The president of Capitol Records visits The Beatles for the launch of Apple Records

On June 21, 1968, Paul McCartney attended the Capitol Records Convention in Los Angeles. It was then announced that The Beatles would record, produce, and release their music in the United States and Canada under their new Apple Corps Music label. Capitol Records would be responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of their releases.

In August 1968, Stan Gortikov, the president of Capitol Records, visited London in anticipation of the official launch of Apple Records and the announcement of the first releases on the label. Among these was The Beatles’ single “Hey Jude / Revolution.” During this time, discussions included whether “Hey Jude” should be the A-side, given its length, with Paul McCartney expressing concerns about its suitability for US radio stations.

On August 11, Stan Gortikov and The Beatles shared morning tea at the Apple Corps headquarters on 3 Savile Row, followed by lunch at the Ritz Hotel. Their work sessions primarily took place at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, as well as at the Apple headquarters.

Stanley Gorticov, president of Capitol Records, was coming to London the first week in August to look over Apple’s progress and to be ceremoniously presented with “Our First Four.” Nothing was too good for Stanley Gorticov, nothing short of being met at the airport by Ron Kass in a Rolls-Royce driven by a blonde English beauty rose to a six-star hotel and from there to lunch at the Ritz with The Beatles. From the Ritz, it was over to Savile Row where Derek Taylor was waiting to play him the four records and supply the presentation package with which he would be very impressed. Fortnum & Mason were there to serve a smashingly proper English tea, complete with scones, jam, and double Devon cream.

It’s important not to tire your visiting dignitaries unduly. So after the scones and double Devon cream (with jam), it was back to the hotel to sleep the whole affair off and recharge the batteries for the coming evening. The fun would include a taste of the English theater with a light drawing-room comedy, topped off by a meal at one of the Kings Road’s more celebrated eating holes. The next day would bring more meetings, more dialogue, and another lunch. Then it was back aboard a Los Angeles-bound jet with a slap on the back and a “Thanks for coming, hope you enjoyed yourself” farewell. Sometimes it’s nice being the president.

From “The Longest Cocktail Party: An Insider Account of The Beatles & the Wild Rise and Fall of Their Multi-Million Dollar Apple Empire” by Richard DiLello, 2014

Top London restaurants and hotels still stick with their absurdly old-fashioned tradition about dress. When he took Capitol Records’ American chief Stanley Gortikov to lunch at the Ritz, Paul had trouble at the restaurant doorway when officials refused to let him enter without a tie. At length they gave in and let him eat in his smart-looking, roll-neck sweater…

From the Beatles Monthly Book, N°63, October 1968

[Apple] had reserved an additional suite for the week at our hotel (the Royal Lancaster), and that is where we met. […] The days were long and we all worked hard. It was an official Apple planning meeting with the four owners of the company (John, Paul, George, and Ringo,) Neil Aspinall, Mal Evans, Peter Asher, Ron Kass, Yoko Ono, and us three Capitol executives—Stanley Gortikov, Larry Delaney, and me. […] We would break for lunch in the showroom on the top floor—a classic English supper club that featured dining and dancing to a four-piece band, which was only open in the evenings. We enjoyed our noon meal there without the intrusion of fans during these much-needed breaks.

Ken Mansfield – From “The Roof: The Beatles’ Final Concert“, 2018

As we discussed promotions, concepts, and upcoming releases on the Beatles and other Apple artists, each of the four in turn would refer to the Beatles as if we were discussing a band that was from another planet. I asked Paul why they kept referring to the band in the third person. He explained to me that the whole “Beatles” phenomenon had exploded into such a tremendous abstract anomaly that it had gone beyond them to the point that it became something bigger than they could comprehend.

Ken Mansfield – From “The Roof: The Beatles’ Final Concert“, 2018

Stan, Larry, myself, and the other Apple staffers got a surprise musical treat one day during our secluded mid-day break. We were seated at a table in front of the empty bandstand, and, as we were finishing lunch, Paul got up from the table, stepped up on the small bandstand, sat down behind the piano, and began laying down a cool groove. Before long, all four Beatles were on stage jamming, and they played a twenty-minute impromptu set for us—their delighted guests. I have no recollection of what songs they played that day, but being able to watch and listen to our new employers having a good time during their lunch break was completely surreal, especially when you consider it was our very own, exclusive Beatles concert.

Ken Mansfield – From “The Roof: The Beatles’ Final Concert“, 2018

Probably the most memorable part of the meetings was Paul’s personal dilemma over the first Beatles release to be included in the “First Four.” Although the “A” and “B” songs had been selected (“Hey Jude” and “Revolution”), Paul had serious misgivings about the acceptability of the length of “Hey Jude,” which clocked in at over seven minutes. The reason for his concern was the fact that in America Top 40 radio stations were in a heated battle for ratings and the surest way to get listeners was to play the most hits every hour.

Ken Mansfield – From “The Roof: The Beatles’ Final Concert“, 2018

After our Royal Lancaster Hotel meetings, we would adjourn to the new Apple building on 3 Savile Row, where a professional tape deck and giant sound system had been set up in one of the larger rooms. The building had recently been carpeted in dark green and the entire interior painted white. There was no other furniture or accouterments except for a table set with refreshments and snacks at the opposite end of the room. We would sit on the floor for extended periods playing those two songs over and over trying to decide if we wanted to buck the system by releasing “Hey Jude” as the “A” side. We were going to play by the rule that all new releases had the “A” and “B” side designated for Top 40 airplay purposes.

Ken Mansfield – From “The Roof: The Beatles’ Final Concert“, 2018

It seemed the playbacks would go on forever until I came up with a suggestion that put Paul at ease. I volunteered to reroute myself on the way back to LA via a few key airplay markets if he would trust me with one advance copy of the record. I would hopscotch my way across America after leaving London, going first to Philadelphia where I would play it for Jim Hilliard at WFIL. Next I’d continue to Jim Dunlap at WQAM in Miami, and then head out to St. Louis and a couple other major cities before ending up in LA at KRLA with music director Dick Moreland. These men and a few others at American Top 40 stations at that time were known and respected for their ability to “pick the hits.” The plan was for me to call Paul when I got back to LA and let him know the results. He liked the idea, and I really liked the idea because not only was it a very exciting first assignment, but also a great PR move for me with some major radio stations. Needless to say, the music directors fell out of their chairs when they heard “Hey Jude.” Such a hesitant start to possibly their greatest record! When I got back to LA I called Paul and it was a go.

Ken Mansfield – From “The Roof: The Beatles’ Final Concert“, 2018

At the conclusion of the meetings at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, the Apple contracts were signed by Gortikov and the four Beatles right there on a small table in the suite. Then the Beatles presented us with hand-lathed 45 rpm copies of the first four records. They had packaged them in individual black plastic boxes embossed with our names—Stanley Gortikov, Larry Delaney, and Ken Mansfield—a green Apple, “Our First Four,” and 3 Savile Row on the front. One thing that made the package even more special was that the labels on the records were handwritten by the Beatles themselves.

Ken Mansfield – From “The Roof: The Beatles’ Final Concert“, 2018

APPLE MONTH IN AMERICA

Stanley Gortikov, President of America’s Capitol Records Inc. the corporation which is to handle Apple Records in the USA, flew to London in the second week of August to discuss in detail with The Beatles elaborate plans for the launching of the record label on the far side of the Atlantic.

The first batch of four Apple singles – “Sour Milk Sea” by Jackie Lomax, “Those Were The Days” by Mary Hopkin, “Thingumybob” by The Black Dyke Mills Band and “Hey Jude” by The Beatles – are getting a simultaneous release in Britain and America. Capitol plan to launch these discs with a National Apple Month in America.

From the Beatles Monthly Book, N°62, September 1968

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