If you listen to oldies stations or are old enough to have tuned into rock radio in the late 1960s, you undoubtedly know of Strawberry Alarm Clock. The Southern California group, originally called Thee Sixpence, recorded a psychedelic pop song called “Incense and Peppermints” that became a huge hit.

Its success, for which the band’s members weren’t entirely responsible, was a bit of a fluke. Greg Munford, a 16-year-old kid who happened to be in the studio but was not part of the group, provided the lead vocal. As for the nonsensical lyric, it was an early effort by another non-member, John Carter, that incorporates lots of “meaningless nouns”—a phrase that appears in one chorus. Still, it was a catchy tune, replete with drug references, ear-candy instrumentation, and excellent vocal harmonies.

Issued as a single’s B-side and credited to Thee Sixpence, the song initially went nowhere. But after the band changed its name to Strawberry Alarm Clock and rereleased the tune as the A-side of a nationally distributed 45, the world took notice. The recording spent four months on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1967 and hit the No. 1 spot in November. An album that shared the single’s title made it to No. 11.

The group issued three more LPs between 1967 and 1969 that deserved more attention than they received. Strawberry Alarm Clock also dented the charts four more times with singles during this period, but none achieved anywhere near the success of “Incense and Peppermints.” That’s why the band, which subsequently broke up, now often appears on lists of so-called one-hit wonders.

However, its story didn’t end with the 1960s, because in subsequent decades, Strawberry Alarm Clock periodically regrouped or held brief reunions. And now, nearly 60 years after “Incense and Peppermints,” it has just released an album called Where’s One?. It is the band’s first full-length recording of new music since 1969.

Given how much time has passed, you might expect this to be a case where, say, one original member has licensed the group’s name and set up shop with a bunch of johnny-come-latelys. But that’s not what we have here.

Granted, five founding players are gone, including rhythm guitarist Lee Freeman, who died in 2010 and lead guitarist Ed King, who passed away in 2018. But the current group includes original Thee Sixpence and Strawberry Alarm Clock members Gene Gunnels (drums/percussion), Randy Seol (vibes, drums/percussion, vocals), and Mark Weitz (keyboards, vocals). Also on hand are multi-instrumentalist Steve Bartek and bassist George Bunnel, both of whom played on the Incense and Peppermints album, and guitarist Howie Anderson, who joined the band during its 1986 reunion.

Their new album is excellent. The group’s penchant for psychedelia remains obvious throughout, but its sound, which incorporates elements of dream pop and power pop, has become much more complex and sophisticated. “Monsters,” the album’s first single, is an immersive, five-minute number that’s as addictive as anything by, say, Oasis or Dwight Twilley. Another richly textured pop gem is the Beatles-influenced “Since You Have Gone Away.” And speaking of the Beatles, the program’s only non-originals are a pair of well-done Fab Four covers: a guitar-dominated instrumental take on “Day Tripper” and a version of “Within You Without You” that features Bartek on sitar.

A few of the tracks feel like filler, but most of them sound like the compelling work of an energized and creative outfit. Let’s hope the group stays together this time and issues more albums as good as Where’s One?.

The album is available here.

Also Noteworthy

Absolute Grey, cbgb’s 1985. Many great bands achieved prominence during the punk/new wave era in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s, but many other notable groups got lost in the shuffle. Among those in the latter category is Absolute Grey, a hard-rocking quartet from Rochester, New York, that featured intense lead singer Beth Brown along with bassist Mitchell Rasor, drummer Pat Thomas, and guitarist Matt Kitchen. The group issued four albums between 1984 and 1989 but never attracted a national audience and broke up in 1990.

Its demise is unfortunate based on the evidence in a new collection of 10 previously unreleased tracks, all recorded in concert in 1985 at New York’s famed cbgb’s club. The album’s engrossing psychedelia-infused jangle pop should appeal to fans of Paisley Underground outfits like Rain Parade and Dream Syndicate. However, the guitar work and Brown’s commanding vocals might make you think first of Grace Slick and Jefferson Airplane, whose “White Rabbit” is the only non-original in this well-recorded set.

The album comes with a 24-page illustrated booklet that includes three essays about the band and its legacy.

The album is available here.