LP boasted what would become their final Top 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 – in part thanks to him being born in San Luis Obispo and growing up in Los Angeles.
Surf rock-inspired garage band the Sanctions—founded by Lowe on vocals and guitar, bassist Mark Tulin, lead guitarist Ken Williams, and drummer Michael Weakley—eventually morphed into the Electric Prunes in 1965 when a real estate agent introduced them to Dave Hassinger, the sound engineer at RCA Studios who wanted to produce an album. During the band’s recording session, Hassinger suggested they change their name, and Lowe tossed out the Electric Prunes as a joke. “It’s the one thing everyone will remember,” Lowe rationalized. “It’s not attractive, and there’s nothing sexy about it, but people won’t forget it.”
Despite their early singles failing to gain traction, Reprise Records signed the Electric Prunes to a contract overseen by Hassinger. Although a few lineup changes and songwriter sub-ins took place, they settled into the studio and churned out “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night).” Building off its success, they recorded the albums The Electric Prunes and Underground, both released in 1967, and went on a successful tour of Europe.
Hassinger pitched the Electric Prunes on the idea of a concept album that utilized Gregorian music and psych-pop, and nabbed the late David Axelrod to compose the songs – launching a new, slowly lauded era for the band. The resulting Mass in F Minor was an ambitious, unwieldy record, and one of its spaced-out tracks, “Kyrie Eleison,” gained a belated popularity bump when it was synced for the cult 1969 film Easy Rider. Years later, it became coveted fodder for rap producers like MF DOOM and Madlib, who worked samples from Mass in F Minor into their songs.
After playing that new material just once live in concert, though, Lowe and Weakley decided to leave the band in early 1968, disenchanted with the Electric Prunes’ financial difficulties and musical roadbumps. Tulin and Williams followed suit several months later. Lowe pivoted to a life behind the board, becoming a recording engineer and working with artists like Todd Rundgren and Sparks instead. Later on, Lowe also ran a TV production company.
With the reins in Hassinger’s hands, the Electric Prunes continued on with a different lineup until 1970, releasing two additional albums: 1968’s Release of an Oath, as composed by Axelrod and belatedly heralded in experimental and hip-hop circles for its hallucinatory grooves, and 1969’s Just Good Old Rock and Roll.
However, come 1999, the original lineup of Lowe, Tulin, Williams, and Weakley reunited to record new music and perform live again. In 2001, they released their first comeback album, Artifact, which uncorked the psych-rock sound they originally courted in their earliest days. They went on to record three additional studio LPs: 2004’s California, 2006’s Feedback, and 2014’s WaS. During that later run, the Electric Prunes were one of several notable bands who signed to Billy Corgan and Smashing Pumpkins producer Kerry Brown’s new record label.
In a 2011 interview, Lowe reflected on his past experiences in the Electric Prunes and stressed the importance of supporting bands you enjoy in real time. “I have mentioned ‘We felt like failures’ many times in this process. It sounds corny, but later in life you learn you were not as bad as you thought. I have decided not to beat myself up so much,” he said. “I encourage people to support their favorite bands by buying something from them on their websites or showing up when they play live in your town. For some, this is the only way they can continue to record and play live. If you don’t want to order something, at least give encouragement and support for what they have done for you. It means a lot to get a nice email and this is all most musicians really want for their efforts: a little ‘YES!!!!’ when it works.”
