What Happened Today In Music

November 20th

1967 - Strawberry Alarm Clock
Los Angeles-based psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock were at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Incense And Peppermints'. When recording the track the band expressed a dislike for the song's lyrics so the lead vocals were sung by a friend of the band, Greg Munford, who was attending the recording session as a visitor.

Strawberry Alarm Clock


Strawberry Alarm Clock in 2007

Background information
Origin: Glendale, California, United States
Genres: Rock, Pop, Psychedelia, Sunshine pop, Acid rock
Years active:1967–1971; 1974–1975; 1982–present
Website: strawberryalarmclock.com

Strawberry Alarm Clock is a psychedelic rock band formed in 1967, originating from Glendale, California, a city about ten miles north of downtown Los Angeles. The band is best known for its 1967 hit single "Incense and Peppermints." Their music is categorized as acid rock, psychedelic pop, and sunshine pop,, and they charted five songs, including two Top 40 hits.

Career

1966–1967: Formation and early success

A 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),[8] and Gene Gunnels (drums). 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. Seol eventually brought in songwriters Bunnell and Steve Bartek, who participated in the writing and recording of Strawberry Alarm Clock's first album.

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. 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). 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. There were probably ten songs in all that were recorded, but Bunnell stated that both masters were stolen. The post-Strawberry Alarm Clock incarnation broke up before any success was realized.

The first and most famous single by Strawberry Alarm Clock was "Incense and Peppermints", produced by Frank Slay. The song was initially released as a B-side by Thee Sixpence on All American Records, which was owned by Bill Holmes, the band's manager and producer. The band was not impressed by songwriter John Carter's vocals, so Slay chose Greg Munford, a 16-year-old friend of the band from another group called Shapes of Sound, to sing lead on the track. 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 song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the week ending November 25, 1967. The band made a cameo appearance performing the song in the Richard Rush film Psych-Out.

Weitz and King (also a member of Hunger) were denied songwriting credits by Slay, who stated that they did not write the melody line or lyrics, even though the song was built on an instrumental by Weitz with a bridge by King. This instrumental was originally intended as a B-side to "The Birdman of Alkatrash", which ultimately became the B-side to "Incense and Peppermints". The single spent one week at No. 1 and remained on the charts for a total of 16 weeks. A gold disc was awarded for sales of one million copies by the Recording Industry Association of America on December 19, 1967.

Shortly after recording "Incense and Peppermints", the band added Bunnell (on bass, rhythm guitar, and vocals) before making their first album. Also titled Incense and Peppermints, it reached No. 11 on the US album chart in late 1967. Bunnell would also become their main songwriter. Some early Strawberry Alarm Clock songs were written by Bunnell with Bartek. The latter played flute on the first two Strawberry Alarm Clock albums and would remain involved with the band's later lineups. Bartek later joined The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo and orchestrated Boingo frontman Danny Elfman's film scores.

In November 1967, and again in April 1968, Strawberry Alarm Clock toured on a bill with the Beach Boys and Buffalo Springfield. During the April leg of the tour, several dates in the South were canceled following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968. Ed King said that the band all acquired handguns after King's death for the remaining shows in the South, and that he carried his in his waistband onstage.

In their early days of touring, the band members would often sit on "magic carpets" as their roadies carried them to the stage. Drummer Seol would rig up wrist gas jets to give the illusion that he was playing the bongos and vibes with his hands on fire, until the gimmick became too dangerous.

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Television and films

Strawberry Alarm Clock made several television appearances, including American Bandstand, Happening '68, The Steve Allen Show, and the first episode of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. Drummer Seol appeared as one of three eligible bachelors on The Dating Game and was chosen by the girl.

The band also made two notable appearances in films. In the 1968 Jack Nicholson movie Psych-Out, they performed several songs, including "Incense and Peppermints," "Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow," and "The World's on Fire." "The Pretty Song from Psych-Out" was re-recorded by a San Fernando Valley garage band, the Storybook, for the film's soundtrack album, but the Strawberry Alarm Clock's version was featured in the film.

The band's second movie appearance was in 1970's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, where they played "Incense and Peppermints," "I'm Comin' Home," and "Girl from the City." The soundtrack release included the latter two songs, which were not on any previous albums and were recorded with Marshall on vocals.

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Strawberry Alarm Clock Tours & Concerts (Page 2)

Nov 21, 1967
The Beach Boys / Buffalo Springfield / the soul survivors / Strawberry Alarm Clock / Pickle Brothers
The Beach Boys
Photos Setlists
Westchester Community Center White Plains, New York, United States

Nov 20, 1967
The Beach Boys / Buffalo Springfield / the soul survivors / Strawberry Alarm Clock / Pickle Brothers
Photos
Fairfield Univeristy Gym Fairfield, Connecticut, United States

Nov 19, 1967
Beach Boys / Buffalo Springfield / Strawberry Alarm Clock / Alice Cooper
Setlists
Richmond Arena Richmond, Virginia, United States

Nov 17, 1967
The Beach Boys / Buffalo Springfield / Strawberry Alarm Clock / Soul Survivors / The Pickle Brothers
Setlists
Masonic Temple Detroit, Michigan, United States

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Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense & Peppermints (1967)

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