Strawberry Alarm Clock’s oldest song could be considered to be “Long Days Flight”, which was the a-side of the first single released by the band’s original carnation, Thee Sixpence. That band released a half-dozen songs, and the lineup was virtually the same as SAC.
The first Strawberry Alarm Clock songs proper were the two from the single “Incense And Peppermints” b/w “The Birdman Of Alkatrash”; the band’s first album Incense And Peppermints contained several more band originals. Wake Up… It’s Tomorrow, considered by some the band’s high point, was full of more great SAC originals.
The band’s third album, The World In A Sea Shell, featured several tracks written for the band by outside writers along with some originals; their final LP Good Morning Starshine featured all original Strawberry Alarm Clock songs, except the title song. After that final LP, the band released several non-LP singles with both Jim Pitman and Paul Marshall on vocals. They also contributed two songs to the 1970 movie soundtrack of Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls and two new songs on a 1971 compilation album, Changes.
In 2012, Strawberry Alarm Clock released the album Wake Up Where You Are, which featured remakes of some of their old songs plus a few new ones.
“(Gotta Get The) First Plane Home” is the b-side of a single by Thee Sixpence, who later became Strawberry Alarm Clock. The song’s a-side was “Heart Full Of Rain”. It was released on the All American label in early 1967. “(Gotta Get The) First Plane Home” sounds a little regressive after the forward strides made … Read more
“Me And The Township” is the first song on Strawberry Alarm Clock’s final studio album, 1969’s Good Morning Starshine. With its gritty performance and lack of any non-rock instrumentation, the track immediately announces that the Clock is in a different mood than on the previous album, The World In A Sea Shell. “Me And The … Read more
“Soft Skies, No Lies” is the second track from Strawberry Alarm Clock’s second album, 1968’s Wake Up… It’s Tomorrow. It’s the polar opposite of the terrifying album opener “Nightmare Of Percussion”. An extravagantly sunny pop song praising nature for creating soft skies, there is a kind of meta-irony in its extreme inoffensiveness due to its … Read more
“Black Butter, Future” is the final in a trilogy of songs that closes Strawberry Alarm Clock’s 1968 LP Wake Up… It’s Tomorrow. If “Black Butter, Past” was the sound of rock music’s early days, and “Black Butter, Present” was the sound of 1968 psychedelia, “Black Butter, Future” throws a curveball by being decidedly non-futuristic. Beginning … Read more
“Heart Full Of Rain” is one of the final songs released by Thee Sixpence in early 1967, shortly before the band became Strawberry Alarm Clock. “Heart Full Of Rain” was released on the All American label with two different b-sides: “(Gotta Get The) First Plane Home” and the previously-released “Fortune Teller”. (Both versions, confusingly, had … Read more
The title of “A Million Smiles Away”, a song from Strawberry Alarm Clock’s 1968 LP The World In A Sea Shell, would suggest a soft, dreamy performance on an album known for its gentle string arrangements and sleepy, baroque pop. But, as one must constantly realize when dealing with SAC, things are not as they … Read more
“Starting Out The Day” is notable as an upbeat, horn-driven Strawberry Alarm Clock song released as a single in 1969. Its b-side was “Small Package”, taken from the Good Morning Starshine album. Originally a non-LP side, “Starting Out The Day” has been released on various compilations since its original release. “Starting Out The Day” has … Read more
“Black Butter, Past” opens Strawberry Alarm Clock’s trilogy of “black butter” songs from their 1968 album Wake Up… It’s Tomorrow. A straight-ahead rock song, “Black Butter, Past”, true to its title, seems to hearken back to a musical era before the song’s own – a mere two years prior, perhaps, around 1966 when garage rock (and the band, … Read more
“Heated Love” is a song from Strawberry Alarm Clock’s 1968 LP The World In A Sea Shell. Written by the same band members responsible for some of Wake Up… It’s Tomorrow‘s stranger moments, “Heated Love” has a loose and unconventional structure, even though the actual arrangement and performance are much gentler than that album’s whacked-out … Read more
“Miss Attraction” is a song from Strawberry Alarm Clock’s 1969 album Good Morning Starshine which was also released as the b-side of the single “(You Put Me On) Stand By”. The single take was shorter — punchier and more concise — than the album version, which featured extended jamming. Both versions are found on the … Read more
“Strawberries Mean Love” is the fourth song on Strawberry Alarm Clock’s 1967 debut LP Incense And Peppermints. It’s the second track to feature a more placid and conventional pop sound, the first having been “Birds In My Tree”, and follows the chaos of the scrambled “Lose To Live”. “Strawberries Mean Love” is also one of … Read more
“Black Butter, Present” is the second in a trilogy of songs that closes Strawberry Alarm Clock’s 1968 LP Wake Up… It’s Tomorrow. Self-consciously psychedelic, the song sports a prominent sitar and backwards echo. The technique involves recording something and applying echo to it as you run the tape backwards; when listened to forward the echo … Read more
“Hey Joe” was covered as the b-side of Thee Sixpence’s third single, “In The Building”, from 1966. Thee Sixpence would soon evolve into Strawberry Alarm Clock. This record was released on the All American label, and re-released on a compilation album in 1998. Both of Thee Sixpence’s previous 45s had covers of songs from Love’s … Read more
“They Saw The Fat One Coming” is a standout track from the Strawberry Alarm Clock album Wake Up… It’s Tomorrow from 1968. A psychedelic tone poem with shimmering guitar and a ghostly chorus, it’s full of unusual poetry and features an acoustic guitar and a meditative, funereal pace. As on several other Strawberry Alarm Clock … Read more
The second track on Strawberry Alarm Clock’s third album, The World In A Sea Shell (1968), “Blues For A Young Girl Gone” is a lush pop song in keeping with the less-psychedelic feel of the album, as compared with the band’s previous albums. It is actually one of the album’s better songs, and one of … Read more
“Hog Child” is the fourth track on Good Morning Starshine, Strawberry Alarm Clock’s final LP from 1969. The overall vibe of “Hog Child” is bluesy, organ-fuelled rock, in keeping with the general feel of the album (especially as compared with the group’s previous LP, the curiously lush The World In A Sea Shell). SAC uses … Read more
“My Flash On You” is the b-side of Thee Sixpence’s second 45 rpm single, the a-side of which is “Fortune Teller”. That was the second single in a row on which the band covered a song from Love’s self-titled 1966 debut album. Thee Sixpence was the original version of Strawberry Alarm Clock. Unlike the band’s … Read more
“Three” is the name of a Strawberry Alarm Clock song distinguished by the fact that it was released three times, all on the b-sides of different singles. As a song, “Three” is one of Paul Marshall’s more fun songs that the new singer did with the band. It’s well-written and playful and achieves what it … Read more
“California Day” is a non-LP song, released as a single in 1970 by Strawberry Alarm Clock. The track featured the band’s last lead singer, Paul Marshall, who had replaced Jim Pitman. “California Day” is a pleasant and perky ode to driving around sunny California’s open highways (and by extension to the state itself). There is … Read more
“Home Sweet Home” is the fifth song on the 1968 album The World In A Sea Shell by Strawberry Alarm Clock. Although written by the same songwriters who contributed “Sea Shell” to the album, John Carter and Tim Gilbert, “Home Sweet Home” is peppier than that drowsy song, even funky. “Home Sweet Home” is one … Read more