the ULTIMATE PSYCHEDELIC VINYL hq: Strawberry Alarm Clock – Tomorrow / Birds In My Tree (1967) [US Mono Single]

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Strawberry Alarm Clock – Tomorrow / Birds In My Tree (1967) [US Mono Single]

Strawberry Alarm Clock – Tomorrow / Birds In My Tree

Original 1967 45RPM Mono Single

Uni Records - 55046

~ThePoodleBites rip in 96 kHz / 24 bit~

* UPDATE *: I've since discovered that the 1997 Japanese CD has these mono single mixes with sound quality superior this rip. I highly recommend tracking down that CD instead of listening to this 45!

This is one I’ve wanted to do ever since getting a copy of the SAC’s sophomore Wake Up … It’s Tomorrow record. The mono single mix of “Tomorrow” is drastically different from the album mix, which was only released in stereo. The mono mix of “Birds In My Tree” sounds clearer than a stereo collapse from the Sundazed CD. I don’t believe either of these mixes nor any other mono SAC (apart from the track “Incense And Peppermints”) has ever been reissued.

This 45 is not especially hard-to-find; my local record shop had 3 copies available for $2 apiece. I picked the cleanest-looking one, which also unfortunately had some sun damage to the label on side 2. Regardless this is undoubtedly a classic and well-qualified under the category “essential.”

Although not featured here, “Incense And Peppermints” is the track that turned me onto psychedelia. These are some excellent tracks showcasing Ed King before his fame with Lynyrd Skynyrd (yes — the guitar solo in “Tomorrow” is played by the same man who opens “Sweet Home Alabama”).

Offset litho concert poster for Eagles Auditorium, Seattle, WA -- 12 Jan 1968 (source)

Track listing:
01) “Tomorrow” — 2:14
02) “Birds In My Tree” — 1:55

Vinyl Condition: M-
Dynamic Range: DR10 (surprisingly good for a “hot”-cut single)

Lineage:
– Audio-Technica AT150MLx Dual Moving-Magnet Cartridge
– Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB Direct Drive Professional Turntable (internal stock preamp/ADC removed)
– TCC TC-754 RIAA Phono Preamp (new regulated power supply, added LM7812 regulator)
– Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 MkII (96kHz / 24bit)
– Adobe Audition CC 2018 (recording)
– iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor (manual declicking, mono collapse, additional adjustments)
– Audacity 2.2.1 (fades between tracks, split tracks)
– Foobar2000 v1.3.17 (tagging, dynamic range analysis)

B-side also on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJBDb1yJDY8

MEGA: https://mega.nz/folder/LtwSSL4J#76AOG1JWbnKHfOqFdooZEA
Enjoy, and as always, comments are greatly appreciated! 🙂

9 comments:

AnonymousJuly 30, 2018 at 2:15 PM
Thanks for all your rips , you make one of the greatest music blog !!
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Noises From Apt 2AAugust 19, 2018 at 10:57 AM
Many Thanks ..just discovered your site and I look forward to all your projects.
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mrRadioSeptember 5, 2018 at 11:54 PM
Just discovered this place and it's impressive! This SAC single has long been one of my faves, so thank you. The songs are too short (I'll attribute that to Top 40 radio) but it's really a double "A-sided" 45. Both top quality, memorable tunes. OH YEAH!
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senkelSeptember 7, 2018 at 2:31 AM
THX....this blog is a treasure.... :))
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pattirulesJanuary 8, 2019 at 5:29 PM
greatness and thank you i seem to remember a hot mix 45 of sit with the guru as well. i know i have it somewhere
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Jimmie DMay 8, 2019 at 4:13 PM
Sounds great - and as you wrote, a much different mix from the stereo version. Thanks for posting.
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Noises From Apt 2AJune 8, 2019 at 6:17 AM
I have to thank you again for your superior job of ripping the 45 version of "Tomorrow". The single mono version really shows the quality of the work that went into the making if the recording. I'm guessing that if Strawberry Alarm Clock were allowed to put as much time into all of their recording such as they did for this one they would be much more highly regarded.
The intricacy of the arrangement as well as musicianship is Wreaking Crew quality...in my opinion.

Thanks again for ripping one of my all time favorite 45s from my childhood record collection... back when every single (a and b side) was committed to memory.
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Franchesco DelisergicoAugust 16, 2020 at 12:22 PM
thanks!!!
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pattirulesMay 1, 2022 at 1:18 PM
this rip sounds 100 percent better than any SAC cd on the market . i have mint copies of GURU and INSENCE if you would like to do them for everyone also
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Add comment

DO YOU HAVE RECORDINGS THAT NEED TO BE TRANSFERRED?

Don't pay an apathetic studio company to transfer that rare/expensive/irreplaceable disc for you! Most modern companies use dated equipment and destructive noise reduction to give you an MP3 or CD that sounds "clean" but in fact is missing most of the audio information present on your precious disc. Improper playing of certain formats (especially acetates and demos) can cause unrecoverable damage and permanent loss of fidelity. Not to mention that you want to hear that recording in as best of form as possible!

The sad fact is that today there does not appear to exist *any* commercial company which is capable of proper audiophile transfers of original discs. As many record collectors know, the rare original pressings of hard-to-find albums often sound far superior to any reissues due to the poor equipment and restoration techniques used in the digitization process. The reason for this is that the time required to properly restore original discs to proper digital fidelity is quite enormous, on the order of 1-2 hours per minute of audio. To pay an audio engineer for that amount of time would truly be an incredible price! So instead, to remain competitive, companies use "quick" (read: lossy, harmful, destructive, despicable) heuristic processes to remain competitive on the market.

I have been working in vinyl restoration for many years. I have done it for the love of music, not for the love of money. I have submitted masters to record labels and released digitizations that reveal the limitations of other labels' (and engineers') products. If you have a piece of vintage audio that you would like digitized, don't trust a company that could care less about their end product than they could about the recording itself. Please contact me I will happily and freely transfer any rare recordings for you. Alternatively, see the "FAQ" post here for my want list for albums I am willing to purchase and rip to share here for all. There is too much great unheard music out there to let it suffer at the hand of careless individuals with only a dollar in mind.

For those with such inquiries, you can contact me via email: thepoodlebites561 (at) gmail. Thanks, and enjoy the music!

In my craft or sullen art
Exercised in the still night
When only the moon rages
And the lovers lie abed
With all their griefs in their arms,
I labour by singing light
Not for ambition or bread
Or the strut and trade of charms
On the ivory stages
But for the common wages
Of their most secret heart.
Not for the proud man apart
From the raging moon I write
On these spindrift pages
Nor for the towering dead
With their nightingales and psalms
But for the lovers, their arms
Round the griefs of the ages,
Who pay no praise or wages
Nor heed my craft or art.

Dylan Thomas

First time here?

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Strawberry Alarm Clock – Tomorrow / Birds In My Tree (1967) [US Mono Single]

*** UPDATE ***: I've since discovered that the 1997 Japanese CD has these mono single mixes with sound quality superior this rip. I highly recommend tracking down that CD instead of listening to this 45!

9 comments:

* UPDATE *: I've since discovered that the 1997 Japanese CD has these mono single mixes with sound quality superior this rip. I highly recommend tracking down that CD instead of listening to this 45!