The Electric Tomorrow single is one of only two record credits I can find on musician Clem Floyd. The Electric Tomorrow was likely a studio concoction from early 1966. At the time Clem was a member of the Sound Machine, a group in the middle of the mid-’60s Los Angeles music scene.
Clem Floyd and Jack Millman co-wrote “Sugar Cube” and “The Electric Tomorrow”. Both are captivating instrumentals, despite an odd warble that could be considered a defective tape transfer. Dan Daniels did “sound coordination”, perhaps manipulating the tape to give these songs their strange sound.
Jack Millman and B. Elder “of Music Industries” produced the single for Banyan Productions, released on World Pacific Records 77860.
I can find no listing of musicians on the single, nor do I know if Clem Floyd played on it.
B. Elder and Dan Daniels also have credit for sound coordination on the Mira LP New Directions of the Afro Blues Quintet Plus One, also recorded in 1966. Jack Millman produced three cuts on that album, which has special effects credited to David Diller. Some of the cuts on the album have a passing resemblance to the Electric Tomorrow single, such as “Incantations” and portions of “3/4-5/4-7/2 (Liquid Landscape)” and “Freaks”.
The Afro Blues Quintet Plus One included Joe DeAguero, Jack Fulks, William Henderson, Jim Keltner, Michael Davis, Norman Johnson and Moises Obligacion. It’s possible some of these musicians play on the Electric Tomorrow single.
BMI’s database also lists “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” published by Irving Music, and another collaboration with Jack Millman, “Minute Freakout”.
The Sound Machine had one single: “Gotta Ease My Mind” / “Spanish Flash” on Canterbury C-511 from March, 1967. Clem wrote both songs and Gerald Curland (who has no other credits I know of) produced.
In Hollywood Eve, published 2019, Lili Anolik describes Clem Floyd as band mate to David Crosby in an unnamed group, and also as part of the Sound Machine with John Densmore. The book has more detail about Clem’s relationship with Mirandi Babitz (sister of Eve Babitz) and their leather clothes business, but nothing further about Clem’s music.
In the July 29, 1966 Los Angeles Free Press, Jerry Hopkins mentioned “Clem Floyd’s newly reorganized Sound Machine” opening for the Factory and the Mothers of Invention, in a review of the Great Underground Arts Masked Ball and Orgy (GUAMBO).
In late 1966, Mojo Navigator #11 mentioned the reorganized Sound Machine with “Gary Marker, formerly of the Rising Sons on bass”.
Grant Johnson played keyboards with the Sound Machine around the same time he was part of the Psychedelic Rangers with John Densmore, Robby Krieger, and Billy Wolff.
On his website, Bruno Ceriotti mentions the Sound Machine playing an after-hours show at Dave Hull’s Hullabaloo on January 14, 1967.
That is all the info I can find on Clem Floyd and the Sound Machine to this point.
“The Train” / “You Put Me Down” on San Mateo’s Action Records is a different Sound Machine altogether, with Wayne Ceballos (later of Aum) on guitar, Ty Tolomei playing organ, and Lee Better on drums.
Special thank you to Mike Dugo for pointing out the Sound Machine single I had missed. Info on Wayne Ceballos from Hooterollin’ Around.
Clem Floyd played some minor gigs at our small Whidbey Island coffeehouse in the mid to late 2000’s – we closed during the 2008 downturn. You can see some memories from the coffeehouse at rockhoppersdailygrind dot blogspot dot com.
Clem told stories of being David Crosby’s roommate in the midwest, and actually introducing him to the Beatles when their first album came out. He said he lived in the same house as several musicians when they moved to Hollywood – I can’t remember for sure, but Mama Cass, I think? He built a sailboat in the backyard, and sailed between the US and Central America for a decade or so delivering high-grade pot via a secret compartment.
He also worked construction on the Bellaggio in Las Vegas, he had several original songs about that, and the smuggling. One night he was performing, then stopped and walked out, leaving all his gear. He came back the next day and we never saw him again.