Tomorrow - 1968 - Tomorrow

Quality: 4.5 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4.5 out of 5

Tomorrow's sole album is one of the best examples of British Psychedelia around. It more than earns it's credentials by the presence of the single "My White Bicycle," easily the peer of better known psych singles such as "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "See Emily Play." In fact, the disc contains an interesting beefy acid-rock take of that Beatles' single. It's not better, but it holds it's own without problem and is fun to hear with a little less production.

Tomorrow was a mover and shaker in the London UFO scene, even appearing at the legendary 24 Technicolour Dream, but they never quite got their head above the water due to things like management problems and egos. The band did serve as an artistically superior halfway house to such luminaries as cult-psych hero Twink, Keith West, and future Yes axeman Steve Howe.

Although occasionally brushing sleeves with the more twee side of psych pop, Tomorrow manages to deliver on almost every cut of their only LP. "My White Bicycle" probably is the best track here, but several other tracks come close to it. Second single "Revolution" doesn't have quite the immediate impact, but it is truly freaky and is a masterful track. "Real Life Permanent Dream," "The Incredible Journey Of Timothy Chase," and "Hallucinations" are all A-list tracks that absolutely must be heard by anyone who digs psychedelic sounds. Even goofy tracks like "Three Jolly Little Elves" have enough propulsion and confidence to make them winners. The band even nails the Byrds' "Why" on a bonus track, which the original band could never quite get their head around (they did at least three very different takes).

Everything here maintains a strong rock edge, while still displaying some of the freakiest sounds of psychedelic pop. I'd say only Barrett's Pink Floyd or the 1967 Pretty Things managed this perfect balance as well. Even the Beatles' could never quite rock out as hard, while Cream tended to revert to the blues for their harder sounds.

Maybe this disc is old hat for you, as I'd like to think that everyone has had a chance to discover Tomorrow. But if you haven't, I hope that I've given you the incentive to delve into their world. I just wish they'd gotten some technicolour for the black and white album cover.

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Tomorrow - 1968 - Tomorrow