"Smell of Incense" is a song by the American

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran *Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band (WCPAEB) was an American psychedelic rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965. The group created music that possessed an eerie, and at times sinister atmosphere, and contained material that was ...

, written by Ron Morgan and

Bob Markley Robert H. Markley (August 29, 1935 – September 9, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter and record producer who co-founded the psychedelic rock band, The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, in the late 1960s, and became one of the most c ...

, and was released as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

in 1968 (''see''

1968 in music List of notable events in music that took place in the year 1968. Specific locations * 1968 in British music * 1968 in Norwegian music Specific genres * 1968 in country music * 1968 in jazz Events *January 4 – Guitarist Jimi Hendrix is ja ...

Background

An extended version of the song appeared on the group's third

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, '' Vol. 2 (Breaking Through)'', which was distributed prior to the single. It is considered one of the pinnacles of the band's music catalogue, with it marked by Shaun and Danny Harris's breathy

vocal harmonies Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are simultaneously sung as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical chora ...

, and the instrumental interplay between Morgan's distorted guitar-playing coinciding with Shaun Harris's heavy

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

sound. Despite the heady atmosphere, the group insists the recording, along with their other self-penned material, was not composed under the influence of

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

. "Smell of Incense", like all of the band's releases, was commercially unsuccessful and failed to chart. The song was later reissued on '' Hallucinations: Psychedelic Pop Nuggets from the WEA Vaults'' in 2004.

Southwest F.O.B. recording

In 1968, the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band was performing at a teen dance club in Dallas called LouAnns with the composition in their set list. A local psychedelic group,

Southwest F.O.B. Southwest F.O.B. (" Freight On Board") was a 1960s psychedelic rock group from Dallas, Texas, now perhaps best remembered because it featured Dan Seals and John Colley, who later found great success as the duo England Dan and John Ford Coley. Th ...

was opening for the band, and was so impressed by the song that they were motivated to record it themselves. Their version was conducted in a similar musical style to its predecessor, but was considerably shorter in comparison to the original album version, with a run-time of two minutes and 40 seconds. Their version peaked at number 56 on the Hot 100. The group's version was also included on Southwest F.O.B.'s only album, ''Smell of Incense''. However, the

cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game (box art), music album (album art), ...

sparked some controversary for its depiction of four nude women, resulting in many record stores refusing to stock the album.

Chart performance

Southwest F.O.B.

References

{{The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band 1967 songs Reprise Records singles