CRABBY APPLETON EKS 74067 (-70) US

 California band existing in the early seventies. Came to be when Los Angeles band Stonehenge - consisting of Casey Foutz – keyboards, Hank Harvey – bass, Phil Jones – drums and Flaco Falcon – percussion - was joined by singer/songwriter Michael Fennely, originally in sunshine pop band The Millenium. Their greatest moment was the debute 45 "Go Back", reaching #36 on Billboard, but non of the other singles or the two LP:s - this debute and the follow-up "Rotten To The Core" - sold that well, so they disbanded after just a couple of years. On this I hear a melodic blend of folk rock, plain rock and psych, much of it sounding surprisingly British. I'm listening to "Go Back" again as I write this and that is just beautiful - catchy melody with sweet vocals, attractive guitars and appealing drum sound. Further "The Other Side" has some nice Fennely falsetto and I also like the organs in "Peace By Peace" and the psych "Hunger For Love". The whole thing can be regarded as somewhat uneven, but it's certainly strong enough to be enjoyed all through, especially since both mix and audio are top notch. In fact the stereo is so good here even I don't long to hear what a mono mix could be. Early seventies issues also in UK, Canada, Germany, Downunder and a couple of South American countries. US 2002 CD on Collectors Choice Music (CCM-285-2). Premiere US had label as shown here in a fully laminated cover with Elektra co. inner  (YZÄ*)