In 1978, a soul trio recorded six songs. Decades later, Whitney called them “perfect melancholy”

Whitney guitarist Max Kakacek has praised Love Apple’s self-titled album as a model of “perfect melancholy”, saying its sparse, imperfect sound captures a feeling the band tries to bring to its own music. The story highlights how an obscure record by a Cleveland soul trio became an inspiration decades after its songs were recorded.

Lily Pearson, Annette Warren and Aveta Henry recorded six songs in 1978, produced by Lou Ragland; the trio split after their relationship with him soured, and the tapes went unreleased for years. Chicago reissue label Numero brought the album out in 2012. Whitney’s favourites list also included artists such as Hiroshi Sato, Neil Young and Radiohead, while Arthur Russell’s Iowa Dream took the top spot.