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The Apple Records Story to be a Radio Series

The ongoing success of Inside No3 continues to make its mark with the Apple Records story going to radio!!

The revolutionary style of this book Inside No3 has shown the mark of Apple Records in a totally different way to many Beatles fans and has now been rewarded with the novel approach undertaken by author Nigel Pearce.

Radio Series

Apple Records - Inside Number Three
Apple Records – Inside Number Three

Inside No 3 has now been commissioned to be turned into a Radio Serial that delves so much deeper into the entire Apple Story. This will cover the entire first 10 years of the label from conception to its closing in 1976. Starting in 1966, the next Ten Years proved to be something that no one cover ever imagine. The ideas and scope of everybody who was involved with the label and the company, have ensured that a huge legacy has not only been left to the world, it continues to provide a “Revolutionary” inspiration to the art and music world, while at the same time still changing social attitudes everywhere.

Number 3 Savile Row
Number 3 Savile Row

The Beatles may have left the world as a group in 1970, but the force and impact of this foursome still continues to grow and strengthen and Apple is a huge part of that. In short, it still lives up to its central theme of being a “Foundation for the Arts”.

Our First Four Set
Our First Four Set

Nigel’s book was indeed a completely different and novel way of showing the impact and direction of this ideal. While the book only shows around 10% of his entire collection, what is shown is in beautiful detail and colour, with the aim of supporting the artist shown to its fullest extent.

Nigel has much more in his archives including demo recordings, memos, photographs as well as every record issued from No 3 Savile Row London W.1,  which at the present time is available for renting .

What's The New Mary Jane
What’s The New Mary Jane

The series is currently in production and is being framed, for release next year along with a launch event to officially announce the series going to airwaves on the UK Radio network. More will be revealed about its scope and content along with its style, but suffice to say this has never been done before, so this is a real radio and music first . It is so exciting to contemplate. Stay tuned,, there is so much more to follow ……

Regards and best wishes

Nigel Pearce

Get Nigel’s Book Now

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The Beatles From Us To You

This beautiful set, The Beatles From Us To You, redefines a most important period in the development and growth of The Beatles. This is a compendium of the group’s early broadcasts done for the BBC in 1963/64 and is priceless in the sense that this period of time has now been re-imagined. This means we can now hear them exactly as the studios at the BBC record them, and it is staggering to listen and understand, that their records were exactly as the quartet played. They were totally unique and Brilliant!!

The passage of time has only enhanced what we already knew, but now it can be confirmed to millions of new fans who continue to fall under their magical spell.

This is the front cover presentation of the 4-set pack

The Beatles From Us To You
The Beatles From Us To You

This is the front view again but with the CD set open to view

The Beatles From Us To You - CDs
The Beatles From Us To You – CDs

This is the rear of the pack, again with the CDs relevant to each pack

The Beatles From Us To You - Rear of the Cases
The Beatles From Us To You – Rear of the Cases

The important thing to note is the use of the early 1960s LP Presentation, which solidifies the complete set-up, including the black-and-white photographs. 

As a final note, while it is 2024, it cannot be underestimated just how much influence and standing The Beatles continue to have in the whole music business and social attitudes the world over. Their output, standing, and influence are not just notes for reference, it’s not just history in words and sounds, it is a whole new generation of influence and standing that just grows and enhances with the passage of time. The influence really continues to grow like no other. Yes, other bands and artists have a re-birth at times, but when one looks at this business, The Beatles do not have a re-birth, it is a total vindication and re-enhancement of what is always going to be… the Greatest music phenomenon ever!

Nigel Pearce

Author Inside No3

GET NIGEL’S GREAT BOOK ON APPLE – INSIDE NUMBER THREE

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THE ABBEY ROAD ‘WORKING’ BOX SET.

This set came my way about two months before the release of the Abbey Road Set in 2019. 

It was what we call a ‘Brown Envelope Job’. 

I was totally amazed at what was inside – although the finished and released package was beautifully packaged and set out, this gave me a huge insight into how the package was heading. Again this is a ‘working’ box set, it displayed some wonderful thought. Apparently, there were 100 constructed and this is number 12.

This is the front of the sample package.

All four parts note pieces displayed. You will find that the wording displayed here was used except for package four  – The Alternate Abbey Road.

Abbey Road Project
Abbey Road Project

Abbey Road Internal Package

This is the general shot of the internal workings of the package thus far. You can see that it resembles in some way the design of the UK Our First Four Package from 1968. Complete with four photos 3 of which are from that famous shoot in August 1969. Sample CDs are displayed along with a small photograph also from that shoot. Some are perhaps the original copies being somewhat light struck!! This photograph also shows the holding box to the left.

Abbey Road Package contents
Abbey Road Package contents

This is the rear of the interior package

It shows different versions of the rear of the Abbey Road cover, complete with the track listings for each album. Of great interest is package four which was never issued, This is another 2019 re-mix with the later versions of Here Comes The Sun, – the Accapella version of Because. and an Intro version of Come Together. As said this was never issued in any form, but is canned somewhere, nice to have it. I admit I have it on my computer and make backup copies when my playing one gets scratched due to the potholed roads offered by the authorities in our wonderful country!! 

Rear of the Abbey Road Package
Rear of the Abbey Road Package

This set was never issued, but having it in my collection is a real plus. Knowing that only 100 were issued, having one is extra special. So, I do hope this one-off viewing will meet with your approval. Like all of my Apple material, it is kept in a box stored out of sunlight and is very rarely opened, hence its excellent condition!

Nigel Pearce

Get Nigel’s book on Apple here:

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The USA Apple Records Our First Four US Press Package

This set piece of the Apple Records Our First Four US Press Information Pack is perhaps the most rare press offering coupled with the UK Set, that is so sought after by fans and collectors.

The number of complete sets of both can be probably numbered by the fingers on both hands, This set which compliments the United Kingdon Pack is also from my own collection. Both sets are held within a standard Apple box file complete with an autographed Apple Records card on the Top. The autograph is by Tony Bramwell and was given to me by a relative who met him at Apple in 1969.

The photographs display the full USA Set pack, and like my UK Set, are kept out of the sunlight, and viewed occasionally by myself to show people.   It is a simply gorgeous but different set to the UK offering. The only similarity is the wording used, it was matching all the way through. The photographs are as follows.

The Apple box-type file, with the autographed Tony Bramwell Card, and the envelope used to hold the Our First Four US package

Apple Record's Our First Four US
Apple Record’s Our First Four US

The holding paper/ card folder with the Apple motif printed on the front.

The Holding Paper/ Card with Apple Logo
The Holding Paper/ Card with Apple Logo

The general package, showing each artist card front and the 45 rpm singles US release

The Apple First Four US Package
The Apple First Four US Package

The package for the Black Dyke Mills Band issue Thingumybob / Yellow Submarine

The Black Dyke Mills Band
The Black Dyke Mills Band

The general package part for Jackie Lomax Sour Milk Sea

Jackie Lomax "Sour Milk Sea"
Jackie Lomax “Sour Milk Sea”

The general package for Mary Hopkin’s Release “Those Were The Days” / “Turn, Turn, Turn”

Mary Hopkin's "Those Were The Days"
Mary Hopkin’s “Those Were The Days”

The package for “Hey Jude” / “Revolution”

"Hey Jude" / "Revolution"
“Hey Jude” / “Revolution”

This is the general package unit for the whole presentation, showing the extra items envelope, stamps, leaflet, small  Apple cube, and accompanying Double White Album Leaflet

General US Package
General US Package

This really was a beautiful package destined to disappear very quickly and therefore ultimately to grow in value 

I hope that you enjoy this presentation, as this will be the only time it will be photographed for display.

Nigel Pearce

Get Nigel’s Great book on Apple – Inside Number Three

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Apple – Our First Four Limited Edition

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.

Our First Four by Apple Corps
Our First Four by Apple Corps

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.

Our First Four UK Box
Our First Four UK Box

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

Inside Header Sheets
Inside Header Sheets

The American package in a general presentation.

The USA Package
The USA Package

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

Hey Jude
Hey Jude

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

Mary Hopkin
Mary Hopkin

The Internal Design for Jackie Lomax Sour Milk Sea Folder.

Jackie Lomax
Jackie Lomax

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

Black Dyke Mills Band
Black Dyke Mills Band

The Associate Stamps set for Our First Four.

Apple Stamps
Apple Stamps

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

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Inside Number Three – The Video Presentation

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.

Inside No 3
Inside No 3
Inside No 3 Book
Inside No 3 Book

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.

One of the Rejected Abbey Road Photos
One of the Rejected Abbey Road Photos

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

The Beatles 1968
The Beatles 1968

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.

Mary Hopkin
Mary Hopkin

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 !!

The Iveys who became Badfinger
The Iveys who became Badfinger

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 21st /22nd 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