Those Were The Days / Turn! Turn! Turn!

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The record is produced by Paul McCartney who is English, sung by Mary Hopkin who is Welsh, written by Gene Raskin who is American. It is for all ages, all tastes, all creeds, sensibilities, for anyone with the capacity to be stirred by music and is there anyone who has not this capacity? It is a long song: it builds, grips, embraces. It will be whistled, hummed, sung, translated, exploited, adapted all over the world. It will be one of the hits of the year.

Derek Taylor – From the US press release

“Those Were The Days” was one of the four first singles published by Apple Records ; and a limited edition press kit, called “Our First Four“, was issued in the UK. The four first Apple singles were:

In the US, a different press kit was sent to radios. From Apple’s American Debut – The Original 1968 Press Kit | beatle.net:

On August 22, 1968, Apple Records’ Los Angeles office sent press kits to radio station program directors across the United States. The kits were packaged in white envelopes with an Apple logo in the upper left corner serving as the return address. The logo was a solid green circle with a white apple in the center with the word “Apple” in white script above the stem. The post mark indicated that the package cost a then hefty eighty cents to air mail. The lucky recipients of these envelopes would be among the first people in America to see and hear what the Beatles new Apple venture was all about. […]

For those disc jockeys who had been monitoring Apple’s progress by reading trade magazines, the arrival of the classy looking white envelope with the Apple logo was truly a magic moment. Upon ripping open the envelope, the recipient encountered a glossy cream colored folder with a large Apple logo on its front side. Inside was a treasure of sound, visuals and text.

In contrast to the white envelope and folder were four distinguished-looking black center cut record sleeves. One proclaimed “The Beatles on Apple” in an attractive script font. The group’s name was in white and Apple in green. The other three sleeves merely said “Apple” in the same eye-catching green script letters. Peeking out of the center of each sleeve was a record label covered with a Granny Smith green apple.

The sleeves were not the only thing different about the singles. While most records had the same label design on both sides, these discs had a full green apple on one side and a sliced apple was its exposed white innards on the other side. The singles also had something new to most Americans — a slip guard consisting of 360 interlocking serations surrounding the label. Although the tiny grooves appeared to be an innovation of Apple, several British labels had been pressing discs with slip guards for years. By coincidence, Capitol had re-tooled its pressing plants for slip guard singles at the beginning of the month, so the Apple singles were among the first Capitol manufactured titles to take on the new look. […]

The press kit also included two 8″ x 10″ black and white glossies of each of the artists featured on the records. The Beatles are represented by their cartoon images from the Yellow Submarine film. Paul and his sheep dog Martha are pictured with the Black Dyke Mills Band in the brass band’s horizontal publicity still. Jackie Lomax and the lovely looking Mary Hopkin are each featured in vertical pictures. All four glossies have the artist’s name printed below the picture towards the left side and the Apple logo in lower right corner.

Recipients of the press kit learned about each artist through separate 8 1/2″ x 11″ information sheets and 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ booklets. The text of the information sheets is credited to Apple press agent Derek Taylor. Although no credit is given in the booklets, the writing is appears to be the work of Derek Taylor as well. […]

It’s Eve Taylor versus Apple, the Beatles’ company. Or, in other words, it is Sandie Shaw version May Hopkin in the race for chart honours with Gene Raskin’s sought-after song, “Those Were The Days”.

Sandie and her manager – disc producer Evelyn Taylor, sprang a surprise with the rush release of their version, for Sandie has “Together” on the market and although this Harry Nilsson song hasn’t got her into the charts yet, the disc has only had three weeks to get there.

Evelyn’s explanation is: “The song is simply fabulous. Just made for Sandie. And I feel that the fact that Sandie has done it will help rather than hinder Mary Hopkin. I suppose I will be criticised by the business, but show business battles won’t stop the public buying a record if they like it“.

Sandie would only comment on the song, which she thinks is “fabulous“.

Paul McCartney, who produced the Mary Hopkin disc, smiled as he said he was “surprised” at the Shaw – Taylor move, especially as Sandie had “Together” so recently out.

But he admitted that is stirred up excitement and agreed with Eve that keen competition was a good thing. […]

From New Musical Express – August 31, 1968

Last updated on October 13, 2021