CONTACT

Sometimes it just seems like the universe is conspiring against you. Such is the case of the electro-pop pioneers SILVER APPLES who emerged in the freewheeling 1960s and released two groundbreaking influential albums. The brainchild of sound experimentalist Olive Coxe, SILVER APPLES' early oscillator dominated electronic rock was revolutionary when the band's self-titled debut emerged in June of1968 predating Wendy Carlos, White Noise and the world of Krautrock experimentalists such as Can and Tangerine Dream. Coxe's fascination with a 1940s audio oscillator drove him to incorporate it into his rock group The Overland Stage Electric Band but proved to alienate all but the drummer Danny Taylor. The entire band quit except Taylor and together as a duo forged an entirely new sound.

After amassing a collection of nine various oscillators, Coxe engineered them to cohesively exist as one unit replete with manual controls and telegraph keys which allowed him to alter pitch, rhythm and bass lines with his hands, feet and elbows After adapting his newfound treasure trove of hitherto unexplored terrain to the world of contemporary 60s psychedelic pop rock, he and Taylor crafted bizarre futuristic vocal and drum songs that incorporated the plethora of sounds and rhythms the oscillator generated. This newfound discovery ultimately caught the attention of Kapp Records which was expanding its artist base beyond its usual comfort zone of vocal jazz, traditional pop, country music and easy listening. The band released its debut to little fanfare but the label was supportive in a second album so the band followed with a second release titled CONTACT that followed in 1969.

More adept in the advertising department than managing independent music artists, Kapp found a clever way of guaranteeing a profit margin by pimping out their artist's album covers as a kind of billboard for advertisers. The label connected SILVER APPLES with Pan Am Airlines and a deal was struck that the duo appear in the cock pit of one of their airplanes with a picture of another jet in the background that displayed the label. While not the worst scenario for an indie artist who wants to be heard, unfortunately the final result including drug paraphernalia and on the back side of the album cover a depiction of a crashed airline. This totally freaked out Pan Am who abruptly sued the band and after a judge ruled in the airline's favor, Kapp Records was forced to withdraw all copies of CONTACT from circulation. And adding insult to injury the duo was also prohibited from playing live because that constituted "advertising" of the now banned product. I guess renegade artists and corporate sponsors just weren't a match made in heaven.

What makes this all so tragic is that while in the studio recording CONTACT, the duo happened to meet Jimi Hendrix who was recording his version of "The Star Spangled Banner" for 4th of July events which led to SILVER APPLES opening for Hendrix and opening the door to a receptive audience who appreciated wild and unhinged experimental music. While on the verge of taking it all to the big league, SILVER APPLES was effectively shut down before they ever had a chance to ride the friendly skies. A pretty raw deal for a band that influenced countless acts in the world of Krautrock as well as Stereolab, Portishead and the entire world of electronic dance music. As if they were cursed when they finally decided to reform and reclaim the throne that had been stolen, Coxe was in a serious car accident and broke his neck. After yet one more time in the modern age of trying to rekindle the lost opportunities, the sudden death of drummer Danny Taylor ended the dream of SILVER APPLES from ever materializing. Like total bummer.

So what about the music? CONTACT basically expanded the sounds heard on the debut. While still steeped in 60s electro-pop from the psychedelic rock template, Coxe had mastered his concoction now called "Simeon" and offered a larger swath of oscillating sounds on CONTACT. New to the band's repertoire was the unusual use of a banjo on the two tracks "Ruby" and "Confusion," the first of which featured the banjo accompanying the oscillator while the second feature only a vocal led banjo performance with only the duo's classic proto-motorik type drumming style. While the debut was more focused on a monotonous robotic type effect with Coxe's detached vocals leading the way, CONTACT allowed both the oscillating effects as well as Coxe's vocal deliveries to decorate the album's artistic value with a more diverse pallet. Of course this altered the overall tone drastically as CONTACT in many ways feels less cohesive but is actually the more creative of the two releases.

While CONTACT was the end of SILVER APPLES as an artist on the brink of bigger things, the band's legacy has more remained intact only growing stronger over the decades. What once was thought too be too strange and unviable has now been matched and surpassed in terms of electronic ingenuity and while both SILVER APPLES releases may sound a bit dated by the standards of the 21st century, both albums remain intriguing and relevant even after so many decades have passed. Despite the advances in technology and the explosive interest in pioneering electronic music, really nothing sounds like either of the albums SILVER APPLES released in the late 1960s. While the psychedelic pop hooks may give away their place in the timeline, the innovative use of oscillators and electronic elegance still sound rather ingenious even today. Personally i love both of their albums equally. Both have their retrospective strengths and weaknesses but given the insurmountable complications of releasing music like this in the 1960s, it's totally forgivable.