Strawberry Alarm Clock – Where’s One?
First – this isn’t a retrospective set, or a live album, or even a “lost” album. This is a brand-new Strawberry Alarm Clock. White hair? Sure. No hair? Yes. A pair of shades on their faces makes them look just as good now as in 1967. Back when I was 15, I liked their hit “Incense & Peppermints”; it was psychedelic, but different, not too spacey or hippie-dippy, just loaded with mystical stuff like Jimi’s “Purple Haze.” Originally produced by Frank Slay (his orchestra played on Freddy Cannon’s hit “Palisades Park”).
They weren’t 1-hit wonders either; they charted 5 times. Issued 4 albums between 1967-9, but what impressed me was “Me & the Township,” an uncharacteristically generous piece of condensed hard rock with clever lyrics & a marvelous Gene Gunnels drums finale & the late lead guitarist Jimmy Pitman vocals. Whoa. Chillingly good ending.
There are 13 neo-psychedelic songs to this new assemblage, Where’s One? (Drops August 7/Big Stir Records/54:35) was produced by Steve Bartek (lead guitar/harmonica/flutes/bass flute/sitar & electric sitar) & Strawberry Alarm Clock (with 5 original members in attendance). It’s a bit spacey out of the gate but impressive, as their pop-consciousness is still firmly in their grip, especially once you get past the intro & dwell amongst “Monsters.” A nice, trippy winding lead guitar chews through the wires not once but twice. The vocals weave through a nostalgic lyric about the passage of time.
Taking a classic Beatles oldie like “Day Tripper” is risky, but the Alarm Clock fattens the arrangement & wisely leaves it as a fiery instrumental. The drum fills & guitar are aggressive & raw. They’ve gone from “Incense & Peppermints” to curbside gasoline rainbows & Beechnut chewing tobacco.
They mesh a vintage sound with modern immediacy. The music rolls along like new steel-belted radials. “Blow Your Mind” soars with harmonica, some good effects & the guitars play with panache. The band keeps the continuity well within their comfort zones. Closer to their original sound is “I’m Not the One” – with equal parts of spaciness, ambience, & strong Alarm Clock vocals with a surprisingly excellent grinding lead guitar. The mature & melodic “Since You Have Gone Away” befits the new band & turns up the heat. When they maintain a serious approach (“The Sky Isn’t Falling”), they always have muscle. There are no raw gutsy tracks like Pittman’s “Me & the Township,” but that was then; this is now.
Having several lead vocalists is a benefit. The “Galactic Symphony – Persian Skies” is typical early Pink Floyd/Syd Barrett experimentation. Creative. This isn’t your grandfather’s pop group. They’ve come of age. And no, they’re not cheese. Wine maybe, because they’ve been kept in a cask all these years. Good vintage.
Highlights – “Monsters,” “Day Tripper,” “Blow Your Mind,” “I’m Not the One,” “Since You Have Gone Away,” “The Sky Isn’t Falling,” “Tahitian Gardens” & “Galactic Symphony – Persian Skies.”
Musicians – Gene Gunnels (drums/percussion/cowbell), George Bunnell (vocals/bass/harmony/synth/ukelele), Mark Stephen Weitz (vocals/keyboards/Farfisa organ/harmony), Howie Anderson (lead guitar/harmony/ukelele), Randy Seol (vocals/frog guiro/drums/percussion/chimes/vibes/bongos/marimbas/harmony), with Ian Anderson (baritone sax – not from Jethro Tull) & Stephen J. Kalinich (spoken word).
Color image courtesy of the band’s website. CD @ Bandcamp & https://strawberryalarmclock.com/23953/wheres-one-album/ + https://www.bigstirrecords.com/ & https://bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com/album/wheres-one