Beatles' Label Apple Releases Material on iTunes -- but No Beatles

Posted on Jul 7th 2010 8:05AM by Jody Thompson
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The Beatles' record label Apple has relented in its face-off with iTunes -- but only when it comes to back-catalogue, excluding the works of Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and George Harrison.

The label and parent company Apple Corps have had long-running legal battles including a trademark dispute with Apple Inc, the owner of iTunes, but hostilities were halted in February 2007.

Now, Apple Records is to reissue 15 of its remastered albums on iTunes, as well as physically on CD.

The BBC reports that the remastered albums, which will include Mary Hopkin's 'Post Card,' Sir John Tavener's 'The Whale' and Badfinger's 'No Dice,' will be released on Oct. 25.

It's the nearest yet to a digital release of Beatles material -- tantalisingly, Hopkin's 'Post Card, which includes the 1968 hit 'Those Were the Days,' was produced by Sir Paul and he plays on another rerelease, James Taylor's self-titled debut.

Earlier this year, Sir Paul said the Beatles tracks would be available for download at some point.

He told BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat, "To tell you the truth, I don't actually understand how it's got so crazy. I know iTunes would like to do it, so one day it's going to happen."

The Beatles launched their label in 1968, and as well as releasing their own material on it, signed more than 20 other artists who they admired.

NME.com reports that the full list of re-releases is as follows:

James Taylor – 'James Taylor' (1968)
Badfinger – 'Magic Christian Music' (1970)
Badfinger – 'No Dice' (1970)
Badfinger – 'Straight Up' (1972)
Badfinger – 'Ass' (1974)
Mary Hopkin – 'Post Card' (1969)
Mary Hopkin – 'Earth Song, Ocean Song' (1971)
Billy Preston – 'That's the Way God Planned It' (1969)
Billy Preston – 'Encouraging Words' (1970)
Doris Troy – 'Doris Troy' (1970)
Jackie Lomax – 'Is This What You Want?' (1968)
Modern Jazz Quartet – 'Under the Jasmin Tree' (1968)
Modern Jazz Quartet – 'Space' (1969)
John Tavener – 'The Whale' (1970)
John Tavener – 'Celtic Requiem' (1971)