Apple: An Apple A Day (1969)

Dipping back into the psychedelic 60s obscurities file, this one is a largely unheralded gem that deserved a little more attention at the time. Apple were a UK band that stuck around for just a single album, which failed to make any waves. No clue what became of the band, but the record became one of those "lost classics" that grew in stature over time, finally salvaged from the wreckage by a CD reissue awhile back.

Is it any good? Actually, yeah, surprisingly good. It's mostly British Invasion-styled pop, shades of the Hollies and Pretty Things and early Moody Blues, with just a touch of post-Piper At The Gates of Dawn psychedelic coloring. Like the Pretty Things and others of the day, there is some tension between the harder edged R&B (and straight-out blues) and the more baroque psyche-pop. I lean towards the latter, which comes across on tunes like the Status Quo-infused "Buffalo Billycan" (probably the one song here most worthy of Nuggets-collection lionization) and the silly yet infectious Who-flavored "Doctor Rock." There's also perfectly fine Beatlesque pop like the opening "Let's Take A Trip Down The Rhine," and boisterous Cream-y electric blues rock like "Psycho Daisies" (though other Clapton-like blues numbers like "Rock Me Baby" and the downbeat "Sporting Life" don't add much to the package).

While few songs are transcendently memorable, the overall record is far better than one-miss-wonder ignominy suggests, and it makes for a pleasantly enjoyable listen for any fan of 60s pop-psyche.

Here's an audio rip of "Buffalo Billycan":

... and an audio rip of "Doctor Rock":

 ...and "Trip Down The Rhine":