The soundtrack LP of the 1968 movie Psych-Out features Strawberry Alarm Clock, the Seeds, Boenzee Cryque, and the Storybook. It’s a great selection of psychedelic pop songs. Strawberry Alarm Clock has no otherwise-unavailable songs here, except for a shorter edit of “The World’s On Fire”. The album is a great collector’s piece, and has been reissued, but it’s not strictly necessary apart from that.
There are four Strawberry Alarm Clock-related pieces on the album. “The World’s On Fire” appears twice, in its full-length original form (as on the album Incense And Peppermints) and in the shorter edit. “Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow” also comes from the debut LP.
The gorgeous and sparkling “Pretty Song From Psych-Out”, which SAC recorded and released on their second album Wake Up… It’s Tomorrow, is also on the Psych-Out soundtrack album, but by another band. It’s pretty much a note-for-note copy by The Storybook. It’s good but not as great as the Clock version.
The Seeds’ one song here is “Two Fingers Pointing On You”, a track from their classic 1967 album Future.
The Storybook and Boenzee Cryque
The Psych-Out soundtrack is often described as being a Strawberry Alarm Clock and Seeds album, but that’s not accurate. The album in fact focuses more on The Storybook, a now mostly-forgotten group that shine with some really great psychedelic music here. The Psych-Out movie may have been a psychsploitation flick enabling Dick Clark to make a fast buck, but the music is excellent.
I actually recommend this LP for The Storybook tunes and for the hilariously blatant “Purple Haze” ripoff called “Ashbury Wednesday”. It’s credited to Boenzee Cryque and is the song in the movie being played by Jack Nicholson’s psychedelic band.
Track listing
Side 1
- “Pretty Song From Psych-Out” – by The Storybook
- “Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow” – by Strawberry Alarm Clock
- “Two Fingers Pointing On You” – by The Seeds
- “Ashbury Wednesday” – by Boenzee Cryque
- “The World’s On Fire” [3:29 edit] – by Strawberry Alarm Clock
Side 2
- “Psych-Out Sanctorum” – by The Storybook
- “Beads Of Innocence” – by The Storybook
- “The Love Children” – by The Storybook
- “Psych-Out” – by The Storybook
- “The World’s On Fire” [8:24] – by Strawberry Alarm Clock
As the lead singer for the Storybook I can say that we all enjoyed performing for this album. We were a San Fernando Valley garage band performing at different valley venues, battle of the bands and on the UCLA fraternity circuit. The group broke up when I had to serve my time in the service during Viet Nam.
Also i uploaded them too Youtube!!!
The Storybook is AMAZING!!! Too bad they only made these few songs!!!
Böenzees take on “Purple Haze” is so amazing! I first thought that it was a guitar and i wondered how he got it to pitch so up so high, but then i found out that it was Rusty (future Poco member) playing a pedal steel guitar. Amazing anyways!