Apple Records Re-Issue Program

Jewels from the Apple Records catalogue are set to be re-issued on CD for the very first time.

The Beatles had always sought to gain artistic independence. The Fab Four threw off the shackles of the music industry, opting to write their own material at a time when most groups went cap in hand to Tin Pan Alley.

In 1968 the band subverted the label process altogether by founding their own record company. Apple Records operated for five years, and despite its admirable legacy remains criminally unavailable on disc.

All that will change with a new re-issue program. Albums from the likes of Badfinger, Mary Hopkin, the Modern Jazz Quartet and more are set to be re-mastered from the original tapes for release later this year.

Across the course of twelve albums the story of Apple Records will reveal itself. A utopian mission to encourage free thinking, it almost bankrupted itself within 12 months before being rescued from financial Armageddon.

Finally closing in 1973 it released a string of hit records. Welsh group Badfinger helped to pioneer power pop, while James Taylor became a huge star after the release of his 1968 debut album on the label.

Later becoming the poster boy for the West Coast songwriter movement, James Taylor was coaxed into the recording studio for 'Carolina On My Mind', which features guest contributions from Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

Other performers taking part in the re-issue program include soul icon Billy Preston, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Sir John Tavener and more.

Apple Records reveals aspects of The Beatles story which would otherwise have gone unrecorded. The label acted as a conduit for international new talent, releasing a string of important records.

The Apple Records re-issue program begins on October 25th. Titles include:

James Taylor - James Taylor
Badfinger - Magic Christian Music
Badfinger - No Dice
Badfinger - Straight Up
Badfinger - Ass
Mary Hopkin - Postcard
Mary Hopkin - Earth Song, Ocean Song
Billy Preston - That's The Way God Planned It
Billy Preston - Encouraging Words
Doris Troy - Doris Troy
Jackie Lomax - Is This What You Want?
Modern Jazz Quartet - Under The Jasmin Tree / Space
John Tavener - The Whale / Celtic Requiem