The documentary delves deeply into the careers of many groups and artists at Apple’s core, including Jackie Lomax, the Iveys (who became Badfinger), Mary Hopkin, Billy Preston, James Taylor, the Radha Krishna Temple, Doris Troy, David Peel, Brute Force (that “Fuh King” guy Stephen Friedland) and Elephant’s Memory, among others.
In 1968, under a haze of publicity, The Beatles opened their collective door to all manner of musicians, writers, artists, film-makers, inventors, designers, freaks and more than a fair share of opportunist sharks. But, despite a hefty investment, little of substance was forthcoming from these assorted misfits outside of the music that emerged from one division of the potential empire; Apple Records.
One of the first business ventures by The Beatles’ Apple Corps was the Apple Boutique, which opened on 7 December 1967. It was located at 94 Baker Street, London.
The Beatles Apple boutique on 94 Baker Street, London, opened its doors. The store closed seven months later when it fell foul of council objections over the psychedelic mural painted on the outside. All the goods from the shop were given away free to passers by and to people who had queued throughout the night for a chance of getting a free item.
Clive Epstein or some other such business freak came up to us and said, ‘You got to spend so much money or the tax’ll take it. We’re thinking of opening a chain of retail clothes,’ or some barmy thing like that. And we were all muttering about, ‘Well, if we’re going to have to open a shop, let’s open something we’re interested in.’ We went through all these different ideas about this, that and the other. Paul had a nice idea about opening up white houses where it would sell white china and things like that, everything white because you can never get anything white, which is pretty groovy. It didn’t end up with that, it ended up with Apple, with all this junk and The Fool and all the stupid clothes and all that.John Lennon, 1970
