Apple — “The Otherside”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 5, 2023

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

883) Apple — “The Otherside”

This grand ‘68 B-side is an “all-time psych classic[]” (liner notes to the CD comp Chocolate Soup for Diabetics: Vols 1-5) that “beg[ins] with an infectious guitar phrase . . . and [is] propelled by some epic piano, evoking a wonderfully brooding atmosphere”. (liner notes to the CD comp Acid Drops, Spacedust & Flying Saucers: Psychedelic Confectionery from the UK Underground 1965-1969) “[T]he buoyant [song] is rated by psychedelic collectors as one of the finest obscure pieces of its kind from the era” with its “wonderful sad melody and captivating piano-guitar arrangement”. (Richie Unterberger, https://www.allmusic.com/artist/apple-mn0000482669, https://www.allmusic.com/album/an-apple-a-day-mw0000460214). It is “a meditation on life and death with its piercing riff . . . one of the few really moving songs to emerge from the UK psychedelic boom”. (Vernon Joynson, Tapestry of Delights Revisited)

As to the mysterious Apple, Vernon Joynson tells us:

One of the few interesting psychedelic bands about whom nothing is known to this day, the best of Apple’s material is up there with the cream of British psychedelia. . . . A fine amalgam of psychedelia and heavy R&B, it’s well established as one of the most sought-after of all UK psych albums . . . . at its best it’s nothing short of superb.

Tapestry of Delights Revisited

Richie Unterberger is a bit more blasé, calling Apple a “rather typical British psychedelic-pop group of the late ’60s, although perhaps not as fruity or indulgent as some.” Not as fruity? The band’s name is Apple!

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