Tomorrow (band)
Encyclopedia
Tomorrow were a 1960s psychedelic
rock
band. Despite critical acclaim and support from DJ John Peel
who featured them on his "Perfumed Garden
" radio show, the band was not a great success in commercial terms. They were among the first psychedelic bands in England along with Pink Floyd
and Soft Machine
. Tomorrow recorded the first ever John Peel show session on BBC Radio 1
on 21 September 1967.
Michelangelo Antonioni
intended to feature the band in his 1966 film Blowup
, but instead used The Yardbirds
. However Tomorrow did appear in the Swinging London
film Smashing Time under the name of The Snarks. John "Junior" Wood was ill and was replaced by John Pearce, a clothes dealer. Again their music was not used in the film. The rock group sounds used in the film are by Skip Bifferty
.
The band released two singles, one of which, "My White Bicycle
", was later covered by heavy rock
act Nazareth
, and as a novelty record by Neil the Hippy (Nigel Planer
) of The Young Ones
TV series
. According to drummer John 'Twink' Alder
, the song was actually inspired by the Dutch Provos, an anarchist group in Amsterdam
which reportedly instituted a community bicycle program
: "they had white bicycles in Amsterdam and they used to leave them around the town. And if you were going somewhere and you needed to use a bike, you'd just take the bike and you'd go somewhere and just leave it. Whoever needed the bikes would take them and leave them when they were done."
Tomorrow's September 1967 single "Revolution
" was likely the primary inspiration for The Beatles
song "Revolution
" which was released a year later. Tomorrow's tongue in cheek lyric "Have your own little revolution, NOW!" sounds like it prompted Lennon's response "You say you want a revolution." Though Tomorrow's song was not a hit the group was well known to insiders of the London music scene. Frank Zappa
met the group on his first trip to England in 1967 and praised Steve Howe's guitar solo on the song "Claramount Lake". Zappa later chose to play "Claramount Lake" during a radio guest DJ appearance in the 1980s.
Tomorrow singer Keith West
is perhaps better known as a participant in Mark Wirtz
's Teenage Opera project that gave him a solo hit single "Excerpt from a Teenage Opera (Grocer Jack)" and brief commercial success. Guitar
ist Steve Howe
later joined progressive rock
band Yes
, whilst Twink joined The Pretty Things
on their concept album
, S.F. Sorrow
, before forming The Pink Fairies.
As Tomorrow:
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band. Despite critical acclaim and support from DJ John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
who featured them on his "Perfumed Garden
The Perfumed Garden (radio show)
The Perfumed Garden was the title given by John Peel to his 1967 late-night programme on the British pirate radio station, Radio London. After several years of work in US commercial pop radio, Peel joined the station in March 1967, on returning to the UK from California. As well as various slots on...
" radio show, the band was not a great success in commercial terms. They were among the first psychedelic bands in England along with Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
and Soft Machine
Soft Machine
Soft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
. Tomorrow recorded the first ever John Peel show session on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
on 21 September 1967.
History
Film directorFilm director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.- Personal life :...
intended to feature the band in his 1966 film Blowup
Blowup
Blowup is a 1966 film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, his first English-language film.It tells of a British photographer's accidental involvement with a murder, inspired by Julio Cortázar's short story, "Las babas del diablo" or "The Devil's Drool" , translated also as Blow-Up, and by the life...
, but instead used The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
. However Tomorrow did appear in the Swinging London
Swinging London
Swinging London is a catch-all term applied to the fashion and cultural scene that flourished in London, in the 1960s.It was a youth-oriented phenomenon that emphasised the new and modern. It was a period of optimism and hedonism, and a cultural revolution. One catalyst was the recovery of the...
film Smashing Time under the name of The Snarks. John "Junior" Wood was ill and was replaced by John Pearce, a clothes dealer. Again their music was not used in the film. The rock group sounds used in the film are by Skip Bifferty
Skip Bifferty
Skip Bifferty was an English psychedelic rock band formed in early 1966. The band featured future members of Ian Dury and The Blockheads.-History:...
.
The band released two singles, one of which, "My White Bicycle
My White Bicycle
"My White Bicycle" is Tomorrow's debut single.The Scottish rock band Nazareth did a cover version, which reached #14 in the UK charts in 1975...
", was later covered by heavy rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
act Nazareth
Nazareth (band)
Nazareth is a Scottish hard rock band, founded in 1968, that had several hits in the UK in the early 1970s, and established an international audience with their 1975 album Hair of the Dog. Perhaps their best-known hit single was a cover of the ballad "Love Hurts", in 1975...
, and as a novelty record by Neil the Hippy (Nigel Planer
Nigel Planer
Nigel George Planer is an English actor, comedian, novelist and playwright.Planer is perhaps best known for his role as Neil Pye in the cult BBC comedy The Young Ones. He has appeared in many West End musicals, including Evita, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Wicked and Hairspray...
) of The Young Ones
The Young Ones (TV series)
The Young Ones is a British sitcom, first broadcast in 1982, which ran for two series on BBC2. Its anarchic, offbeat humour helped bring alternative comedy to television in the 1980s and made household names of its writers and performers...
TV series
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
. According to drummer John 'Twink' Alder
Twink (musician)
John Charles Alder , better known as Twink, is an English drummer, singer and songwriter who was a central figure in the English psychedelic movement, and an actor.-Early life and career:...
, the song was actually inspired by the Dutch Provos, an anarchist group in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
which reportedly instituted a community bicycle program
Community bicycle program
A bicycle sharing system is a service in which bicycles are made available for shared use to individuals who do not own them. Bicycle sharing systems can be divided into two general categories: "Community Bike programs" organized mostly by local community groups or non-profit organizations; and...
: "they had white bicycles in Amsterdam and they used to leave them around the town. And if you were going somewhere and you needed to use a bike, you'd just take the bike and you'd go somewhere and just leave it. Whoever needed the bikes would take them and leave them when they were done."
Tomorrow's September 1967 single "Revolution
Revolution (Hopkins/Howe song)
"Revolution" is the name of a song performed by the London psychedelic rock group Tomorrow. It was first released on a single in the U.K. by Parlophone in September 1967 and later on the group's self titled album Tomorrow in February 1968. The song is credited to Keith Alan Hopkins and Steve Howe...
" was likely the primary inspiration for The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
song "Revolution
Revolution (song)
"Revolution" is a song by The Beatles written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The Beatles released two distinct arrangements of the song in 1968: a hard rock version as the B-side of the single "Hey Jude", and a slower version titled "Revolution 1" on the eponymous album The Beatles...
" which was released a year later. Tomorrow's tongue in cheek lyric "Have your own little revolution, NOW!" sounds like it prompted Lennon's response "You say you want a revolution." Though Tomorrow's song was not a hit the group was well known to insiders of the London music scene. Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
met the group on his first trip to England in 1967 and praised Steve Howe's guitar solo on the song "Claramount Lake". Zappa later chose to play "Claramount Lake" during a radio guest DJ appearance in the 1980s.
Tomorrow singer Keith West
Keith West
Keith Alan Hopkins, better known by his stage name, Keith West was the lead singer of Tomorrow, a 1960s psychedelic rock band. West composed most of the band's songs...
is perhaps better known as a participant in Mark Wirtz
Mark Wirtz
Mark P. Wirtz is an Alsatian born pop music record producer, composer, singer, musician, author, and stand-up comedian. As a producer, Wirtz's most famous output is from the mid to late 1960s, when he worked at Abbey Road Studios with Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, under contract to EMI...
's Teenage Opera project that gave him a solo hit single "Excerpt from a Teenage Opera (Grocer Jack)" and brief commercial success. Guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist Steve Howe
Steve Howe (guitarist)
Stephen James "Steve" Howe is an English guitarist, known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes...
later joined progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
, whilst Twink joined The Pretty Things
The Pretty Things
The Pretty Things are an English rock and roll band from London, who originally formed in 1963. They took their name from Bo Diddley's 1955 song "Pretty Thing" and, in their early days, were dubbed by the British press the "uglier cousins of the Rolling Stones". Their most commercially successful...
on their concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
, S.F. Sorrow
S.F. Sorrow
S.F. Sorrow is the title of the fourth LP by the British rock group The Pretty Things, released in 1968.One of the first rock concept albums, S.F. Sorrow was based on a short story by singer-guitarist Phil May. The album is structured as a song cycle, telling the story of the main character,...
, before forming The Pink Fairies.
Band members
- Keith WestKeith WestKeith Alan Hopkins, better known by his stage name, Keith West was the lead singer of Tomorrow, a 1960s psychedelic rock band. West composed most of the band's songs...
: vocals - Steve HoweSteve Howe (guitarist)Stephen James "Steve" Howe is an English guitarist, known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes...
: electric and acoustic guitars - John "Junior" Wood: bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- John 'Twink' AlderTwink (musician)John Charles Alder , better known as Twink, is an English drummer, singer and songwriter who was a central figure in the English psychedelic movement, and an actor.-Early life and career:...
: drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s
Singles
As The In Crowd:- "That's How Strong My Love Is" / "Things She Says" (single, Parlophone R5276, April 1965) - UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#48 - "Why Must They Criticise" / "I Don't Mind" (single, Parlophone R5364, November 1965)
- "Stop, Wait A Minute" / "You're On Your Own" (single, Parlophone R5328, September 1965)
As Tomorrow:
- "My White BicycleMy White Bicycle"My White Bicycle" is Tomorrow's debut single.The Scottish rock band Nazareth did a cover version, which reached #14 in the UK charts in 1975...
" / "Claramount Lake" (single, Parlophone R5597, May 1967) - "RevolutionRevolution (Hopkins/Howe song)"Revolution" is the name of a song performed by the London psychedelic rock group Tomorrow. It was first released on a single in the U.K. by Parlophone in September 1967 and later on the group's self titled album Tomorrow in February 1968. The song is credited to Keith Alan Hopkins and Steve Howe...
" (Hopkins/Howe) / "Three Jolly Little Dwarves" (single, Parlophone R5627, September 1967)
Albums
As Tomorrow:- Tomorrow (ParlophoneParlophoneParlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
, February 1968) - 50 Minute Technicolor Dream50 Minute Technicolor Dream50 Minute Technicolor Dream is a compilation of mostly previously unreleased recordings by Tomorrow. Tracks 1-2 are unused demos for the film Blowup....
(RPM 184, 1998)