Apple - Biography
Apple was a short-lived British psych-rock band whose primary recognition came well after the band’s only album release—1969’s An Apple A Day (Page One Records), released on Larry Page’s label. The group was started by Cardiff natives Rob Ingram (guitar) and Jeff Harrad (bass) in London, England, in the late 1960s, and they were later joined by Dennis Regan (vocals), Charlie Barber (piano) and Dave Brassington (drums). Though the psychedelic pop album An Apple A Day didn’t receive much label support and was thereby dismissed as a commercial failure (contributing to the band’s ultimate break-up), it has since become a collector’s item and is recognized as an artistic commodity. The original record is extremely rare to find (and once found very costly to own), but has since been re-released as a CD by Repertoire Records in 1994 with original cover and sleeve art. The reissue also contains four bonus tracks from the original 45s, in their mono versions.
The 52-minute An Apple A Day is considered a lost treasure of that unique time in the United Kingdom when bands like The Yardbirds were popular. In fact, Apple covered two Yardbirds’ songs on the album—the garage-raw and piano-teased “Psycho Daisies” and the bluesy “Rock Me Baby,” paying homage to a band they would eventually be most likened to. They also did a cover of the Loving Spoonful’s “Sporting Life.” The accomplished harmonies of the band led to the release of singles like the B-side Charlie Barber-penned song “Buffalo Billycan” and the lost gem “The Otherside,” the latter of which is regarded as the band’s best, featuring sad melodies and fantastic guitar/piano interplay between Barber and Ingram.
Years after the band called it quits Apple’s music has been hailed as classic British psychedelic rock by UK critics, thus renewing interest in the band that didn’t receive a ton of attention to begin with. The original Page One Records release of An Apple A Day commands thousands of dollars today, and is very difficult to find.