“Girl From The City” was one of Strawberry Alarm Clock’s final singles, a non-LP song with vocalist Paul Marshall. The track was recorded for the soundtrack of the movie Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls. The b-side was the evergreen “Three”.
“Girl From The City” doesn’t strive to be great or profound, just to be a fun little rock song — and it succeeds in this smartly. Like “California Day”, also by this SAC lineup, “Girl From The City” concerns itself with the band’s beloved home state.
There is some nice guitar work on this track, as Ed King had taken control of the instrument again after mostly playing bass on the group’s final LP Good Morning Starshine. That chorus of overdubbed fuzzy guitars was nice to hear again, since it’s really a major component of the classic Clock sound.
Marshall’s vocals on “Girl From The City” are somewhat more even (and in his range) than “California Day” — he sounds a lot like Burton Cummings of the Guess Who.
By this time, Strawberry Alarm Clock had apparently learned how to just enjoy itself and not strive desperately for a hit. Ironically, this should have given the band a few hits, since their post-LP singles from 1969 and 1970 were some of their most enjoyable recordings.
It didn’t work, unfortunately, and the band soon split up and went their separate ways. But “Girl From The City” is well worth checking out.
“Girl From The City” appears on…
“Girl From The City” b/w “Three” (1970)
Good Morning Starshine (1969) [Japanese bonus-track version]
Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1971)
Strawberries Mean Love (1992)
Passable if not of my personal favourites. Still other bands have produced much worse songs at the late stage of their 1970s career.