APPALOOSA

Folk baroque was all the rage in the 1960s and although the British Invasion and following psychedelic rock scene rained on the folkies' parade a bit, the whole folk scene remained quite popular all throughout the 60s and beyond. In addition to the bigger known names such as Joan Baez, Van Morrison and Bert Jansch, there were countless smaller acts that haunted the coffeehouse circuit. APPALOOSA was one such band that originated in Boston and was the creation of singer / guitarist John Parker Compton and violinist Robin Batteau. Compton honed his fragile vocal style in the Cambridge church choir for many years whereas Batteau had already been a coffeehouse hit.

Together they assembled the team that included cellist Eugene Rosov and bassist David Reiser and formed APPALOOSA in 1968 and developed their own style of chamber folk baroque that eventually won over Columbia Records producer Al Kooper who had played with Blood, Sweat & Tears prior to his gig as producer. Once in the studio, Kooper employed a few members of his former band along with a collection of session musicians which led to the band's sole self-titled release which came out in the summer of1969 on the Columbia label but despite the big label backing and generous studio production, the album failed to make a dent in the charts.

A collection of ten well crafted tracks that feature lush folk textures narrated by Compton's James Taylor-like vocal style, APPALOOSA's sole release featured a number of dreamy folk tracks with intricate string arrangements as well as well as a few upbeat moments such as the rockin' "Georgia Street." A slickly produced album, APPALOOSA sounded more 70s than 60s with its larger than life backing however the tracks remained soft and intimate and never lost their coffeehouse immediacy despite it all. The lush arrangements that featured a touch of jazz as well as medieval characteristics that spiced up the baroque folk performances. The occasional oboe and percussive drive added even more elements to the basically folky vibe.

The band son fell apart after Reiser and Rosov jumped shipped leaving Compton and Batteau to continue on as a duo. Batteaux would continue on with his own soft rock band of his name as well as Buskin & Batteau and the yacht rock Pierce Arrow. Compton would leave the folk scene altogether and by the time the 1980s hit had become a very successful writer of commercial jingles. APPALOOSA delivered a very subdued mellow style of baroque folk that would appeal to fans of Nick Drake, early Van Morrison, Nico and Bert Jansch but honestly is fairly typical of the mellow folk craze of the 60s without really excelling in any particular way. It's a pleasant listening experience but doesn't stand out as the best the era had to offer either.