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.
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
very nice to see it all complete, thank you
Pleasure to do so – glad you liked the presentation
Wonderful item, Nigel! Your Apple-related collection is magnifique!!!
Many thanks indeed and that is a compliment to hold. There is much more to come !!