![]() ![]() The band made a cameo appearance performing the song in the Richard Rush film Psych-Out. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the week ending November 25, 1967. The Uni Records subsidiary of MCA picked up the record for national distribution, and the single was re-released in May 1967 with "Incense and Peppermints" as the A-side. The band was not impressed by songwriter John Carter's singing, so Slay chose Greg Munford, a 16-year-old friend of the band who was from another group called Shapes of Sound, to sing lead on the track. The song was initially released as a B-side by Thee Sixpence on All American Records, owned by Bill Holmes, the band's manager and producer. The first and most famous Strawberry Alarm Clock single was "Incense and Peppermints", produced by Frank Slay. The post-Strawberry Alarm Clock incarnation broke up before any success was realized. There were probably 10 songs in all that were recorded but Bunnell stated that both masters were stolen. ![]() There were two recording sessions with some of these personnel, one with Dave Hassinger at the Recording Factory and one with Bill Lazarus at Sunset Sound. However, according to Bunnell, many Strawberry Alarm Clock songs came from the band he had formed previously with Seol, Bartek, Randy Zacuto, Fred Schwartz, and Criss Jay, which performed under the names Waterfyrd Traene (pre-Strawberry Alarm Clock), Public Bubble (during Strawberry Alarm Clock), and Buffington Rhodes (post-Strawberry Alarm Clock). The inception of Strawberry Alarm Clock aside from Thee Sixpence is not well documented, largely because none of the latter band's recordings (subsequently lost) were released. Seol eventually brought in songwriters Bunnell and Steve Bartek, who participated in the writing and recording of Strawberry Alarm Clock's first album. Randy Seol (drums, vibes, percussion, vocals) and Mark Weitz ( keyboards, vocals) joined to replace the departing Gunnels, Rabe, and Luciano just as the name change to Strawberry Alarm Clock was occurring. Categorized as acid rock, psychedelic pop and sunshine pop, they charted five songs, including two Top 40 hits.Ĭareer 1966–1967: Formation and early success Ī history of the band written by George Bunnell stated that "The Strawberry Alarm Clock came about by parts of two bands, Thee Sixpence and Waterfyrd Traene, morphing into one." The group originally named Thee Sixpence initially consisted of Ed King (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Luciano ( vocals), Lee Freeman ( rhythm guitar, harmonica, vocals), Gary Lovetro (bass), Steve Rabe ( guitar, vocals), and Gene Gunnels ( drums). They are best known for their 1967 hit single " Incense and Peppermints". But there was a real group there, with members who had played for a long time on the Southern California band scene, who were proficient on their instruments and who sang well and generated four whole LPs of which at least three were worth hearing more than once.Strawberry Alarm Clock is a psychedelic rock band formed in 1967 with origins in Glendale, California, a city about ten miles north of downtown Los Angeles. ![]() Their name is as well known to anyone who lived through the late-'60s psychedelic era as that of almost any group one would care to mention, mostly out of its sheer, silly trippiness as a name and their one major hit, "Incense and Peppermints," which today is virtually the tonal equivalent of a Summer of Love flashback. Strawberry Alarm Clock occupies a peculiar niche in the history of '60s rock. The Strawberry Alarm Clock’s unique sound-full of beautiful, day-glo pop surrounding jagged, fuzzy guitars and organs, among other garage-rock influences-is all presented as originally issued! Their smash “Incense and Peppermints,” which reached #1 in late 1967 and remained in the Billboard pop chart for 16 weeks, is included on The Best of Strawberry Alarm Clock, and ’60s psych gold “Love Me Again,” “Sea Shell,” “Barefoot in Baltimore,” “Sit With the Guru,” and many more-all mastered from the stereo UNI reels in definitive 180 gram editions! The Best of Strawberry Alarm Clock is a vintage collection that includes key tracks from all four of the band’s albums-“Incense and Peppermints” among them-plus the rarely heard non-LP singles “Desiree” and “Starting Out the Day,” now on 180 gram vinyl. Reissue of 1969 album with original sleeve art. Dirtnap Color Vinyl: Green Noise Exclusives ![]()
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