From 1967-1978, the British band the Pretty Things recorded five albums under an alias, though none were sold in stores. Amongst the tracks they put to tape is an apocalyptic acid rocker, and it’s one of the finest psychedelic songs laid down in the 1960s.
Library music is ready-made soundtracks for film, TV, and radio productions. Until the mid ‘60s, instrumental background music was what was commonly needed, but then pop and rock tunes started to become in demand, as well. De Wolfe, a library music company, began looking for an actual band to provide genuine pop/rock songs, and found one in the Pretty Things. Recording under the fictitious, psychedelia-inspired name Electric Banana, the group produced a self-titled record in 1967, the first in a series of late ‘60s albums for De Wolfe. The general format of these records was to have songs with vocals on Side A, and instrumental versions of the same tracks on Side B. More Electric Banana (1968) was album #2, followed by—wait for it—Even More Electric Banana (1969). The latter release was unique, in that the material was destined for a specific project.
The 1969 film What’s Good for the Goose is very much of its time. Several scenes are set in a swinging, mod discotheque, in which the Pretty Things are seen performing Electric Banana songs from the third EB album. One of those tunes is the stupendous psych rock number, “Blow Your Mind.” After the initial burst of excitement, the song changes course, shifting into a swirling, dramatic instrumental rave-up that never looks back. It’s quite the head trip, and lives up to its title.
Electric Banana tracks were licensed for other films—often of the horror and softcore variety—and TV. But as psychedelic rock fell out of fashion, so did De Wolfe’s need for more Electric Banana tunes, and the project fizzled out. But a high-profile use of the Even More Electric Banana song “It’ll Never Be” in an episode of Doctor Who resulted in a demand for a fresh batch of Banana material. De Wolfe pressed a new EB platter, Hot Licks, in 1973, and a final album, The Return of the Electric Banana, came out in 1978. That same year, their 1967 number, “Cause I’m a Man,” was included in Dawn of the Dead. Electric Banana tracks have continued to be licensed into the 21st century.
The first collection of the entire Electric Banana oeuvre, The Complete De Wolfe Sessions, has recently been released by Grapefruit Records, a division of Cherry Red. In addition to the five EB LPs—which were only accessible to industry insiders, and not available to the general public—the three-CD box set features in-depth liner notes, peeling back the shadowy history of the Banana.
What’s Good for the Goose is on YouTube, and we’ve cued up the film to the lengthiest segment with the Pretty Things. “Blow Your Mind” is the second of two Electric Banana songs in the clip, though unfortunately its drowned out by dialogue and frenzied crowd noise.
Previously on Dangerous Minds:
The art of library music: Stellar instrumental song used for movie trailers and by Quentin Tarantino
How George Romero found the perfect music for his zombie horror classic, ‘Night of the Living Dead’