 The "Sour Milk Sea" single was issued on 26 August 1968 in America (as Apple 1802) and 6 September in Britain (as Apple 3).Along with "Hey Jude" by the Beatles, Mary Hopkin's "Those Were the Days" and the Black Dyke Mills Band's "Thingumybob", it was one of Apple's "Our First Four" singles, marking the official launch of the label.The four releases took place on the same day in the United States but were spread out over two weeks in the UK.