Crabby Appleton - Go Back, The Crabby Appleton Anthology

In late 1969, following the demise of the band Millennium and a short stint in the quartet Big Shots that resulted in nothing more than some demos, guitarist and vocalist Michael Fennelly teamed up with the LA band Stonehenge and they became Crabby Appleton.  In addition to Fennelly on guitar and vocals, the remainder of the band was Hank Marvin on bass, Casey Foutz on keyboards, Felix “Flaco” Falcon on percussion and Phil Jones on drums.  In April of 1970 they released their debut single, “Go Back”, which hit thirty-six on the Billboard Hot 100, and was followed a few months later with their self-titled album.  A second album was released in late 1971 and by mid-1972 they had broken up.  Go Back, The Crabby Apple Anthology is a great new two-CD collection that includes both albums, single cuts and a couple of mini tracks that were only originally on eight-track.  

Opening up their first album is the aforementioned hit single “Go Back”, an extremely catchy pop-tinged rock tune with a bit of psychedelia, especially in the guitar work.  Following the more laid-back “The Other Side” is “Catherine”, a gorgeous, well-crafted tune, more in the English folk vein, highlighted by some great organ, really nice guitar work and Fennelly’s strong vocals (it’s a shame this song wasn’t released as a single).  “Peace By Peace” is a really loose rocker with a bit of a prog vibe, especially with the keys, and the upbeat pop of “To All My Friends” brings to mind Badfinger.  Following “Last Night In Your Sleep, John”, a silly little nineteen second ditty that initially marked the halfway point on the eight-track, are the upbeat “Try” and the midtempo pop rocker “Can’t Live My Life”, a couple of tracks with an infectious Latin flavor, thanks to Falcon’s percussion.  “Some Madness” is a nice, laid-back pop rock tune with an easygoing mellow groove.  The seven minute “Hunger For Love” is a rocker that comes across like the band was just hanging out and improvising and really lets them stretch out, with some especially great organ and percussion.  The ballad “How Long Will It Take” closes the album out nicely (excepting the second little ditty “Last Night In Your Sleep, Fred”) and has some really great interplay with organ, percussion and acoustic guitar.  Disc one also includes six tracks that were originally released on three different singles including alternate versions of album tracks in mono.  The other two cuts are the strong fuzz guitar driven hard rocker “My Little Lucy”, an alternative mono version of the song “Lucy” that would appear on their sophomore album, and “Grab On”, another heavier track with driving percussion and a hint of prog.  The album was very successful critically, but only made it to 175 on the Billboard Album Charts and didn’t have the success of their single.  

Despite its lack of success, the label decided to move on with a second album, Rotten To The Core.  Right out the gate it’s apparent that this album was a bit of a departure from their debut.  Opener “Smokin’ In The Morning” is a great bluesy cut with a shuffling honky tonk groove, driven by barrelhouse piano and some slide guitar towards the end.  Next up are “Tomorrow's A New Day” and “It’s So Hard”, a couple of solid rockers, followed by the slower, soulful and bluesy ballad “Makes No Difference”, which also has a bit of a gospel vibe thanks to the choral backing vocals from the female vocal trio The Blackberries.  Driven by some honky tonk piano and slide guitar, “You Make Me Hot” is a bouncy, upbeat rocker.  Influenced by LA bands like The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield and featuring Dillards and Rolling Stones sideman Byron Berline on fiddle, “One More Time” is the first of several tunes on the album that finds them moving in a more country rock direction with its use of twelve string guitar, slide guitar and handclaps.  The aforementioned “Lucy” is a powerhouse hard rocker with powerful vocals, organ and some really good guitar solos.  “Paper To Write On” is a massively infectious country rock tune that’s reminiscent of The Flying Burrito Brothers and features the legendary Dave Grisman on mandolin.  They stay in the country rock genre on the next couple of tracks with “Lookin’ For Love” an upbeat tune with some very prominent slide guitar and impressive organ solos, and “Love Can Change Everything”, a really pretty, laid-back and easygoing tune.  Closing the album out is “Gonna Save You (From That)”, a six-minute track that shifts tempos throughout and has an extended section that has a bit of a Latin feel reminiscent of Santana.   Disc two also contains a couple more bonus tracks with the mono single versions of “Tomorrow’s A New Day” and “It’s So Hard”.  Also included is a very comprehensive booklet with an essay on the band and some pictures.  

(Grapefruit)