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TOMORROW

Proto-Prog • United Kingdom


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Tomorrow biography
Founded in London, UK in 1965 (Initially as "In-Crowd") - Disbanded in 1968

In the early days of British psychedelia, three bands were consistently cited as first-generation figureheads of the London-based underground sound: PINK FLOYD, the SOFT MACHINE, and TOMORROW. PINK FLOYD became superstars and the SOFT MACHINE influential cult legends, but TOMORROW is mostly remembered (if at all) for featuring Steve HOWE as their lead guitarist in his pre-YES days.

Actually, TOMORROW was nearly the equal of the two more celebrated outfits. Along with the early FLOYD and SOFT MACHINE, they shared a propensity for flower-power whimsy. Though they were less recklessly innovative and imaginative, their songwriting was accomplished, with adroit harmonies, psychedelic guitar work, and adventurous structures and tempo changes. They never succumbed to mindless indulgence or jamming; indeed, their tracks were rather short and tightly woven in comparison with most psychedelic bands. A couple singles (especially "My White Bicycle") were underground favorites, but the group only managed to record one album before breaking up in 1968. Lead singer Keith West, even before the breakup, had a number two British hit with "Excerpt From A Teenage Opera," which helped inspire Pete Townshend's + Tommy. Drummer Twink joined the PRETTY THINGS and, later, the PINK FAIRIES.

: : : Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide : : :

See also: WiKi

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TOMORROW top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.06 | 75 ratings
Tomorrow
1968

TOMORROW Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

TOMORROW Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

TOMORROW Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.83 | 6 ratings
50 Minute Technicolor Dream
1998

TOMORROW Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

TOMORROW Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Tomorrow by TOMORROW album cover Studio Album, 1968
3.06 | 75 ratings

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Tomorrow
Tomorrow Proto-Prog

Review by DangHeck
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Tomorrow's Tomorrow is a Forever Psych-Pop Classic

Tomorrow is one of those bands which is not only steeped in excellence then--with further excellence to be seen after disbanding--but it goes plenty deeper than I ever recalled. Remarkably, most memorably and famously, this Keith West-fronted group features a young Steve Howe on guitar (2 years before he replaced the otherwise inimitable Peter Banks in Yes), and also features the excellent Psych/Freakbeat drummer Twink (John Alder)(!!!), who later this same year (1968) joined The Pretty Things, appearing on their incredible S.F. Sorrow. Can't recommend that one enough. But it goes even deeper! Today, the reason I'm here now, happily listening to this again--and bear with me--I listened through the early-Prog Abbey Road medley, and "You Never Give Me Your Money", its 'opener', was inspired by the admittedly less remarkable West-penned [I think?] suite "Excerpt from 'A Teenage Opera'" (a.k.a. "Grocer Jack"). The final four tracks on the '99 remaster of Tomorrow are apparently all from this 'Opera' (or at least from the same time), and remarkably still feature none other than the incredible Aynsley Dunbar on drums (of Mayall's Bluesbreakers, The Mothers of Invention, Bowie, Journey, etc.) and, of all people, the comparably ambitious Ronnie Wood on bass (Jeff Beck Group, Faces, the Rolling Stones, etc.)! In addition to a track that a young Steve Howe performed on inspiring Paul McCartney at one point, I also recall Frank Zappa singing Howe's praises, specifically on Tomorrow's "Claramount Lake" (not originally on the LP), the B-side to "My White Bicycle". And with that, I can say this much: This album's highs are mountainous. [Although I will gladly be providing my definite favorites and must-hears from the bonus material, the rating for this album will be dependent solely on its original release.]

Tomorrow begins, rightly so, with their first single from May '67, "My White Bicycle". And as far as Psych Rock at large and Freakbeat specifically goes, this track is vital. It starts off with this really delightful, mesmerizing tape-manipulation, and the one tape effect results in a sound which could well resemble a playing card hitting the spokes (one of the rhythmic backbones of the entire track). Compositionally simple, but an excellent melody with really fun, maximal production. It's huge. It is followed by "Colonel Brown", a sweeter, much clearer Psych Pop. The guitars are bright and jangly, later seemingly Folk-inspired... a super weird, psychedelic outro. Otherwise, the rhythm swings freely. Another one with nice melodies; though less memorable and daring. Following is "Real Life Permanent Dream", begun with the far-off drone of a sitar soon met with booming and then sparse rhythm section. The vocals in the first verse are oddly mixed almost totally alone in the right ear. This picks up, fullness realized with this real cool, heavy beat. And then, post-chorus, this India-come-England bucolic situation happens, played in half-time; it is truly wonderful. A more garage-ready, Power-Pop-meets-Freakbeat version of this is also available as bonus track and this is definitely worth checking out (in comparison in the very least).

Up next is the sunny, youthful "Shy Boy"! I love this track. Something to keep in mind, though this is clearly Proto-progressive in scope and experimentation, much of this album, like this track here, is pure Psych-Pop; worth saying, as I know this won't appeal to others as it will me, the Prog-dork Poptimist haha. The winning element here, bouncing rhythm aside, is producer Mark Wirtz's keyboards, which he provides throughout. It has a very timeless ring to it. Not to be confused with any songs of the same name, this is followed by "Revolution". An intensely mixed Freakbeat extravaganza, this has one of the best choruses (you're never going to guess what the lyrics are... /s), despite its simplicity. But very odd is the mixing; it may cause some pause. It's muddled and warbled and many of the elements (specifically on left speaker) are almost completely absent, and then during the chorus's "Now!"s everything is mixed loud. I think this is great, and yet it's going to be a tough sell for the real audiophiles in the audience [There were some engineering/production choices throughout that honestly weren't agreeable, to say the least]. I think it would benefit another delve into bonus material for "Revolution" as well; it's not impossible to listen to haha. Coming back to the definitely-happier side, next is "The Incredible Journey of Timothy Chase". The rhythm section is once again booming and hulking. What's shining through once more is the melodies and Steve Howe's guitar performance(s). This will certainly appeal to fellow fans of Revolver-to-Magical-Mystery-Tour-era Beatles. I definitely find this style of English Psych Rock to be a clear predecessor to sonic elements found in more Pop-oriented Prog bands like Yes (and this would then be owing to Mr. Chris Squire as well).

Approaching the close, we then have "Auntie Mary's Dress Shop", a baroquey number with plunking keys and crisp Edwardian-like, though definitely-Psych vocals. This is one I definitely don't recall (not uncommon for me throughout this release). I like it, certainly. Speaking of the Beatles, we then have a cover which I have utterly forgotten (I don't know how), their one magnum opus, "Strawberry Fields Forever". And the way in which they perform this, released a year following the original, it's definitely owing to them and yet a unique display of Tomorrow's style. Being a forever Beatles fan, I think it'd be somewhat common to say how unnecessary most covers of their material really feels. I don't quite feel that with "Strawberry Fields" here, but the Liverpudlian Beat Boys truly captured some kind of unattainable magic originally. This is then followed by one of my definite favorites, "Three Jolly Little Dwarfs", a super fun Freakbeat number. It is as silly as you would expect, but everything from the rhythm to the melody to even the lyrics (again, very silly). Beefier and garagier still is "Now Your Time Has Come". This has some great melodies and harmonies. And then we get this wild [Neo-classical?] bridge, and it should strike you as the most Steve Howe thing ever haha. It's excellent. And right when you think it's going to return, it just keeps goin'. Feels all over the place stylistically; so fun. With this second(?) listen, I think I've found yet another favorite! And finally, for the original release, we have "Hallucinations", which is one with some great melodies, as we can come to expect, and it's nice to get some imperfect, human element in the vocal department. It sounds real. Howe has some more fun with his trilling axe. As a Pop track, this is a solid number.

And speaking of hearing this fresh again, it's been a while since I've heard our first bonus track, the aforementioned Zappa-praised "Claramount Lake". This is a more straight Rock, and drumming aside (which is pure Ringo drag) it feels overtly American to mine ears. Another I enjoy quite a bit is "Why", a Who-esque Power Pop number with a guitar solo that could make Townshend jealous. One that confused me at first was "Now Your Time Has Gone", not to be confused with the "Now Your Time Has Come"; two very different songs. "Good Wizzard Meets Naughty Wizzard" is just as ridiculous as you would think; interesting bridge then, with some jazzy organ. To me the strongest bonus track is "On a Saturday", previously unmentioned it's a track from 'A Teenage Opera'. This is excellent Psych Pop, reminiscent to maybe the Moody Blues or the Pretty Things. One I somehow don't remember a lick that may be worth a listen is the also-Power-ful "The Kid Was a Killer". The instrumentation implies Roots Rock to me at times. "She" is certainly striking, the first track of the whole with what sounds like a proper string ensemble. And finally, "The Visit" begins with this really killer drum solo. No shock this is Aynsley Dunbar. He's a monster. Also, my direct respect for Ronnie Wood has only increased from his performance on this final track. Great vocal harmonies here as well. One of three songs that struck me at times as slightly American, this was only fortified by Steve's twangy lead guitar. I'm not sure what else there is to say. If you're approaching this as a fan, these bonus tracks will be just as much a treat.

 Tomorrow by TOMORROW album cover Studio Album, 1968
3.06 | 75 ratings

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Tomorrow
Tomorrow Proto-Prog

Review by Psychedelic Paul

4 stars TOMORROW were a London-based one-album band who released this self-titled album of English psychedelia in 1968. The album is best-known for featuring Steve Howe who later went on to achieve great success with YES and ASIA. The album also features Keith West on vocals, who had a big hit with "Excerpt from A Teenage Opera (Grocer Jack)" in 1967. The album represents a nice slice of English Psychedelic Rock at its finest. The original album contained 11 songs of relatively-short duration with a 1999 reissue of the album including 12 bonus songs. The Beatle-esque "Tomorrow" album features four stand-out songs which will linger longer in the memory:- "My White Bicycle", "Shy Boy", "Revolution", and a very good cover version of "Strawberry Fields Forever". This is the kind of flower-power album you might have listened to in the late 1960's whilst strolling gaily down Carnaby Street in London, wearing a brightly-coloured, wide-lapelled suit, a kipper tie, flared trousers, platform boots, and maybe even some flowers in your hair, San Francisco style,

The album gets off to a flying start with the hard-rocking opening song "My White Bicycle", which was later covered by the British Hard Rock band Nazareth in the mid-1970's. "Colonel Brown" is a nice piece of English whimsy with an upbeat sound which bounds along joyfully. "Real Life Permanent Dream" is the most psychedelic-sounding song on the album, as the title implies, featuring a fast-paced Indian sitar which is very reminiscent of The Beatles "Revolver" period. "Shy Boy" is an enjoyable well-known song of the era with an uplifting beat. The song was later covered by the English band Kippington Lodge in 1969. "Revolution" is another psychedelic song very much in the style of The Beatles. It's a different song to the Beatles number but still has the same revolutionary fervour to it. "The Incredible Journey of Timothy Chase" continues in similar fashion with jangling psychedelic guitars and a sitar. The charmingly-titled "Auntie Mary's Dress Shop" is another Beatle-esque number which wears its English psychedelic colours with pride. Next up is an excellent cover version of "Strawberry Fields Forever" which is very true to the original Beatles version. "Three Jolly Little Dwarfs" is another uptempo number which romps along merrily in marvellous psychedelic style with the sound of the sitar very much at the forefront. "Now Your Time Has Come" is the longest song on the album at nearly five minutes long where Steve Howe is given free rein to demonstrate his early prowess with the electric guitar, playing some wonderfully acid guitar licks. The album concludes in true psychedelic style with "Hallucinations", an uplifting song featuring atmospheric in-and-out phasing, twinned with some masterly Steve Howe guitar riffs. It's the perfect album closer to a classic psychedelic album of its time.

"Tomorrow" is a very English-sounding psychedelic album of Proto-Prog which will appeal greatly to fans of the late-1960's Beatles era sound. The album will also be of interest to YES fans who'd like to hear guitar legend Steve Howe back in his early pre-YES-terdays.

 Tomorrow by TOMORROW album cover Studio Album, 1968
3.06 | 75 ratings

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Tomorrow
Tomorrow Proto-Prog

Review by patrickq
Prog Reviewer

3 stars I'll admit that I came here looking for pre-Yes Steve Howe. What I left with was a pretty cool proto-prog album bearing little relation to Yes - - even early Yes - - or to the Steve Howe whose guitar work I've come to enjoy.

To begin with, Tomorrow isn't progressive rock insofar it isn't progressive. It's late-1960s psychedelic pop-rock with the right balances of originality and derivativeness and of eccentricity and approachability to have warranted contemporary airplay. I imagine a George-Martin-produced Gerry and the Pacemakers album of Jimi Hendrix tunes. Throw in the fact that the songs were of pretty high quality, and this actually sounds like a marketable combination. So what happened?

One explanation for Tomorrow's lack of success in the UK was that it was recorded in the spring of 1967, but released nearly a year later, long after its shelf life had expired. While the timeline is accurate, the record company put out the single "My White Bicycle" / "Claramount Lake" in May and another 45, "Revolution" / "Three Jolly Little Dwarfs," in September. A more likely reason is that there was a glut of good psychedelic pop music and that the songs on Tomorrow were great album filler, but not catchy enough to rise to the top of a crowded market still dominated by singles.

Since Tomorrow (the album) lacks the outstanding songwriting and production of Sgt. Pepper, to which it is clearly indebted, and since Tomorrow (the band) was neither as daring as the Doors or the Pretty Things nor as progressive as late-1960s Yes or the Moody Blues, it seems fitting that they're remembered, at least among prog-rock fans, primarily as one of Howe's pre-Yes gigs - - despite the fact that Howe's playing is generally unremarkable.

Having said all of that, I'll add that Tomorrow is a solid album with little filler and a lot of charm. The edition I'm reviewing here (the 1999 EMI reissue) has very good sound for an album of the period, and has twelve "bonus tracks" (by Tomorrow and associated acts), some of which are as good as the canonical songs.

If you dig psychedelic pop from the Age of Aquarius, and can pick Tomorrow for cheap, why not? Even if it's only aged as well as my vocabulary, it's still pretty groovy.

 Tomorrow by TOMORROW album cover Studio Album, 1968
3.06 | 75 ratings

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Tomorrow
Tomorrow Proto-Prog

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

4 stars TOMORROW was one of many British bands that jumped ship from the swinging freakbeat scene of mid-60s London only to ride the magic bus into the world of psychedelic pop rock that even won the sanctioned approval of DJ John Peel who featured them on his "Perfumed Garden" radio show. While the group found little in terms of commercial success during their brief moment in the sun, the band's sole eponymously titled album has become somewhat of a cult classic with some even claiming it to be the the most outstanding example of the late 60s psychedelic rock scene with its diversity traversing though eleven pop standards taking more than a cue from The Beatles and sprucing them up with the en vogue plethora of reverb, acid rock accouterments as well as faux Indo-raga touches. The band seemed to tackle everything from the absurd to the lysergically detached.

Steeped in the freakbeat sensibilities that developed while the band was still known as The In-Crowd and before that as Four Plus One, TOMORROW which consisted of Keith West (vocals), John Wood (bass), John "Twink" Adler (drums), Mark P. Writz (keyboard) and a young Steve Howe (guitar) got their start by recording songs for the soundtrack of the film "Blowup" in 1966 which went absolutely nowhere and with the sudden interest in all things trippy, the band changed their name to TOMORROW and channeled their energies to the latest rage in the music world, that of psychedelic and acid rock and soon found themselves side by side with some other firsts in the scene by the names of Pink Floyd, Soft Machine and even played with Jimi Hendrix at London's infamous UFO Club. This was quite the distracted band though and despite having recorded the album in early spring of 1967 didn't find a release until February 1968 as the psychedelic freakery in the pop rock scene was starting to come down, burn out and taper off.

The fate of TOMORROW's success seemed to be on shaky grounds from the getgo since after signing with EMI the band failed to attract the attention of Pink Floyd producer Norman Smith and instead opted for the erratic attention of Mark P. Writz, who not only contributed his keyboard skills to the TOMORROW lineup but was also heavily steeped and literally obsessed with his own project "A Teenage Opera." This, along with the band's fondness for LSD and massive touring schedule all conspired to keep the project from hitting the market during the height of the psychedelic Summer of Love. Despite being one of the first of the British bands to jump on to the bandwagon of all things psychedelic, the album was unfortunately one of the last to join the party and had it would have to sit on the shelves a few decades before anyone would really dig it up and evaluate its relevance on the late 60s scene but time has been kind and the album has found a continuous source of new interest.

A major part of the charm of TOMORROW's sole release is that it is extremely eclectic and instantly accessible with one hook after another creating instant ear worms all dressed up with the sizzling psychedelic acidity that the 60s had to offer. There is the backward guitar intro that ushers in the lead single and first track "My White Bicycle" a seemingly anthemic rocker reminiscent of The Who inspired by the white bicycle movement in 1960s Amsterdam. There is also the cod Indo-raga sitar saturation of "Real Life Permanent Dream" as well as three showtune sounding tracks "Auntie Mary's Dress Shop," "Colonel Brown" and "Shy Boy" which originally intended for the "Teenage Opera" were reassigned their psychedelic duties and dispersed liberally throughout the album. Having emerged only the year after The Beatles' resounding "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club," the Beatles influences are not only explicitly delivered but gleefully celebrated as the band throws in the unfortunate throwaway cover of "Strawberry Fields Forever" taken from the prior year's "Magical Mystery Tour."

Despite the influences, it seems as though TOMORROW may have had something to offer the Fab Four in return as they recorded a single called "Revolution" a year before The Beatles own famous track on "The White Album." Despite the psychedelic nature of the album as a whole, TOMORROW still found room for the ultimate whimsy with cute little fairy tales such as "Three Jolly Little Dwarfs" which takes the freakbeat gusto to its logical conclusions and shows how the musicians were becoming too skilled to remain confined within the confinement of pop music. Steve Howe displays moments of guitar virtuosity that hint at the years ahead in full prog rock mode with Yes and Twink Adler likewise displays an apt for harder edge percussive drives that he would finally find a home in The Pink Fairies. While some songs seem a little out of character for the psychedelic rock scene, some sound like they were tailor made for it. The closing "Hallucinations" is a snappy little guitar driven song that celebrates the miracle of rainbows and all things lysergia and the perfect closer for a multifarious yet tightly constructed musical experience.

While TOMORROW's main contemporaries such as Pink Floyd would go on to superstardom and Soft Machine would become an underground symbol of prog rock cult legends, TOMORROW itself failed to generate much fanfare in its short time in the psychedelic sun yet managed to play in an amazing number of live settings. Perhaps a bit too pop for the true acid freaks and a bit too out there for fans of mainstream pop, TOMORROW cleverly skirted the cracks in between and managed to connect the bouncy feel good vibe of the early 60s with the flower power drop acid and drop out counterculture of the hippies. While more known for the future greats that would gestate during this moment in time, TOMORROW's sole album is actually quite an interesting little romp in the psych fueled pop anthems of the latter part of the 60s British Invasion. The rest is history. Steve Howe would pay a few more dues in Bodast before joining Yes, Twink would join The Pretty Things and Pink Fairies and Keith West would eventually join Moonrider. Mark Writz would become more famous for NOT finishing his opera than anything else. In the end, this is an interesting and addictive slice of late 60s British pop dressed up in rainbows and psychotomimetic minutia.

 Tomorrow by TOMORROW album cover Studio Album, 1968
3.06 | 75 ratings

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Tomorrow
Tomorrow Proto-Prog

Review by stefro
Prog Reviewer

4 stars One of the leading, and most important, of the British outfits from the brief, late-sixties psychedelic boom, Tomorrow featured a fairly iconic line-up of soon-to-be famous musicians, future Yes guitarist-and-stalwart Steve Howe chief among them. Accompanied by oddball drummer Twink(real name John Adler), popular vocalist Keith West(him of 'Teenage Opera' fame), keyboardist Mark Wirtz and bassist John Wood, Tomorrow were a talented outfit who straddled the (then) increasingly blurred line between straight-ahead pop and multicoloured psychedelia, offering up such catchy nuggets as album-opener 'My White Bicycle', the jocular 'Colonel Brown' and the deceptively-complex 'Real Life Permanent Dream'(as well as an excellent, rocked-up version of The Beatles seminal 'Strawberry Fields'), tracks that laid the blueprint for much of the psychedelic rock-and-pop appearing across Britain in the aftermath of this album's 1968 release. Of course, when compared with the emerging progressive acts - the likes of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes & Genesis as well as fellow psych-purveyors Pink Floyd - the five-pieces kitsch music seems less impressive. However, after several listens, 'Tomorrow' reveals a genuine instrumental clarity, hence the lofty reputation the album affords. And remember: without groups like Tomorrow we wouldn't have prog-rock, as it was bands like they(amongst others) who took the limited three-minute pop-format and(obviously influenced in part by their art school backgrounds) expanded it with the reckless glee of youth that colours so much era-defining pop music. Full of good moments then, this is first rate British psychedelia. STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012
 Tomorrow by TOMORROW album cover Studio Album, 1968
3.06 | 75 ratings

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Tomorrow
Tomorrow Proto-Prog

Review by Easy Livin
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

2 stars Howe it was yesterday

Tomorrow were an early "supergroup" in reverse, in that the band members went on to find fame and fortune elsewhere. The main interest from a prog perspective is Steve Howe's (YES) involvement in the short lived project. The band evolved from a soul covers band by the name of The In Crowd, intent on writing an playing their own material. They were however also very conscious of their image (Yes, even Steve!), their audience being present as much for what they saw as what they heard.

The music is based in the psychedelic era of the late 1960's, and is best described now using words such as dated and primitive. It is not as dynamic or as exciting as Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd, not as commercial as the Bee Gees, and the songs do not have the strength of the Beatles. These though are among the main influences upon Tomorrow, they even cover "Strawberry Fields forever" here.

The opening track "My white bicycle" was a minor hit for the band, and later successfully covered by Narazeth. It is a catchy piece of psych pop, but hardly ground breaking. The rest of the tracks are charming but rather forgettable, descending to a low on the "Laughing gnome" like "Three jolly little dwarfs". "Now your time has come" is the only song with any semblance of complexity, the track featuring the first hints of Howe's distinctive guitar sound in a reasonably long guitar break.

If we are honest, the sole interest here is Howe's involvement. Do not however expect to hear much virtuoso guitar work, Howe is kept very much in check, providing electric rhythm guitar only. Keith West, the vocalist with the band, would enjoy solo commercial success while the band were still an operating unit with his "Excerpt form a teenage opera", and this would lead to the early demise of Tomorrow after just one album.

In all, an inoffensive pop album from the late 1960's, which may be of interest to those looking to find Steve Howe's earliest work. By no means essential though.

 Tomorrow by TOMORROW album cover Studio Album, 1968
3.06 | 75 ratings

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Tomorrow
Tomorrow Proto-Prog

Review by ClemofNazareth
Special Collaborator Prog Folk Researcher

3 stars Tomorrow is one band that can legitimately claim the designation of ‘proto-prog’. They were among the early British psych bands who laid the foundation for many progressive bands that followed. The band also launched the career of Steve Howe. And there is more than a little evidence to suggest they influenced even some of their contemporaries, including the Beatles (check out the bonus track “Revolution” on the CD reissue of this album); the Who; and even Syd Barrett (arguably in a negative way), who drummer ‘Twink’ Adler played with briefly after Adler left Tomorrow and Barrett was long gone from Pink Floyd.

Musically Tomorrow’s compositions have been compared to some of Barrett’s work around the same time with Pink Floyd, meaning really that they tended to be short, rather intense in tempo, and generally socio-cultural in theme, although generally in a rather abstract way. Tomorrow’s music was also much more coherent than much of Barrett’s stuff though.

This is definitely a period piece as far as the themes and the compositions. The sound is decidedly 1968, just to the right of full-blown hippy music and a bit left of contemporary popular music of the same period. It compares fairly well to the first couple of Moody Blues albums, as well as the Kinks, Manfred Mann, Rolling Stones, and Soft Machine albums around the same time. But most of those bands hung around for a while and developed their sound, whereas Tomorrow faded into obscurity pretty quickly, with only Steve Howe really making a strong name for himself in the industry after the band’s demise. And maybe Adler as well, who besides appearing with Barrett would go on to log time with the Pink Fairies and Pretty Things.

Most of that 1968 music hasn’t aged particularly well, appealing today mostly to those middle-agers who have fond memories of these songs when they were new. And I doubt if all that many music fans around today can legitimately make that claim about Tomorrow since the band recorded only one album which was not particularly well- received. The band had a couple singles, both of which are on the CD version of this record, and neither of which garnered much attention.

Besides the tracks already mentioned, there are a few other interesting tracks worth noting. The “Strawberry Fields Forever” cover is a very faithful rendition of the Beatles classic, with Howe giving Paul McCartney a real lesson on how psych-pop guitar should be played. “Hallucinations” is too poppish and short to really be a psych tune, but Howe on guitar and Mark Wirtz on keyboards come close.

And the short tempo changes and gibberish vocals on “The Incredible Journey of Timothy Chase” make this one seem like a missing Sgt. Pepper’s tune, while “Auntie Mary's Dress Shop” could almost be considered a Brit prog-folk tune.

This is an interesting album historically, and I can see where the band would have had some appeal in the time it was released. But this is collectors-stuff for the most part, more significant as a curio than as a serious addition to a prog collection. I’m tempted to give it two stars for that reason, but the compositions are pretty tight, Howe is excellent as the new young stud guitarist on the block, and the short ditties do kind of grow on you after a while. So three stars, but fair warning that unless you have an affinity for pre-Woodstock pop-psych you probably should avoid this one.

peace

 Tomorrow by TOMORROW album cover Studio Album, 1968
3.06 | 75 ratings

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Tomorrow
Tomorrow Proto-Prog

Review by Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer

3 stars The main reason for this album is naturally for the fact that guitar virtuoso Steve Howe featured on it. Why not include 'Flaming Youth', coz it was Phil Collins' debut recording as drummer/vocalist ?? Maybe because 'Tomorrow' were superior to FY !! The famous (or is he infamous) Twink is the drummer here, he would go on to the phenomenal 'peoples' band, Pink Faeries. This album contains some quite exciting psychedelic tunes, sometimes following in the wake of 'Sgt. Pepper's...' and Howe's contribution provides an embryonic prescence to his unique style of playing. Not much pfaff to be found here, the only tracks that don't click with me are the pompous 'Excerpt from a Teenage Opera' for side 1, and the somewhat 'sugary' 'Three Jolly Little Dwarfs' on side 2. Key tracks are 'My White Bicycle', 'Colonel Brown', 'Revolution', and 'Now Your Time Has Come', which features a long Steve Howe show-case. Not really prog, but its importance and some really great songs are worth 3.5 stars.
 Tomorrow by TOMORROW album cover Studio Album, 1968
3.06 | 75 ratings

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Tomorrow
Tomorrow Proto-Prog

Review by The Wizard
Prog Reviewer

3 stars Along with Pink Floyd and The Soft Machine, Tommorow were one of the top bands to grace the London underground scene. While Floyd and The Softs liked to expand their compositions live, Tommorow kept them short and sweet. This makes them one of the poppier bands of that scene. This album really isn't prog at all, but it's excellent psychedelic pop. Nonetheless it is pretty trippy, just not very challenging. There is a clear Beatles influence, as well as a clear Syd Barrett influence.

This album is known for two reason (1. Containing future Yes guitar genius Steve Howe and (2. Having the 'hit' single 'My White Bicycle', a classic anthem of the counterculture. you can hear some of the classic trademark Howe guitar moves, but he still is pretty far from where he will be in Yes. An example would be that is jazzy lines found in 'Yours is no Disgrace' appear in this album. I don't really know how much of an influence Howe had on this record, Kieth West seems to be at the front of everything though.

West's vocals are nothing incredible, but they do work for the style. He is very similar to the vocalist for the Pretty Things, and he has a distinct British tone. At least they didn't let Howe sing! The rhythm section is very influenced by The Who, with crashing drums and powerful bass. Twink is a great drummer, and he gets to show his skill on the album. The lyrics are British whimsy, shrouded with a haze of psychedelia.

Much of the experimentation comes from backwards guitar solos, use of sitars and tablas, and crazy effects. This was all common in the era 'Tomorrow' was released, so there's nothing really innovative here. To be honest, the band wasn't really doing anything new or breaking new ground, they were basically just going with the flow. That doesnt make the songs bad or anything, just don't expect any radical experimentation.

Some of the better tracks are 'My White Bicycle', 'Hallucinations' (incredible Steve Howe guitar intro!), 'Real Life Permanent Dream' (great sitar), 'Revolution', 'Claremont Lake', and a nice cover of 'Strawberry Fields Forever'. However, tracks like 'Shy Boy' and ' Auntie Mary's Dress Shop' are an atrocious attempt to take on the British Whimsy of the The Kinks which miserably fail. Otherwise, all the songs range from good to excellent.

Overall, this is well crafted psychedelic pop that doesnt break much ground and with influences clear. With that put aside, this belongs in your collection along with Barrett era Floyd and The Soft Machine. Also check out if your a Steve Howe fan, but be warned that this is has little in common with Yes.

 Tomorrow by TOMORROW album cover Studio Album, 1968
3.06 | 75 ratings

BUY
Tomorrow
Tomorrow Proto-Prog

Review by Certif1ed
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

3 stars If you're a rabid fan of Steve Howe, and must own everything he played on, then this is is must-have. Otherwise, it's a fine collection of 1960s psychedelia, that will help your Swingin' Sixties party along - although I would highly recommend albums by The Shocking Blue, Chrysalis and Clear Light above this.

The album itself is basically a collection of unrelated short songs along the lines of "Listen To The Flower People" by Spinal Tap.

However, the version I'm reviewing has bonus tracks, which are far more interesting than the Tomorrow album itself from a Prog perspective - particularly 3 tracks by an offshoot project called "The Aquarian Age" led by John "Twink" Alder - a phenomenal visionary, and participant in many of the most influential bands in the Psychedelic scene, including The Pretty Things, Tomorrow themselves and the Pink Faries (and by implication, Hawkwind).

Otherwise, the album as a whole does not really live up to the experimental promise of the best-known (and opening) track "My White Bicycle". There's a good reason why this was covered in the late 1980s by Nigel Planer, AKA Neil of the BBC TV series "The Young Ones", as it's an archetypical "psychedelic" track, laced with backwards guitar a la "Tomorrow Never Knows", and insane stereo panning guaranteed to have you reaching for the Aspirin.

Nevertheless, although the overall construction is a pop song, it's an interesting curio, and worth obtaining as part of a compilation (there are a fair few 1960s, "old" rock and even prog albums that contain this).

The heavy Beatles influence in "Real Life Permanent Dream" is highly amusing - Tablas and Sitars produce a swrling entry to a song which sounds like it came from half a decade previously. The bass line is notably McCartney in style too - in all, a great example of how progressive the Beatles were, for any doubters. The lyrics seem to be a slight side-swipe at people like Syd Barrett...

One of the buzz words of the swinging sixties was "Revolution", and Tomorrow cram even more psychedelic nonsense in here, with possibly the most expermental track on the album. I use the word "nonsense" fondly here, as although it's clearly gibberish, with the constant references to flower children and such like, this is Steve Howe's major contribution to the album, and the most inventive by several miles. If you can get over the naivety of most of it, it's a highly entertaining piece.

"The Incredible Journey of Timothy Chase" is musically based on "Lovely Rita" and "Hey Joe", with some quite bizarre and often interesting tangential changes and a highly promising guitar solo that is cut off in its prime.

The quintessentially English sound conveyed by "Auntie Mary's Dress Shop" is highly reminiscent of Kaleidoscope, but comes in halfway between some of the quirkier Syd Barrett/Floyd songs and the more humourous Beatles numbers. Kudos to the keyboard player for recreating the sound that the Fab 4 used in "Piggies".

A passable and precise - if inferior cover of "Strawberry Fields" is followed by one of the most horrible songs I've ever heard. Yes, it was fashionable to sing about Gnomes and suchlike, but a few seconds of this is enough to clear an entire roomful of happy party- goers.

Steve Howe fans have one more treat in "Now Your Time Has Come", where Steve attempts to imitate a sitar, and also plays some good stuff with a real hippy flavour.

The album ends with an odd song called "Hallucinations" which is notable in it's blandness - although I may have been disappointed in my expectations of some more psychedelic studio jiggery pokery and some of the other awesome experimental music of the time.

THE BONUS TRACKS:

The first is a boring little song called "Claramount Lake", the next is a heavier version of "Real Life Permanent Dream", then a cover of the Byrd's "Why", which Tomorrow used to open their live sets (note, the sleeve notes credit also confusingly credit this song to the earlier Tomorrow incarnation The In Crowd as well as the Byrds), next a "phased MONO version" of "Revolution", and finally a "Long-lost" recording of "Now Your Time Has Come", which doesn't include the line "Now Your Time Has Come" at all... spooky!

After these bonus Tomorrow tracks are 3 songs that make it worth hunting out this version of the CD for any fan of early progressive music - 3 tracks from a John Alder and John Wood (Twink and Junior) project called "The Aquarian Age";

"10,000 words in a Cardboard Box", which is a fabulous song later re-recorded by Twink and his band on the legendary and frankly amazing album "Think Pink".

"Good Wizzard Meets Naughty Wizzard", suffers from far too many hallucinogens, but nevertheless features some really neat playing.

Better examples of this kind of spoken drama over music are to be found on Kaleidoscope's "Tangerine Dream" and the Small Faces "Ogden's Nut Gone". It's deeply silly, and will raise a laugh in some people on the first listen - but the music is great, and more progressive than any of the Tomorrow music.

Not to be heard under the influence of illegal drugs... although I'm sure you're not the type anyway...

"Me" rounds off this trio of triptastic tranciness with harpsichord driven wierdness remarkably sane lyrics and some quite amazing music.

The bonus tracks go on (and on!) with 4 additional tracks from Keith West which are good, but nothing can really follow The Aquarian Age songs - I'd suggest programming your CD player so that the latter come on last.

In short, the version of the CD I'm reviewing from (with the bonus tracks) is of great interest to Prog Historians and those interested in early progressive music - and great psychedelic music. As a result, the most I can give it is 3 stars.

Thanks to ProgLucky for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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