SILVER APPLES

SILVER APPLES were the duo of Simeon Coxe and Dan Taylor based in New York City and this is their debut from 1968. And what a ground-breaking album it was with that homemade synth Simeon used called "The Simeon". As far as I know only FIFTY FOOT HOSE were already doing this the year before with their album "Cauldron". They too had a homemade synth. Dan Taylor plays the drums and adds vocals and he was 20 when their debut was released while Simeon was 30 years old and he plays that electronic device and sings. It's hard to believe it's just these three things on here, vocals, synths and drums.

That synth by the way could create pulsing rhythms, electronic melodies, beeps, buzzes and beats. This machine had 9 audio oscillators and 86 manual controls. The lead and rhythm were played with the hands, elbows and knees while the bass oscillator was played with the feet. The vocals have that 60's sound and the music is catchy with these electronic sounds doing their thing. I just found this very interesting from the first spin and I really like the music.

The opener is a great example of what I'm talking about and a top four. Experimental to start but so good when the music kicks in. "Lovefingers" has some almost mono-toned vocals and the drums have some authority here. "Dust" is different as we get more of a soundscape that is dark and almost haunting with spoken words. "Dancing Gods" has a determined sound including the vocals and the rhythm has that American Native sound. So good. Those are my top four tracks.

So while this album influenced a lot of bands and styles of music Pan Am Airlines filed a law suit against them after their second record "Contact" was released showing the two in the cockpit of a Pan Am jet on the cover. They decided to squish the bug that was SILVER APPLES and while it had a huge affect the band continued on over the years in various forms but always with Simeon Coxe and his The Simeon.