Customer Reviews

Crabby Appleton: (Featuring: "Go Back")

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Chances are you have a top 10 list of albums of all time. Without a shadow of a doubt, the Crabby Appleton albums have been my all time favorties. I was one of those people that saw them open for the Doors in San Diego in 1970. That show put the Doors to shame. With Fennelly's vocals and the tight guitar playing of the group it's a music business tragedy that the label didn't put one dime of promotion behind this group. The world could've experienced some incredible new venues with the writing ability of Michael Fennelly. Take your phone off the hook and lock your door and put " TRY " on your Cd player, turn it up and tell me I'm wrong. This cut just flat cooks !! The mix of instruments and interplay between Casey Foutz (Keyboards) and Flaco Falcon (Timbales) are unheard of in any music today or since. With Phil Jones, drums, (Tom Petty & Roy Orbison in the future), the overall sound kicks ! What can be said about the voice of Michael Fennelly, without question an unmatched vocal quality that is so good that once you hear him belt out the high notes you wonder if we have been victim to a major music business screw up that he should have been a major force. Fennelly's solo albums (Lane Changer and Stranger's Bed)are among the best written, so many styles and such great music. It's a shame that in the past 33 years I've NEVER heard One single Crabby Appleton song on the Radio anywhere. It's a musical conspiracy. Many thanks for having the foresight to see that your audience gets to hear this musical treasure. Now let's Go Back

This has got to be the recording i've waited for the most.
These guys didn't do any really stand out stuff to make the
charts but every tune on this album shows just how well this
group fit together. The song Go Back was the only tune to
get radio time, even thou there are better tunes. All I can
say is if you've heard them you will remember if you havn't
heard them then your in for a treat. Listen! They should have
gone farther than they did.

In the early 70's we did a mean rendition of Go Back, but during rehersals in that tiny garage I somehow lost my copy of this album. Talk about being bummed! That was, I think 1973, of course in my mind altered state I wouldn't sware to anything.

I was bummed out about loosing this album for the next decade. Then in the mid 80's my wife (girl friend then) and I were tripping around Manhattan when we went into a little funky used record store...there it was "Crabby Appleton"...one problem,it was $125.00, I swear, incredible as it sounds. I didn't get it! Kicked myself for the next year. And then, my girl friend (still not wife yet) found a copy of this gem in a used record and book store on campus at the University of Maryland! IT WAS FIVE BUCKS...HONEST...I STILL HAVE IT. IT SOUNDS LIKE CRAP NOW!
BUT NOW I CAN LISTEN IN PURITY AGAIN.
By the way after my girl friend gave me the vinyl, that's when she became my wife. Don't tell her! She hasn't put two and two together yet.

Go Back is well worth the price of admission! Actually if Go Back was the only track on it, I would still buy it, and it would still get 5 stars!

Do yourself a favor...buy this, 'GO BACK' in time, and bend your mind...again!

...is just what I was wondering in my exhaustive search for this gem of the 70's in CD format. A very tight band instrumentally with harmonious vocals. This band deserved much more success than was actually realized! The influence of the Beatles is saturated in this fine creative effort with exception of the congas that are laced through the the compositions. Another one of my favorite 'albums' of life in the early 70's! 'Go Back', the song that got the most airplay is probably my least favorite on Crabby's debut record. It's my opinion that the other tracks are more creative musically.

An under rated band with a corny but memorable name that slipped into the cracks.
I am glad to see that this recording is available now on cd for those of us who remember them, and for a new generation of listners to discover. This is a great studio recording!
I saw them live at the Monterey Fair Grounds Ca. in 1970 when this record was released. The band was fat sounding and tight as all get out, I was really impressed. These guys were not sloppy performers, it was really something to see them perform these songs live with such gusto. This cd is a must have gem from the era.

One of the greatest bands to fall through the cracks, Crabby Appleton suffered a ridiculous name but wow, their music was hard rocking and cathchy as a mother. Really, everything that was right with seventies rock was embodied by Crabby Appleton and it's a damn shame they aren't remembered with more affection. If you like anything by any "classic rock" band, these guys will blow you away, they're so very, very cool.

This smashing debut by Crabby Appleton sounds just as fresh, vital and contemporary as it did when it was first released almost 35 year ago. From the stark, punchy power-pop of "Go Back" and dynamic drive of "Peace By Peace," on to the delicate, countrified "Catherine" and plaintive "The Other Side," to the decidedly Beatle-esque "To All My Friends," this CD definitely has something for everyone. Grab this AND their second release, "Rotten To The Core" while they still remain in print.

Perhaps it was the name of this band that limited their success. It certainly wasn't because of their musical product as the 1970 debut album by Crabby Appleton is a truly remarkable collection of songs. Unfortunately, all that most people know about Crabby Appleton is their power pop hit "Go Back". "Go Back" is a quality opening cut yet it is only a small piece of the package that is so much more complex and fulfilling.

I was 14 years old when I first heard this release and it opened my eyes to a broader spectrum in the musical rainbow. It was Christmas 1973 and Crabby Appleton had already disbanded without me even knowing that they had existed. I was excited when I opened a gift from overseas relatives containing two tapes: Grand Funk "We're An American Band" and this release by Crabby Appleton. I was quite familiar with the heavy rockin' sound of Grand Funk but had no idea what to expect from Crabby Appleton. Playing these two tapes back to back was a shock to my system as the musical contrast was obvious. There was nothing heavy about Crabby Appleton and still I couldn't ignore the fact that they were smokin'. I was intrigued by the complexity of Crabby Appleton's music which on the surface appeared to be smooth and simple. The interplay between the guitar, keyboards, and percussion fascinated me. This was a band that blended so many elements into their music that I couldn't help but to be hooked.

Thank goodness Collector's Choice decided to release this gem on CD along with the band's second album "Rotten To The Core". I now have them both and am pleased with not only the music of Crabby Appleton but with the product that Collector's Choice has issued. The sound quality is very good and the liner notes are informative. Regarding the debut album, the liner notes provide really good insight into the formation of the group and into the similarities in the styles of certain songs on this release with bands like Santana, Left Banke, and The Zombies. Yet, what I hear at times in the performance of keyboardist Casey Foutz are shades of Atomic Rooster, The Doors, Iron Butterfly, Steppenwolf, and even ELP (Check out "Hunger For Love" for the Emersonesque ending.). Percussionist Flaco Falcon adds a touch of Santana and El Chicano to the mix while singer-guitarist Michael Fennelly's performance on "Go Back" reminds me a lot of the guitar work in Cream's "I Feel Free".

This is one of the few releases that I can listen to multiple times back-to-back and not get tired of hearing it. There is a lot to like on this one and I strongly recommend it.

With a lot of obscure rock bands from the '60s and '70s you might be able to pinpoint that one ingredient the band may have been missing in order to grab hold of a large audience or get radio play. With Crabby Appleton, any listener should be at a complete loss for words as to how this band got denied the success they so richly deserved! The band's 1970 debut for the Elektra label speaks for itself, and loudly at that. From the first cut to the last, there isn't one musical misstep on this entire L.P.! It is truly a lost gem of the early power-pop genre. Led by Mike Fenelley who teamed up with local L.A. band Stonehenge to form Crabby Appleton, the band's main strength was their irresistible pop rock sound, but there was much more to the band than just a Top 40 style garnered for mass appeal. How many pop-rock bands could also incorporate a Santana styled percussive section into their music and make it sound completely natural? Or suddenly break out into a little classical based prog-rock without missing a beat? That's not to say you're going to have to endure any over the top Santana jams or 30 minute Emerson, Lake, and Palmer solos with Crabby Appleton, just a pinch of each to liven up the mix. Rolling Stone magazine actually gave this album a crowning review when it was released and you know THAT'S saying something. I'm certainly glad I took a chance on this album because I was rewarded GREATLY!

I owned the 45 rpm of GO BACK before buying the Lp. I played the album so many times. The guitar work is excellent along with the driving percussion. The vocals are pop magic. The songs are well crafted masterpieces. I ordered the CD from Collectors Choice Music. Buy this CD if you love 70's rock.