Apple Records is a record label founded by the Beatles in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, during which he b ...

. In practice, the roster had become dominated by the mid-1970s with releases of the former Beatles as solo artists. Allen Klein managed the label from 1969 to 1973, then it was managed by

Neil Aspinall Neil Stanley Aspinall (13 October 1941 24 March 2008) was a British music industry executive. A school friend of Paul McCartney and George Harrison, he went on to head the Beatles' company Apple Corps. The Beatles employed Aspinall first as ...

on behalf of the Beatles and their heirs. Aspinall retired in 2007 and was replaced by Jeff Jones.

History

1967–1969: Early years

Apple Corps Ltd was conceived by the Beatles in 1967 after the death of their manager

Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein (; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was a British music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1962 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put him i ...

. It was intended to be a small group of companies (Apple Retail, Apple Publishing, Apple Electronics, and so on) as part of Epstein's plan to create a tax-effective business structure. The first project that the band released after forming the company was their film '' Magical Mystery Tour'', which was produced under the Apple Films division. Apple Records was officially founded by the group after their return from India in 1968 as another sub-division of Apple Corps. At this time, the Beatles were contracted to EMI. In a new distribution deal, EMI and its US subsidiary

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

agreed to distribute Apple Records until 1976, while EMI retained ownership of their recordings. Beatles recordings issued in the United Kingdom on the Apple label carried Parlophone catalogue numbers, while US issues carried Capitol catalogue numbers. Apple Records owns the rights to all of the Beatles' videos and movie clips, and the rights to recordings of other artists signed to the label. The first catalogue number Apple 1 was a single pressing of Frank Sinatra singing "Maureen Is a Champ" (with lyrics by

Sammy Cahn Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premi ...

) to the melody of " The Lady Is a Tramp" as a surprise gift for the 21st birthday of

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

's wife Maureen. Apple Records and Apple Publishing signed a number of acts whom the Beatles personally discovered or supported, and one or more of the Beatles would be involved in the recording sessions in most cases. Several notable artists were signed in the first year, including James Taylor, Mary Hopkin,

, the

Modern Jazz Quartet The Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) was a jazz combo established in 1952 that played music influenced by classical, cool jazz, blues and bebop. For most of its history the Quartet consisted of John Lewis (piano), Milt Jackson (vibraphone), Percy H ...

, the Iveys (who became Badfinger), Doris Troy, and former Liverpool singer Jackie Lomax who recorded George Harrison's " Sour Milk Sea".

1969–1973: Klein era

In 1969, the Beatles were in need of financial and managerial direction, and

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

was approached by Allen Klein, manager of

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

. When Klein went on to manage Apple, three of the Beatles supported him with

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. On ...

being the only group member opposed to his involvement. McCartney had suggested his father-in-law

Lee Eastman Lee Eastman (born Leopold Vail Epstein; January 12, 1910 – July 30, 1991) was an American show business attorney and art collector from New York City.Elephant's Memory were recruited through Lennon and

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North In ...

through Harrison. McCartney had little input into Apple Records' roster after 1970. Klein managed Apple Corp. until March 1973, when his contract expired. The Beatles' entire pre-Apple catalogue on the Capitol label was re-issued on the Apple label in May 1971, including the singles from "

I Want to Hold Your Hand "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and recorded on 17 October 1963, it was the first Beatles record to be made using four-track equipment. With advance orders ...

" to " Lady Madonna", and the albums from '' Meet the Beatles!'' to '' Magical Mystery Tour''. The album covers remained unchanged with the Capitol logos.

1973–2007: Aspinall era, Beatles reissues

After Klein's departure, Apple was managed by

on behalf of the four Beatles and their heirs. Apple Records' distribution contract with EMI expired in 1976, when control of the Beatles' catalogue—including solo recordings to date by George Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr—reverted to EMI (Paul McCartney had acquired ownership of his solo recordings when he re-signed with Capitol in 1975). The original UK versions of the Beatles' albums were released worldwide on

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Octo ...

in 1987 and 1988 by Parlophone. Previously, ''

Abbey Road ''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It is the last album the group started recording, although '' Let It Be'' was the last album completed before the band's break-up in April 1970. It was mostly ...

'' had been issued on CD by the EMI-Odeon label in Japan in the early 1980s. Although this was a legitimate release, it was not authorised by the Beatles, EMI or Apple Corps. Following the settlement of Apple's ten-year lawsuit against EMI in 1989, new projects began to move forward, including the ''

Live at the BBC {{Unreferenced, date=May 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) Live at the BBC or BBC Recordings are recordings originally made for or by BBC Radio 1. Many recordings were released under several name variants. Live at the BBC * ''Live at the BBC'' (The Be ...

'' album and ''

The Beatles Anthology ''The Beatles Anthology'' is a multimedia retrospective project consisting of a television documentary, a three-volume set of double albums, and a book describing the history of the Beatles. Beatles members Paul McCartney, George Harrison and R ...

'' series. It was after the ''Anthology'' project (spearheaded by Neil Aspinall) that the company resumed making significantly large profits again and began its revival. The label was again newsworthy in 2006, as the long-running dispute between Apple Records' parent company and Apple Inc. went to the High Court (see '' Apple Corps v Apple Computer'').

2007–present: Jones era, iTunes reissues

In 2007, longtime chief executive Neil Aspinall retired and was replaced by American music industry executive Jeff Jones.Kozinn, Allan, "Magical Mystery Tour Ends for Apple Corps Executive", ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', 12 April 2007, ''passim''.
link
The Beatles' catalog was remastered and re-issued in September 2009 and was made available on iTunes in November 2010. In June 2009, Apple Records published their last album, ''Let it Roll: Songs by George Harrison''. When

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

acquired EMI and the Beatles' recorded music catalogue, Calderstone Productions was formed in 2012 to administer the Beatles' catalogue.

Design

Standard Apple album and single labels displayed a bright green Granny Smith apple on the A-side, while the flipside displayed the cross section of the apple. The bright green apple returned for Beatles CDs releases in the 1990s, following initial CD releases by Parlophone. On the US issue of the Beatles' '' Let It Be'' album, the Granny Smith apple was red. The reason was that in the United States that album, being the soundtrack to the movie of the same name, was, for contractual reasons, being manufactured and distributed by

United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1959, ...

and not Capitol Records, so the red apple was used to mark the difference. The red apple also appeared on the back cover, and on the 2009 remastered edition back cover. Capitol's parent company EMI purchased United Artists Records in the late 1970s, and Capitol gained the American rights to the ''Let It Be'' soundtrack album (along with the American rights to another, earlier, United Artists Beatles movie soundtrack LP, 1964's '' A Hard Day's Night''). Aside from the red apple, other examples in which the apple has been altered include George Harrison's album ''

All Things Must Pass ''All Things Must Pass'' is the third studio album by English rock musician George Harrison. Released as a triple album in November 1970, it was Harrison's first solo work after Break-up of the Beatles, the break-up of the Beatles in April that ...

'' triple album, on which the first two discs have orange apples while the third has a jar label reading ''Apple Jam''; black and white apples on John Lennon's album '' John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band'' and

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

's album '' Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band''; a blue apple on Ringo Starr's single " Back Off Boogaloo"; Harrison's album '' Extra Texture (Read All About It)'', on which the apple (in shrunken cartoon form) is eaten away at its core (this was intended to be a joke because it was released at a time when Apple Records was beginning to fold); and a red apple on Starr's compilation album '' Blast from Your Past''. Other types of apples were also used: in 1971, for Lennon's '' Imagine'' and Ono's '' Fly'', the apples respectively featured pictures of Lennon and Ono, as did the apples for Ono's 1973 ''

Approximately Infinite Universe ''Approximately Infinite Universe'' is a double album by Yoko Ono, released in early 1973 on Apple Records. It represents a departure from the experimental avant garde rock of her first two albums towards a more conventional pop/rock sound, wh ...

'' and the singles that were released from these three albums.

Zapple Records

Zapple Records, an Apple Records subsidiary run by Barry Miles, a friend of McCartney, was intended as an outlet for the release of

spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics o ...

and

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

records, as a budget label in the style of a magazine or journal. It was active only from 3 February 1969 until June 1969; a string of projects were announced, and a number of recording sessions undertaken, but only two albums were released on the label both by solo Beatles, while another two LPs of finished material were issued by other labels after Zapple was closed down. The label was launched with the two Beatle related records firstly Lennon and Ono’s avant garde '' Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions'' (Zapple 1) and George Harrison’s ''

Electronic Sound ''Electronic Sound'' is the second studio album by English rock musician George Harrison. Released in May 1969, it was the last of two LPs issued on the Beatles' short-lived Zapple record label, a subsidiary of Apple Records that specialised in t ...

'' (Zapple 2). An album of readings by

Richard Brautigan Richard Gary Brautigan (January 30, 1935 – c. September 16, 1984) was an American novelist, poet, and short story writer. A prolific writer, he wrote throughout his life and published ten novels, two collections of short stories, and four bo ...

was recorded and mixed for release as Zapple 3, and acetate disc copies and test pressings were cut but, said Miles, "The Zapple label was folded by llenKlein before the record could be released. The first two Zapple records did come out. We just didn't have rautigan's recordready in time before Klein closed it down. None of the Beatles ever heard it." Barry Miles, as quoted by

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...

in th
sleevenotes
to the eventual non-Apple release of ''Listening to Richard Brautigan''. Brautigan's record was eventually released as ''Listening to Richard Brautigan'' on Harvest Records, a subsidiary of Apple distributor EMI, in the US only. The first recordings were made for Zapple in January 1969, as field recordings of poets in their homes by Miles on a portable tape recorder as he toured the east coast of America. This included poet and Fugs drummer Ken Weaver and Black Mountain poet

Charles Olson Charles Olson (27 December 1910 – 10 January 1970) was a second generation modern American poet who was a link between earlier figures such as Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams and the New American poets, which includes the New Yor ...

,. According to Miles, a spoken word album by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, which had been recorded and edited, would have been Zapple 4, and a spoken word album by Michael McClure had also been recorded. A planned Zapple release of a UK appearance by comedian Lenny Bruce was never completed. An early 1969 press release also named

Pablo Casals Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), usually known in English by his Castilian Spanish name Pablo Casals,

as an expected guest on the label. American author

Ken Kesey Ken Elton Kesey (September 17, 1935 – November 10, 2001) was an American novelist, essayist and countercultural figure. He considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s. Kesey was born ...

was given a tape recorder to record his impressions of London, but they were never released. Miles also had the intention of bringing world leaders to the label. Zapple was shut down in June 1969 by Klein, apparently with the backing of Lennon.''The Archive Hour'',

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...

, 12 June 2004

Artists

* Badfinger (originally known as the Iveys) – Signed to Apple after several demo tapes were brought in by Beatles' roadie

Mal Evans Malcolm Frederick Evans (27 May 1935 – 5 January 1976) was an English road manager and personal assistant employed by the Beatles from 1963 until their break-up in 1970. In the early 1960s, Evans was employed as a telephone engineer, and ...

, after getting approval from

, George Harrison and

. They had several top 10 hits in the UK and US, including the McCartney song " Come and Get It", and recorded five albums for Apple. * Black Dyke Mills Band (as John Foster & Sons Ltd. Black Dyke Mills Band) – A

north of England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...

brass band whom Paul McCartney employed for the one-off "Thingummybob"/" Yellow Submarine" single. It was recorded by McCartney on location near Bradford, where the group were based. *

Brute Force Brute Force or brute force may refer to: Techniques * Brute force method or proof by exhaustion, a method of mathematical proof * Brute-force attack, a cryptanalytic attack * Brute-force search, a computer problem-solving technique People * Brut ...

(stage name of Stephen Friedland) – Harrison attempted to have his song "King of Fuh" released as an Apple single. EMI refused to handle it, owing to its intentionally vulgar

double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially a ...

("Fuh king"), but Apple manufactured a small number of copies in-house which were made available to the public. The song itself appears on the 2010 compilation '' Come and Get It: The Best of Apple Records''. * Elastic Oz Band – A one-off single, "God Save Us", was written and produced by Lennon and

to raise money for a legal battle involving '' Oz'' magazine. The A-side of the single was sung by Bill Elliot, later a member of Harrison's Dark Horse Records signing

Splinter A splinter (also known as a sliver) is a fragment of a larger object, or a foreign body that penetrates or is purposely injected into a body. The foreign body must be lodged inside tissue to be considered a splinter. Splinters may cause initia ...

. * Elephant's Memory – Recruited as backing band for Lennon and Ono, and also released material separately, including contributions to the soundtrack of the 1969 film ''

Midnight Cowboy ''Midnight Cowboy'' is a 1969 American drama film, based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. The film was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, with notable small ...

'' (not on Apple). *

Chris Hodge Chris Hodge is an English rock singer-songwriter. He signed with Apple Records and released a UFO-themed single, "We're On Our Way"/"Supersoul" in June 1972. This single did not chart in the UK Singles Chart, but in the US it reached No. 44 on th ...

– Discovered by

; they shared an interest in UFOs. Hodge only released two singles on Apple, the second of them not issued in the UK. * Mary Hopkin – Discovered after appearing on a UK television talent show and suggested by the model

Twiggy Dame Lesley Lawson (''née'' Hornby; born 19 September 1949) is an English model, actress, and singer, widely known by the nickname Twiggy. She was a British cultural icon and a prominent teenaged model during the swinging '60s in London. ...

. Her early recordings were produced by McCartney, including the Lennon-McCartney original " Goodbye" and her hit recording of "

Those Were the Days Those Were the Days may refer to: Music Albums * ''Those Were the Days'' (Johnny Mathis album) (1968) * ''Those Were the Days'' (Cream album) (1997) * ''Those Were the Days'' (Dolly Parton album) (2005) * '' Those Were the Days – The Best of L ...

". She also released a Eurovision Song Contest entry on Apple ("

Knock, Knock Who's There? "Knock, Knock Who's There?" is a song written and composed by John Carter and Geoff Stephens, released on Apple Records. It was originally sung and recorded by the Welsh singer Mary Hopkin and was the 's entry at the Eurovision Song Contes ...

") and two studio albums. *

Hot Chocolate Hot chocolate, also known as hot cocoa or drinking chocolate, is a heated drink consisting of shaved chocolate, melted chocolate or cocoa powder, heated milk or water, and usually a sweetener like whipped cream or marshmallows. Hot chocolate ...

(as Hot Chocolate Band) – Released one single, a reggae version of " Give Peace A Chance", which they recorded and had played to Lennon, who liked it. Their post-Apple releases as Hot Chocolate were more commercially successful. * Jackie Lomax – Liverpudlian singer known to the Beatles through his

connections; he recorded the Harrison-produced album '' Is This What You Want?'', released in 1969, which also includes musical contributions from Starr and McCartney. Lomax's first single, " Sour Milk Sea", features those three Beatles and was written by Harrison. *

– Associated with Ono, and were famous prior to their involvement with Apple. They released two albums for the label, ''

Under the Jasmin Tree ''Under the Jasmin Tree'' is an album by American jazz group the Modern Jazz Quartet featuring performances recorded in December 1967 and released on the Apple label.

'' and ''

Space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually con ...

''. *

– Recorded extensively with Lennon and released several singles and albums herself; on these Lennon usually directed the band and also performed. * David Peel and the Lower East Side – A political folk singer brought to the label by Lennon. *

– Brought in to work with the Beatles in January 1969 on their "Get Back"/"Let It Be" sessions, and signed as a solo artist. Harrison produced Preston's recordings, including the 1969 hit single " That's The Way God Planned It". Preston's recording of Harrison's "

My Sweet Lord "My Sweet Lord" is a song by English musician George Harrison, released in November 1970 on his triple album '' All Things Must Pass''. It was also released as a single, Harrison's first as a solo artist, and topped charts worldwide; it was t ...

" was released on Apple before Harrison's version. Preston issued two albums on Apple, '' That's the Way God Planned It'' in 1969 with George Harrison, Eric Clapton and

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

, and its follow up '' Encouraging Words'' in 1970 with George Harrison, Eric Clapton,

and Delaney Bramlett. *

Radha Krishna Temple (London) This article discusses the London Radha Krishna Temple (also Radha Krsna Temple), which has been the headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in the United Kingdom since the late 1960s. It was founded in B ...

, the UK branch of the Hare Krishna movement. Harrison brought the Temple devotees to the label in 1969 and produced two hit singles by them in 1969–70, including " Hare Krishna Mantra", as well as their eponymous studio album, released in 1971. *

– An Indian classical musician. Harrison brought Shankar to the label in 1971 and produced his Apple releases, which included the ''

Raga A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradition, and as a ...

'' soundtrack and ''

In Concert 1972 ''In Concert 1972'' is a double live album by sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar and sarodiya Ali Akbar Khan, released in 1973 on Apple Records. It was recorded at the Philharmonic Hall, New York City, in October 1972, and is a noted example of the tw ...

'', a double live album with

Ali Akbar Khan Ali Akbar Khan (14 April 192218 June 2009) was a Indian Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar gharana, known for his virtuosity in playing the sarod. Trained as a classical musician and instrumentalist by his father, Allauddin Khan, he ...

. *

Ronnie Spector Veronica Yvette Greenfield (; August 10, 1943 – January 12, 2022) was an American singer who co-founded and fronted the girl group The Ronettes. She is sometimes referred to as the original "bad girl of rock and roll". Ronnie formed the ...

– Married to

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

, who separately worked with the Beatles and solo Beatles from 1970 onwards. Harrison wrote, co-produced and played on her only Apple single, " Try Some, Buy Some", which was made with her husband, as an attempt to revive her recording career. *

The Sundown Playboys The Sundown Playboys are an American Cajun music band in Louisiana, United States. The band was founded in 1945 by accordionist Lionel Cormier, and has been performing almost continuously throughout the United States. After the death of Lione ...

– A French-language

cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana. While Cajuns are usually described as ...

band from

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

. A pre-existing single was brought to the label by Starr. *

John Tavener Sir John Kenneth Tavener (28 January 1944 – 12 November 2013) was an English composer, known for his extensive output of choral religious works. Among his best known works are '' The Lamb'' (1982), ''The Protecting Veil'' (1988), and '' Son ...

– A classical composer. His brother, a builder, worked on Starr's house, and the drummer took an interest in Tavener. * James Taylor – Recorded with McCartney, who appears on the Apple LP that launched his career. * Trash (originally White Trash) – Brought to Apple by Tony Meehan, formerly of

the Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richar ...

. Their second single was a cover of " Golden Slumbers" and charted on Apple in the UK. * Doris Troy – An American soul artist since the early 1960s, who worked with Harrison and Preston while the latter was signed to Apple. Troy recorded one Apple album, and released two spin-off singles in 1970, the first of which, "Ain't That Cute", was co-written with Harrison. Starr also collaborated on the album, and is credited as a co-writer with Harrison and Troy on some of the tracks. * Lon and Derrek Van Eaton – Signed to the label in September 1971 by Harrison, who produced their debut single, "Sweet Music". Starr also contributed to the recording, and to other tracks on the Van Eatons' 1972 Apple album ''

Brother A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-famil ...

''. Also released were the soundtracks to '' Come Together'' and '' El Topo'' (in the US), the onetime Philles Records compilation '' Phil Spector's Christmas Album'' and the multi-artist '' The Concert for Bangla Desh''. Cassette and 8-track tape versions of ''Bangla Desh'' were marketed by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

after a deal that permitted the inclusion of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, a Columbia artist, on the album. Artists who had considerable success in the pop and rock world after their initial sessions at Apple Records include Badfinger (originally known as the Iveys), James Taylor, Mary Hopkin, Hot Chocolate, Yoko Ono and Billy Preston. Artists who auditioned to appear on the label, but did not make it, include: * McGough and

McGear ''McGear'' is the second and final solo album by English singer Mike McGear, released in 1974. The album is a collaboration between McGear and his brother Paul McCartney, who co-wrote and produced the record. All backing tracks on the album ar ...

(the latter of whom was McCartney's brother), whose self-titled album was due to be released on Apple; it was instead released on

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 19 ...

, to which both were signed as members of

The Scaffold The Scaffold were a comedy, poetry and music trio from Liverpool, England, consisting of musical performer Mike McGear (real name Peter Michael McCartney, the brother of Paul McCartney), poet Roger McGough and comic entertainer John Gorman. ...

. *

Grapefruit The grapefruit (''Citrus'' × ''paradisi'') is a subtropical citrus tree known for its relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit. The interior flesh is segmented and varies in color from pale yellow to dark pink. Grapefruit i ...

, whose single "Dear Delilah" was issued on

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...

with Apple publishing credit. * Focal Point, a Liverpool band who were going to be managed by Brian Epstein before he died, were signed to Apple after chasing McCartney around Hyde Park. John Lennon signed them to Apple; they were the first band signed. Their single "Sycamore Sid" was issued on

Deram Records Deram Records was a subsidiary record label of Decca Records established in the United Kingdom in 1966. At the time, U.K. Decca was a different company from the Decca label in the United States, which was owned by MCA Inc. Deram recordings ...

with credit to Apple Publishing on the label. * Fire (a band with future

Strawbs Strawbs (or The Strawbs) are an English rock band founded in 1964 as the Strawberry Hill Boys. The band started out as a bluegrass group, but eventually moved on to other styles such as folk rock and progressive rock. They are best known ...

member Dave Lambert on guitar) released two singles in 1968: "Father's Name Was Dad", produced by Tony Clarke, and "Round the Gum Tree", on Decca with Apple publishing credits. * Delaney and Bonnie's '' Accept No Substitute'' album was originally meant to be released on Apple in 1969; it was first released commercially on

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between th ...

the same year. In England, copies of the LP were pressed before Apple realized the band were already contracted to Elektra. No album covers were ever printed; the disc is now a high-value Apple collectible. * Mortimer were a folk-based three-piece, notable for a recording of the Beatles' " Two of Us". It was planned for release as an Apple single in 1969 (before the Beatles' version was issued) under the title "On Our Way Home", but the release was cancelled. *

Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned ...

were offered a contract to record with Apple after Harrison received a tape from the band's manager Marty Angelo. Harrison was unable to be their producer, but sent Apple A&R chief Peter Asher to New York City to discuss Asher filling the role. This is documented in the book ''

The Longest Cocktail Party ''The Longest Cocktail Party'' is a book by Richard DiLello, published in 1972 by Playboy Press in the US and Canada and Charisma in the UK, and reprinted in 1981, 1983 (Pierian Press) and 2005. ''The Longest Cocktail Party'' is one man's account ...

'' and in Angelo's autobiography ''Once Life Matters: A New Beginning''. The band turned down Asher's offer, and instead signed with

in 1969. * Slow Dog (later known as Wheels) were a Cambridge-based rock band fronted by Scottish singer/guitarist Dave Kelly. They were the winners of the Apple Records-sponsored national talent contest early 1969, organised by Asher prior to his departure for the US. The winner of the talent contest was promised a record contract with Apple Records, but owing to Asher's departure, the band only recorded demo tracks. However, on recommendation from Mal Evans, Warner Bros. Records in London signed Slow Dog to a record contract, officially changing their name to Wheels. * See also Zapple Records section for cancelled releases.

Discography

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * *

External links

*
The complete Apple Records

Financial background of Apple

{{Authority control The Beatles British record labels EMI Experimental music record labels IFPI members Indian music record labels Pop record labels Record labels established in 1968 Rock record labels Vanity record labels 1968 establishments in the United Kingdom