Apple Records facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Apple Records |
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| Parent company | Apple Corps |
| Founded | 1968 |
| Founder | The Beatles |
| Distributor(s) | |
| Genre | |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
Apple Records is a British record label started by the famous band the Beatles in 1968. It was part of a bigger company called Apple Corps. The Beatles created it to release their own music, both as a group and as solo artists. They also wanted to help other talented musicians share their music.
Some of the first artists signed to Apple Records included Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston. Over time, the label mostly released music from the former Beatles members as they started their solo careers.
Contents
The Story of Apple Records
How it Started
The Beatles came up with the idea for Apple Corps Ltd. in 1967. This was after their manager, Brian Epstein, passed away. They wanted to create a few small companies, like Apple Retail and Apple Publishing. This was a way to manage their business and finances better.
Their first big project was the film Magical Mystery Tour. It was made under the Apple Films part of their company. Apple Records officially began in 1968 after the Beatles returned from India. It became another important part of Apple Corps.
At that time, the Beatles had a contract with a company called EMI. EMI and its US branch, Capitol Records, agreed to help distribute Apple Records' music until 1976. EMI still owned the rights to the Beatles' older recordings. Apple Records, however, owns the rights to all of the Beatles' music videos and movie clips. They also own the rights to recordings by other artists they signed.
The very first release from Apple Records was a special song. It was Frank Sinatra singing "Maureen Is a Champ" for Ringo Starr's wife, Maureen Starkey, on her 21st birthday.
Apple Records signed many artists that the Beatles liked or helped. Often, one or more of the Beatles would even help with the recording sessions. In the first year, they signed artists like James Taylor, Mary Hopkin, Billy Preston, and Badfinger (who were first called the Iveys). They also signed Doris Troy and Jackie Lomax.
Changes in Management (1969–1973)
By 1969, the Beatles needed help managing their money and business. John Lennon brought in Allen Klein, who also managed The Rolling Stones. Three of the Beatles supported Klein managing Apple, but Paul McCartney did not agree. McCartney wanted his father-in-law, Lee Eastman, to do the job.
Klein took charge of Apple and closed down some of its smaller parts, like Apple Electronics. He also removed some artists from Apple Records. After this, fewer new artists were signed. Any new signings usually happened because one of the former Beatles brought them in. For example, Elephant's Memory joined through Lennon, and Ravi Shankar through George Harrison. McCartney had less to do with who Apple Records signed after 1970.
Klein managed Apple Corps until March 1973. After he left, Neil Aspinall took over. He managed Apple on behalf of the four Beatles and their families.
Later Years and Reissues (1973–2007)
Apple Records' agreement with EMI ended in 1976. At that point, EMI got back the rights to the Beatles' music. This also included solo recordings by George Harrison, John Lennon, and Ringo Starr. Paul McCartney had already gotten ownership of his solo music when he signed a new deal with Capitol in 1975.
The Beatles' original albums were released on compact disc (CD) around the world in 1987 and 1988. Before that, one album, Abbey Road, was released on CD in Japan in 1983. However, this release was not approved by the Beatles or Apple Corps.
After a long legal case between Apple and EMI ended in 1989, new projects began. These included the Live at the BBC album and The Beatles Anthology series. After the Anthology project, Apple Records started making a lot of money again and began to grow stronger.
In 2006, Apple Records' parent company had a big legal disagreement with Apple Inc. (the computer company). This case went to court.
Recent Times (2007–Present)
In 2007, Neil Aspinall, who had been the chief executive for a long time, retired. Jeff Jones took his place. The Beatles' music catalog was updated and re-released in September 2009. It also became available on iTunes in November 2010.
In June 2009, Apple Records released its last album, Let it Roll: Songs by George Harrison. When Universal Music Group bought EMI and the Beatles' music, a new company called Calderstone Productions was created in 2012. This company now manages the Beatles' music.
The Apple Design
The standard labels for Apple albums and singles showed a bright green Granny Smith apple on one side. The other side showed a cross-section of the apple. This bright green apple design was also used for Beatles CD releases in the 1990s.
On the US version of the Beatles' Let It Be album, the Granny Smith apple was red. This was because, in the United States, that album was a movie soundtrack. Due to contracts, it was made and distributed by United Artists Records, not Capitol Records. The red apple was used to show this difference. The red apple also appeared on the back cover of the album.
Besides the red apple, the apple design was changed for other albums too. For example, George Harrison's All Things Must Pass album had orange apples on two discs. The third disc had a label that said "Apple Jam." John Lennon's John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Yoko Ono's Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band albums had black and white apples. Ringo Starr's single "Back Off Boogaloo" had a blue apple.
George Harrison's album Extra Texture (Read All About It) showed a cartoon apple that was eaten away at its core. This was a joke because Apple Records was having some problems at the time. Ringo Starr's album Blast from Your Past also had a red apple.
In 1971, for Lennon's Imagine and Ono's Fly, the apples had pictures of Lennon and Ono on them. The same was true for Ono's 1973 album Approximately Infinite Universe and its singles.
Zapple Records
Zapple Records was a special part of Apple Records. It was meant to release spoken word recordings and experimental music. It was active for only a short time, from February to June 1969.
Many projects were planned, but only two albums were released on the Zapple label. Both were by solo Beatles members. These were John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions and George Harrison's Electronic Sound.
Zapple Records was closed down by Allen Klein in June 1969.
Artists on Apple Records
Apple Records signed many different artists. Here are some of the notable ones:
- Badfinger (originally the Iveys) – The Beatles' road manager, Mal Evans, brought their demo tapes to the Beatles. They had several hit songs and recorded five albums for Apple.
- Black Dyke Mills Band – Paul McCartney hired this brass band for a special single called "Thingummybob."
- Elephant's Memory – This band became the backing band for John Lennon and Yoko Ono. They also released their own music.
- Mary Hopkin – She was discovered after appearing on a TV talent show. Paul McCartney produced her early songs, including her hit "Those Were the Days."
- Hot Chocolate – They released one single, a reggae version of "Give Peace A Chance." John Lennon liked it.
- Jackie Lomax – This singer from Liverpool was known to the Beatles. George Harrison produced his album Is This What You Want?.
- Modern Jazz Quartet – This famous jazz group released two albums for Apple Records.
- Yoko Ono – She recorded a lot of music with John Lennon and released several of her own albums and singles.
- Billy Preston – He worked with the Beatles on their "Get Back" sessions. George Harrison produced his recordings, including the hit song "That's The Way God Planned It."
- Radha Krishna Temple (London) – George Harrison brought this group to the label. He produced two hit songs for them, including "Hare Krishna Mantra."
- Ravi Shankar – This Indian classical musician was brought to the label by George Harrison. Harrison produced his Apple releases.
- James Taylor – He recorded with Paul McCartney, who appeared on his first Apple album that helped start his career.
- Doris Troy – An American soul artist who worked with George Harrison and Billy Preston. She recorded one album for Apple.
Apple Records also released soundtracks for films like Come Together and El Topo. They also released The Concert for Bangla Desh, which featured many artists.
Many artists who started with Apple Records went on to have great success. These include Badfinger, James Taylor, Mary Hopkin, Hot Chocolate, Yoko Ono, and Billy Preston.
Discography
See Also
In Spanish: Apple Records para niños
- Apple Corps v Apple Computer
- List of record labels
- The Longest Cocktail Party, a book about Apple Corps
