Mike Appel is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
music industry
managerA talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
and
record producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, most known for his role in both capacities early in the career of
Bruce SpringsteenBruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
.
Appel was born in Flushing in Queens, New York, of three-quarters Irish and one-quarter Jewish heritage and was raised Roman Catholic. His father was a successful real estate broker on
Long IslandLong Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. Appel began playing the guitar at age fourteen.
Appel was a guitarist and songwriter for several obscure groups during the 1950s and 1960s. He was a member of
The Balloon FarmThe Balloon Farm, a musical act from New Jersey, took its name from a New York City nightclub. It is best known for its sole hit song, "A Question of Temperature," which made the Billboard charts in February 1968, peaking in the top 40....
, and co-wrote their 1967 hit "A Question of Temperature". He also was a producer and songwriter for the early metal band
Sir Lord BaltimoreSir Lord Baltimore is a pioneering American heavy metal band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 1968 by lead vocalist/drummer John Garner, guitarist Louis Dambra, and bass player Gary Justin. They are notable for the fact that a 1971 review of their debut record, Kingdom Come, contained the first...
.
In 1971, Carl 'Tinker' West, the manager of some of Springsteen's early bands - Child,
Steel MillSteel Mill was an early Bruce Springsteen band. Other members of the band included three future members of the E Street Band - Vini Lopez, Danny Federici and Steve Van Zandt. As well as playing on the Jersey Shore, Steel Mill also played regularly in Richmond, Virginia and played gigs in California...
and The Bruce Springsteen Band - referred Springsteen to Appel. Springsteen auditioned for Appel in 1971; Appel told him to come back when he had written more songs. When Springsteen returned in 1972, Appel signed Springsteen to a production contract, and got Springsteen the audition with CBS Records'
John H. HammondJohn Henry Hammond II was an American record producer, musician and music critic from the 1930s to the early 1980s...
that led to CBS's signing Springsteen. He produced Springsteen's first two albums,
Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. is the first studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released in 1973. It only sold about 25,000 copies in the first year of its release, but had significant critical impact...
and
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, both released in 1973. He also co-produced Springsteen's third and breakthrough album,
Born to RunThe album's release was accompanied by a $250,000 promotional campaign by Columbia directed at both consumers and the music industry, making good use of Landau's "I saw rock 'n' roll's future—and its name is Bruce Springsteen" quote. With much publicity, Born to Run vaulted into the top 10 in its...
.
Appel gradually fell out of favor with Springsteen during and after the recording of
Born to RunThe album's release was accompanied by a $250,000 promotional campaign by Columbia directed at both consumers and the music industry, making good use of Landau's "I saw rock 'n' roll's future—and its name is Bruce Springsteen" quote. With much publicity, Born to Run vaulted into the top 10 in its...
and was replaced in both roles by
Jon LandauJon Landau is an American music critic, manager and record producer, most known for his association in all three capacities with Bruce Springsteen.He is currently the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame....
by 1976. A lengthy legal battle between Appel and Springsteen ensued, which was eventually settled out of court. Appel, who was not able to find further success in the industry, subsequently co-wrote the 1992 book
Down Thunder Road about his experiences with Springsteen.
Appel is generally credited for his aggressive tactics in getting Springsteen's career started, although his production abilities have often been criticized. However, Appel is also sometimes credited with fostering the looser, more musically adventurous and lyrically romantic approach of Springsteen's first two albums. After Landau took over, Springsteen's work became more tightly focused in musical terms and more political in content.
External links
- [ Allmusic.com profile by] Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger is a US author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing.-Life and writing:Having worked as a DJ at WXPN in Philadelphia, he started reviewing records for Op magazine in 1983...