Category: Apple Records

With this Blog I decided that as The Our First Four was featured in my book Inside No3, I thought that it would be very much an experience for many Beatle fans who visit The Beatles Bookstore, that they  would appreciate an in depth look at my very own copies. The set was originally published and distributed to just over 400 very notable people in August 1968.

It announced to the world that Apple Records, ( a part of the Apple Foundation for the arts) was now fully in swing, to give artistic and talented people a fairer chance to be able to produce a telling work of art. The record division was only one of the five divisions that the company would operate through to reach its audience

Those Divisions were Apple Retail, Apple Records, Apple Electronics, Apple Films, and Apple Books. Apple Records was by plan and effect the most visible to the everyday punter, as their products were able to be bought via your local record store. However, to announce Apple Records a wonderful and now extremely rare Public Information vehicle was to be used. That item was the package simply titled “Our First Four”.

This package was altogether a Black Cardboard package with the words Our First Four printed in various colours on a white background on the front. This package when turned over opened a small box / packet which contained within it the first 4 Apple Records Released singles. ( Again, this was in effect the first 3 Apple singles, as Hey Jude was ostensibly an EMI Parlophone release, complete with Parlophone catalogue numbers ). 

However, in effect it contained 4 Apple labelled singles. Each of these singles were held in a plastic polythene sleeve stuck onto a piece of foldable card, which contained a photograph of the artist. This was to be inside the card, and the front carried on it an introduction to the artist penned by PR man Derek Taylor. The back was intentionally left blank.

This was to prove a stunning package and as only slightly over 400 were produced, and many were simply just thrown away or destroyed forever without anyone realising the value to which this document package would accrue. To further enhance this wonderful and expensive package roughly a dozen was made in plastic, and sent to world notable dignitaries, which included Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, The British Prime Minister, The President of the United States, and a few others. We believe that Buckingham Palace has kept the copy sent to the Queen as well as the White House, but the others very likely have been stolen, or most likely destroyed.

So, what were the packages like. Well for the very first, (and may I say only time), I have displayed my set to be photographed and seen here at The Beatles Book Store, so that others may get to see this long lost and much sought after item. Finally, I have placed the whole set inside a heavy black box for protection. That is not part of the set, and I have stuck to the lid an officially printed Apple ID card which has been personally autographed by the late Tony Bramwell. This makes the collection to me, very complete.

You will now see the collection fully displayed and described. Thank you 

This is my separate box to hold the sets in and to protect them further. The box is completely black, and the top card is an officially produced Apple box label autographed by Tony Bramwell in 1972.

This is a general package shot of the American Our First Four Package. This will be described fully in a later Blog.

Here is the package outer box art used for the UK Package. This is the cardboard version.

The inside header sheet fronts for the artists and individual records held within

The American package in a general presentation.

The internal design for The Beatles Hey Jude Record and Folder.

The internal Design for Mary Hopkin Those Were The Days Folder.

The Internal Design for Jackie Lomax Sour Milk Sea Folder.

The Final internal package for The Black Dyke Mills Band Thingumybob Folder.

The Associate Stamps set for Our First Four.

The Apple Collection

As you can see it is a truly wonderful set, and displayed here one can only marvel at the splendour, which also includes 4 nice shiny Apple 7-inch record sleeves to protect the records still further. This only enhances the visual effect of the entire package, which was bright, beautiful and so very daring, not to mention the cost at the time either!!. This is the complete United Kingdom package, which as I explained earlier is kept out of the sunlight and very rarely opened.

Nigel Pearce

Get Nigel’s Great Book on Apple – Inside Number 3

Inside Number Three – The Illustrated History of Apple Records

Inside No3 takes you through that famous door, deep into the minds of all who worked there at Apple Records. This is done also in a very different way. This is not a kiss-and-tell diary, it is through fan adulation and understanding via a personal collection of artifacts and memorabilia that author Nigel Pearce has built up over the last 50 years.

For prices and dates please contact Nigel again via the website

Shop now

The Video Presentation is now fully complete and is available as the centre-piece of The Inside No 3 Experience / Presentation Evening. This event is to educate and bring to the audience that period of artistic revolution that came from within that famous white door at Number 3 Savile Row.

Apple

Using the book as the template, we show to full effect the sense of mission ideals that The Beatles had in vision for the whole organisation that was to be Apple. We all know the outcome, but what is not known is how that so nearly came about. Well you can wonder no more for it is now laid out for everyone in a bright colour and beautiful happening that reflected those marvellous aims.

These are standard presentation photographs that extol and support the link between the book Inside No 3 and the DVD Disc to which we use on the presentation. The second photograph is a rear view of the DVD Presentation package. !! 

Abbey Road

This is one of the photographs taken on the day of the shoot which was ultimately rejected. I have all of the photographs used and they make a stunning collage.

This is a shot from 1968 and is from Hey Jude – Terrific!!

Mary Hopkin

This is a portrait of the beautiful Welsh singer Mary Hopkin who as many know was a very successful Apple artist. She had a voice of an angel and sang as clear as a bell. She is still in the music business, only doing projects that really appeal to her. Long may she continue to do so.

Badfinger

The final photo plate is of Apple Records most successful bands Badfinger. They were a most impressive band to hear and to see, and their sheer talent has been long hidden away, and even today when one sees old film of them it still has the power to impress shock and deliver mis-belief at their sheers talent !!

Bookings have already been received and completed and a review is available via links to The Beatles bookstore website.

FELIXSTOWE BEATLES WEEKEND

We will be a central core to the fabulous Felixstowe Beatles Weekend at The famous Spa Pavilion on Saturday / Sunday 21^st /22^nd June 2025.

So book that weekend and make it a most enjoyable one as well. The Quarrymen will be appearing , alongside ex Capital Radio DJ/ Host Nicky Horne, with his very special and unique show as well as Inside No3 with the brilliant Apple Presentation!!

There is more to be added, and the Special website will be active shortly-  so stay tuned, you won’t want to miss this totally awesome weekend, It will be a Beatles Fans Dream !!

Nigel Pearce

Get Nigel’s Fascinating Book on Apple Records

Inside Number Three – The Illustrated History of Apple Records

Inside No3 takes you through that famous door, deep into the minds of all who worked there at Apple Records. This is done also in a very different way. This is not a kiss-and-tell diary, it is through fan adulation and understanding via a personal collection of artifacts and memorabilia that author Nigel Pearce has built up over the last 50 years.

For prices and dates please contact Nigel again via the website

Shop now

Continuing on from the Demos Blog, here are some more of those lost Apple Recordings. These are CD recordings of the original demos completed at Apple Studios in 1968 – 1976. There is much more to come. There was no diary, appointment list, or ledger kept, so these have been unearthed by my own diligent research after obtaining these copies.

Although they are not the original vinyl offerings, I can assure you that all of the recordings are 100% faithful copies with no extras added. So they are as they were made produced and cut for vinyl in those wonderful days. They are now priceless artifacts and examples within my own personal archives !! There is more to follow, and these will be further detailed in the next book  ‘Deeper Inside No 3’.

This is the Apple Building on the corner of Baker Street, which was photographed by my late father whilst on a business trip to London. This was taken in January 1968. My father was at the time working on the site of the new Chelsea Barracks then having just been completed. He was being driven back to the company offices in West London when they passed the building. Upon seeing the building he took this photograph from inside the car. When the photo was developed he showed me the photo and he asked if I knew anything about the building due to its ‘pop’ like style. When I told him that it was The Beatles Apple building, he gave me the photograph which I still treasure. This is a digital reprint of it!

Timbertops – The Buttercups

This is the Apple demo recording and pressing of Timbertops by The Buttercups. This was the theme tune for the ITV children’s series which ran for around 14 episodes in 1974. The Demo single was cut first and approved as the theme tune and then the album was cut afterwards. The Apple album was done consisting of songs to be heard in the programs and was finally released on the small independent  Pinnacle Records label. Zak Laurence was the musical art director and the production was by  Ken Howard and Alan Blakley. The original Apple demo recording is shown here with the finished album cover. If you know your pop history Zack Laurence became Mr. Blow and made the hit single “Grooving” with Mr. Bloe on DJM Records.

Warm Dust – “And It Came To Pass”

One of the Rarest Apple Recordings

This is a much sought-after recording in any language, and perhaps so far the most difficult to fully explain in depth.

The artists came from Birmingham and were named Warm Dust. The group had many varied styles of playing and performing but based themselves loosely on the commercial side of British Progressive Rock. Among the members of the group were Paul Carrack and Jeff Lynne, who both ascended much headier climes within a couple of years. The complete album titled ‘And It Came To Pass‘ shows a musical strength and maturity that many new groups of the period simply did not possess.

The unusual thing is that the album was pressed with an Apple label, but no catalogue number or matrix was included. The back of the cover was stamped an Apple Recording, so maybe some serious thought was given to a commercial release. !! It is actually very good!!. The album front and back artwork on the cover is shown as well so a lot of work went into a non-released album – enjoy!!

All of these are linked very heavily to Apple Records in those far-off days, and perhaps the most important thing it shows is that although Allen Klein had been removed via the High Court in 1971, artists were still prepared to make their way to Apple studios to cut a record that might bestow some fame. The light was still burning bright indeed.

Nigel Pearce

Find out more about Apple Records from Nigel’s great book Inside Number 3

Inside Number Three – The Illustrated History of Apple Records

Inside No3 takes you through that famous door, deep into the minds of all who worked there at Apple Records. This is done also in a very different way. This is not a kiss-and-tell diary, it is through fan adulation and understanding via a personal collection of artifacts and memorabilia that author Nigel Pearce has built up over the last 50 years.

For prices and dates please contact Nigel again via the website

Shop now