Introduction
Apple Records was not a failure. It was a label that got tangled up in legal difficulties due to management and the breakup of a band. The label, however, did not fail in itself. In many ways, it was very much ahead of its time. Artist-owned labels were nothing new in 1968 when Apple Records made its debut, but the philosophy behind it was very new, unique and revolutionary. This was the philosophy that George Harrison would take with him when he formed and launched Dark Horse Records. It was Apple's eventual collapse that gave way to the beginning of Harrison's new venture.
Of course, The Beatles were not the first band or musical artist to establish their own label. Frank Sinatra had done this in 1960 with Reprise Records in order to have artistic freedom over his own recordings and because he was dissatisfied with Capitol Records.
Because he owned the label, this earned him the nickname 'Chairman of the Board', although he sold the label to Warner Brothers in 1963 while retaining one-third ownership. Another example would be Sam Cooke's label SAR Records, which he formed in 1961. Cook never recorded for the label but used it to help artists he wanted to promote. One of those artists was Billy Preston. Other artist-owned labels included Bobby Darin (Addison), The Everly Brothers (Calliope Records, established in 1961), Bing Crosby (Project Records, 1961), and Nat 'King' Cole (K-C Records, 1961). It is worth pointing out that the first record pressed with the Apple label (Apple 1) was Frank Sinatra singing 'The Lady is a Tramp', changing the word 'Tramp' to 'Champ' as a special birthday gift for Ringo Starr to give to his wife Maureen.
Apple did not start out as a record label but rather as an umbrella organisation protecting The Beatles from taxes and financial issues - a tax shelter, if you will. Apple Corps Limited, as it was called, came into being after the death of Brian Epstein, the original manager of The Beatles, but there is no doubt that the seeds of Apple were planted by Epstein, who was encouraging The Beatles to set up smaller companies for tax purposes. As a result, In April 1967, The Beatles and Co. was formed in addition to Beatles Limited, which continued to exist.
Essentially, the existence of these companies was to allow The Beatles to pay a much lower level of corporation tax. So initially, the idea for Beatles Limited/Apple was that it be made up of various smaller enterprises, such as retail, publishing, electronics and film and Jonathon Gould, in his book Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain and America, confirms Epstein's masterplan was to establish a business structure that would assist The Beatles in lessening their tax. Sadly, Epstein died before he could see the end results of his efforts.
But one of the first projects under the Apple Banner was the 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour, which was was produced under the Apple Films Division. Although, if one looks carefully at the back of Sgt.
Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, released in June 1967, Apple is mentioned.
So, in January 1968, Beatles Ltd. became Apple. The Apple trademark (with a logo designed by Gene Mahon) was registered in 47 countries. This included registering the following smaller organisations: Apple Electronics, Apple Films Ltd., Apple Management, Apple Music Publishing, Apple Overseas, Apple Publicity, Apple Records, Apple Retail and Apple Tailoring Civil and Theatrical. The Beatles were ready to launch their own label.
On 19 April 1968, The Beatles ran an advertisement in the UK music press, featuring new general manager Alistair Taylor posing as a one- man band, announcing 'This man has talent'. The poster further added:
One day, he sang his songs to a tape recorder (borrowed from the man next door). In his neatest handwriting, he wrote an explanatory note (giving his name and address) and, remembering to enclose a picture of himself, sent the tape, letter and photograph to Apple music, 94 Baker Street, London, W.1. If you were thinking of doing the same thing yourself - do it now! This man now owns a Bentley!
Apple was officially launched.
On 14 May 1968, John Lennon and Paul McCartney held a press conference at the Americana Hotel at 155 West 47th Street in New York City to launch the Apple Company. Lennon and McCartney tried to field questions about the venture and explain, to the best of their ability, their intentions. Lennon said:
It's a business concerning records, films, electronics, and - as a sideline - manufacturing, or whatever it's called. We just want to set up a system whereby people who just want to make a film about anything don't have to go on their knees in somebody's office - probably yours! The aim of this company isn't really a stack of gold teeth in the bank. We've done that bit. It's more of a trick to see if we can actually get artistic freedom within a business structure.
Although Lennon and McCartney made a point of saying that the purpose of Apple was to help new artists, of the four Beatles, Harrison embraced this notion the most. The sheer amount of artists he signed and assisted with Apple speaks volumes and with a few exceptions, Harrison signed American artists, which demonstrates the impact American music had had on him. This trend would be repeated with Dark Horse Records. Quite simply, The Beatles were there to help artists receive exposure for their art. Having a number one or a huge seller was not their primary goal. In 1975, Harrison remarked:
Remember, the basic thought behind Apple in those days was that we resented marvellous musicians or singers having to go to the very big, established record companies and go down on their knees. That's what we, The Beatles, had to do with EMI, and so we said the first thing we'd do when we got a bit of money would be to try to beat this part of the system, at least. So many really good musicians had told us they couldn't get a break, make any records, and it made us furious.
On 28 June 1968, Paul McCartney attended the Capitol Records Sales Conference at The Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel. According to Tony Bramwell, McCartney gave a brief speech and then showed a short promo film directed by Bramwell. This was to announce that EMI/ Capitol would be distributing the new Apple label and that all future Beatle recordings would be on the Apple label.
But Harrison was very active with Apple Records from the very beginning. He had the honour of releasing the first album on Apple himself, Wonderwall Music By George Harrison, which came out in the UK on 1 November 1968 and one month later in the US and Canada. But by the time it was released in North America, it was the third album to come out in North America, following the release of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Unfinished Music No. 1 - Two Virgins (11 November 1968) and The Beatles (25 November 1968).
All of the artists he signed were artists he admired, friends or similarly spiritually inclined, a model he followed when he formed Dark Horse. Indeed, a majority of the musicians were American and rhythm and blues-based. However, Harrison did more than just sign these artists to the label - he took an active interest. He worked diligently on the records, often produced or co-produced. He wrote or co-wrote the songs and even performed on the records as well as doing his best to promote the artists. Promotion was to be one of Dark Horse's problems.
Other evidence of Harrison's enthusiasm for Apple is the fact that Harrison would be responsible for one of the two albums released on the Apple subsidiary Zapple Records, formed in early 1969. The
intention of Zapple label was to release experimental, avant-garde music. Many artists and poets were approached and some signed to release albums on this label. Poet Richard Brautigan had planned to release an album Listening to Richard Brautigan, which was recorded but was released in 1970 on Harvest Records through Capitol Records rather than Zapple. Then Harrison recorded and produced the album Electronic Sound, released on 9 May 1969. But Zapple was shut down after just two albums, the other being John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Unfinished Music No. 2: Life With the Lions. Harrison's album peaked at a very low number 191 on the Billboard Top 200 album charts. But, like its parent company, huge sales were never Zapple's goal.
Perhaps most telling is the work Harrison did for such artists in the calendar year of 1969. Bear in mind that during this time, he recorded two solo albums, three albums with The Beatles (one being a double album), toured with Delaney and Bonnie, co-wrote what would become Cream's last single, 'Badge' and spent some time with Bob Dylan and The Band.
Harrison's commitment was exemplary. In 1968, Harrison not only signed old Liverpool friend Jackie Lomax, but started work on what would become Lomax's debut solo album and his only album for Apple, Is This What You Want? Not only did Harrison produce the album, but he also wrote the song 'Sour Milk Sea' for the project, which became Lomax's debut single. The album itself is a mixture of rock and soul, and with a host of special guests (Leon Russell, Billy Preston, Eric Clapton, Hal Blaine, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, to name just a few), with Harrison beginning recording...
