Known for their intense, swirling proto-power-pop single "Go Back" -- a Top 40 single in 1970 -- Crabby Appleton demonstrated a keen ear for pop/rock trends of the post-hippie era on the two albums they released on Elektra in the early '70s. Led by Michael Fennelly, a singer/guitarist who spent time in Curt Boettcher's the Millennium, Crabby Appleton seemed poised for a breakthrough after "Go Back," which not only climbed the charts but helped the band receive a rave review from Lester Bangs; he'd also praise their second album, Rotten to the Core, as would Dave Marsh. Poor record distribution and internal strife led the group to split in 1972.