Pictured above: Simeon, 1969
In late 1968, during a holiday to New York City, John Lennon found himself at a local record store. Searching through the bargain bin, he came across a copy of a record with a reflective silver sleeve. Intrigued with the record, he purchased it and brought it back to his hotel room.
“What I heard off of it was just mind-blowing, very electronic sounding music, way before the days of synthesizers too. I figured ‘These guys are perfect for Zapple!’”
- John Lennon, 1979
Zapple Records was a record label formed by Apple only a few weeks prior, meant to be a label for spoken word records and artists at the cutting-edge of music, working for the most part outside of the parameters set by the mainstream. Later, The Beatles, John Lennon himself (along with his wife Yoko Ono), and Soft Machine member Robert Wyatt were to release albums on the Zapple label.
That same month, Simeon and Danny Taylor, the two members who comprised Silver Apples, found themselves in a meeting with the executives at their label at the time, Kapp Records, and a representative of Apple Corps.
“I remember that afternoon pretty well; in all honestly as soon as I heard that we were being offered to sign with The Beatles’ record label I wanted to sign the bottom line, but they then explained to us how our records would be sold for cheaper than the usual record, but how we’d gain a bigger platform in terms of people we could reach, given Apple’s prominence at the time and how they promoted artists. It took us a while to make up our minds, but in the end, we signed, and that was that.”
- Simeon, 2005
At the time the duo was working on a new record, Contact, which got released in February 1969 under Zapple Records. However, the cover of the album, which featured the two in the cockpit of a Pan Am Airlines jet with drug paraphernalia, generated a lawsuit by Pan Am, which was nearly responsible for the dissolution of the band.
“After the Pan Am suit, we were thankful we had Apple’s legal funding, we probably would’ve had to have gone into hiding or something otherwise (laughs).”
- Simeon, 2005
Later, in 1970, a third Silver Apples album, The Garden, produced by The Magical Theatre Partnership and Barry Bryant, was released. The band dissolved soon after due to a disinterest shared by both members in working on music further.
Pictured above: Gil Scott-Heron, 1970
Already a well-acclaimed author due to his novel The Vulture, Gil Scott-Heron’s first recording venture took place at a nightclub on the corner of 125th Street and Lenox Avenue. Among the audience was Derek Taylor, Apple’s press officer, who was sent to the US to scout for new acts for Apple Corps.
“We met after the performance and chatted about the potential of releasing the record with our American branch. He was a bit hesitant at first, fearing that he might be promoted less due to his race, and of course, I assured him that we’d treat all of our artists with the same amount of respect.”
- Derek Taylor, 1980
Scott-Heron’s first album, Small Talk at 125th and Lenox, was later released on Red Maple Records.
Pictured above: Rod Stewart, 1970
During the development of his first solo album, An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down, Rod Stewart was dropped from his contract with Mercury Records following several contractual complications which resulted in the firing of A&R man Lou Reizner from Mercury Records. Following which, Reizner was hired by Apple Corps, bringing Stewart along. Following his more positive experiences at Apple, Steward convinced his band Faces to also sign to Apple, with their debut album First Steps being released on the label.
Pictured above: Van Morrison, 1970
Following him being dropped from Warner Bros. following the commercial flop of his second studio album, Astral Weeks, Van Morrison attempted to get signed with multiple labels, Red Maple Records being one of them.
“I think Red Maple was one of me last hopes, ‘cause I’ve heard they do a better job of promoting artists, and if they’d turn me down, I’d basically would’ve just given up”
- Van Morrison, 1971
Van Morrison went onto release two albums in 1970 under Red Maple, Moondance and Virgo’s Fool, which brought him back into commercial prominence.
Pictured above: Timebox, 1970
After their keyboardist Chris Holmes left, the band Timebox essentially gave up on attempting to find their footing in the mainstream and instead essentially underwent a reinvention for their following album, which was produced by Muff Winwood, who wanted to rename the band to Patto, after vocalist Mike Patto. Despite the band rejecting the name idea, this name would be used for the album itself.
“I mean, I never thought of myself being egotistical, so I was against us being rebranded by my last name, but it did make for a good album title.”
- Mike Patto, 1974
The album was recorded live in-studio, as Winwood felt this was the only way to reasonably capture the band’s energetic sound. After Deram rejected the album due to the radical departure in sound from their previous works, Ollie Halsall suggested they attempted to sign with Apple, figuring that they’d be more accepting of their harder rock sound. Winwood played the album to Mal Evans, who was ecstatic about signing them based on what he heard. Patto was released later that year, and while not a commercial success, it helped establish a cult following for Timebox.
Pictured Above: Eric Burdon and War, 1970
In 1969, while living in San Francisco, former Animals vocalist Eric Burdon joined forces with a funk rock band called War, after being introduced to them by record producer Jerry Goldstein. They recorded their debut album in early 1970, and, after securing a record deal with Red Maple, toured extensively throughout Europe and The United States. Their show at Ronnie Scott’s Club in London on September 18th, 1970 is historically remembered for being one of the last public performances of Jimi Hendrix, who quit touring following a near-death experience the next day. A second Eric Burdon and War album, a double album titled The Black-Man’s Burdon, was released in December before Burdon left the band in the middle of its European tour.
Pictured above: The Rolling Stones, 1970
At the start of the decade, The Rolling Stones wanted out of contracts with both Allen Klein and Decca, following the expiry of their contracts. Despite this, Decca still wanted a single from the group, much to their dismay. To get back at the label, they wrote and recorded a song titled Cocksucker Blues, deliberately making it as crude as possible in hopes that it would remain unreleased.
“The wanks over at Decca weren’t happy with what we were trying to pull… and as such they now wanted an entire releasable album... by then there were already rumors and hearsay about a lost Stones album, so we revisited the Cosmic Christmas tapes. Mick wasn’t happy one bit about that, but he went along just to get it out of the way.”
- Keith Richards, 1972
While working on finishing the album, Mick Jagger called Paul McCartney in the hopes of working out a deal with Apple Corps. After several reunions and back-and-forth between Apple Corps and The Rolling Stones, a new label was established, called Licked Records. It was to operate essentially as its own entity, albeit with financial and administrative support from Apple Corps. An interview with Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger, done by Apple Corps’ press manager Derek Taylor, took place in August 1970. A few excerpts of such follows:
Derek Taylor: Now I suppose the obvious question to ask is, what brought this partnership of Apple and the Rolling Stones together?
Mick Jagger: Well by the time our contract with Decca expired, we were already pretty ticked off with a lot of their nonsense... stuff like changing the name of Could You Walk On The Water and altering the cover of Beggars Banquet. By the time we were working on Let It Bleed we knew we had to somehow get away from all those limiting practices.
Paul McCartney: That's when you rung me up.
M: Yeah, we rang up Paul, maybe trying to come up with some sort of deal between the Stones and Apple. Not really a straight-up record deal, we wanted to do our own thing. So next thing I know me and Keith are at Apple's offices with Paul and Brian Epstein, and after some talking, we decided to go through with a deal of opening a new label, which while still being under Apple, will mostly be managed by us and whoever we appoint to it.
D: Now the name of your new label, Licked, has me wondering, why such a lewd name?
M: I wouldn't really call it lewd... it's mostly just based on the logo a certain John Pasche designed. I suggested he copied the stuck out tongue of Kali, and the logo he came up with just made me think of that name... Licked Records. Has a bit of a dirty ring to it which sort of encapsulated the type of stuff we like and would like on the label.
D: And what sort of stuff would you like for this label? Any particular artists in mind?
M: Well... I guess the sort of stuff we want is on the grittier side of things, think something like The Velvet Underground, The Stooges, The Who, MC5... that type of thing.
D: Now Paul, what do you think Licked will bring to the Apple family?
P: Well I guess it could help with sort of expanding the scope of the music we cover. There's that extra perspective and view of music that while I might not be entirely into, the folks over at Licked could pick 'em up and give them a home they might not otherwise have at Apple, or really anywhere else, ya know?
Amid the formation of the new record label, finishing of Cosmic Christmas, and even more contractual complications with Klein, a live album documenting 1968’s The Rolling Stones’ Rock and Roll Circus was released by Decca in September.
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
01. Mick Jagger’s Introduction of Rock and Roll Circus (Mick Jagger) (0:25) [1]
02. Entry of The Gladiators (0:54) (Circus Band) [1]
03. Mick Jagger’s Introduction to Jethro Tull (Mick Jagger) (0:11) [1]
04. Song for Jeffrey (Jethro Tull) (3:25) [1]
05. Keith Richards’ Introduction of The Who (Keith Richards) (0:07) [1]
06. A Quick One (While He’s Away) (The Who) (7:32) [1]
07. Over the Waves (Circus Band) (0:45) [1]
08. Ain’t That a Lot of Love (Taj Mahal) (3:48) [1]
09. Charlie Watts’ Introduction of Marianne Faithfull (Charlie Watts) (0:05) [1]
10. Something Better (Marianne Faithfull) (2:31) [1]
11. Mick Jagger and John Lennon’s Introduction of The Dirty Mac (Mick Jagger and John Lennon) (1:05) [1]
12. Yer Blues (The Dirty Mac) (4:26) [1]
13. Brian Jones’ Introduction of The Velvet Underground (Brian Jones) (0:10) [2]
14. I’m Waiting For The Man (The Velvet Underground) (4:18) [2]
15. John Lennon’s Introduction of The Rolling Stones / Jumpin’ Jack Flash (John Lennon and The Rolling Stones) (3:34) [1]
16. Parachute Woman (The Rolling Stones) (2:58) [1]
17. No Expectations (The Rolling Stones) (4:13) [1]
18. You Can’t Always Get What You Want (The Rolling Stones) (4:24) [1]
19. Sympathy for the Devil (The Rolling Stones) (8:48) [1]
20. Salt of the Earth (The Rolling Stones) (4:56) [1]
Released: September 13th, 1970
Track sources:
[1] - The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, 1996
As the end of the year approached, The Rolling Stones finally finished their incomplete foray into psychedelic music and Cosmic Christmas was released on December 15th, 1970, to contemporary mixed reviews, a particular review for Rolling Stone magazine claiming that “the album came three years too late”, albeit more recently it has received a more favorable opinion. As the year ended, The Rolling Stones and Klein came to an agreement that all of their catalog with Decca would have the rights maintained by ABKCO, while the Stones owned rights to whatever they did from that point on, without owing anything to ABKCO.
Cosmic Christmas
01. Sing This All Together (11:41) [1]
02. Dandelion (3:48) [2]
03. In Another Land (3:13) [3]
04. 2000 Man (3:09) [3]
05. She’s a Rainbow (4:35) [3]
06. The Lantern (4:23) [3]
07. Gomper (5:09) [3]
08. We Love You (4:36) [2]
09. On with the Show (4:18) [1]
Released: December 15th, 1970
Track sources:
[2] - Non-album single, 1967
[3] - Their Satanic Majesties’ Request, 1967
Pictured above: Derek Taylor, 1969
Even with The Beatles' breakup in late 1969, Apple Corps, under the direction of Brian Epstein and Derek Taylor, including Mal Evans, Niel Aspinall, Lee Eastman, recent hire Lou Reizner, among several other employees, managed to keep itself stable for years to come. By 1970 they had acquired both NEMS and Northern Songs and had closed their book publishing firm due to a lack of interest.
“I feel pretty confident that this decade will be our biggest yet due to the amount of potential artists out there waiting to be discovered.”
- Derek Taylor, 1970
Notable Apple singles:
- Mary Hopkin - Lontano Dagli Occhi / The Game - March 7th, 1969
- Mary Hopkin - Goodbye / Sparrow - March 28th, 1969
- The Beatles with Billy Preston - Get Back / Don’t Let Me Down - April 11th, 1969
- Jackie Lomax - New Day / Fall Inside Your Eyes - May 9th, 1970
- Billy Preston - That’s The Way God Planned It / What About You - June 27th, 1969
- Plastic Ono Band - Give Peace a Chance / Remember Love - July 4th, 1969
- Badfinger - Dear Angie / No Escaping Your Love - July 18th, 1969
- Mary Hopkin - Que Sera, Sera / Fields of St. Etienne - September 19th, 1969
- George Harrison - Something / Apple Scruffs - October 6th, 1969
- Billy Preston - Everything’s Alright / I Want You Thank You - October 17th, 1969
- Plastic Ono Band - Cold Turkey / Don’t Worry Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking for a Hand in the Snow) - October 20th, 1969
- Badfinger - Come and Get It / Rock of All Ages - December 5th, 1969
- Faces - Flying / Three-Button Hand-Me-Down - 1970
- The Beatles - Let It Be / The Long and Winding Road - January 11th, 1970
- Jackie Lomax - How the Web Was Woven / (I) Fall Inside Your Eyes - March 23rd, 1970
- Mary Hopkin - Knock, Knock Who’s There? / I’m Going to Fall in Love Again - March 23rd, 1970
- John Lennon - Instant Karma! / Come Together - April 2nd, 1970
- Paul McCartney - Maybe I’m Amazed / You Never Give Me Your Money (Single Version) - April 10th, 1970
- Doris Troy - Jacob’s Ladder / Get Back - August 28th, 1970
- Mary Hopkin - Think About Your Children / Heritage - October 10th, 1970
- Badfinger - No Matter What / Carry On ‘Till Tomorrow - October 19th, 1970
- The Ravellers - My Sweet Lord / My Sweet Lord (Billy Preston Version) - November 23rd, 1970
- Plastic Ono Band - Mother / Why - December 28th, 1970
Notable Apple albums:
- Mary Hopkin - Postcard - February 21st, 1969
- Jackie Lomax - Is This What You Want? - March 14th, 1969
- Badfinger - Badfinger - July 4th, 1969
- Billy Preston - That’s The Way God Planned It - August 22nd, 1969
- The Soft Machine - Volume Two - September 1969
- The Beatles - Get Back - September 22nd, 1969
- George Harrison - Something - October 4th, 1969
- Modern Jazz Quartet - Space - October 10th, 1969
- Rod Stewart - An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down - November 1969
- Plastic Ono Band - Live Peace in Toronto 1969 - December 12th, 1969
- Grapefruit - Deep Water - December 20th, 1969
- Timebox - Patto - 1970
- Badfinger - Magic Christian Music - January 6th, 1970
- Faces - First Step - March 1970
- Ringo Starr - Sentimental Journey - March 27th, 1970
- Paul McCartney - McCartney - April 17th, 1970
- Stars - Lean Out Your Window - June 3rd, 1970
- Soft Machine - Third - June 6th, 1970
- Rod Stewart - Gasoline Alley - June 12th, 1970
- John Lennon - Instant Karma! - June 26th, 1970
- Doris Troy - Doris Troy - September 11th, 1970
- Eric Clapton - Eric Clapton - November 9th, 1970
- Badfinger - No Dice - November 11th, 1970
- The Ravellers - All Things Must Pass - November 27th, 1970
- Plastic Ono Band - Plastic Ono Band - December 11th, 1970
Notable Zapple albums:
- Silver Apples - Contact - February 1969
- The Beatles and Yoko Ono - Unfinished Music - March 20th, 1969
- John Lennon and Yoko Ono - Life With The Lions - May 9th, 1969
- John and Yoko - Wedding Album - October 20th, 1969
- Silver Apples - The Garden - 1970
- Robert Wyatt - The End of an Ear - December 4th, 1970
Notable Red Maple singles:
- James Taylor - Knocking ‘Round the Zoo / Something’s Wrong - 1969
- Creedence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary / Born On The Bayou - January 1969
- James Taylor - Carolina In My Mind / Taking It In - March 17th, 1969
- Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bad Moon Rising / Lodi - April 1969
- Creedence Clearwater Revival - Green River / Commotion - July 1969
- Creedence Clearwater Revival - Down on the Corner / Fortunate Son - October 1969
- The Band - John Wesley Harding / The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - November 29th, 1969
- The Band - Rag Mama Rag / The Unfaithful Servant - 1970
- James Taylor - Sweet Baby James / Suite For 20 G - 1970
- Van Morrison - Come Running / Crazy Love - 1970
- Creedence Clearwater Revival - Travelin' Band / Who'll Stop the Rain - January 1970
- James Taylor - Fire and Rain / Anywhere Like Heaven - February 1970
- Creedence Clearwater Revival - Up Around the Bend / Run Through the Jungle - April 1970
- Creedence Clearwater Revival - Lookin' Out My Back Door / Long As I Can See The Light - July 25th, 1970
- The Band - Stage Fright / New Morning - August 1970
- The Band - Time to Kill / If Not For You - October 1970
Notable Red Maple albums:
- Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bayou Country - January 5th, 1969
- Creedence Clearwater Revival - Green River - August 3rd, 1969
- The Band - John Wesley Harding - September 22nd, 1969
- Creedence Clearwater Revival - Willy and The Poor Boys - November 2nd, 1969
- Gil Scott-Heron - Small Talk at 125th and Lenox - 1970
- Van Morrison - Moondance - February 1970
- James Taylor - Sweet Baby James - February 1st, 1970
- Eric Burdon and War - Eric Burdon Declares "War" - April 1970
- Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo’s Factory - July 25th, 1970
- The Band - Stage Fright (New Morning) - October 19th, 1970
- Van Morrison - Virgo's Fool - November 15th, 1970
- Eric Burdon and War - The Black-Man's Burdon - December 1970
- Creedence Clearwater Revival - Pendulum - December 9th, 1970
Author's comments:
Alright, folks, this is the last post of the year, a quite fitting one at that. This is yet another roundup of what's been going on in the world of Apple, and as you can see, quite a bit has been. We have several new signees to Apple and Red Maple, including the opening of The Rolling Stones' own record label.
Before I finish this author's comments, a few things I'd like to say. First of all, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has been altered with a new mix of With a Little Help From My Friends, done by The_Lifehouse. It included new backing vocals by The Beach Boys, which seemed fitting given Brian Wilson's participation in the Merseyside Summers movie. You can check that out in the post containing the album.
Secondly, I included links to any album covers that might be different from the ones in our timeline, while the tracklistings themselves remain the same as OTL.
Lastly, I'd like to thank everyone for reading up to this point. It has been a great first year for this project of mine, and I shall see you all in 2020.
Farewell and have a good New Years',
Auran.
