The Electric Banana

The Complete De Wolfe Sessions

Grapefruit Pretty Things library music alter ego unzipped.

During the late 60s/early 70s, the Pretty Things enjoyed a sideline making library music for the De Wolfe company to licence to films and TV, under the contractswerving moniker the Electric Banana, their songs appearing in anything from soft-core comedy What’s Good For The Goose (Pretties in club scene, Norman Wisdom cavorting with Sally Geeson) to horror classic Dawn Of The Dead, along with Dr Who, The Sweeney and Minder.

As the albums were never released, they assumed their own legend. This authorised and band-annotated three-CD set presents all five on CD for the first time (with backing tracks), offering a glimpse of the R&B wild men evolving through psych into 70s rock. 1967’s The Electric Banana and 1968’s More Electric Banana swing breezy Carnaby Street brass on titles like Free Love, frugging into freakbeat frenzy on I Love You. Even More Electric Banana (’69) psychs out on Alexander and Blow Your Mind, Hot Licks (’73) deploys doubletracked MC5 guitars on Rave Up, barroom boogie on Good Times, before hard rock dominates 1978’s The Return Of The Electric Banana, including James Marshall’s wah-wah-splattered Hendrix homage and metalhumping Maze Song.

A priceless chronicle of versatile evolution. ■■■■■■■■■■