Chapter 28: Fire and Rain (January 1970 - December 1971)

General Affairs for Apple Corps Ltd.

Mal Evans on the drum kit, 1971.

PETER BROWN: "When the Beatles split up in November 1970, everyone thought that Apple was going to crumble without their combined efforts as an operating company, but as the following year proved, Apple's other artists were excelling, and then some. Couple that with acquiring NEMS and Northern Songs at the end of the 60s, Apple was financially secure, and it quickly stood up on its own as an independent powerhouse in England." (2008, Come and Get It: The History of Apple)

Together as a group, Brian Epstein, Derek Taylor and Lord Beeching - as well as Dick James, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Neil Aspinall, Mal Evans, Lee and John Eastman - had worked hard to ensure that Apple Corps would be a stable business for years to come. Although their primary focus was in the music industry, Lindsay-Hogg pushed to have Apple's film division focus more than just music documentaries and films such as Alice in Wonderland and The Concert for Bangladesh.

Following Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was Raga, a documentary focusing on the life and music of sitarist Ravi Shankar produced and directed by Howard Worth. George Harrison was also involved in the production, such as producing the soundtrack and filming a few scenes with Shankar. By the end of the year, Lindsay-Hogg had begun looking for filmmakers in both the United States and the United Kingdom to expand on Apple Films. One of his first applicants was Yiddish-American filmmaker Mel Brooks, known for directing The Producers and The Twelve Chairs.

Following the death of Allen Klein in the summer of 1970, Epstein, Taylor and Beeching had a meeting with his widow Betty regarding the potential absorption of ABKCO Records and some of its assets. Out of its artists, only the Rolling Stones transferred to Apple Records whilst other artists would move onto other labels. There were even talks about reissuing the Cameo-Parkway recordings of 1957 to 1967 throughout the decade as part of compilation albums, reestablishing the company as a subsidiary of Apple.[1]

The Artists of Apple Records

Old Signings

Badfinger, 1970.

Badfinger's Magic Christian Music was their first album to reach #1 in the United Kingdom, backed by the 1969 single "Come and Get It", produced by Paul McCartney. Their success continued with No Dice (November 1970) and Straight Up (December 1971), the latter of which also hit #1 in the United States. The respective lead singles, "No Matter What" and "Day After Day", were also #1 hits.

Fleetwood Mac had recieved an overhaul in its lineup; Christine Perfect, married to founding member John McVie since 1968, joined the band as keyboardist. Peter Green left in 1970, as did Jeremy Spencer the following year. Bob Welch joined the band to fill the void. Kiln House and Future Games were not big successes, the latter failing to chart at all in the United Kingdom; however, their biggest success during the period was "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)" which hit #10 there.

Mary Hopkin started the 1970s off strong with "Temma Harbour", topping at #3 in the United Kingdom, but her follow up to Postcard did not come out until the following year with Earth Song, Ocean Song. "Knock, Knock Who's There?" and "Let My Name Be Sorrow" were also Top 20 hits. Jackie Lomax had a similar success with his albums Heavy Jelly and Home Is In My Head, as well as the single "How the Web Was Woven".

James Taylor had the biggest success out of the 1968 signings with Sweet Baby James and Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon, as well as their respective lead singles "Fire and Rain" and a cover of "You've Got a Friend", all hitting #1 in the United States. The latter album and the two singles also hit #1 in the United Kingdom.

Elton John, 1970.

Delaney & Bonnie had three albums during the period of 1970-1971; On Tour with Eric Clapton (credited to Delaney & Bonnie and Friends), To Bonnie from Delaney, and Motel Shot. None of them reached the Top 20 in America. However, "Never Ending Song of Love" managed to hit #10 there and even got to #54 in the United Kingdom.

Elton John, on the other hand, had far greater success with an eponymous album and Tumbleweed Connection for 1970 and Madman Across the Water for 1971. The latter topped out at #30 in the United Kingdom but all three albums were Top 10 hits on the other side of the Atlantic. His most notable single was "Your Song", kept out of the top spot by the Ladders' "Instant Karma". "Levon" hit #20 in the United States.

Billy Preston's Encouraging Words hit #1 in the United Kingdom for a week but stalled at #2 in America. The lead single was his version of the Ladders' "My Sweet Lord", topping out at #4 in America. His next album, I Wrote a Simple Song, had no single released from it, therefore not achieving as much success as Encouraging Words.

Smile continued to release non-album singles with "Step on Me" for 1970 (#46) and "Earth" for 1971 (#29). Although she was signed onto Apple in 1969, Doris Troy did not release her eponymous album until the following year, backed with the single "Ain't That Cute". Coming out at the same time as "How the Web Was Woven", "Fire and Rain", and the Beatles' "Something/Let It Be" double A-side, the Doris Troy single struggled to cut through the noise, only topping out at #15 in the United States whilst the album hit #5. She left Apple by the end of 1971.

New Signings

Aphrodite's Child, 1971.

Aphrodite's Child is perhaps the most unusual entry in Apple Records' history. The Greek progressive rock band had formed in 1967 and neither of their albums, End of the World and It's Five O'Clock, were great successes. George Harrison had met with the band leader, Vangelis, and after seeing the group performed, he signed them onto Apple by mid-1970. By the end of the year, Aphrodite's Child were recording their third album, 666, an adaptation of the biblical Book of Revelation. Despite being secured on a new label, relations between the band members were falling apart.

666 finally came out on July 2, 1971, and was their first album to chart in the United Kingdom, fittingly at #6. It charted at a lower #10 in the United States, likely due to religious reasons. The lead single "Babylon" did not reach the Top 20 on either side, only at #24 and #39 in the United Kingdom and America respectively. Aphrodite's Child would break up at the start of the new year, but 666 would since be regarded as their greatest work.

The Electric Light Orchestra was formed in 1970 by Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan of the band the Move. As they recorded their debut album, the Move's last two albums Looking On and Message from the Country were released on the labels Fly and Apple, respectively; the latter album had ended up on Apple at the insistence of Brian Epstein and Lord Beeching, so that ELO could be given advance financing. This was further backed by non-album singles "Tonight" and "Chinatown" for release in 1971, with another to follow next year. Lynne was said to have been "ecstatic" at being signed up for Apple Records, the label founded by his favorite band the Beatles, from which the ELO had taken influence from.

The band's eponymous album was released December 3, 1971, backed by the lead single, "10538 Overture", topping at #14 and #9, respectively, in the United Kingdom. John Lennon and George Harrison both spoke positively about ELO's debut album, with the former even calling them the sons of the Beatles.[2] Shortly after Christmas, the latter invited Wood and Lynne to Friar Park for some tea alongside Brian Epstein.

Ronnie Spector, 1971.

Former Ronettes lead singer Ronnie Spector had been married to Phil Spector since 1968, and through her husband, George Harrison had her signed onto Apple Records, even writing and producing a few songs for her debut album, Try Some, Buy Some.[3] Other songs recorded during the sessions included Harrison's "You", "Tell Me What Has Happened to You", "Window, Window", "When Every Song is Sung", and the Harrison/Phil Spector collaboration "Tandoori Chicken". When Phil Spector's erratic behavior began to kick in, Harrison saw it upon himself to try and complete the album with the assistance from friends Eric Clapton and Billy Preston, as well as session drummer Jim Gordon and producer Tom Dowd.

The final Try Some, Buy Some album included not only the songs Harrison included, but it even had Ronnie Spector sing Delaney Bramlett and Leon Russell's "Lonesome and a Long Way from Home", the Clapton/Russell "Blues Power", the Bramlett/Clapton "Lovin' You Lovin' Me" and the Clapton solo "Got to Get Better in a Little While". "Tell Me What Has Happened to You" and "Window, Window" also received additional lyrics from Clapton.

Credited to Ronnie Spector and the Ravellers, Try Some, Buy Some barely missed out on the Top 10 in the United States by reaching #11 and topped out at #15 in the United Kingdom. The title track, however, achieved much better success at #4 in America but missed out on the Top 20, again, in the United Kingdom at #21. Although Try Some, Buy Some received mixed reviews when it first came out, it has since gone on to gain a cult following in later years.

At age thirteen, Michael Jackson of the Jackson 5 was the youngest artist to get signed onto Apple Records under a temporary contract between it and Motown lasting up to 1975. His first single as a solo artist, "Got to Be There", hit #4 and #5 in the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively, whilst the album of the same name would not be released until January in the following year.

Apple Records discography, January 1970 - December 1971

Albums

• Past Masters 1963-1966 by The Beatles - 9 January 1970 (#2 UK) [EMI]
• Sessions by The Beatles - 9 January 1970 (#2 US) [EMI]
• Magic Christian Music by Badfinger - 9 January 1970 (#1 UK, #8 US)
• Sweet Baby James by James Taylor - 13 February 1970 (#3 UK, #1 US)
• Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 11 March 1970 (#2 UK, #1 US)
• On Tour with Eric Clapton by Delaney & Bonnie and Friends - 25 March 1970 (#29 US)
• Elton John by Elton John - 10 April 1970 (#4 UK, # 2 US)
• Everest by The Beatles - 17 April 1970 (#1 UK and US) [EMI]
• Let It Rain by Cream - 15 May 1970 (#10 UK, #8 US)
• Heavy Jelly by Jackie Lomax - 26 June 1970 (#10 UK, #27 US)
• Doris Troy by Doris Troy - 14 August 1970 (#8 UK, #5 US)
• Encouraging Words by Billy Preston - 11 September 1970 (#1 UK, #2 US)
• Kiln House by Fleetwood Mac - 18 September 1970 (#25 UK, #40 US)
• To Bonnie from Delaney by Delaney & Bonnie - 25 September 1970 (#58 US)
• Tumbleweed Connection by Elton John - 30 October 1970 (#1 UK, #2 US)
• No Dice by Badfinger - 6 November 1970 (#1 UK, #3 US)
• Shine On by The Ladders - 11 December 1970 (#1 UK and US) [EMI]
• Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band by Yoko Ono - 11 December 1970
• Layla by Cream - 12 February 1971 (#7 UK, #2 US)
• Motel Shot by Delaney & Bonnie - 5 March 1971 (#65 US)
• Remember Our Names by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 26 March 1971 (#7 UK, #3 US)
• Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon by James Taylor - 9 April 1971 (#1 UK and US)
• Cherry Wine by Paul McCartney - 17 May 1971 (#1 UK, #2 US) [EMI]
• Try Some, Buy Some by Ronnie Spector & the Ravellers - 11 June 1971 (#15 UK, #11 US)
• Man of Words by David Bowie - 11 June 1971 (#17 UK, #16 US)
• Message from the Country by The Move - 25 June 1971 (#59 UK)
• 666 by Aphrodite's Child - 2 July (#6 UK, #10 US)
• Home Is In My Head by Jackie Lomax - 23 July 1971 (#8 UK, #40 US)
• Future Games by Fleetwood Mac - 27 August 1971 (#60 US)
• Imagine by The Ladders - 9 September 1971 (#1 UK and US) [EMI]
• Fly by Yoko Ono - 17 September 1971
• Earth Song, Ocean Song by Mary Hopkin - 1 October 1971 (#5 UK, #21 US)
• Madman Across the Water by Elton John - 5 November 1971 (#30 UK, #4 US)
• I Wrote a Simple Song by Billy Preston - 5 November 1971 (#17 UK, #9 US)
• Oh, Lonesome Me by Neil Young - 19 November 1971 (#1 UK and US)
• Raga by Ravi Shankar - 26 November 1971 (#4 UK, #15 US)
• Straight Up by Badfinger - 3 December 1971 (#1 UK and US)
• The Electric Light Orchestra by The Electric Light Orchestra - 3 December 1971 (#14 UK, #61 US)
• Exile on Mars by The Rolling Stones - 10 December 1971 (#2 UK, #1 US)
• The Concert for Bangladesh by Various Artists - 17 December 1971 (#1 UK and US)
• Stephen Stills by Stephen Stills - 17 December 1971 (#22 UK, #8 US)

Notable Singles

• "Temma Harbor" / "Lontano Dagli Occhi" by Mary Hopkin - 16 January 1970 (#3 UK, #30 US)
• "Something" & "Let It Be" by The Beatles - 6 February 1970 (#2 UK, #1 US) [EMI]
• "How the Web Was Woven" / "Thumbin' a Ride" by Jackie Lomax - 9 February 1970 (#6 UK, #20 US)
• "Ain't That Cute" / "Vaya Con Dios" by Doris Troy - 16 February 1970 (#27 UK, #15 US)
• "Fire and Rain" / "Anywhere Like Heaven" by James Taylor - 23 February 1970 (#1 UK and US)
• "Woodstock" / "Helpless" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 9 March 1970 (#5 UK, #8 US)
• "Knock, Knock Who's There?" / "I'm Going to Fall in Love Again" by Mary Hopkin - 23 March (#2 UK)
• "After Midnight" / "Rope Ladder to the Moon" by Cream - 6 April 1970 (#18 US)
• "The Long and Winding Road" / "Octopus's Garden" by The Beatles - 20 April 1970 (#1 US) [EMI]
• "Teach Your Children" / "Carry On" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 4 May 1970 (#9 UK, #10 US)
• "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)" / "World in Harmony" by Fleetwood Mac - 18 May 1970 (#10 UK)
• "Ohio" / "Find the Cost of Freedom" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 12 June 1970 (#14 UK, #1 US)
• "Let It Rain" / "Blues Power" by Cream - 6 July 1970 (#36 UK, #20 US)
• "Step on Me" / "See What a Fool I've Been" by Smile - 17 August 1970 (#46 UK)
• "Our House" / "Déjà Vu" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 18 September 1970 (#18 UK, #23 US)
• "Your Song" / "Into the Old Man's Shoes" by Elton John - 26 October 1970 (#2 UK, #5 US)
• "No Matter What" / "Better Days" by Badfinger - 2 November 1970 (#1 UK, #8 US)
• "Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)" / "Beware of Darkness" by The Ladders - 23 November 1971 (#1 UK, #3 US) [EMI]
• "My Sweet Lord" / "Little Girl" by Billy Preston - 7 December 1970 (#10 UK, #4 US)
• "Why" / "Who Has Seen the Wind?" by Yoko Ono - 7 December 1970
• "Bell Bottom Blues" / "Tell the Truth" by Cream - 14 December 1970 (#38 US)
• "My Sweet Lord" / "Well Well Well" by The Ladders - 11 January 1971 (#1 UK and US) [EMI]
• "Earth" / "White Queen (As It Began)" by Smile - 18 January 1971 (#29 UK)
• "Another Day" / "Oh Woman, Oh Why" by Paul McCartney - 22 February 1971 (#2 UK, #3 US) [EMI]
• "Love the One You're With" / "What Are Their Names" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 1 March 1971 (#28 UK, #3 US)
• "Layla" / "Keep on Growing" by Cream - 8 March 1971 (#11 UK, #6 US)
• "Never Ending Song of Love" / "Don't Deceive Me (Please Don't Go)" by Delaney & Bonnie - 12 April 1971 (#54 UK, #10 US)
• "Tell Me Why" / "Laughing" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 26 April 1971 (#15 UK, #20 US)
• "Try Some, Buy Some" / "Tandoori Chicken" by Ronnie Spector & the Ravellers - 26 April 1971 (#21 UK, #4 US)
• "You've Got a Friend" / "You Can Close Your Eyes" by James Taylor - 10 May 1971 (#1 UK and US)
• "Tonight" / "Don't Mess Me Up" by The Move - 24 May 1971 (#8 UK)
• "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" / "The Back Seat of My Car" by Paul McCartney - 6 June 1971 (#1 US) [EMI]
• "Babylon" / "Infinity" by Aphrodite's Child - 6 June 1971 (#24 UK, #39 US)
• "Let My Name Be Sorrow" / "Kew Gardens" by Mary Hopkin - 20 June 1971 (#14 UK)
• "Music Is Love" / "Go Back Home" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 5 July 1971 (#11 UK, #18 US)
• "Bangla Desh" & "Imagine" by The Ladders - 5 August 1971 (#1 UK and US) [EMI]
• "What Is Life" / "It Don't Come Easy" by The Ladders - 20 September 1971 (#1 UK, #4 US) [EMI]
• "Mrs. Lennon" / "Midsummer New York" by Yoko Ono - 27 September 1971 (#57 US)
• "Got to Be There" / "Maria (You Were the Only One)" by Michael Jackson - 4 October 1971 (#5 UK, #4 US) [Motown]
• "Chinatown" / "Down on the Bay" by The Move - 18 October 1971 (#19 UK)
• "Day After Day" / "Money" by Badfinger - 1 November 1971 (#1 UK and US)
• "10538 Overture" / "Mr. Radio" by The Electric Light Orchestra - 15 November 1971 (#9 UK)
• "Heart of Gold" / "After the Gold Rush" by Neil Young - 22 November 1971 (#7 UK, #1 US)
• "Levon" / "Goodbye" by Elton John - 29 November 1971 (#20 US)
• "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" / "Deep Blue" by The Ladders - 1 December 1971 (#2 UK, #3 US) [EMI]
• "Changes" / "Happy" by The Rolling Stones - 6 December 1971 (#2 UK, #15 US)
• "Mind Holes" / "Listen, the Snow is Falling" by Yoko Ono - 6 December 1971
• "Marianne" / "Know You Got to Run" by Stephen Stills - 20 December 1971 (#20 US)

Apple Artists, as of December 1971

• Aphrodite's Child (since 1970)
• Badfinger (since 1968)
• The Beatles (since 1968; contracted to EMI)
• George Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr as The Ladders (since 1970)
• Paul McCartney (since 1971)
• Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (since 1968)
• Stephen Stills (since 1971)
• Neil Young (since 1971)
• Delaney & Bonnie (since 1969)
• The Electric Light Orchestra (since 1970)
• Fleetwood Mac (since 1968)
• Mary Hopkin (since 1968)
• Michael Jackson (since 1971; contracted to Motown)
• Elton John (since 1969)
• Jackie Lomax (since 1968)
• Yoko Ono (since 1969)
• Billy Preston (since 1969)
• Smile (since 1969)
• The Rolling Stones (since 1970)
• David Bowie (since 1971)
• Ronnie Spector (since 1971)
• James Taylor (since 1968)

Departed Apple Artists

• Brute Force (1969)
• Cream (1968-1971)
• Hot Chocolate (1969)
• Radha Krishna Temple (1969)
• White Trash (1969)
• Doris Troy (1969-1971)

Various Artists - The Best of Apple Records Vol. 2: 1970-1971

Released: 21 November 2008

Recorded: 1969-1971

Producer: Various

Track listing

Temma Harbor [Mary Hopkin]
Something [The Beatles]
How the Web Was Woven [Jackie Lomax]
Ain't That Cute [Doris Troy]
Fire and Rain [James Taylor]
The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown) [Fleetwood Mac]
Ohio [Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young]
Your Song [Elton John]
No Matter What [Badfinger]
My Sweet Lord [Billy Preston]
Earth [Smile]
Layla [Cream]
Never Ending Song of Love [Delaney & Bonnie]
Try Some, Buy Some [Ronnie Spector & the Ravellers]
Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey [Paul McCartney]
Imagine [The Ladders]
Mrs. Lennon [Yoko Ono]
Got to Be There [Michael Jackson]
10538 Overture [The Electric Light Orchestra]
Changes [The Rolling Stones]

Apple's second "best of" compilation was considered to be even better than the first album, largely due to choosing the best material from what many consider to be Apple's most fertile period. It topped the charts in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

Footnotes

1. Cameo-Parkway Records was not re-established until 2005.
2. John Lennon said the same thing regarding On the Third Day in 1973.
3. A Ronnie Spector solo album was planned for a release under Apple but it was never completed. "Try Some, Buy Some" ended up on George Harrison's Living in the Material World and "You" ended up on Extra Texture (Read All About It). "When Every Song is Sung" was later re-recorded to become "I'll Still Love You" on Ringo's Rotogravure in 1976.

Author's Comments

Here we are with the second update to Apple Corps! For this chapter, I've included a couple of shout-outs to some other alternate Beatles timelines; the inclusion of Aphrodite's Child was a shout out to The Beatles Don't Break Up in 1970 by YellowSubmarine93, and Ronnie Spector being backed by the Ravellers is a shout out to Auran's old Off-White timeline, as well as his current Something Creative timeline. I'm not sure if Ronnie Spector would've sung some Clapton songs for her Apple debut, but then again, it would've been that or have it sound like a collection of George Harrison covers.

And no, I didn't forget the likes of the Rolling Stones, Cream, Yoko Ono or Crosby, Stills & Nash because I've already talked about them in full in previous chapters set during 1970 and 1971. (Yoko was talked about briefly.) I personally felt a brief recap was kind of redundant. But now, we say goodbye to 1971 and finally head into 1972 with full force. This is going to be a most interesting period in this story.

EDIT: (10/23/19) Added in the Move's last album, Message from the Country, into the album discography, as well as the pair of non-album singles released in 1971.