One looks at that outrageous front cover, crazy band moniker, and even crazier album title, and draws the conclusion that this album is nothing more than period fluff. And if one did that, they would miss out on one of the most thoughtful and brilliant releases ever made. Honestly I do believe its general popularity - especially in its day - is what holds back the appreciation. It's a forward thinking release, far beyond what almost anyone else was doing in 1967, especially coming from the sunny Southern California pop scene. For my tastes, Incense and Peppermints is the greatest pure psychedelic album ever released. The melodies are brilliant and the group truly convey the 1960's sunshine naivete better than anyone before or after. They could even match The Beach Boys in harmony, something they were trained to do, and did not come by accident. The album opens with 'The World's on Fire', which is about 3 to 4 years ahead of its time, especially considering its long Eastern influenced jam cycle - with fuzz guitar, flute, organ... it's the classic cosmic Krautrock sound years before anyone would know what that meant. 'Strawberries Mean Love' is ridiculously great, with its dual fuzz guitar melody that sticks with you for days - quite possibly my favorite psychedelic album track ever. 'Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow' is the definition of trippy mellow psych. 'Paxton's Back Street Carnival' is as off-kilter as the rollercoaster ride it depicts. Even songs that are less known like 'Hummin' Happy' pack more ideas into a 2:25 minute time frame than many bands do on a whole side of music. And then there's the famous title track that is jaw dropping in both melody and lyrical content. I joked on my Wake Up It's Tomorrow review about the alien factor, but albums like this really make you wonder sometimes. For as popular as the album was, it's amazing to me just how under the radar it remains. Not a single wasted minute on here.
Ownership: LP: 1967 Uni; CD: 1997 Universal (Japan). There was a time when obtaining Incense and Peppermints on CD was difficult. But it was a must own item for me, and I plunked down for the - at the time - hard to find Japanese CD. I have their band history via their later releases, so I'm keeping this regardless. As for the LP, it's not something you likely will find at a thrift. And a local b&m is going to way overcharge for it. Online is the way to go here, as there's plenty of supply. I bought mine at the very beginning of my ebay days in the late 90s. Back then minty ones could be found for $10-$15. For the same condition, you might pay more now, but it's still not expensive.
6/4/21 (new entry)
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