![]() And while they did sometimes play dual bass parts, Bunnell describes himself as more of a "utility guy." The album credits list Lovetro as first bassist and Bunnell as a second bassist - something which must be peculiar only to the Alarm Clock's lineup. ![]() "We read dictionaries, encyclopedias, novels and poetry to find ideas," states Bunnell, explaining how the two youngsters came up with such inspired weirdness as "Paxton's Back Street Carnival":Ĭuriously, at this point, Bunnell didn't replaceLovetro. Perhaps Waterfyrd Traene's most important asset, the Bunnell/Bartek team had been collaborating for three years, amassing an impressive catalog of over 100 songs. However, he was able to bring in several original Waterfyrd Traene tunes co-written by Bunnell and Bartek. The drummer first met his future SAC bandmates when Waterfyrd Traene shared a bill with Thee Sixpence at a party in Northridge, and he was recruited into the group in time to add some background harmonies on "Incense and Peppermints."įrom the beginning, Seol lobbied to bring Bunnell in on bass, but the band wasn't keen to replace Lovetro. Seol and his friend Bunnell were seniors at Taft High School in Woodland Hills, where they had a band called Waterfyrd Traene (which included freshman Steve Bartek on flute). They all looked up at the same time and said, 'Alarm Clock!'"Įither way, Gunnels replacement was a blond teenager named Randy Seol, who proved crucial to the Alarm Clock's future. They'd all been throwing out names and finally they were all quiet for a while, and everyone heard the swish of his clock. "Mark had an alarm clock that made a swishing sound when the second hand went across the 12, which you couldn't hear unless it was deadly silent. "The whole group was sitting in Mark's bedroom trying to think of something to go with Strawberry," recollects Bunnell. (Mark Weitz has since verified that Strawberry did indeed come from "Strawberry Fields Forever." He says, "It's one of my favorite Beatles songs.")Īt least the inspiration for the Alarm Clock portion is straightforward. (And was it in the Hot 100 during the necessary time frame?) ![]() "I'm not sure if 'Incense and Peppermints' came out before or after 'Strawberry Fields Forever,'" admits Bunnell. The finger on the Hot 100 anecdote is good, but it has some possible holes that need researching. Released on the German Hit-ton label (1967) "We used to make up different stories all the time just for fun!" "It's one of those things I've never asked Mark," says Bunnell. The oft-repeated explanation of how they became the Strawberry Alarm Clock begins with Weitz turning to the Billboard Hot 100, closing his eyes and putting his finger down on the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever." Which may or may not be true. But with the signing came the realization that other groups were working under variations of Thee Sixpence, so finding a new name became a priority. On the strength of the song's local success, the band was quickly signed to Uni Records, a then-new subsidiary of MCA. "He played 'Incense and Peppermints' like it was the biggest hit in the country!" enthuses Bunnell of the Santa Barbara DJ. And thanks in large part to KIST music director Johnny Fairchild who flipped the single over, they soon found themselves with a regional #1 record. ![]() In April 1967, "The Birdman of Alkatrash" b/w "Incense and Peppermints" by Thee Sixpence was issued locally on All-American (there are rumors of an early pressing where Peppermints is misspelled). This was the moment that Carter mentioned an idea he had for a song title: "Incense and Peppermints." In the meantime, their producer, Frank Slay, contacted John Carter (co-writer of the minor hit "That Acapulco Gold" for psych group the Rainy Daze) to ask if he was working on anything new. Without giving it much thought, they also laid down a bouncy untitled instrumental written by Weitz and King for the B-side. This time, t he plan was to record "The Birdman of Alkatrash" - a garage-punk nugget written and sung by their new keyboardist Mark Weitz - as the A-side of their next 45. Their manager, Bill Holmes, also owned All-American Records, the small-time label for which the band recorded.īy the time they went into Original Sound studios in early 1967, Thee Sixpence had already issued several singles, including covers of "Fortune Teller" and "Hey Joe," without garnering much attention. ![]() The members of the group initially included vocalist Michael Luciano, guitarist Ed King, vocalist/guitarist Lee Freeman, guitarist Steve Rabe, bassist Gary Lovetro, and drummer Gene Gunnels. In the mid-sixties, the suburban Southern California music scene revolved around teenagers, and Thee Sixpence - a talented British Invasion/garage/surf cover band - ruled the teen clubs and pizza joints from Glendale to Santa Barbara. ![]()
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