The Applejacks — “As a Matter of Fact”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 4, 2023

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

973) The Applejacks — “As a Matter of Fact”

A delightful British Invasion charmer from a band that was the first from the Birmingham area to join the hit parade. But they get no respect! Richie Unterberger says that “[w]hile their discs had peppy harmonies, they were on the whole among the wimpier fare of the British Invasion fare” and “[t]he overwhelming bulk of their material . . . was pleasantly bland or downright boring” (https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-applejacks-mn0001169341), and Vernon Joynson called them “wimpy” too! (The Tapestry of Delights Revisited) Not fair!

Unterberger tells us:

A minor British Invasion group that had three hits in the U.K. . . . Their jaunty, lightweight pop/rock could have easily been mistaken for that of a Merseybeat combo, though they actually hailed from the town of Solihull, near Birmingham. The sextet also attracted more attention . . . due to the presence of one female member, Megan Davies, on bass. . . . Forming in 1961 as the skiffle trio the Crestas, the band soon expanded their personnel, moved into electric rock, and changed their name to the Applejacks the following year. Decca issued their first single, “Tell Me When[]” . . . [which] made it to number seven in the U.K. They were fortunate enough to procure “Like Dreamers Do” from Lennon and McCartney when they met the pair at a television rehearsal. . . . mak[ing] it to number 20 in the British charts. . . .

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-applejacks-mn0001169341

Nostalgia Central adds:

[I]n 1960, guitarists Martin Baggott and Philip Cash were in a church youth club skiffle group called The Crestas. Drummer Gerry Freeman persuaded Megan Davies, a fellow Sunday School teacher (and later his wife) to come in on bass. Adding organist Don Gould in 1962 the band went forth as The Jaguars, specialising in instrumentals. . . . The following year [they added] singer Al Jackson . . . . On the look-out around Birmingham, Decca A&R man Mike Smith visualised The Applejacks in their bright red smocks as harbingers of a ‘Solihull Sound’. Hunting around publishers’ offices, a commercial vehicle was found to launch this plan – Tell Me When. . . .

https://nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-a-to-k/artists-a/applejacks/

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