Strawberry Alarm Clock

In the annals of 1960s rock, Strawberry Alarm Clock carved out a singular place. Recognition of the band name lingered strongly for anyone who navigated the psychedelic late sixties, driven as much by its whimsical, mind-bending character as by the enduring resonance of their breakthrough single “Incense and Peppermints,” a track that still evokes the Summer of Love with uncanny immediacy. Beneath the moniker, however, stood an authentic ensemble whose participants had logged years on the Southern California circuit, displaying instrumental command, strong vocal blend, and the ability to produce four albums, three of which repay repeated listening.

The group’s story begins in mid-sixties Glendale, California, where it first operated as the Sixpence. The British-flavored name seemed commercially astute in 1965. Members drawn from several local outfits formed the initial roster: Lee Freeman handling vocals, guitar, and harmonica; Ed King on guitar; Gary Lovetro on bass; Gene Gunnels on drums; Mike Luciano on tambourine; and Steve Rabe on lead guitar. They concentrated on current hits, built audiences in Glendale and Santa Barbara, and appeared often enough in the latter city that some accounts mistakenly list it as their origin. Like many capable regional acts, they hovered on the edge of wider success. Early recordings included the single “You’re the One” on Impact and three 45s for the small All-American label—“Hey Joe,” a cover of the Who’s “I Can’t Explain,” and the rock standard “Fortune Teller”—all issued in 1966. After “Fortune Teller” was promoted to the A-side, Dot Records acquired the single for national release.

Personnel shifted late that year when Rabe departed and Mark Weitz arrived on keyboards and vocals, sharing lead duties with Freeman. Singles continued to appear on All-American into 1967, the group briefly adopting the name Thee Sixpence. During spring 1967 activity intensified around a new A-side, the sardonic “The Birdman of Alkatrash” written by Weitz. Needing a flip side, the band cut an instrumental called “Incense and Peppermints,” shaped by Weitz and King. Producer Frank Slay forwarded the track to songwriter John Carter, whose earlier success with “That Acapulco Gold” for the Rainy Daze had been modest yet notable. Carter supplied lyrics that, under an existing publishing agreement with Slay, were credited jointly to him and partner Tim Gilbert.

Resentment surfaced quickly; Weitz and Freeman resisted investing themselves in the words, particularly after Carter supervised the vocal session. Slay and Carter instead selected sixteen-year-old Greg Munford, a friend present at the date, to sing the finished track. Although Slay had promised Weitz and King composer credit, the formal registration listed only Carter and Gilbert, while Weitz and King received arranger acknowledgment. Munford’s non-membership in the band caused little immediate concern, since the track was merely intended as a B-side. The All-American pressing appeared with “Incense and Peppermints” on the reverse, a handful of copies even bearing the Sixpence name. Worried about confusion with similarly named groups, the members sought a fresh identity. While gathered at Weitz’s house they settled on “Strawberry,” borrowed from a recent Beatles hit, then noticed a noisy household appliance and completed the phrase “Strawberry Alarm Clock.” The new name was in use by midsummer. Once affixed to the All-American 45, the record began receiving airplay—almost entirely for the B-side.

Uni Records, a fresh subsidiary of American Decca and MCA, secured national distribution. Its colorful label design suited the era, though musical content mattered more. Airplay built steadily until “Incense and Peppermints” reached number one in November 1967. An album was hastily assembled around the hit despite Munford’s absence from the lineup. Massachusetts-born George Bunnell, previously of Something Else, Chapter Four, and the Waterfyrd Traene, joined along with his collaborator Steve Bartek, an Ohio native still attending high school. Bunnell contributed several songs and played bass on them after Lovetro struggled with the parts; Bartek added flute. Bunnell’s effectiveness led to his permanent inclusion, while Bartek, then sixteen, was offered membership but declined because his parents withheld permission. The resulting configuration gave Strawberry Alarm Clock the unusual distinction of carrying two bassists. Drummer Gene Gunnels, a Sixpence veteran since 1965 who had played on the hit, had already left; Randy Seol, in the band since 1966 and also a vocalist, took his place. Seol performed the lead vocal on “Incense and Peppermints,” though Gunnels would later return.

The Incense and Peppermints album, recorded rapidly amid personnel flux, still charted at number eleven—the only Strawberry Alarm Clock LP to enter the rankings—and showcased an inventive blend of psychedelia, sunshine pop, garage rock, and California harmony. “Special effects” credits acknowledged contributions from Weitz, Bunnell, King, and Seol on unusual instruments or unconventional sounds. Bunnell later recalled employing multiple basses plus the Vox Mando guitar, an instrument photographed with Brian Jones but rarely heard on record. The album’s strong reception secured national touring throughout the second half of 1967 and much of 1968, with shared bills alongside Country Joe & the Fish, Jimi Hendrix, and the Who. Bunnell cited the Who dates as highlights; King remembered tours with the Beach Boys and Buffalo Springfield most fondly.

Lovetro accepted a twenty-five-thousand-dollar buyout and exited. The remaining five-piece cut “Tomorrow,” a Weitz-King collaboration that reached number twenty-three in early 1968. The single featured strong hooks, a feedback-laden guitar solo by King, and lyrics written solely by Weitz. Vocal coach Howard Davis refined the harmonies beyond the first album’s level, producing a sound reminiscent of the Association crossed with the Who or the Creation—yet the group played every note themselves. Delayed release by Uni Records, a full month after the single’s chart ascent, limited sales of Wake Up…It’s Tomorrow far below the quarter-million copies achieved by its predecessor.

The band also appeared in Richard Rush’s 1968 film Psych-Out, set in Haight-Ashbury and starring Susan Strasberg, Jack Nicholson, Dean Stockwell, and Bruce Dern. Their performance of the newly written “Pretty Song from Psych-Out” supplied one of the movie’s stronger sequences. King additionally coached Nicholson on guitar fingering for authenticity. Despite the exposure, sales failed to recover. By late 1968 bookings rested largely on the two earlier hits. For the third album, The World in a Sea Shell, Uni exerted greater control, imposing softer harmonies, orchestral and brass arrangements, and four outside compositions—two by Carter and Gilbert, two by Carole King and Toni Stern. Seol and Bunnell, unrepresented as writers, departed. After dismissing longtime manager Bill Holmes, the remaining members faced retaliation when Holmes assembled a competing Strawberry Alarm Clock lineup featuring Seol and Bunnell, leading to legal disputes that made promoters wary of either act.

The authentic group recruited ex-Nightcrawlers guitarist-vocalist Jimmy Pitman, shifted King permanently to bass, and reinstated Gunnels in place of interim drummer Marty Katin. Pitman’s blues-inflected, heavier style redirected the band toward harder blues-rock material. Self-produced sessions yielded Good Morning Starshine; tracks such as “Small Package,” “Dear Joy,” and “Off Ramp Road Tramp” displayed the new direction effectively, while the title song, a number-eighty-seven single drawn from Hair, was soon overshadowed by Oliver’s more commercial version.

Pitman left by the end of 1969; vocalist Paul Marshall joined, King returned to lead guitar, and Weitz exited soon afterward. A four-piece version persisted until 1971 under King’s leadership. Shortly thereafter King accepted an invitation to join Lynyrd Skynyrd, whose members had opened for Strawberry Alarm Clock and whose singer Ronnie Van Zant had become a friend. King’s contributions appear on the Southern rock band’s first three albums and their associated tours.