Silver Apples is a band from America, which proved itself in the genre of psychedelic experimental rock with electronic elements. The first mention of the duo appeared in 1968 in New York. This is one of the few electronic bands of the 1960s that are still interesting to listen to.
At the origins of the American team was the talented Simeon Cox III, who played on a synthesizer of his own production. Also drummer Danny Taylor, who died in 2005.
The collective was active in the late 1960s. Interestingly, Silver Apples is one of the first bands whose musicians used electronic technology in rock.
History of the Silver Apples
The foundation for the creation of the Silver Apples team was The Overland Stage Electric Band. Members of the last group performed blues-rock in small nightclubs. Simeon took the place of the vocalist, and Danny Taylor sat behind the drum kit.
One fine evening, a good friend of Simeon showed the guy an electric generator of sound vibrations (the equipment was created during the Second World War). About this acquaintance with the generator, Simeon said the following:
“When my friend was already pretty drunk, I turned on the track - I don’t remember what kind of composition it was, some kind of rock and roll that was at hand. I started playing with this band and caught myself thinking that I really like the way it sounds ... ".
Simeon offered his friend a deal. He bought a sonic generator for only $10 and showed it to his colleagues. Everyone ignored the generator, and only Danny Taylor said that it was a worthy device.
Simeon Cox III said: “They were classically minded, playing a bunch of their blues riffs. When I brought the generator and turned it on, the musicians just didn't know how to react to it. They were devoid of any imagination. Instead of proceeding with the experiments, they simply rejected the possibility of using a generator.
The reluctance of the musicians of The Overland Stage Electric Band to develop and experiment led to the fact that Simeon and Danny left the band and in 1967 created the duet Silver Apples.
As a result, the compositions of the new team acquired a special sound. Simeon began writing songs based on the verses of the popular poet Stanley Warren, whom he met and became friends with in 1968.
The creative path and music of the group Silver Apples
The first concerts of the duet took place mainly in open areas, during rallies against the Vietnam War. During performances, over 30 thousand spectators could gather on the site. The number of fans began to increase exponentially.
Once Simeon said: “The first time I spent about 2 hours tuning. A little later, my colleague and I thought of mounting everything on a plywood sheet and connecting the blocks with wires from below. This decision allowed not to switch the wires ... ".
Thus, the musicians created a modular synthesizer. The only thing missing from the new hardware was keyboards. As a result, the synthesizer consisted of 30 sound wave generators, several echo devices and wah pedals.
Signing with the Kapp label
The group was doing well. Soon they signed their first contract with the Kapp label. Interestingly, the organizers of the label named the impromptu electrical installation "Simeon" in honor of its creator. Managers were pleasantly surprised by the sound. But most of all they were surprised by the way the “machine” was controlled.
The group had one more "chip" that was remembered by the fans. During performances, Simeon chose one of the many thousands of fans on stage and asked him to tune the receiver to any radio wave. The musicians, improvising with excerpts from the radio program of random noises, created the most popular hit of the repertoire. We are talking about the composition Program.
In 1968, the group's discography was replenished with the album of the same name. The collection received a "modest" title Silver Apples. The tracks were recorded on four-track equipment at the Kapp Records recording studio.
Not everyone was satisfied with the sound of the disc. Later, the musicians recorded compositions already at the Record Plant studio. By the way, the cult Jimi Hendrix also recorded songs there. The musicians often played together, but, unfortunately, the guys did not leave rehearsal records after themselves.
Presentation of the second studio album
The second studio LP was recorded at Decca Records in Los Angeles. The album was rather warmly received by fans and music critics. In honor of the collection, the band went on a large-scale tour of the United States of America.
On the cover of their second studio album, the musicians were captured in the cockpit of a Pan Am passenger liner. If you look at the back of the cover, you could see photos of plane crashes.
Pan Am executives weren't thrilled with the duo's quirks. Managers tried to throw mud at the group members by ordering articles from the yellow press. They tried to do everything to ensure that the album did not go on sale. As a result, the disc did not hit the top, although, as noted above, fans and critics had no complaints about the collection.
Breakup of the Silver Apples
Soon the musicians talked about the fact that they were preparing a third album. However, fans were not destined to listen to the tracks of the disc. The fact is that in 1970 the group broke up.
Danny Taylor took a job at a prestigious telephone company. Simeon Cox III became an artist-designer in an advertising company. Not everyone understood the reasons why the duet broke up, which showed great promise.
In the mid-1990s, the TRC label illegally re-released several of the band's 1960s albums. Simeon Cox III and Danny Taylor did not receive a single dollar from sales. But on the other hand, the recordings revived interest in the Silver Apples. The situation with the illegal re-release of the collection led to the fact that in 1997 the musicians again appeared on the stage.
The duet held several concerts. The musicians shared their creative plans with fans, when suddenly, after one of the performances, a misfortune happened. The car in which Simeon Cox III and Danny Taylor were traveling got into an accident. Simeon injured his neck and spine. At this, attempts by the Silver Apples group to resume activities failed.
Another event happened in 2005. The fact is that Danny Taylor has passed away. The team again briefly disappeared from the view of the fans.
Silver Apples today
Simeon had no choice but to perform alone. For a long time he performed the most popular compositions of the Silver Apples repertoire. The artist performed oscillators, and instead of a drummer he used samples that were edited by Taylor. The band's latest discography was Clingingto a Dream, released in 2016.
On September 8, 2020, Simeon Cox passed away. A huge "magnitude" of electronic and psychedelic music, co-founder of the cult band Silver Apples Simeon Cox III died at 82 years old.
