Crabby Appleton - Crabby Appleton (Reissue) (1970/2002)

Crabby Appleton's debut, produced by Elektra Records' house producer, Don Gallucci, was released by Elektra in 1970. The band enjoyed reasonable success with a fantastic Top 40 hit, "Go Back," which peaked at number 36 in June 1970 after 14 weeks on Billboard's singles charts. The rest of this album -- while much of it lacks the punch of the single -- is nevertheless a charming collection of power pop, moderate-tempo rock, and folky rock, and the occasional emphasis on organ-powered material with no real fodder. "Catherine" is a plaintive British folk-style number with nice vocal overdubs. "To All My Friends" is a punchy, piano-driven rocker that wouldn't have sounded too out of place on a Badfinger album circa Straight Up. "Try" is an upbeat, congas-and-organ-driven track, and the sad-but-pretty "Some Madness" also features pleasant percussive elements courtesy of celebrated conga and timbales player Felix "Flaco" Falcon. Happily, in 2002, this album was reissued on CD by Collectors' Choice.