In 1968, under a haze of publicity, The Beatles opened their collective door to all manner of musicians, writers, artists, film-makers, inventors, designers, freaks and more than a fair share of opportunist sharks. But, despite a hefty investment, little of substance was forthcoming from these assorted misfits outside of the music that emerged from one division of the potential empire; Apple Records.
Even discounting those Apple platters that featured as artist the collective or individual names of the company's bosses, music that stands the test of time superbly was released under the stamp of this enterprise. Music which remains available still and both popular and exciting more than 40 years after the majority of it was produced.
Strange Fruit- The Beatles' Apple Records is the story of a record label which came to exist under extraordinary circumstances, produced extraordinary records and was operated under extraordinary guidelines.
Featuring new interviews with former label M.D. Tony Bramwell, members of Badfinger, The Iveys and Elephant's Memory, Jackie Lomax, Brute Force and David Peel, plus musician and Beatles expert Chris Ingham, author and journalist Mark Paytress and Apple biographer Stefan Granados.
The film also includes archive footage of Apple artists and the organization for which they recorded as well as interviews from the vaults, location film, rare photographs and of course, the music upon which the label made its name.
Press:
“Pleasantly surprising in its detail, 'Strange Fruit -- The Beatles' Apple Records' should satisfy the die hard fans of the Beatles, as well as more casual music enthusiasts looking for balanced, informed account of the last throes of the band and their risky, curious venture of running a label.”
—Kevin Jagernauth, INDIEWIRE “This is an excellent overview of an often overlooked aspect of the Fab Four's legacy. Easily earning a Highly Recommended rating, it's perfect for the purist and novice alike. Today, many artists have their own boutique label. Sadly, few seemed to have learn the lessons taught to them by the biggest band in the history of music - and their own egoinfused folly. ”
—Bill Gibron, DVD TALK “An excellent documentary film which has been well researched and edited. With experts like Apple biographer Stefan Granados, it presents a great insight into Apple Records and will be a fab addition to any fan's library. ”
—David Bedford, BRITISH BEATLES FAN CLUB
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*Wait for Rafflecopter to load up right here (if you've gone through RSS feed or are scrolling down the blog and don't see it, click on the actual page title and it should pop right up). Enter like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often. Winning rocks! Entries accepted through midnight on 9/14/12. Winner will be announced on the 15th.
Woo hoo! We broke 100 likes on our new Facebook Page, so as promised, we're giving away Colin Quinn's Long Story Short DVD to a randomly number generated winner who happens to be Paul B. of Chicago. Congrats! Here's our prior review and more info on the DVD:
ChiIL Live Shows Facebook Page #Free Give Away
ChiIL Live Shows has a brand spankin' new Facebook Page and we could use some like love. We'll be running loads offree downloads, worldwide tour news, live Chi, IL show dates/features in the theatre and music scene, and new artists that will only appear on our FB page.
Then we'll run also run a feed from the blog with our original band video interviews, live show shots, give aways and reviews. To kick things off right, we're giving away Colin Quinn's Long Story Short DVD to one of our random likers as soon as we hit the big 100, thanks to our friends over at MVD.We're more than half way there!
First up-this sweet DVD-Colin Quinn-Long Story Short ($19.99).
Remember Colin Quinn-side kick on MTV's Remote Control? He's nobody's sidekick now!! We were front row, center on opening night, when he came through Chi-Town with his freakin' funny one man show. Now he can be all yours, to play at will, without leaving the couch.
His wise and wickedly witty take on humanity and history had us laughing out loud. Even now, months later, his schtick is still stuck in my head. I can't sit down to work without his rant about bloggers and cavemen coming to mind. I'm a bit flattered, though. He mostly lampoons people groups, and only a few professions made the cut. Note to Colin...bloggers may have the cave man keyboard stance, but we're the cockroaches of the publishing world...surviving, thriving and multiplying while traditional media is dropping like the dinosaurs.
I know you WANT this DVD.
COLIN QUINN - Long Story Short on DVD and Blu-ray
The one-man show directed by Jerry Seinfeld
"Hilarious!" New York Times
Nominated for a 2011 Emmy Award Taped before a live audience at the Helen Hayes Theatre in New York City, Colin Quinn: Long Story Short showcases the comedian's keen observations in the uproarious history of the world, juxtaposing modern-day human behavior with the rise and fall of empires.
Colin Quinn began his comic career in New York as a regular on the comedy show circuit. Colin made his television debut as co-host of MTV's popular game show "Remote Control". Quinn landed a spot on the legendary late-night show, "Saturday Night Live" where he entertained audience for five seasons. After SNL, Quinn tackled societal issues on "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn". Colin's first one-man show Sanctifying Grace, began off-Broadway in 1994 and was later produced as Colin Quinn - An Irish Wake and played at the Helen Hayes Theatre. Last summer, Colin appeared in the Adam Sandler comedy "Grown Ups". He can be seen in Sony's "Donny's Boy" opposite Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg, June 2012.
From his personification of Caesar as the original Italian mobster, to his complaints about Ancient Greece and Antigone giving way to Costco and Snooki, Quinn is at his satirical best, taking on the attitudes, appetites and bad habits that have toppled the world's most powerful nations.
First running on Broadway, then airing on HBO, the show's Broadway run was extended due to the popularity. Quinn has been touring Long Story Short throughout 2011 and took a show to the highly acclaimed Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal where it received tremendous accolades. Directed for the stage by Jerry Seinfeld, the Broadway show was produced by Eva Price and Richard Martini.
Bonus Features: - Commentary with Colin Quinn and director Jerry Seinfeld - Behind-the-Scenes Footage - Press Event Footage
Press: "Quinn is a Master. A Polished Act." - Daily News "Colin Quinn nails it. State of the art." Time Magazine "Brisk and Seinfeldian" New York Magazine
ABOUT VIDEO SERVICES CORP. Founded in 1993 by former rock critic Jonathan Gross, Video Services Corp. is a leading independent DVD distributor with offices in Los Angeles and Toronto. With a vast catalogue strong in television, sports and comedy, some of VSC's releases include the Canadian hit Corner Gas, The Roller Derby Chronicles The Tom Green Show, The WHA Chronicles and Spectacle: Elvis Costello With.... VSC also owns the e-commerce websites sportonvideo.com, laffstock.com and jewishflicks.com.
ABOUT MVD ENTERTAINMENT GROUP MVD Entertainment Group (previously known as Music Video Distributors, Inc) was founded in 1986 by Tom Seaman, an industry veteran of more than 40 years, whose background includes retailing stints with Record Hunter, Sam Goody, Musicland, CBS Retail, and wholesale experience with Jem Records. MVD initially acted primarily as a one-stop, buying all labels' music-related VHS releases and reselling to music and video stores. In the last 10 years, MVD has transitioned from being a one stop/wholesaler for music video to a corporation consisting of three major divisions: MVD Visual, MVD Audio, and MVD Distribution. Some of the artists MVD has worked with include Sublime, Pixies, Bad Brains, Devo, The New York Dolls, Iggy Pop, the MC5, Dead Kennedys, Danzig, Marillion, Ween, Shane MacGowan, Stryper, Johnny Winter, and much more. Since 1999, MVD has released over 1500 exclusive titles. For more information, visitwww.mvdb2b.com.
