Editing Strawberry Alarm Clock (section)

===1966–1967: Formation and early success===
A history of the band written by George Bunnell states that "The Strawberry Alarm Clock came about by parts of two bands, Thee Sixpence and Waterfyrd Traene, morphing into one."<ref>Bunnell, "Pre-Strawberry Alarm Clock" {{cite web|url=http://www.60sgaragebands.com/strawberryalarmclock.html |title=Pre-Strawberry Alarm Clock |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054033/http://www.60sgaragebands.com/strawberryalarmclock.html |archive-date=2016-03-04 }}</ref> The group, originally named Thee<!--not "The"--> Sixpence, initially consisted of [[Ed King]] (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Luciano ([[vocals]]), Lee Freeman ([[rhythm guitar]], harmonica, vocals), Gary Lovetro (bass), [[SWR Sound Corporation|Steve Rabe]] ([[guitar]], vocals),<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2018/11/the-strawberry-alarm-clock-interview.html | title = The Strawberry Alarm Clock interview with George Bunnell | accessdate = 2021-10-07 | author = Wisniewski, John | date = 2018 | publisher = [[It's Psychedelic Baby! Magazine]]}}</ref> and Gene Gunnels ([[Drum kit|drums]]). Randy Seol (drums, vibes, percussion, vocals) and [[Mark Weitz]] ([[Keyboard instrument|keyboards]], vocals) joined to replace the departing Gunnels, Rabe, and Luciano just as the name change to Strawberry Alarm Clock was occurring. Seol eventually brought in songwriters Bunnell and [[Steve Bartek]], who participated in the writing and recording of Strawberry Alarm Clock's first album.

The inception of Strawberry Alarm Clock, aside from Thee Sixpence, is not well documented, largely because none of the latter band's recordings (subsequently lost) were released. However, according to Bunnell, many Strawberry Alarm Clock songs came from the band he had formed previously with Seol, Bartek, Randy Zacuto, Fred Schwartz, and Criss Jay, which performed under the names Waterfyrd Traene (pre-Strawberry Alarm Clock), Public Bubble (during Strawberry Alarm Clock), and Buffington Rhodes (post-Strawberry Alarm Clock). There were two recording sessions with some of these personnel: one with Dave Hassinger at the Recording Factory and one with Bill Lazarus at [[Sunset Sound]]. There were probably ten songs in all that were recorded, but Bunnell stated that both masters were stolen. The post-Strawberry Alarm Clock incarnation broke up before any success was realized.

The first and most famous single by Strawberry Alarm Clock was "Incense and Peppermints", produced by [[Frank Slay]]. The song was initially released as a B-side by Thee Sixpence on [[All American Records]], which was owned by Bill Holmes, the band's manager and producer. The band was not impressed by the vocals of songwriter [[Carter (music)|John Carter]], so Slay chose Greg Munford, a 16-year-old friend of the band from another group called Shapes of Sound, to sing lead on the track.<ref name=all>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=strawberry-alarm-clock-mn0000633079 |tab=biography |pure_url=yes}} |title=Strawberry Alarm Clock Biography |first=Bruce |last=Eder |publisher=[[All Media Network]] |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=May 3, 2018}}</ref> The [[Uni Records]] subsidiary of [[MCA Records|MCA]] picked up the record for national distribution, and the single was re-released in May 1967 with "Incense and Peppermints" as the A-side. The song reached No.&nbsp;1 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] during the week ending November 25, 1967. The band made a cameo appearance performing the song in the [[Richard Rush (director)|Richard Rush]] film ''[[Psych-Out]]''.<ref name="Larkin60">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=First|isbn=0-7535-0149-X|page=429}}</ref>

Slay refused give Weitz and King (also a member of [[Hunger (band)|Hunger]]) credit for writing the song stating that they did not write either the melody line or lyrics, even though the song was built on an instrumental by Weitz with a bridge by King.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://edking.proboards.com/thread/12|title=The Strawberry Alarm Clock -|website=Edking.proboards.com|access-date=27 October 2017}}</ref> This instrumental was originally intended as a [[B-side]] to "The Birdman of Alkatrash", which ultimately became the B-side to "Incense and Peppermints".<ref name="Larkin60"/> The single spent one week at [[chart-topper|No. 1]] and remained on the charts for a total of 16 weeks.<ref name="billboard">{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/1967-11-25/hot-100 |title=The Hot 100 : Nov 25, 1967 &#124; Billboard Chart Archive |publisher=Billboard.com |access-date=2014-08-23}}</ref> A [[music recording sales certification|gold disc]] was awarded for sales of one million copies by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] on December 19, 1967.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book
| first= Joseph
| last= Murrells
| year= 1978
| title= The Book of Golden Discs
| edition= 2nd
| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd
| location= London
| page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/231 231]
| isbn= 0-214-20512-6
| url-access= registration
| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/231
}}</ref>

Shortly after recording "Incense and Peppermints", the band added Bunnell (on bass, rhythm guitar, and vocals) before making their first album.<ref name="Larkin60"/> Also titled ''[[Incense and Peppermints (album)|Incense and Peppermints]]'', it reached No. 11 on the US [[Billboard 200|album chart]] in late 1967. Bunnell would also become their main songwriter. Some early Strawberry Alarm Clock songs were written by Bunnell with Bartek. The latter played flute on the first two Strawberry Alarm Clock albums and would remain involved with the band's later lineups. Bartek later joined [[The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo]] and [[orchestration|orchestrated]] Boingo frontman [[Danny Elfman]]'s [[film score]]s.

In November 1967, and again in April 1968, Strawberry Alarm Clock toured on a bill with the [[Beach Boys]] and [[Buffalo Springfield]]. During the April leg of the tour, several dates in the South were canceled following the [[assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee]] on April 4, 1968. Ed King said that the band all acquired handguns after King's death for the remaining shows in the South, and that he carried his in his waistband onstage.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

In their early days of touring, the band members would often sit on "magic carpets" as their roadies carried them to the stage. Drummer Seol would rig up wrist [[jet (nozzle)|gas jets]] to give the illusion that he was playing the [[bongos]] and [[vibraphone|vibes]] with his hands on fire, until the gimmick became too dangerous.