Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: Fresh Country Apples
Company: Delicious
Catalog: RAJ-71
Year: 1970
Grade (cover/record): VG/VG
Comments: --
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 4173
Price: $200.00
Cost: $
Brother, here's a weird one ...
Hailing from Central Washington, guitarist John Chapman, keyboardist Joe Hadlock, bassist David King, singer Janette Marble and drummer Scot Schrekenhost started their professional musical careers cutting a series of radio commercials in support of Washington apples. The relative success of their commercials got the band a chance to record some more conventional material and saw the release of a 1970 album on the Seattle-based Delicious Records label.
Produced by guitarist Chapman, "Fresh Country Apples" is definitely different. The first side apparently offers up a series of expanded versions of their earlier commercial jingles. Powered by Marble's excellent voice, material such as the title track and "Colusa Country Trees" isn't half bad, the only major mis-step being the hokey "Applecore - Baltimore" (the title says it all). The flip side features the band in a more contemporary setting and is actually quite good. Highlights include a bluesy cover of George Gershwin's "Summertime", "Blues for J" and Hadlock's pseudo-jazzy "Another Day" (which serves to really highlight Marble's attractive voice). Interestingly, while some dealers have hyped the album as being a psych classic, most of the set sports a far more commercial orientation. The one exception is the extended closer "Ode To Cory". Complete with thunderstorm effects, squealing guitar and a dirge like tempo, this one sounds like it was torn out of some acid-tripping San Francisco band's catalog. Quite impressive !!! Printed in miniscule quantities, the set's quite rare and has become somewhat of a collector's items (hence our asking price).
"Fresh Country Apples" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Fresh Country Apples (Tom Chapman - Joe Hadlock) - 1:50
2.) Applecore - Baltimore (Joe Hadlock) - 1:45
3.) Little Green Apples (Bobby Russell) - 4:16
4.) Colusa Country Trees (JImMorgan ) - 2:30
5.) Sunlight (Jesse Colin Young) - 3:05
(side 2)
1.) Summertime (George Gershwin) - 3:46
2.) Blues for J (Lotus Hawk) - 4:24
3.) Another Day (Joe Hadlock) - 3:59
4.) Ode To Cory (Tom Chapman) - 6:07