The tune was originally issued as the B-side of a Thee Sixpence single called “Birdman of Alkatrash.” Radio stations in the Los Angeles area actually flipped the record over and began playing “Incense and Peppermints” instead of the A-side. Despite singing on their biggest hit, Mumford never actually became a member of the band. The band was initially unimpressed with the lyrics, and sixteen-year-old (!) Greg Munford, who was a guest in the studio on the day the song was cut, ended up performing the lead vocals.
Carter and his writing partner Tim Gilbert ended up being credited for the song, while Weitz and King were noted only as arrangers. The band’s producer, Frank Slay, had songwriter John S. The song began as an instrumental by Mark Weitz and Ed King. “Incense and Peppermints” had an intriguing genesis. The group recorded a few singles in 1966-67 under the name Thee Sixpence, including a cover of the acid rock perennial “Hey Joe.” There were some lineup changes to the band during this period, but ongoing members included Lee Freeman on vocals and rhythm guitar, Gary Lovetro on bass, Gene Gunnels on drums, Mark Weitz on keyboards, and Ed King (later a charter member of Lynyrd Skynyrd) on lead guitar. The Strawberry Alarm Clock initially came together from former members of several Southern California bands. Related: “The One-Hit-Wonder File: ‘Spirit In The Sky'” You told us in one of our informal Facebook polls that this was one of your favorite “one-hit-wonders.” So how did it come to be? The song floated up the charts in 1967, eventually hitting Number One. The tune’s groovy vibe instantly transports you back to the Summer of Love. “Incense and Peppermints” by the Strawberry Alarm Clock is definitely one of them. There are some songs that richly evoke the era in which they were originally released.
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