Incense & Peppermints

Incense & Peppermints (note the ampersand in the title – this is not the 1967 album Incense And Peppermints) is a Strawberry Alarm Clock compilation originally released by MCA in 1990. It mostly collects some of the band’s earlier singles and a few assorted album tracks.

Most interestingly, it included the rare (at the time of its release, anyway) single-only track “Starting Out The Day” from 1969. (The song is now available on several other, more worthwhile releases, like the Japanese CD version of Good Morning Starshine).

All four of the band’s albums are represented on Incense & Peppermints, and there are a couple single-only songs as well. Sounds pretty good so far, right?

Well, it’s not terrible, as a compilation, but it really has no need to exist these days. And, even at the time, it was a dispiritingly irritating release. (Note: I had a copy when it came out, on cassette, and I loved it. But as it turns out, my money would have been better spent elsewhere.)

The 2004 cover, confusing this compilation with the original 1967 album even more.

Why Incense & Peppermints is an unnecessary compilation

The Incense & Peppermints compilation has been superseded by others, such as 1992’s Strawberries Mean Love and 1993’s The Strawberry Alarm Clock Anthology. That, and the maddening confusion that has arisen over the years because of this collection’s appropriating of the band’s first album title, make it unfortunate that it exists at all.

As a compilation, it’s not too bad. I mean, the music’s all good. It’s probably not the ten-song set of tunes that any actual Strawberry Alarm Clock fan would choose, but the highlights are nice. The Clock’s two biggest hits are here, and there are some nice deep cuts, especially from the first album.

Collectables reissued the Incense & Peppermints compilation in 2004 with a different (and rather tacky) cover. This one is actually called Incense And Peppermints, further muddying the waters. If you want the classic Incense And Peppermints album, make sure it has the green and white bars on the cover! The first track should be “The World’s On Fire”.

The original 1967 album cover.

Track listing

Side 1

  1. “Incense And Peppermints” – from Incense And Peppermints
  2. “Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow” – from Incense And Peppermints
  3. “Birds In My Tree” – from Incense And Peppermints
  4. “Sit With The Guru” – from Wake Up… It’s Tomorrow
  5. “Tomorrow” – from Wake Up… It’s Tomorrow

Side 2

  1. “Barefoot In Baltimore” – from The World In A Sea Shell
  2. “Good Morning Starshine” – from Good Morning Starshine
  3. “The Birdman Of Alkatrash” – from a 1967 single
  4. “Strawberries Mean Love” – from Incense And Peppermints
  5. “Starting Out The Day” – from a 1969 single

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