Silver Apples

iTunes Review

This 18-track release features both the duo's self-titled 1968 debut album and its follow-up, 1969's Contact. Widely ignored during their initial existence from 1967-1969 (though Jimi Hendrix recorded with them), Silver Apples have become recognized as one of the most innovative and experimental bands of their era by their fans in Spacemen 3, Stereolab, Portishead, and countless other electronic-based groups. The duo's interest in oscillators led to their unusual sound and the name of their first single, " Oscillations," which is also the leadoff track of their debut album. The sound loops and unusual rhythms were unique in the late '60s. In modern times, the melodies behind "Program," "Velvet Cave," and "I Have Known Love" shine through what now sounds like artful but not offputting arrangements of vocals, drums, and oscillators (with a little banjo poking through a few later tracks). Even an experimental piece like "Dust" now has a companion in the later works of Scott Walker. The first album was recorded to four-track, while the second album was worked over at Decca Records' 24-track studio in Los Angeles under stricter time constraints.