Friday, August 6, 2010

APPLE RECORDS/Best Of, catalog reissues and more... Available October 26th, 2010!

The first commercial multi-artist compilation in Apple’s history set for release on October 26th, 2010

The Radha Krishna Temple added to historic release of original apple albums from 1968 to 1973: Remastered CDs and Apple’s first digital downloads due October 26th, 2010


London, England – August 5, 2010 - The dazzling range of music originally issued by Apple Records between 1968 and 1973, which is now the subject of an unprecedented multi-album worldwide campaign starting October 26th – including remastered CDs (with bonus material revealed for the first time below) and Apple’s first digital downloads – will now be augmented by two additional titles: Come and Get It: The Best Of Apple Records, the first commercially issued multi-artist compilation in the label’s history; and The Radha Krishna Temple, the self-titled album of devotional music produced by George Harrison.

Come and Get It: The Best Of Apple Records, a 21-track compilation of singles, ranging from the folk-rooted tunes of Mary Hopkin and James Taylor, and the energetic rock of Badfinger (also The Iveys) and Jackie Lomax, to the deep soul of Doris Troy and Billy Preston, will also be released in the physical and digital marketplace on October 26th, 2010.

Come and Get It displays Apple’s vibrant years of musical experimentation in full flower, from bona fide hit singles to the cult classics of the catalogue, as represented by brass band The Black Dyke Mills Band, Cajun collective The Sundown Playboys, and more. Hot Chocolate (as ‘The Hot Chocolate Band’) makes an appearance, as does Ronnie Spector, Bill Elliot & The Elastic Oz Band, Chris Hodge, Brute Force, and others.

Launched by The Beatles in 1968, Apple served as the new outlet for their own recordings as well as the music of an eclectic roster of artists who were all personally brought to the label by The Beatles (individually and/or collectively). In the revolutionary spirit of the times, Apple’s utopian artist-orientated mission celebrated diversity in a friendly creative environment. The result was a rainbow spectrum of music, from folk, rock and soul to The Modern Jazz Quartet and the work of contemporary British classical composer John Tavener.

As Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music prepare for the upcoming 17 album CD and digital download release, it is a reminder that the introduction of an artist on The Beatles' record label was avidly followed by fans across the universe – then and now. Each of the albums has been digitally remastered at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London by the same dedicated team of engineers behind The Beatles' recent remastered catalogue releases of 2009.



Details of Come And Get It and each original album along with newly announced bonus material are as follows:



 
1 Those Were The Days / Mary Hopkin
2 Carolina In My Mind / James Taylor
3 Maybe Tomorrow / The Iveys
4 Thingumybob / The Black Dyke Mills Band
5 King Of Fuh / Brute Force
6 Sour Milk Sea / Jackie Lomax
7 Goodbye / Mary Hopkin
8 That's The Way God Planned It / Billy Preston
9 New Day / Jackie Lomax
10 Golden Slumbers-Carry That Weight / Trash
11 Give Peace A Chance / Hot Chocolate Band
12 Come And Get It / Badfinger
13 Ain't That Cute / Doris Troy
14 My Sweet Lord / Billy Preston
15 Try Some Buy Some / Ronnie Spector
16 Govinda / Radha Krishna Temple
17 We're On Our Way / Chris Hodge
18 Saturday Nite Special / The Sundown Playboys
19 God Save Us / Bill Elliot & The Elastic Oz Band
20 Sweet Music / Lon & Derrek van Eaton
21 Day After Day / Badfinger



The Digitally Remastered reissues (each including bonus material):

JAMES TAYLOR (1968) by James Taylor
James Taylor’s debut album, recorded in 1968, includes two of his best loved songs, ‘Something In The Way She Moves’ and ‘Carolina In My Mind’. Both are familiar to millions from the 1976 versions that open his 11 x Platinum Greatest Hits, but were first recorded for Apple Records in 1968. Here are the original recordings, alongside 10 equally strong others, made in London with a little help from top musicians and some baroque English strings.

MAGIC CHRISTIAN MUSIC (1970) by Badfinger
Magic Christian Music is a sweet, colorful pop album packed full of early gems from the songwriting powerhouse that began as The Iveys and later became Badfinger. Also featuring the worldwide smash hit 'Come And Get It', written and produced by Paul McCartney for the 1969 Peter Sellers / Ringo Starr movie The Magic Christian.

NO DICE (1970) by Badfinger
The first album with guitarist and singer-songwriter Joey Molland, No Dice is a watershed collection of power pop that bridges the band's commercial instincts with the classic, no-frills rock that became their trademark. Includes the Top 10 single, 'No Matter What', and the original version of the Ivor Novello and Grammy Award winning ‘Without You’, made famous by Harry Nilsson, and later Mariah Carey.

STRAIGHT UP (1972) by Badfinger
Long considered to be the group's finest album, Straight Up is a glorious collection of strong melodies, insightful lyrics and deep emotion. Produced in part by George Harrison and containing the U.S. hit, 'Baby Blue', plus the worldwide smash 'Day After Day' — featuring George and the group's Pete Ham joining forces on the superb synchronized slide guitar solo.

ASS (1974) by Badfinger
Joey Molland assumes half the songwriting on this, the group's heaviest and most serious album. Ass is solid gold Badfinger. It was partly recorded at the then state-of-the-art Apple Studios at 3 Savile Row, London, and contains the group's valedictory 'Apple Of My Eye', written by Pete Ham. The album was produced by Badfinger with Chris Thomas.

POST CARD (1968) by Mary Hopkin
Mary Hopkin's debut is a treasury of popular song. Produced by Paul McCartney and featuring numbers from Donovan, Harry Nilsson and, in rare songwriting mode, George Martin; plus classics from the Gershwins and Irving Berlin. Mary's pure, folk-inspired vocals make for a beguiling, dreamy album. Although not included on the original UK LP, Mary’s global smash hit ‘Those Were The Days’ is now the staple track on Post Card.

EARTH SONG / OCEAN SONG (1971) by Mary Hopkin
Issued in 1971, this is Mary Hopkin's coming-of-age collection, packed with socially-conscious, lyrically-aware anthems from the cream of the era's folk protagonists: Ralph McTell, Gallagher & Lyle, Tom Paxton, Cat Stevens, Harvey Andrews and the relatively unknown Liz Thorsen who wrote the collection’s title songs, ‘Earth Song’ and ‘Ocean Song’. Mary defines her art on this album, co-ordinated by legendary producer and Mary's husband-to-be at the time, Tony Visconti.

THAT’S THE WAY GOD PLANNED IT (1969) by Billy Preston
Billy Preston’s debut album for Apple Records was his vocal album debut too. Before this Billy was renowned merely as a wizard instrumentalist. Here, his impassioned vocals help create one of the best soul records of the 1960s. Produced by George Harrison, That’s The Way… expands Billy’s palette of gospel and R&B to embrace rock elements brought in by A-list players Keith Richards, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton.

ENCOURAGING WORDS (1970) by Billy Preston
Encouraging Words is steeped in exemplary playing and songwriting… and pure funky soul. Produced by George Harrison and Billy together, it is packed with originals and inspired covers, including 'My Sweet Lord' and 'All Things (Must) Pass' — donated by George before he released them himself — and a unique Harrison-Preston songwriting collaboration, the gospel hymn 'Sing One For The Lord'. This is Billy on the launch pad just before he rocketed to U.S. No.2 success with 'Outta Space' for A&M Records.

DORIS TROY (1970) by Doris Troy
The self-titled Apple album from the legendary Doris Troy, nicknamed ‘Mama Soul’ by her British fans, is an exciting union of R&B, gospel and rock. It showcases four little-known songs that Doris co-wrote with George Harrison, two of which also credit Stephen Stills and Ringo Starr. Other guests include Billy Preston, Peter Frampton and Eric Clapton.

IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT? (1968) by Jackie Lomax
Yes! This is a cracking album of powerful late-Sixties rock and blue-eyed soul originals by Liverpool vocalist Jackie Lomax. Among the many highlights is the one cover, George Harrison's otherwise unavailable 'White Album'-era song 'Sour Milk Sea', given to Jackie and featuring guest players including George, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Keith Richards and Eric Clapton.

UNDER THE JASMIN TREE (1968) & SPACE (1969) by the Modern Jazz Quartet (a 2-on-1 CD)
Two albums of high-class improvisational bebop recorded by Atlantic Records legends the MJQ while on secondment to Apple. With their unique line-up of piano, vibes, bass and drums, the Quartet brought old-style tuxedo excellence and cool organic jazz to the Apple catalogue.

THE WHALE (1970) & CELTIC REQUIEM (1971) by John Tavener (a 2-on-1 CD)
Sir John Tavener was knighted by The Queen in 2000 for his services to music, and he remains one of Britain’s most popular classical composers. Back in the late Sixties, John Tavener was championed by John & Yoko, and befriended by Ringo Starr. Apple's recordings of The Whale, his avant-garde oratorio, and Celtic Requiem, written for soprano, orchestra and children’s choir, were his first ever full-length releases, and remain extraordinary examples of British contemporary classical music.

RADHA KRISHNA TEMPLE (1971) by the Radha Krishna Temple (London)
The latest addition to the 2010 Reissue campaign is The Radha Krishna Temple album, which was recorded by the London chapter of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and was produced by George Harrison. The album is a collection of devotional chants and prayers to Krishna (another name for God) and to the movement’s own divinely-inspired spiritual masters. It spawned two Top 30 UK singles, ‘Hare Krishna Mantra’ (No. 12) and ‘Govinda’ (No. 23), and said George: “It was the greatest fun of all, really, to see Krishna on Top Of The Pops”. Krishna Consciousness can be defined as a “process of plain living and high thinking” that leads to spiritual knowledge, self-realization, as well as the greater goal of peace and happiness in the wider world.


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