Chapter 66: Hit Me With Your Best Shot (January 1978 - December 1980)

General Affairs for Apple Corps Ltd.

"Would you care for a rat, or...?" The famous climax of the final Fawlty Towers episode, Basil the Rat, in which the inspector Mr. Carnegie spots the titular rat in a tin of biscuits. The episode premiered on 25 October 1979, the delay was caused by a strike taking place at the BBC.

By the start of the 1970s, Apple Corps had mainly focused on putting out music. As the decade drew to a close, with the inclusion of Highway 61 Records and Swan Song Records as subsidiaries, Apple appeared to rival Berry Gordy, the head honcho of Motown, for a monopoly on the popular music industry. Not only that, they were greatly expanding on their role in the film industry, following the success of Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, as well as the two Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve. It was inevitable that Apple Television would grow as well, with the second and final series of Fawlty Towers airing in February and March of 1979, with the final episode Basil the Rat premiering on 25 October that same year. Despite the popularity of the show, creator John Cleese (who also portrayed Basil Fawlty) had no intentions of writing a third series.

In the meantime, Apple Television focused mainly on comedies, which would include the likes of Not the Nine O'Clock News, Blackadder, The Comic Strip Presents..., Only Fools and Horses, 'Allo 'Allo!, and The Young Ones. Many of the actors involved would be part of the growing Apple family for years to come. But one of their most famous productions would not be a comedy aimed at the adult audience, but rather, it would be aimed at a more general audience, mainly children.

In 1979, Reverend Wilbert Awdry was interviewed on the Bluebell Railway for a documentary on steam railways. One of the producers, Britt Allcroft, had read some of his Railway Series books for research before meeting him, and after becoming fascinated with the characters and stories, she offered to adapt them into a television series. Awdry was skeptical at first, even telling Allcroft that two previous attempts at adapting the books had failed. In 1953, the BBC had attempted to adapt The Sad Story of Henry, narrated by Julia Lang and directed by Douglas Mair. The 14 June broadcast was a disaster, especially when the model representing the character Henry the Green Engine derailed at a set of points, and a hand could be seen putting it back on the rails again. It was such an embarrassment that the 28 June broadcast was cancelled, and the footage of the 14 June broadcast was lost to time.

Brian Cosgrove animating what was supposed to be a pilot for Andrew Lloyd Webber's adaptation of the Reverend Wilbert Awdry's Railway Series books, 18 October 1976. Because of the books' scarcity in the United States, the market was uninterested, and so the project was cancelled. The pilot's fate is currently unknown.

The other previous attempt came from Andrew Lloyd Webber, a fan of the books, in 1973, wanting to produce a musical television series. A pilot episode had been produced, but by 1977, following the success of his musical Evita, Lloyd Webber had abandoned the project, focusing instead on theatrical musical productions under the Really Useful Company, named for a catchphrase in the books. "Once the Americans get hold of it, the whole series would be vulgarized and ruined!" Awdry was reported to have said.

Despite the warnings, Allcroft was undeterred and pursued the idea, hoping to source finances for production. Apple Corps were keen to provide the money and allow Allcroft to have full creative control. By the end of 1980, she was financially able to begin producing a show based upon the Railway Series, featuring many iconic characters including a certain little blue tank engine with six small wheels, a short stumpy funnel, a short stumpy boiler, and a short stumpy dome. She would even assemble a crew including director David Mitton (who suggested using live action model animation a la Gerry Anderson) and composers Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell; however, it would be a long time before the world finally got to see Thomas and his friends on television for the first time.

Apple Corps Executives, December 1980

Managing Director and Chairman of the Board: Brian Epstein

Vice Presidents: Peter Brown, Lord Beeching

Director Communications: Derek Taylor
General Counsels: Lee and John Eastman

Apple Records

President: Ron Kass

Vice President: Jack Oliver

Director of A&R: Jake Riviera

Director of Promotion and Marketing: Tony Bramwell

Director of Design: Josh Kosh

Studio Manager, Apple Studios: Geoff Emerick

Other Notable Figures: Mal Evans, Roy Thomas Baker

Apple Films and Apple Television

President: Denis O'Brien

Other Notable Figures: Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Mel Brooks, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Richard Donner, John Lloyd, Rowan Atkinson, David Mitton, Britt Allcroft

Apple Management

Director: Neil Aspinall

Associate Director: Mal Evans

Apple Publishing

Director: Alistair Taylor

Highway 61 Records

President: Jack Oliver

Vice President: Chris O'Dell

Directors of A&R: Pete Ham, Dennis Wilson

Swan Song Records

President: Peter Grant

Vice President: Alan Callan

Director of A&R: Dave Edmunds

The Artists of Apple Records

Old Signings

Elvis Costello performing live, 1978.

Jake Riviera's 1976 signings all achieved varying degrees of success, mostly within the positive range. The Clash's London Calling was regarded as one of the best albums of 1979 despite stalling out at #2 in the United Kingdom, and all three of Elvis Costello's albums (This Year's Model, Armed Forces and Get Happy!!) with his new backing band, the Attractions, hit #1 there as well, and his biggest singles included "Radio Radio", "Oliver's Army" and "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down". When performing on Saturday Night Live in 1977, Costello had been scheduled to perform "Less Than Zero", but he switched at the last minute to "Radio Radio" instead, resulting in him being banned from SNL until the end of the 1980s.

In the midst of producing for some of Apple's newer artists, Nick Lowe released Jesus of Cool and Labour of Lust, along with singles such as "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass". The Damned (Machine Gun Etiqutte, The Black Album, the single "Love Song"), the Jam (All Mod Cons, Setting Sons, Sound Affects, the single "Going Underground") and Motörhead (Overkill, Bomber, Ace of Spades) all also achieved Top 10 success. But as for Wreckless Eric, his sophomore album The Wonderful World of Wreckless Eric did not achieve the success of his debut album despite the single "Take the K.A.S.H." His last single under Apple Records was "Broken Doll", released March 1980.

Michael Jackson, 1979.

Most of Apple's veterans were still achieving success at the turn of the decade. A Single Man, The Thom Bell Sessions[1] and 21 and 33 were all Top 20 hits for Elton John and produced the likes of "Song for Guy", "Are You Ready for Love" and "Little Jeannie". It seemed as though the Rocket Man himself was unstoppable even as the world of music evolved. Splinter, meanwhile, still had success in the United Kingdom with Streets at Night and their eponymous 1980 album while struggling to break ground around other parts of the world, including the United States. Even though he was now a member of Yes, now contracted to Swan Song Records, Vangelis was still a part of the Apple roster, continuing to put out electronica albums Beaubourg, China and See You Later.

It was Michael Jackson who had some of the biggest success for Apple at the end of the 1970s with his first post-Motown album, Off the Wall, with the liner notes including a dedication to Diana Ross following her murder at the hands of Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen in 1978. The lead single, "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", was the biggest off of the album, later followed up by "Rock with You", "Off the Wall" and "She's Out of My Life". Although it was only released as a single in the United Kingdom, "Girlfriend" was given to Jackson by Paul McCartney for the album after it was demoed with the rest of Smile.

New Signings

Madness, 1979.

Madness and Tenpole Tudor were the only new signings by Jake Riviera for the remainder of the 1970s, both in 1979. When asked why he didn't sign up new artists in the previous two years, Riviera explained that he wanted Apple's newest signings to allow themselves to show off what they were capable of to see how well the punk scene would be received. With many of its artists achieving success in the United Kingdom, presumably because they were signed up to a label founded by the Beatles a decade prior, the label felt confident enough in signing on more punk and new-wave groups.

Apple Artists, as of December 1980

• The Beatles (since 1968; contracted to EMI from 1968-1976)
• George Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr as The Ladders (1970-1976)
• George Harrison and Ringo Starr as The Dark Horses (1977-1980)
• Paul McCartney (1971-1980; affiliated with Smile 1972-1980)
• David Bowie (since 1971; member of The Rolling Stones 1969-1976)
• Eric Clapton (since 1968; member of Cream 1968-1971, member of the Dark Horses 1977-1980)
• The Clash (since 1976)
• Elvis Costello (since 1976)
• Crosby, Stills & Nash (since 1968; with Neil Young 1969-1977)
• Stephen Stills & Manassas (1971-1973; solo albums released on Highway 61 Records 1975-1976)
• Neil Young (1971; solo works released on Highway 61 Records since 1973)
• David Crosby and Graham Nash as Crosby & Nash (1972-1976)
• The Damned (since 1976)
• Electric Light Orchestra (since 1970)
• Fleetwood Mac (since 1968)
• Michael Jackson (since 1971; contracted to Motown from 1971-1975)
• The Jam (since 1976)
• Elton John (since 1969)
• Denny Laine & Wings (since 1980)
• Nick Lowe (since 1976)
• Madness (since 1979)
• Freddie Mercury (since 1973; member of Smile since 1980)
• Motörhead (since 1976)
• The Rolling Stones (since 1970)
• Bill Wyman (1974, 1976)
• Smile (since 1969; affiliated with Paul McCartney 1972-1980)
• Splinter (since 1973)
• Tenpole Tudor (since 1979)
• Vangelis (since 1972; member of Aphrodite's Child 1967-1972, member of the Dark Horses 1977-1980, member of Yes since 1980)

Departed Apple Artists

• Aphrodite's Child (1970-1972)
• Badfinger (1968-1975)
• Brute Force (1969)
• Delaney & Bonnie (1969-1972)
• Cream (1968-1971)
• Chris Hodge (1972-1973)
• Mary Hopkin (1968-1972)
• Hot Chocolate (1969)
• Radha Krishna Temple (1969)
• Jackie Lomax (1968-1975)
• Jimmy McCulloch and White Line (1975-1977)
• Nazareth (1972-1975)
• Yoko Ono (1969-1973)
• Billy Preston (1969-1977)
• Sex Pistols (1976-1979)
• Ronnie Spector (1971-1972)
• The Sundown Playboys (1972)
• White Trash (1969)
• Doris Troy (1969-1971)
• Lon and Derrek Van Eaton (1972-1973)
• Wreckless Eric (1976-1980)

The Artists of Highway 61 Records

Old Signings

Bob Dylan, 1979.

Highway 61 Records saw three departures by the end of 1978; Attitudes had broken up, as would Boxer due to Mike Patto's death from lymphatic leukemia on 4 March 1979, and Kiki Dee would leave before her last single under the label, "One Jump Ahead of the Storm", had come out. But what about those who would stay on? Bob Dylan had once again departed from his folksy roots with Street-Legal, and would convert to Christianity, which influenced the sound of Slow Train Coming and Saved, the latter of which would be regarded as one of his worst ever albums.

Dave Edmunds was kept busy producing for artists on both Highway 61 and Swan Song Records, but still found the time for releases such as Tracks on Wax 4 and Repeat When Necessary on the former label, as well as Seconds of Pleasure with Rockpile. Cliff Richard continued to have Top 40 hits in the United Kingdom, his biggest hit during that period being "We Don't Talk Anymore". Likewise, Supertramap's Breakfast in America had reached #1 in the United States, and its singles were also Top 20 hits there as well. Although Tina Turner had achieved minor success with Rough and Love Explosion, it would be a few years before she had a career resurgence.

Heart stayed on with Highway 61 Records even after the controversy surrounding the media over rumors of an incestuous relationship between Ann and Nancy Wilson, and even achieved success with Dog and Butterfly and Bébé le Strange. Rod Stewart, The Ramones and Patti Smith also achieved similar chart success. Harry Nilsson would put out Flash Harry in 1980, and it would be the last album released in his lifetime, with Losst and Founnd coming out in 1995, the year after his death from heart attack.[2]

Cheap Trick, 1978.

Cheap Trick's most successful album of the period was Dream Police, with the title track even hitting the Top 20 for three non-consecutive weeks. Likewise, the Talking Heads found success gradually growing from More Songs About Buildings and Food to Fear of Music to Remain in Light, the latter of which finally hit the Top 10 in America. Michael Jackson still found time to record with the Jacksons on Destiny and Triumph, though they would release albums sporadically due to Michael putting a solo career first. Apple veteran James Taylor released Flag in May 1979, his only major release during that period.

Toto released their eponymous debut album in October 1978, backed by the lead single "Hold the Line". Their work with Dennis Wilson would then carry over onto the follow up album Hydra and its main single "99", and then Turn Back, though it wouldn't be released until next year. Wilson also employed some of the members of Toto for his next solo album Bambu, and although it didn't achieve much success at the time, it would gradually gain a cult following.

New Signings

The Cars, 1979.

Colin Blunstone had signed onto Highway 61 Records for two albums; Never Even Thought and Late Nights in Soho. Afterwards, he left the label and disappeared from the music scene until the 1990s. His loss was more than made up for by bringing in the Cars ("Just What I Needed", "Let's Go", "Touch and Go") and Johnny Warman ("Head On Collision", "Automatic Kids") in 1978. This was later followed up by Huey Lewis and the News ("Exo-Disco", "Some of My Lies Are True") and the Lambrettas ("Go Steady", "Poison Ivy") in 1979 and 1980, respectively.

By that time, there was a rise of female pop artists that would soon carry over into the new decade. Pat Benatar's In the Heat of the Night and Crimes of Passion brought forth hits such as "Heartbreaker" and "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" which were Top 20 hits. Californian new wave group the Go-Go's would soon become the first all-female band that not only wrote their own songs, but played their own instruments as well, being fronted by vocalist Belinda Carlisle.

Highway 61 Artists, as of December 1980

• Pat Benatar (since 1979)
• Junior Campbell (since 1976; no new recordings since 1978)
• The Cars (since 1978)
• Cheap Trick (since 1976)
• Bob Dylan (since 1973)
• Dave Edmunds (since 1973; also contracted to Swan Song Records)
• The Go-Go's (since 1980)
• Heart (since 1975)
• The Jacksons (since 1976)
• The Lambrettas (since 1980)
• Huey Lewis and the News (since 1979)
• Harry Nilsson (since 1975)
• Tom Petty & Mudcrutch (since 1974)
• Ramones (since 1975)
• Lou Reed (since 1976; member of Hunky Dory 1972-1978)
• Cliff Richard (since 1973)
• Patti Smith (since 1975)
• Rod Stewart (since 1975)
• Stephen Stills (since 1975; also contracted to Apple Records)
• Supertramp (since 1974)
• Talking Heads (since 1976)
• James Taylor (since 1976; part of Apple Records 1968-1976)
• Peter Tork (since 1973)
• Toto (since 1977)
• Tina Turner (since 1974; on hiatus)
• Johnny Warman (since 1978)
• Dennis Wilson (since 1975)
• Ronnie Wood (since 1974; member of the Rolling Stones since 1975; member of the Dark Horses 1977-1980)
• Neil Young (since 1973; also contracted to Apple Records)

Departed Highway 61 Artists

• Attitudes (1976-1978)
• Colin Blunstone (1978-1980)
• Boxer (1975-1978)
• Kiki Dee (1973-1978)
• Hunky Dory (1976-1978)
• L.A. Express (1973-1976)
• Lynyrd Skynyrd (1973-1977)
• Nigel Olsson (1974-1977)
• Tom Scott (1973-1977)
• Neil Sedaka (1974-1976)
• Ravi Shankar (1973-1980)
• Solution (1974-1977)
• Stackridge (1973-1976)
• Robert Wyatt (1976-1979; member of Hunky Dory 1972-1978)

The Artists of Swan Song Records

Old Signings

Kate Bush, 1980.

The only remaining artists from Swan Song Records pre-Apple acquisition (the Yardbirds notwithstanding) were Bad Company and Sad Café, both of which were still making hits from Desolation Angels and Facades, respectively. That wasn't to say that the artists they acquired from Highway 61 Records were any less successful; far from it. Aerosmith's Night in the Ruts was generally a hit among critics and fans, as were From the Inside and Flush the Fashion by Alice Cooper. Dr. John (City Lights, Tango Palace) and Blue Öyster Cult (Mirrors, Cultösaurus Erectus) were also generally successful, but it was Blondie who achieved the most success out of the transfers with four albums being released - Plastic Letters, Parallel Lines, Eat to the Beat and Autoamerican, the second of which produced the hit "Heart of Glass".

Scottish band Blue broke up after the release of Fool's Party and the album received no hits. Likewise, Detective had broken up with no new releases since 1977's It Takes One to Know One. On the other side of things, XTC had managed to achieve Top 40 success in the United Kingdom with White Music, Go 2, Drums and Wires and Black Sea, the latter of which even managed to breach the Top 40 in America.

Kate Bush achieved instant success when her debut single, "Wuthering Heights", topped the charts in the United Kingdom. Looking back retrospectively, Bush admitted that she didn't expect success this early, and was worried about being forced to make music and skip school. Fortunately, because she was in an understanding environment, Kate did not have to rush-release a new album following the success of The Kick Inside, and it's follow-up, Lionheart, would not be released until June 1979. Never for Ever would come out in September the following year.

New Signings

Prince, 1980.

Outside of the Buggles and former Hunky Dory members Kevin Ayers and Iggy Pop, 1978 saw the signing of Ohio-based band Devo, fronted by brothers Bob and Gerald Casale. Although their first three albums, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, Duty Now for the Future and Freedom of Choice, were not Top 10 hits on either side of the Atlantic (although the first album came close at #12 in the United Kingdom), they still sold respectably and achieved hits such as "Whip It".

Prince Rogers Nelson - known mononymously as Prince - was destined for big things when he signed a record deal with Swan Song Records. Although his debut album, For You, didn't make much of a dent upon release, his 1979 eponymous album and 1980's Dirty Mind, however, did, with "I Wanna Be Your Lover" reaching the Top 10 in the United States, even topping the charts in the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

1979 seemed to be a significant year for Swan Song Records as, with the exception of the Vapors, all of their new signings were female. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (Bad Reputation), Brenda Russell (her eponymous debut album), Carly Simon (Come Upstairs) and Judie Tzuke (Welcome to the Cruise, Sports Car) all achieved success within the first year of being signed onto the label, with Simon having a bit of a career resurgence since departing Elektra Records. Now she was under a subsidiary of Apple much like her husband James Taylor. This was not to say that the Vapors were unsuccessful; New Clear Days did fairly well in the charts and with critics, as did the single "Turning Japanese", which even hit #3 in the United Kingdom.

Swan Song Artists, as of December 1980

• Aerosmith (since 1977; part of Highway 61 Records 1973-1976)
• Kevin Ayers (since 1978; part of Highway 61 Records 1976-1977)
• Bad Company (since 1974)
• Blondie (since 1977; part of Highway 61 Records 1976)
• Blue Öyster Cult (since 1977; part of Highway 61 Records 1975-1976)
• The Buggles (since 1978)
• Kate Bush (since 1977)
• Alice Cooper (since 1977; part of Highway 61 Records 1974-1976)
• Devo (since 1978)
• Dave Edmunds (since 1977; also contracted to Highway 61 Records)
• Dr. John (since 1977; part of Highway 61 Records 1975-1976)
• Genesis (since 1977; part of Highway 61 Records 1975-1976)
• Tony Banks (since 1979)
• Kim Beacon (since 1979)
• Mike Rutherford (since 1979)
• Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (since 1979)
• Iggy Pop (since 1978; part of Highway 61 Records 1976-1977)
• Prince (since 1978)
• Brenda Russell (since 1979)
• Sad Café (since 1976)
• Carly Simon (since 1979)
• Judie Tzuke (since 1979)
• The Vapors (since 1979)
• XTC (since 1977)
• The Yardbirds (since 1974)
• Yes (since 1980)

Departed Swan Song Artists

• Blue (1977-1979)
• Maggie Bell (1974-1976)
• Detective (1977-1979)
• The Pretty Things (1974-1976)

Various Artists - The Best of Apple Records Vol. 6: 1978-1980

Released: 20 November 2009

Recorded: 1977-1980

Producer: Various

Track listing

I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass [Nick Lowe]
Miss You [The Rolling Stones]
Radio Radio [Elvis Costello]
Take the Cash (K.A.S.H.) [Wreckless Eric]
The Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle [The Sex Pistols ft. Eddie Tenpole]
Danger Zone [Splinter]
Love Comes to Everyone [The Ladders]
Love Song [The Damned]
Don't Bring Me Down [Electric Light Orchestra]
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough [Michael Jackson]
Think About Me [Fleetwood Mac]
Crazy Little Thing Called Love [Freddie Mercury]
London Calling [The Clash]
My Girl [Madness]
Going Underground [The Jam]
Little Jeannie [Elton John]
Thoroughfare Gap [Crosby, Stills & Nash]
Coming Up [Paul McCartney & Smile]
Ace of Spades [Motörhead]
Say You Don't Mind [Denny Laine & Wings]

Apple's sixth Best of compilation (#3 UK, #5 US) was all about the transition from one decade to another. There was a particular emphasis on punk and new-wave with many of its newer artists while the old guard either carried on with their own thing or attempted to adapt with the times with varied results. It remains to be seen how many of them will survive what the 1980s have in store for them.

Footnotes

1. The Thom Bell Sessions replaces Victim of Love, which never gets recorded in this timeline.
2. Losst and Founnd would not be released until 2019 in OTL.

Author's Comments

Well, here we go with the final chapter focusing on the 1978-1980 period of Phase Three! For the first time, an Apple update does not feature the discographies of the three labels. I was going to include them, but I decided to instead keep them on individual pages which you can see near the top of this page. Apple begins in 1968, Highway 61 in 1973, and Swan Song in 1974, with the post-Apple takeover discography from 1977 onward. And honestly, listing all the discographies for each artist is not a fun thing to do, and it comes off as a borderline chore. I want writing to be fun, and if I have to write up something just to get it posted online, then that's not something I want to do, voluntarily or otherwise.

There is one more Apple Corps update that I'll be working on much later, focusing on 1981-1983, and that could be a long while away. This will be the last post for 2020, as right now, I'm focusing on other projects unrelated to Strawberry Peppers, and I don't want to risk burning myself out. For the new year, posts might be a bit more sporadic to begin with, coming out every two or three weeks before returning to a regular schedule of two chapters per fortnight, with a weekly break in between, but I hope you understand where I'm going with this. For now, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and, well, happy holidays in general! Here's hoping 2021 will bring good things!