The Beatles’ Apple Records: Making a Comeback
The word around Capitol Records is that they’re about to launch a re-master re-release program for the Beatles’ Apple Records catalog.
Those were the days, my friend. We thought they’d never end. We were wrong.
The last time someone cleaned up and re-released the Apple catalog was back in 1991. Since then, most of the releases have drifted out of print.
Apple Records was not a great success, but it had its shining moments. The catalog consists of James Taylor’s first album ever, plus albums by Badfinger, Billy Preston, R&B great Doris Troy, Mary Hopkin (pictured), and Jackie Lomax.
There are also early solo albums by Ringo Starr and George Harrison that have fallen by the wayside.
Apple’s shiniest moment, for my money, is Badfinger’s “Straight Up” album, produced by Harrison and Todd Rundgren. It’s just perfection–and that’s the name of one of the songs. It also contains the classic hits “Day After Day” and “Baby Blue.” It’s so good, it should be framed.
I will be particularly interested in Doris Troy‘s self titled album. Troy’s biggest hit for Atlantic in the 60s was “Just One Look.” Later she sang, quite beautifully, on Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.”
I am also very curious about Billy Preston‘s “Encouraging Words.” It features Harrison, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Keith Richards and Doris Troy. The same line up is on his “That’s The Way God Planned It.”
And of course, the most enduring of the Apple hits, Mary Hopkin’s “Those Were the Days,” was produced by Paul McCartney, who also wrote Badfinger’s first hit, “Come and Get It.”
Let’s hope the Apple re-release is as clever and classy as the Beatles’ box set boon of last year.
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News. Friedman previously wrote the Intelligencer column at New York Magazine, He writes for Parade magazine and has written for Details, Vogue, the New York Times, Post, and Daily News and many other publications. He is the writer and co-producer of a film about R&B Music called “Only the Strong Survive,” which was released by Miramax in 2003 and was a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals.
JOSE RENATO
Why not a BIG BOX with ALL singles. 15 Cd´s set!!!!!!!!!
Teeay (Tony Arthur)
That was the best news I have heard in a good while. This was better than the news about the remastered stuff by a band called the Beatles. The apple catalogus is great and I hope that all the stuff (esp. David Peel and the Lower East Side as well as MJQ’s “Space” is reissued, along with Lon & Derrick Van Eaton is released). “Duit on mon dei”
Joe Laginestra
It figures , I just spent the last 10 months collecting the whole (((entire))) back catalogue of Apple Records LP’s off EBAY and spent a small fortune and I mean every single album released in the good old U.S.A. Now Capitol decides to do this, just my luck. I can’t believe it man, just my luck ! Well anyway I am glad that another generation of kids will have the chance to hear all those great albums. I just hope that Capitol releases them as LP’s and not just CD’s and Tapes. I also hope that the project is done with respect and class for all those great artists the likes of popular music will never ever see again. Long live the 1960′s and 1970′s !
- rubberfool909
Myrle Wojick
Gives thanks for this. Bookmarking your weblog.
Tony Bramwell
As Capitol completely Ballsed up nearly all APPLE releases …Ken Mansfield etc. Thinking APPLE was only BEATLES It should be fun to see what a cock up they do now ..As no-one there was even born at the time or met a Beatle!!!
Trevor Harland
Great News more genorations will be abl toh the Talants of Many artists essp. the lovely Mary Hopkin !!xx
pete dicks
The re-re-releases would be welcome, and an amazing coolection IF it goes through. Some recordings such as ‘King of Fuh’ by BRUTE FORCE are owned by the artiste themselves, and the HOT CHOCOLATE BAND single recordings are owned by EMI so a lot of complicated negotiations would have to take place.
I CAN report that Lon and Derek van Eaton signed the contract for the re-release of their ‘BROTHER’ LP over 10 years ago.
Tom Sandman
I’d like to see a nice 2-CD set of Apple’s greatest singles: JT, Hopkin, Preston, Badfinger, and oh yes, JPG&R.
Mojo Sam
As a long time Apple collector, I hope that “Brother” by Lon & Derek Van Eaton as well as “Elephant’s Memory” see the light of day. The “Raga” and “El Topo” soundtracks would be nice too. But most of all I would like to see the assortement of one-off singles be compiled into a collection.
Now when are they going to do the Dark Horse label. Lots of good basic there too.
Pat C
And then there was the off-shoot Zapple label, which featured avant-garde releases like George Harrison’s electronic music album, which I found as unlistenable as Lou Reed’s “Metal Machine Music”.
Taylor Dickson
I wish Capitol would follow thru with some of their ideas. This would be a marketing bonanza if they would re-release the Badfinger CD’s, along with the James Taylor Cd, and all the other artists they had in their camp.
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