“(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 by the band on recent songs like “Heart Full Of Rain” (which had the band’s first use of the classic SAC-esque keyboard) and “In The Building” (an amazing gloomy psych accomplishment that the band would revisit in their weirder SAC days).
This song sounds more like 1965-era Kinks twisting the riff from “I Feel Fine” into a crude R&B affair. It’s not bad, certainly; the band is adept and has learned how to keep up a consistent level of energy thoughout a performance, not to mention a certain panache in their musicianship. It’s just that there is not much really new here for the band.
That said, “(Gotta Get The) First Plane Home” does contain some good stop-start rhythmic ideas, and their focus on the main guitar riff is a novelty for the band. It may not necessarily be on the cutting edge of the concurrent music scene of early 1967 but it’s a fun listen.
“(Gotta Get The) First Plane Home” appears on…
“Heart Full Of Rain” b/w “(Gotta Get The) First Plane Home” (1967)
Step By Step (1998)