Apple Records Trivia Quiz

Answer: Knock Knock, Who's There?

"Knock Knock, Who's There?" came in second in the 1970 Eurovision Contest. It was one of several songs Mary Hopkin performed during the UK finals and was selected by a postal vote to be the song she would sing to represent the UK. "Knock Knock, Who's There?" was released in the UK as a single in March of the same year and reached Number Two on the UK Singles Chart after Hopkin's Eurovision appearance. John Carter and Geoff Stephens composed the hit song. "Those Were the Days" was Hopkin's 1969 debut Apple single. "Let My Name Be Sorrow" was a 1971 release by Mary Hopkin and "Goodbye" was released in 1969.

Answer: Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight

In 1969, a cover version of Carole King's "Road To Nowhere" was the first single by Trash on Apple Records. The band was originally called White Trash when they came on board Apple Records, but their name was changed to simply Trash. "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight" was recorded by the band in 1969 shortly before the Beatles recorded it for their "Abbey Road" album.

The group recorded four songs, enough for two singles with a B side before leaving Apple Records.

Answer: Ronnie Spector

Phil Spector co-produced Harrison's "Try Some, Buy Some" for Ronnie Spector. The song failed to chart in the UK and only reached Number 77 in the US. George Harrison later used the same backing tracks when he included the song on his 1973 LP. David Bowie recorded "Try Some, Buy Some" on his "Reality" album in 2003. Jackie Lomax recorded "Sour Milk Sea" on Apple in 1971. "Goodbye, Sweet Lorraine" was a 1973 Apple single by Chris Hodge. Yoko Ono released several solo efforts on Apple including "Mrs. Lennon" and "Now Or Never".

Answer: Hot Chocolate Band

The Hot Chocolate Band was signed with Apple when they recorded "Give Peace A Chance". They had originally recorded the Reggae version on another label and sought permission from John Lennon. Lennon admired the version and signed the band to Apple. They recorded another Reggae version for Apple. By the time "You Sexy Thing" became a hit the band was known as Hot Chocolate and had left Apple Records. When the band broke up in the mid-eighties, front man Errol Brown attempted a solo career.

Stephen Friedland recorded "King of Fuh" on the Apple label under the name Brute Force. Elephant's Memory recorded "Power Boogie" on Apple in 1972. Lon and Derrek Van Eaton recorded "Warm Woman".

Answer: The Iveys

The band that eventually became Badfinger began as The Panthers, then changed their name to The Iveys, from the name of a street in Swansea, Wales, called Ivey Place. In the early sixties they gained prominence and began opening for British acts including The Who, The Spencer Davis Group, The Yardbirds and The Moody Blues. Apple Records employee Mal Evans was instrumental in getting the band signed as the first band not affiliated with the Beatles to be on the label. They released "Maybe Tomorrow" and "Dear Angie" as singles as The Iveys, before releasing "Come And Get It" as Badfinger in 1969.

Bo-Weevils, The Ravens and the Ramrods were all names used by the members of the Kinks before becoming the Kinks.

Answer: John Lennon and George Harrison

John Lennon released "Unfinished Music No.2: Life With The Lions" with Yoko Ono and George Harrison released "Electric Sound". "Electric Sound" was Harrison's second solo album and was an experimental project that failed to chart in the UK and barely made the charts in the US. Harrison painted the cover artwork himself.
"Unfinished Music No.2: Life With The Lions" was the 1969 successor to the 1968 release, "Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins". It also failed to chart in the UK.
An album of readings by Richard Brautigan was recorded but never released on the Zapple label. EMI Records' subsidiary, Harvest Records, later released the project under the title "Listening To Richard Brautigan".

Answer: David Peel

"The Pope Smokes Dope" was an Apple release by David Peel. John and Yoko saw Peel perform in 1971 at Washington Square Park and were impressed by his political material. "The Pope Smokes Dope" was a controversial album that was banned almost everywhere except the US and Canada. Peel's affiliation with Lennon resulted in him opening for many major British and American acts.

Apple did not renew Peel's contract so he formed Orange Records. Scottish singer Dave Kelly was one of the artists considered for a contract with Apple Records after appearing at an Apple talent contest. Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Michael McClure were artists considered for spoken word projects on Zapple before it folded.

Answer: My Sweet Lord

"My Sweet Lord" was the first Number One song by a former Beatle in the US after the band broke up. Billy recorded the tune as a single but it only reached Number 90 on the US Billboard charts. Billy Preston continued to work with George Harrison both in concert and on his recordings. He also played keyboards on five Rolling Stones albums and went on to enjoy a successful solo career with songs such as "Outa-Space", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing From Nothing".

The "Get Back" single was credited as The Beatles with Billy Preston. Billy also worked on "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" and "Something" for the "Abbey Road" album.

Answer: The Sundown Playboys

The Sundown Playboys had been around since the forties by the time Ringo brought them to Apple after hearing one of their singles. They released a single titled "Saturday Nite Special" on Apple in 1972. Accordion player Lionel Cormier was the founder of the band.

They continued to perform after his death in 1970. Elephant's Memory was a backing band for John Lennon and also released recordings on their own. George Harrison worked with Lon and Derek Van Eaton during their time with Apple. In 1968 the brass band Black Dyke Mills Band released an instrumental called "Thingumybob" with a brass version of "Yellow Submarine" as the B-side.

They were produced by Paul McCartney and later worked on sessions with Wings.

Answer: Carolina in My Mind

"Carolina in My Mind" was issued as a single from the Apple "James Taylor" album. The song earned critical acclaim but was a modest hit on the charts. A thirty-piece orchestra was originally utilized during the session but was not included on the final mix.

When Taylor relocated to London from New York. he arranged for some demos to be sent to Apple Records. Paul McCartney was impressed by the songs and Taylor became the first American artist to sign with the label.

"Fire and Rain", "Country Road" and "Long Ago and Far Away" were from Taylor's Warner Brothers albums.