New Apple boss
Apple Corps Ltd, the company set up by The Beatles to take care of their business, yesterday announced a new CEO for the company, Tom Greene.
Neil Aspinall
Neil Aspinall
After the break-up of The Beatles in 1970, their long time assistant, and initial class mate, road manager and friend, Neil Aspinall held the position until he fell ill with lung cancer in 2007, and passed away in 2008. During his time, he supervised the release of many of the “collection” Beatles albums, such as the red and the blue albums, “Rock and Roll Music”, “Love Songs” etc, as well as boxed sets of singles, EPs and LPs.
Neil was on board with the transition to CDs in 1987, and the beginning of the remix era, which started with “Yellow Submarine Songtrack” in 1999, due to the release of a restored version of the animated film on Beta, VHS and DVD. “The Beatles Live at the Hollywood Bowl” in 1977, and “Live at the BBC” in 1995 were also released during his time, as was “Let It Be…Naked” and the hugely successful compilation album “1”, and a number of rereleased albums with other Apple artists, but his biggest accomplishment was a project he started together with Mal Evans, tentatively called “The Long and Winding Road”.
Neil had collected all the archive material he could find in the form of film and television clips, and edited these together to tell the story of the Beatles, chronologically. The work started as early as 1970 and was eventually to come to fruition in the mid nineties with the new title, “The Beatles Anthology”, which incorporated a TV-series, a book, an album series of outtakes, live and radio recordings and unreleased songs and a box of video cassettes, which later became a box of DVDs. It also saw the three remaining Beatles come together, both to improve upon a couple of John Lennon’s demos as well as for a filmed reunion jam and conversations.
After all of these fantastic releases, Beatles fans worldwide were asking for the release of the material missing: the “Let It Be” movie, the Shea Stadium TV special, the Washington Coliseum concert film, not to mention all the promotional films for their songs, some of which we got glimpses of during the Anthology series. Aspinall was asked about the latter, but his reply was that “it would be too obvious”! Neil also fought, won and eventually lost, a battle in several courts with Apple, the computer company over the companies names.
Jeff Jones
Jeff Jones
Neil Aspinall’s successor in Apple was Jeff Jones. He was formerly an executive vice president at Sony/BMG, where he managed Sony’s recorded catalogs, including repackaging classic albums.
During his time at Apple, the Beatles’ promotional films were released in a special repackaging of “1”, the number 1 hits album, the Beatles became available as downloads on iTunes with the Washington Coliseum concert film an added bonus, a Beatles Live project resulted in the “Eight Days A Week” film with the concert part of the Shea Stadium special restored and remixed but only screened theatrically, “Get Back” TV series (which eventually also became available on physical discs) , a restored and remixed “Let It Be” on the Disney + streaming service.
The Beatles’ new boxed sets, one in stereo and one in mono were released both as CDs and LPs, and the remix era got under way with “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, followed by “The Beatles”, “Abbey Road”, “Let It Be” (which finally gave us the “Get Back” album, an early incarnation of the “Let It Be” album), and “Revolver”.
He also oversaw the releases on DVD and Blu-ray releases of ṯhe films “Help!”, “Yellow Submarine” and “Magical Mystery Tour”. “A Hard Day’s Night” have also become available restored and with a new audio remix by Giles Martin during Jones’ time with the company, but that film is owned by another company, not by Apple Corps.
Tom Greene
Tom Greene
Jeff Jones stepped back last October, with a company man subbing while the search for a new CEO was going on. They eventually found Tom Greene, currently the COO of BLAST, a competitive entertainment company that works with prominent video game developers and publishers on the production, commercialization, and audience growth of their esports programs. Greene will remain on board with BLAST even after taking the CEO position at Apple Corps, busy man. He will relocate though, as he is currently residing in Copenhagen, the job at Apple will see him moving to London.
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Olivia Harrison and Sean Ono Lennon said: “We are thrilled to welcome Tom Greene as CEO. We have a lot of exciting plans and Tom’s experience and vision make him the perfect person to join us in making it all happen.”
Tom Greene: “It is a huge honour to lead Apple Corps into this new phase of its history. Like so many people around the world, I grew up in a household obsessed with The Beatles and their music. At a time when the world might need more of The Beatles’ spirit, there are so many new and innovative ways to bring their unique magic to all generations of fans. I cannot wait to get started.”
One of the projects in the pipeline is the four biographical dramatisations of The Beatles’ story, one each, seen from the viewpoint of each member of the group. That’s not what the most ardent Beatles fans are looking forward to, as we are more interested in the real deal, not actors posing as The Beatles.
“…commercialization, and audience growth…”
i.e. Sink The Beatles to the lowest common denominator, which is pretty low in the current music industry.
That sure doesn’t sound good. It’s just another business deal to him.
He wants The Beatles to go find new fans, when it should be the other way around.
No mention of long time fans.
Agree 💯 %
Disagree. Monetisation of the brand requires new fans.
The last sentence in your article…..says it all…
“That’s not what the most ardent Beatles fans are looking forward to, as we are more interested in the real deal, not actors posing as The Beatles.”
Great statement.
Please continue with the remixed reissues of the classic albums, this time with Blu-Ray Dolby Atmos mix included!
And please re-mix using the Yellow Submarine Songtrack method which yielded way superior sound quality and dynamic range than the MAL lazy way mixes.
Most of the pre Sgt Pepper’s stuff is only four tracks. There’s not a lot of remixing possible with that.
Definitely continue with the remixes – and pay attention to the primary demographic – they buy physical media (this isn’t just a generational thing; people purchasing ‘deluxe editions’ at any age aren’t looking for a streaming option as their go to choice. Online threads (everywhere) made it very apparent that the deluxe Revolver lost a lot of potential sales by dropping what, for many, is the key appeal – those HQ audio (not low res streaming) surround mixes on disc).
I stand with other commentators above — bio-pics are no better than “tribute” bands. The originals continue to be badly served when so many LPs and songs remain untouched by a careful remixing (let’s not forget Magical Mystery Tour, much of this has yet to be improved on since 2009 and the New Blue version of “Walrus” is an abomination), Shea and Let it Be are still MIA, and so much more.
And put Mark Lewisohn on payroll so he can work fulltime to finish his books!
Superb reporting!
Here’s to hoping they sack Giles Martin and bring Ron Furmanek back!
Giles Martin is the absolute worst.
While Neil may have indeed had the onset of the cancer that would shortly claim him, it was not the reason he departed Apple, he was fired. To quote Mark Lewisohn: “Neil was sacked, and he was angry about it.” Doubtless Apple’s owners were angry too, that he failed to nail down the 1991 Apple Computers case in enough detail that they did not lose a fortune in legal fees on the 2003-2006 battle. It should also be noted that Paul, again according to Lewisohn, paid for Neil’s New York medical treatment, and that won’t have come cheap.
I’m also not too convinced that Neil ‘supervised’ the “Rock N’ Roll” and “Love Songs” compilations, given that all 4 Fabs disliked-to-loathed the artwork on the former, and the issues with the mixes. Post-1976, EMI could, and did, do whatever they liked with The Beatles’ material, up to the late 80’s clear-the-decks settlement that led to us getting some pretty amazing releases since.
What the new chap will bring to the table will be interesting to see. For all the comments about ‘cash’ and ‘money-motivated’, someone needs to do something with the material and the maximising of it. The last posted profit I read for Apple, 2019, was just over 4 million pounds, so, a million to each Fab. After tax – much less than a million. Circa what the Gallagher’s earned for last night’s concert.
And there is no chance that Mark Lewisohn is going to be coming back onside at Apple. Leaving aside Olivia’s inherited veto of him, didn’t he write them a letter a while back, because they [the company] were actively blocking him from sources? Either way, he is already ‘on’ someone’s books, his publishers. Who must be so pleased to have paid over a million pounds and after 25 years have got… as far as ‘Love Me Do.
Whatever they do, that although there are younger Beatle fans joining us all the time, the true core buying public that want more depth in what is being released from Apple are well along in their late 60 and 70s and the time to move ahead supported by better technological treatment of archived film/video/music is NOW.
Never heard of Neil being sacked before! Do you have any more on that quote of Lewisohn’s, or any more context? Intrigued…
Hi Stephen, it’s from an interview that Mark did with a Beatles podcast a couple of years ago before he went into recluse mode, where Mark was saying how he had envisaged his talks with Neil to go “something like ‘Tuesdays With Morry'” [I’m sure I’ve spelt that wrong], but he only had the one 3-hour interview and then “I left it becuase Neil didn’t talk to ANYONE and I knew he was uncomfortable … and then Neil became ill.” Mark stated he got the call from Neil because “He was sacked [from Apple] and he was angry.” In the same interview Mark disclosed that Paul paid for Neil’s New York medical bills, whether that was out of kindndess or as payment for a NDA was not disclosed.
I would imagine that, apart from all our own and his family’s sorrow, that must have come as a real kick in the teeth to Mark’s publishers, given that, multiple interviews with Paul aside, and his recent interviews with Patti, Mark has had little access to any of the real mother-lode for his book[s?] – no John, no Ringo [“he said one word to me once”], 2 brief interviews with George before the quiet one became the stoney-silence one, no Yoko [she had Mark removed from John’s “Anthology” after George’s unkind and extremely untre accusations against him], no Cilla, no Jane Asher [she turned him down, as she does everyone], no Mal, only one attributed direct quote from Cynthia to him in “Tune In”, no direct quotes attributed from Pete Best to him, no Maureen, Ringo’s ex-fiance Gerry turned him down, and then – no Neil either. That leaves Brian’s files as the only real exclusive for certain (so far as I am aware, Mark has never admitted to interviewing Allen Klein, or Phil Spector, although maybe he has and doesn’t want to naff Paul off). And I doubt if he has been able to interview Bob Dylan either, which really naffs ME off because my own research is still coming up short on the song Bob and John wrote and recorded together (‘Norwegian Wood’ seems the obvious candidate, given that with ‘Fourth Time Around’ they are the same tune and subject matter, but if John really did write in on holiday with George Martin, the dates do not match. Also, the song is patently about an assignation in Norwood, London, hence the title).
Anyone wanting a fresh take on The Fabs, by the way, my satire ‘The Fabbles – Across The Soloverse’ is now out in paperback on Amazon [ISBN-13 : 979-8289316134]. Shame not pictured!
Well, they are known for sacking people. Ask Pete Best, Geoff Baker. But sacking Neil? When he was ill? Even they are not that dirty, surely? I wonder though, if Brian Epstein had lived, would he also have got the push?
Well, you have to remember, it was not known that Neil was ill when he was sacked. Even by Neil himself (otherwise he would have said to Mark L “ask me everything NOW”). It was one of those ufortunate cases where the disease went from nothing to everything in a short space of time, the same with Terry Hall for instance. And business is business, and that lost case against Apple Computers, when it should have been wrapped skintight in the 1991 agreement, that cost Apple [Fabs] an absolute fortune in legal fees. Three years of top-dollar lawyers fees – it probably put the Klein settlement in the shade.
Maharishi would indeed have been a good interview, Mark didn’t get him, also his negotiations with Magic [cough] Alex fell through. Mark does know someone who did get to interview Alex, who told him “You won’t believe some of the stuff he [Alex] is saying”, so some of that 3rd hand stuff might come out. But it’s all a moot point – who will live to see it! 12 years now to tell the lives of 4 people over 4 years, alllowing for 6 hours sleep a night, that means the book will take longer to write than the 4 Fabs’ every waking moment in real time. Oh, Mark also missed Jimmy Nicholl as well, because he couldn’t find anywhere to park when he suddenly saw him [JL] crossing the road somewhere. And no Ed Sullivan either. It’s OK for Mark to say “Well, I’ve got the existing interviews” – i.e. other people’s research – but that’s only helpful if they were telling the truth in the first place. All this nonsense about Ed booking the Beatles because he say scenes of fans at the airport, it’s garbage, the deal was already signed by then. And for Mark to discount John’s heroin addiction, when EVERYONE who witnessed it firsthand, 3 other Beatles included, have gone on record as to how serious it was – that’s bad pool. We’ll know when the books come out, if nothing else we’ll apparently find out why Bob Wooler ended up as a bingo caller – that’s the stuff we’ve been drooling to hear!
And, wouldn’t the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi have been an interesting interview? Same with Brian Jones and his take on ‘You Know My Name’. A shame that they are both no longer with us.
From a relative half baked idea into a company that was so chaotic, so full of hangers on, bleeding money faster than it was going in that it was doomed to failure from the moment of its birth. But it has survived and is still in business, albeit run differently and not quite the utopian vision that started the ball rolling and more corporative than they initially wished for, but its still in business, and taking into account the almost reckless conception it began with, that is a remarkable feat .
Beatles fans have been lucky/blessed. Especially the 2017 to 2022 deluxe reissues under Jeff Jones. Stones fans (first generation fans) get nothing. Everything unreleased from the 60s will stay unreleased. If – or when – it ever comes out, all 60s era Stones fans will be dead.
Apple? Hope we get a Rubber Soul SDE box set and a deluxe set covering the psychedelic era (Magical Mystery Tour/Yellow Submarine). But I suspect this bloke wants the Fabs to appeal to Gen-Z types. Those daft films for a start. Why four different films about each of them and not one about all of them? They ‘promised’ to release the Let It Be film, but it appeared on Disney Plus and was never released physically. Even Peter Jackson’s Get Back never got a Region 2 release. And the Red and Blue albums remixed just to plug Now and Then? The Blue was an atrocity. I Am The Walrus and Old Brown Shoe were destroyed. Apple has been flawed for some time (no decent quality release since Revolver in 2022). But now will it get better or worse?
The main reason ‘Now And Then’ appeared on “Blue” [they will need to ditch the “62-66” and “67-70” soubriquets now], apart from the delay updating “Anthology”, is fiscal. It had to appear somewhere, and, as it is the most financially rewarding song copyright to The Beatles – i.e. it is a demo and was written by an artist outside of any record or publishing contract and with all 4 names on the final version so they own it outright – placing it on one of the Beatles’ best-selling albums made sound financial sense, if not artistic sense. A shame Neil Innes has gone – a re-released Ruttles with new song ‘Maybe And Perhaps’, found on a wax cylinder in Nasty’s outside lavatory, would have been a nice finale to them as well.
I reckon Apple will still be sanitised. The 2009 remasters sleeve notes had no mention of drugs, Yoko, Klein, infighting or anything negative. And Mark struggling with Tune In will suit Apple down to the ground. They won’t want anything nasty or rotten any of the Fabs got up to put out there. Because the Beatles name is now a money hoovering corporate brand like Disney or McDonald’s. Part of the reason we all loved them was they were very human. Especially John, who was honest about his good and bad points. What would John think about his band as a merch machine ‘competing’ with Taylor Swift and appealing to the the Ed Sheeran generation? These new films may also be a cause for concern. Will each Beatle be whitewashed? Will their personalities (faults and all) be removed for these biopics? All in the name of the ‘brand’…
Ringo has been working with Sam Mendes on his own biopic, he spent 2 days with him recently, although he says he changed little or nothing in the script.
Neil held the position pre-1970 too: he was its first temporary head until Klein got hired. Then he took it over when Klein was ousted. However, in 1975, the company went effectively defunct, shutting down all of its divisions and only getting involved in lawsuits to protect The Beatles’ image.
This is why EMI didn’t turn to Neil for anything on the compilations from Rock And Roll Music to 20 Greatest Hits: it went to George Martin instead, because Martin was their contact in the music business.
Apple took a bigger role after the question of royalties in the early 80s (the same questions that led to the revelation of what Paul did in 1975 with his contract renewal). Apple then took a bigger role with the SECOND pressings of the CDs, since they started to carry the logo once Apple decided to step in and order EMI not to make 1962-1966/1967-1970 a boxed set in 1989.
Neil’s firing is connectable to two things: first, they and EMI were holding out for higher royalties on digital sales – something which broke when McCartney, switching to HearMusic as his distributor, left a limited time for EMI to profit from digital sales of a Beatles’ catalogue. Second, the battle with Apple Computers ended up failing, and The Beatles were likely assured that they’d win given they “won” the first time and this was to be an extension of that.
Did Neil even show up at the premiere of Love? That might tell you something was up.