Perhaps the ultimate psychedelic 45 of the decade, and it was an intended B-side! Strawberry Alarm Clock once recorded as Thee Sixpence with zero success. The new band name combined a Beatles song title and the keyboard player's clock. Incense covers up the smell of pot in a room, and peppermints allegedly do the same for one's breath. Legend has it the lead singer ran late for the session and the group didn't like his lyrics anyway, so they had a run-through with new words sung by a 16-year-old friend of the band, Greg Mumford. Luckily the producer was rolling tape, and that rehearsal became the single. Mumford never joined SAC. Keyboardist Mark Weltz and lead guitarist Ed King actually wrote the music but were hosed out of the royalties. SAC did some shows in Florida where an unheralded local band opened for them. When the hits dried up, King moved to Jacksonville and hooked up with those local guys, who eventually became Lynyrd Skynyrd. That's Ed playing the iconic intro to "Sweet Home Alabama" plus the guitar solo on that and here on "Incense,” both absolute faves of mine.
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